topic Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards? in Chicago

Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

hxie — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:32:11 GMT

Friends,

I am trying to buy a townhouse in the west loop but found power lines are almost every where. I heard that the EMF (Electronic Magnetic Fields) is bad for people, especially for kids, leading to much higher likelihood of cancers. How to tell if powerlines outside a house is safe? Which block to avoid? Any related information is greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot,

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

N3MDPE — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 22:59:36 GMT

Hi,

Any EMF being launched from these power lines is probably extremely weak and should not be a health concern. I would bet that the power lines you are concered with are medium or low voltage lines, which arent significant at all. However I came across an article detailing extra high voltage lines being installed in the west loop. These could be the ones to avoid, but most of them look to be underground. You should know that any EMF emitted from power lines drops off eponentially as you move farther away (a person twice the distance from the lines receives1/(2x2) 1/4 less EMF, a person 3 times farther away receives 1/8th 1/(2x2x2)). I noticed when I am near extra high voltage lines I can no longer hear AM radio stations. Maybe you can tune into 780AM and see if you notice any interference?

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comed-completes-350-million-west-loop-project-57439632.html

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

LuckyFoot — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 01:54:18 GMT

You'll get more radiation exposure staring at your microwave from 12" away than you'll ever get from a powerline being outside your house.

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

Sammy555 — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 02:14:21 GMT

Any EMF emitted by the power lines would be due to the current flowing through them, not the voltage level of the power lines. Also, the drop off isn't "exponential". It's "inverse square".

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

N3MDPE — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:58:10 GMT

Im aware that its an inverse square but I figured describing it as an "exponential" decline would be easier for the people that arent electrical engineers or mathemeticians, this is a real estate message board after all... The high voltage lines also carry more current and being longer, would make a better antenna for any EM radiation, though Its hard to launch any kind of EM wave at 60Hz (and its harmonics). Either way I think people are way to paranoid about this sort of thing.

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

hxie — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:39:34 GMT

"exponential" gets the work done. Thanks N3MDPE.

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

hxie — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:40:22 GMT

you are not going to run your micorwave 24X7. but the powerline is there EMF you all the time.

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

hxie — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 16:42:13 GMT

Hi,

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comed-completes-350-million-west-loop-project-57439632.html"

Anyone knows where exactly those power lines locate? Those high voltage transmission lines could be a big issue for human health.

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

N3MDPE — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 04:50:10 GMT

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comed-completes-350-million-west-loop-project-57439632.html

This article describes approximately where the 345kV lines are (the big ones). It doesnt give specifics but you can look up the locations indicated in the article and make a good guess as to where these are. I also read the UK is considering placing power lines a minimum of of 450 feet from homes. I would imagine thats a good place to start as far as distance from the extra high voltage lines. Remember though that most of the power lines you see are much lower voltage (and current) than the huge ones in the hundreds of kilovolts, look out for the ones connecting substations. Im sure you can find these on google maps satellite view.

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

hxie — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 15:42:46 GMT

Thanks a lot N3MDPE.

The tricky part is the not-so-high voltage powerlines/distribution-lines. Those lines' voltage is unknown and without that information, it is difficult to tell the safe distance.But I definitely dont want to have a powerline next to my house (within 10 feet）。

Another thing I heard from my realtor is to buy house far enough from the poles with some boxes (could be some tranformers inside).

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

RSB — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 16:41:03 GMT

Seems like the data out there is inconclusive...

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Risk/magnetic-fields

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2699/electrifying

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

hxie — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:56:27 GMT

more information. EMF was a category B cancer hazard defined by EPA. Thanks to the lobbyists from related industries, it is no longer the case.

http://emf.mercola.com/sites/emf/emf-dangers.aspx

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

koctail — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 14:20:42 GMT

On the same subject, does anyone know what this building is, which is not too far from Sears tower:

http://g.co/maps/ebhjb

Looks like a power substation. Not sure if those are anything to worry about?

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

hxie — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 19:34:59 GMT

"On the same subject, does anyone know what this building is, which is not too far from Sears tower:

http://g.co/maps/ebhjb

Looks like a power substation. Not sure if those are anything to worry about?"

Yes, it should be the Taylor Substation with 110KV-330KV power supplies. I would never want to live near it !!!

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

koctail — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:51:55 GMT

For peace of mind, I purchased a gauss meter to measure EMF.

Re: Powerline in the city - EMF hazards?

Drendel — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 19:48:35 GMT

Dangers from EMF are statistically null. Living near Low-voltage lines, you have a higher chance of being electricuted by them directly.