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Why would they spray pesticides on a high voltage tower
They don't spray anything on the TOWER, they may spray herbicides on the vegetation underneath it! They want to retard brushy growth so it doesn't block access for maintenance, to reduce flashy wildfire fuel, and prevent tree growth. Trees could eventually block or damage the structure, or create an electrical arc. Also, utility ROWs are often convenient routes of spread for noxious weeds. Disturbed ground, imported nonnative weed seeds get spread along them from heavy equipment, etc. Many utilities have agreements with local or state agencies to prevent or control known weeds, and those agreements often include herbicide application.
Last edited by Parnassia; 02-05-2019 at 03:38 PM..
You guys act like decisions to build near power lines and to spray pesticides are just totally random. Nope. A whole lot of research goes into the how and why of all that stuff. The only pesticides used are the safe ones that are either intrinsically safe or are safe if used in a particular careful manner. The power lines are safe or the US government, who we fund to look out for our safety, would not allow them to be used. Everything is of course a risk benefit since a small hazard is associated with every action we take. For example taking a shower has risk (you could slip), breathing has risk (you could breath in a deadly bacterium), living on a mountain has risk (you are closer to solar radiation), having sex has risk (yeah, you know). Even eating a piece of pie has risk (you could choke). So take all of those very tiny risks and add them up and you get life.
Now if you know something has an elevated risk, like riding dirt bikes or swimming great distances, you at least know what you are getting yourself into. But if you don't know the risks and just assume the worst, you will only make yourself nuts. IMHO.
We have friends that have high-tension electric wires like the one in the pic right behind their house.
Whenever I've been over there, I can hear the buzzzzzz from the wires clearly. It's way worse when it's foggy out. Friend says, "You don't even notice the sound after awhile." No thanks.
Plus they find dead birds in their yard quite often.
A fruitcake selling bogus 'cures', worse than useless.
I've been working with electricity and EM for more than 50 years. You have nothing more serious to worry about than an ugly view.
EM field strength diminishes in an inverse square ratio- if you double your distance from the transmitter, the field strength is reduced by a factor of four.
Now, if you beam a few kW of microwave radiation into your skull from 50' away you're going to cause a bit of a problem, but you have zilch to worry about from power lines...unless you climb the tower and try to jump from it to hang off the line...
Anyone living in a city, or highly populated area, is going to be exposed to far more EM radiation from numerous buried cables, radio transmitters, and of course all the wifi access points. That's not to mention the pollution from vehicles and other sources. Many cities have air quality that is the equivalent of smoking a few cigarettes a day.
Here’s another question, how many years does a high voltage tower (transmission tower) usually stay operational? Do these towers have a life expectancy? My old neighborhood was established in 1982 and I’m guessing the electric towers around it were installed around the same time frame or even earlier which would make the towers atleast 40 years old. Are they nearing the end of usefulness, when these towers eventually “die” do they get demolished or what
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