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‘Scientific evidence suggesting that everyday, chronic low-intensity (above 0.3–0.4 µT) power-frequency magnetic field exposure poses a health risk is based on epidemiological studies demonstrating a consistent pattern of increased risk for childhood leukaemia. Uncertainties in the hazard assessment include the role that control selection bias and exposure misclassification might have on the observed relationship between magnetic fields and childhood leukaemia. In addition, virtually all of the laboratory evidence and the mechanistic evidence fail to support a relationship between low-level ELF magnetic fields and changes in biological
function or disease status. Thus, on balance, the evidence is not strong enough to be considered causal, but sufficiently strong to remain a concern.
Let's break down that statement (and I'd like to know the source of it, a google search on "WHO statement on electric power lines" produced nothing from WHO)
We'll take out the adjectives except where significant.
Scientific evidence suggesting (that) exposure causes a health risk is based on studies demonstrating a pattern of increased risk.
So - they took a bunch of kids who had leukemia, weeded out the ones who were -not- exposed chronically to power lines, and said "aha - here's the leftover 6 kids. And all 6 of them were exposed to power lines. Therefore, 100% of these kids were at increased risk." Fitting the test group to fit the results is not sound science, it's fraud science.
The next sentence proves this:
Uncertainties in the hazard assessment include the role that control selection bias and exposure misclassification might have on the observed relationship between magnetic fields and childhood leukaemia.
This means - The control selection was biased, and their exposure was not properly classified. And because of that misclassification and biased control selection, the assessment's outcome was, at best, dubious. At worst, completely false.
And the next sentence within the paragraph: In addition, virtually all of the laboratory evidence and the mechanistic evidence fail to support a relationship between low-level ELF magnetic fields and changes in biological function or disease status.
Meaning, simply: They tried REAL hard to prove that there was a link. They failed. End of story.
The last sentence indicating continued concern, is the responsible answer when _anyone_ brings up _any_ topic about potential risks of danger to children: It is a still a concern. Well of course it is. As well it should be. And if they ever find out that electromagnetic fields created by power lines causes leukemia, then they'll be able to say, "see? We were concerned. We kept on it, and we did our job making sure you all knew that we did our job."
Everything increases the risk of cancer. Everything from heredity to cell phones.
The salient point is (I think) that - everyone has hypotheses, but no one has provable and definitive answers.
A small town near where I used to live in the East had a high preponderance (35%) of liver cancer. One fella who came from there was so busy trying to get the State to look into what was in the water that he overlooked two important factors. One was that, in this small town, almost everyone was related to/could trace their lineage to six forebears. The other was that 'homemade' alcohol abuse was prevalent, even in those who did not have liver cancer (yet). The water for the town did come downstream from a nuclear storage facility that was known to leak tritium into the water. Bring hereditary and environmental factors together in just the right application, and you have a 'perfect storm' of cancerous (or other type) results.
IF - your family has a history of leukemia, and IF there are other factors that come in to play, then it is possible that living next to a Hi-V facility could trip all of those triggers into leukemia. Are there any other kids around with leukemia? Where does your water come from? What foods do you/your child eat? What is your air quality? What other factors could come into play that could influence a propensity for developing cancer?
Worrying about one factor just because of a theory of what 'might' cause cancer - or any disease - is too much worry. Unless you have other factors involved, both hereditary and environmental, you might be unduly influenced to leap up and move to a new apartment built on an old pig farm (methane gas) or an old mine (lead and other metallic tailings in the ground, water, and air) - and you could spend the rest of your life in a panic mode if you chose. Don't borrow trouble; there are enough things to worry about that are more immediate; like speeding cars in the street, the sex offender living next door, or earthquakes.
The only elevated risk occurred at very high levels which are uncommon in residences.
The next thing to consider is relative risk as opposed to absolute risk.
The incidence of childhood leukemia in the US is about 4 to 5 per 100,000. I suspect Canadian numbers would be similar.
