Is there danger in living next to an electric power plant?

Answer 1

I just had to find out about this for homework so don't think I'm an expert but this is what I found:

There doesn't seem to be any proof of a link to cancer etc. but on a lot of sites I looked at people are still worried about it. There is also a possible risk of radiation but some people argue we are at more risk from things like mobile phones.

I'm sorry I probably haven't been very helpful!

S.

Answer 2

SCIENCE / EXPERIMENT BASED ANSWER:

The most convincing evidence for an association between exposure to emfs from power lines and cancer comes from epidemiological studies. However, some scientists find this association implausible because, e.g., the strengths of these fields are negligible compared to those produced endogenously by cells and exposures are usually lower than those encountered with household appliances.

Despite uncertainties, epidemiological studies nevertheless suggest that risk of excess cancer deaths associated with living near distribution lines producing stronger than average magnetic fields may be about 5 per 100,000 children per year. This is comparable to the risk of childhood leukemia from in utero exposure to diagnostic x-rays, as well as more speculative risks of childhood cancer associated with not breast feeding or with smoking during the first trimester. Still, if these risks are real, they would cause approximately 100 to 1000 deaths annually.

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I have lived next to a SMUD ,electrical power unit for 19 years, If peoples behavior is effected negatively by the giga wattage, then i would say there is a danger . There are about 20 families living next to this power station and the behavior exhibited is mostly angry, anxious, unfriendly. I have always thought that the power station was negative thing, I t does more bad than good( utility vs. risk). The public needs are outweighed by the longterm effects on the neighbors. I f your were to file a tort claim, i believe that the doctrine of res ipsa loquitor would apply. The duty and breach are established, the causation is unclear, because the damages required are not absolutely identified with the station. But the question is, can living next (with 50 yards) of a million jiga watts of electrical power be non damaging to humans. The answer is, how could it be? On a scale of 1-10, 1 being no effect and 10 being total effect and each number from 5-10 being representative of unseen electrical energy penetrating the humans nearby and causing damage. I t is clear that the odds are not good for : no damage. We have heard of microwave effects, cellular phone problems. The truth is that nobody really knows the answers yet. The effects of electrical in our own homes is not clear( a/c-heatpumps electrical meters. The truth is that when we sign those seller disclosure statements about the unknown electrical station factors, we are assuming the risk of danger. The best answer is not to live next to one. Like living at the end of an airport runway, someday something is going to happen, ie,. crash, vapors, sound effects, etc. STAY AWAY FROM POWER STATIONS.

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Answer 3

This is something I am currently researching (this time from a personal rather than a professional perspective). As of yet I have not found concrete evidence of these being dangerous but I am in the early stages of this research and the incidence of cancers, seizures and other ailments, close to a substation are alarmingly higher than in other areas... I will update this page including references when ready...watch this space.