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,
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?
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".
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.
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?
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.
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).