From a little googling around, it seems that the studies that did find an increased risk of leukemia related to EMF, the relative risk was about 2, meaning a doubling of the risk. That sounds terrible.
But what does it mean to the absolute risk?
It would take it from about 5 in 100,000 to 10 in 100,000. That is still a very small risk. It would not make me want to move, and I say that from the point of view of a mother of a son who had childhood leukemia.
So, from the point of view of the epidemiologist, a doubling of the rate is significant and justifies additional studies.
From the point of view of an individual, the fact that the studies do not consistently show an increased risk is reassuring, as it suggests that if there is an effect, it is probably small.
Hello. I lived near power lines for about two years....I would say about one year into our stay, I developed fibromyalgia. I took four months off of work....and symptoms got better, but did reoccur
occassionally. We moved about six months later because of my husbands illness (motor neuron disease). Are either of our symptoms related to the electromagnetic field? We may never know.
My husband has never gotten better, nor has he gotten worse. I have fybro symtoms once in a great while, and I just stop and walk away from stress. I put up a closed sign and soon passes. The elctromagnetic field tested normal or way low risk. Would I move if I were you? Hell, yes.
Hello. I lived near power lines for about two years....I would say about one year into our stay, I developed fibromyalgia. I took four months off of work....and symptoms got better, but did reoccur
occassionally. We moved about six months later because of my husbands illness (motor neuron disease). Are either of our symptoms related to the electromagnetic field? We may never know.
My husband has never gotten better, nor has he gotten worse. I have fybro symtoms once in a great while, and I just stop and walk away from stress. I put up a closed sign and soon passes. The elctromagnetic field tested normal or way low risk. Would I move if I were you? Hell, yes.
Did a majority or even *significant* minority of people living in your neighborhood ALSO develop fibromyalgia? Why did you develop it, but your husband developed motor neuron disease? Why did you -not- develop motor neuron disease? Did you check the lead content in the soil? Did you check your home for carbon monoxide poisoning? How about the drinking water, what's in it, and have you been tested for allergies on any of the chemical components in the water, or any of the local foods that you might have purchased at the local market?
What about other industry in the area - did you have the air and soil tested for toxic waste or chemical fumes?
If you did NOT test all these things...
then for all you know, you just came down with a mild case of some long-term flu and never fully recovered from it.
Furthermore, if your symptoms mostly disappeared after moving away, then you didn't have fibromyalgia. You were misdiagnosed. Or, you diagnosed yourself. Fibromyalgia doesn't show up when you're exposed to something, and then go away when you're not exposed to it. It's a chronic, long-term disorder, that has no cure, and doesn't go away. It's pervasive and persistant and has ups and downs but the long-term prognosis is - if you have it today, you'll still have symptoms in 20 years.
AnonChick: My need to test anything OR analyze anything was not considered as we had to move as my husband could no longer manipulate the stairs. And no, we did not test the stairs. I shared no conclusions, just my experience...AND you can have your questions and opinion. But based on
"my" experience, I would not choose to live under electrical wires. And yes, I was properly diagnosed about twelve years ago.
Thanks to everyone who shared opinions.
I'm still not sure what we'll do - at the very least we'll probably stay here until the end of our lease, and maybe consider moving to an apartment on the other end of the complex, a block away from the lines.
We got the EMF meter, and don't really know what to make of it. Yes, the readings are obviously high when you're standing outside right by the lines and then fall as you move away towards our entrance. They're still somewhat higher outside by our place than on the other side of the building. However, they are higher inside, probably due to wiring and appliances - so it's higher in the middle of the living room than on the balcony, which is closer to the lines. There's also some sort of electrical room downstairs at one corner of the building, so the levels go fairly high up at that side of the apartment, - something we would've never even thought about/considered if it wasn't for worrying about the lines, heh - and also obviously by any appliances. In our son's room, we've discovered that the levels are fine in one half of the room, but quite high by the other wall right where his crib is - so we'll be moving it to the other side. It must be the wiring in that wall; funnily it's actually lower by the window, which is the closest point to the lines.
Soo...overall levels are somewhat higher than what's considered average or background, but it's not clear how much of it is actually contributed by the power lines as opposed to wiring, wi-fi, etc. I guess next time out of curiosity I'll take the meter to a friend's house. Thankfully me and DS are going out of town to visit family for a month so I don't have to think about this for a bit, and then we'll see.
The thing that concerns me is that no one, even the big agencies, seem to be denying straight out that it could potentially be harmful. They haven't found much proof as of yet - but who's to say they won't in the future? It certainly seems to be the case that many more things that are thought safe are later found harmful than the other way around. And while there are certainly risks in everything, when it comes to your child it's terrifying to think of such a scary disease and that there's this possible factor that you could've prevented but didn't just due to being too lazy to move or whatnot. On the other hand, who knows if moving would make much difference...
When it comes to other factors I generally err on the side of reasonable caution. For my son I only cook from scratch, buy organic, esp. meat and dairy, avoid artificial additives, pop, fast food, drink bottled spring water, don't microwave plastic, etc.. I didn't drink, smoke, or have X-rays done when pregnant. So in a way it's scary to think that here may be something that could potentially negate all that - even though i know the possibility is tiny. Am I just being too paranoid?
Thanks to everyone who shared opinions.
I'm still not sure what we'll do - at the very least we'll probably stay here until the end of our lease, and maybe consider moving to an apartment on the other end of the complex, a block away from the lines.
We got the EMF meter, and don't really know what to make of it. Yes, the readings are obviously high when you're standing outside right by the lines and then fall as you move away towards our entrance. They're still somewhat higher outside by our place than on the other side of the building. However, they are higher inside, probably due to wiring and appliances - so it's higher in the middle of the living room than on the balcony, which is closer to the lines. There's also some sort of electrical room downstairs at one corner of the building, so the levels go fairly high up at that side of the apartment, - something we would've never even thought about/considered if it wasn't for worrying about the lines, heh - and also obviously by any appliances. In our son's room, we've discovered that the levels are fine in one half of the room, but quite high by the other wall right where his crib is - so we'll be moving it to the other side. It must be the wiring in that wall; funnily it's actually lower by the window, which is the closest point to the lines.
Soo...overall levels are somewhat higher than what's considered average or background, but it's not clear how much of it is actually contributed by the power lines as opposed to wiring, wi-fi, etc. I guess next time out of curiosity I'll take the meter to a friend's house. Thankfully me and DS are going out of town to visit family for a month so I don't have to think about this for a bit, and then we'll see.
The thing that concerns me is that no one, even the big agencies, seem to be denying straight out that it could potentially be harmful. They haven't found much proof as of yet - but who's to say they won't in the future? It certainly seems to be the case that many more things that are thought safe are later found harmful than the other way around. And while there are certainly risks in everything, when it comes to your child it's terrifying to think of such a scary disease and that there's this possible factor that you could've prevented but didn't just due to being too lazy to move or whatnot. On the other hand, who knows if moving would make much difference...
When it comes to other factors I generally err on the side of reasonable caution. For my son I only cook from scratch, buy organic, esp. meat and dairy, avoid artificial additives, pop, fast food, drink bottled spring water, don't microwave plastic, etc.. I didn't drink, smoke, or have X-rays done when pregnant. So in a way it's scary to think that here may be something that could potentially negate all that - even though i know the possibility is tiny. Am I just being too paranoid?
Could you actually share some of the readings?
As I said, I have a son who had leukemia. I know what it is like.
But the risks from power lines do appear to be small. When studies about medical issues appear to be conflicting and wishy washy, it is usually because the effect being looked at is so small it is hard to pin down.
Probably the most dangerous thing for your child is to ride in a motor vehicle, not to mention driving one!
If I were you, I would move. Electromagnetic fields are intensified and there are effects on health.
I too feel/think emf emissions are a health risk depending on the degree of emissions and the length of exposure and the sensitivity of the person.
Can i prove it? No. Am i certain? No.
But it's my strong sense that it's a health risk.
People can argue about this forever.
I certainly won't.
This will be my one and only post on this thread as it's one of those topics that to argue about is just futile. Most arguments are.
But i will say that people who are so arrogantly certain that emf emissions are not a health risk should, imo, check themselves.
Ultimately, even after gathering sufficient information from reliable sources, you need to go with your instinct and intuition.
For either or both to be reliable you need to let go of (or at least temporarily suspend) your fear.
And not to freak you out even more but the PG&E smart meters are also a concern to many of us.
Santa Cruz county and San Francisco & county and a few other progressive counties in California are fighting PG&E.
Human beings (and other creatures btw) are getting bombarded by all sorts of emissions ... cell phones, computers, power lines, smart meters, televisions, (the list goes on) so to me, it's about minimizing the exposure because unless one lives off-grid there's no avoiding it.
This is the meter that i have.
I'm not advertising .... just sharing a product that i have found most helpful.
It reads magnetic (0-100 range), magnetic (0-3 range), electric and microwave.
I don't believe it reads emissions from smart meters.
I'm a techno dummy.
I've been house-sitting all winter in what i call a "highly charged house".
It's less than 50 yards from a major power line and is also in a congested neighborhood with wi-fi everywhere.
I was feeling disturbed and my sleep was interrupted so i began to research this issue.
I found this web-site (Electromagnetic Pollution | EMF Pollution) and contacted the man who developed it and he has been very helpful in explaining the various facets of this issue and i'm almost certain that he'll be willing to share his knowledge with you.
It's kind of complicated ... at least to me.
He is, obviously, one that considers this a health risk but he's also not overly reactive about it.
The readings in the house i've been in present a moderate health risk (according to some standard set by a group of scientist / researchers from Sweden i believe) and since it's not a permanent home i decided to stay and relax about it which was what he advised btw.
This is a good example of one of his e-mails to me and you might find it helpful.
"But let's get back to the EMF you are picking up with your Trifield. You are seeing a strong reading on the magnetic scale, is that right? And when you go outside onto the balcony you find a high reading on the electric scale?
This sounds very much as though the high EMF is due to the power lines. Power lines produce low-frequency EMF - the kind your Trifield measures. The Trifield splits the EMF and measures the electric portion separately from the magnetic portion.
The thing is, the electric portion of low frequency EMF is easily shielded. Even a piece of paper will shield it, so the walls of your house, even the windows, are enough to stop the electric portion of the EMF from entering the house.
But the magnetic portion of low-frequency EMF cannot be shielded. It will pass through anything - metal, concrete, bricks, wood - nothing stops it.
So the magnetic portion of the EMF can fill every corner of the house, even though the electric portion can't get in.
If the EMF you are measuring is from those power lines, you will find that it will be strongest near the walls of the house which are closest to the power lines. As you get further away from the power lines, the EMF reading on your meter should get weaker.
Try that, and see what happens. Also I suggest you write down the EMF readings from the Trifield, in different locations, and at different times of the day or night. Power line EMF is usually lower at night.
Start by using the Magnetic (0-100) milligaus range and measure the EMF on the top scale of your meter.
If those readings are all less than 3 mG, then change to the Magnetic (0-3) milligauss range for a more accurate reading. But then instead of using the top scale on the meter, use the second scale.
2.5 milligauss is a moderately high reading. High enough to cause problems in the short term for an electrosensitive person, edginess perhaps, anxiety, erratic moods, poor sleep - that sort of thing. Some people notice a disturbance of heart rhythm, palpitations etc. But it would probably take years for that kind of EMF to cause serious illness such as cancer, if it ever did.
So if you are just planning to spend a few months in the house, and you can put up with the poor sleeping etc, I don't think you need to be too concerned. To give you an idea of what EMF levels might have what effects, I have attached my EMF Guidelines Excel worksheet, which you might find useful."
I too feel/think emf emissions are a health risk depending on the degree of emissions and the length of exposure and the sensitivity of the person.
Can i prove it? No. Am i certain? No.
But it's my strong sense that it's a health risk.
People can argue about this forever.
I certainly won't.
This will be my one and only post on this thread as it's one of those topics that to argue about is just futile. Most arguments are.
But i will say that people who are so arrogantly certain that emf emissions are not a health risk should, imo, check themselves.
Ultimately, even after gathering sufficient information from reliable sources, you need to go with your instinct and intuition.
For either or both to be reliable you need to let go of (or at least temporarily suspend) your fear.
And not to freak you out even more but the PG&E smart meters are also a concern to many of us.
Santa Cruz county and San Francisco & county and a few other progressive counties in California are fighting PG&E.
Human beings (and other creatures btw) are getting bombarded by all sorts of emissions ... cell phones, computers, power lines, smart meters, televisions, (the list goes on) so to me, it's about minimizing the exposure because unless one lives off-grid there's no avoiding it.
This is the meter that i have.
I'm not advertising .... just sharing a product that i have found most helpful.
It reads magnetic (0-100 range), magnetic (0-3 range), electric and microwave.
I don't believe it reads emissions from smart meters.
I'm a techno dummy.
I've been house-sitting all winter in what i call a "highly charged house".
It's less than 50 yards from a major power line and is also in a congested neighborhood with wi-fi everywhere.
I was feeling disturbed and my sleep was interrupted so i began to research this issue.
I found this web-site (Electromagnetic Pollution | EMF Pollution) and contacted the man who developed it and he has been very helpful in explaining the various facets of this issue and i'm almost certain that he'll be willing to share his knowledge with you.
It's kind of complicated ... at least to me.
He is, obviously, one that considers this a health risk but he's also not overly reactive about it.
The readings in the house i've been in present a moderate health risk (according to some standard set by a group of scientist / researchers from Sweden i believe) and since it's not a permanent home i decided to stay and relax about it which was what he advised btw.
This is a good example of one of his e-mails to me and you might find it helpful.
"But let's get back to the EMF you are picking up with your Trifield. You are seeing a strong reading on the magnetic scale, is that right? And when you go outside onto the balcony you find a high reading on the electric scale?
This sounds very much as though the high EMF is due to the power lines. Power lines produce low-frequency EMF - the kind your Trifield measures. The Trifield splits the EMF and measures the electric portion separately from the magnetic portion.
The thing is, the electric portion of low frequency EMF is easily shielded. Even a piece of paper will shield it, so the walls of your house, even the windows, are enough to stop the electric portion of the EMF from entering the house.
But the magnetic portion of low-frequency EMF cannot be shielded. It will pass through anything - metal, concrete, bricks, wood - nothing stops it.
So the magnetic portion of the EMF can fill every corner of the house, even though the electric portion can't get in.
If the EMF you are measuring is from those power lines, you will find that it will be strongest near the walls of the house which are closest to the power lines. As you get further away from the power lines, the EMF reading on your meter should get weaker.
Try that, and see what happens. Also I suggest you write down the EMF readings from the Trifield, in different locations, and at different times of the day or night. Power line EMF is usually lower at night.
Start by using the Magnetic (0-100) milligaus range and measure the EMF on the top scale of your meter.
If those readings are all less than 3 mG, then change to the Magnetic (0-3) milligauss range for a more accurate reading. But then instead of using the top scale on the meter, use the second scale.
2.5 milligauss is a moderately high reading. High enough to cause problems in the short term for an electrosensitive person, edginess perhaps, anxiety, erratic moods, poor sleep - that sort of thing. Some people notice a disturbance of heart rhythm, palpitations etc. But it would probably take years for that kind of EMF to cause serious illness such as cancer, if it ever did.
So if you are just planning to spend a few months in the house, and you can put up with the poor sleeping etc, I don't think you need to be too concerned. To give you an idea of what EMF levels might have what effects, I have attached my EMF Guidelines Excel worksheet, which you might find useful."
Then again, the poor sleep might just be because you are not in your own bed in your own home.
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