Properties near power lines....

[Shallan]

Just wondering if anybody has advice/experience of houses near power lines? We're looking at a house that is about 4/500 metres away from some metal pylons with power lines.

I know there have been studies before about health risks, then different studies saying there's no risk, and can't find anything conclusive.

TIA

Nope. Would never, ever buy one.

BIL has got one right outside his back garden and I don't even let the DOcs stay the night there.

Two close family members died of leukaemia and the consultant asked them if they had ever lived near a pylon and wasn't at all surprised that they had.

I'm sure there are studies saying they are harmless but I would never even consider it.

I wouldn't consider it either. I'm afraid I believe the health risk studies results rather than the "safe" results.

500 metres away though? That is quite a long way away - check the studies which found a link to see how far away the children in question lived before you write it off. It's not exactly in the back garden is it?
Also you should be able to get in touch with the national grid to find out the actual voltage in the line, again so you can decide how applicable the studies are to your situation.

Thanks all. I've seen some studies saying there's a risk within 600 metres, so it is a concern (there was a study which said that risk only existed in the 1969s/70s, and not since, but they couldn't explain what had changed, so I don't think I can rely on that).

I've also had a private message from a poster about her experiences of being near lines which tbh has really made me turn against this house.

What was her experience? (Not being nosy - considering a house ourselves)

I thought over even 50m was fine, health wise?

She's nearby power lines, and said that all of the women living alongside those lines have had cancer - mainly breast or uterine. Generally she's been unwell since moving there, and they're now leaving.

Here are some links I've found on the risks, in case they're helpful:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26068363

www.safespaceprotection.com/electrostress-from-power-lines.aspx

www.skepdic.com/emf.html

www.bcmj.org/bc-centre-disease-control/living-near-power-lines-bad-our-health

healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/power-lines-and-your-health

Clicked post too soon, two more links:

www.bmj.com/content/330/7503/1290.full

www.senseaboutscience.org/for_the_record.php/69/power-lines-and-childhood-asthma

It's a difficult one, because anecdotally I've heard some scary stories, and obviously there are some studies which found a risk. But then there are other studies/reports saying it's fine, and I really like the house. I think as I'm pregnant now we're going to have to look again for another house, I can't stand the idea of taking a risk with the future PFB.

I just read the BCMJ link, it is strangely ambivalent and does not recommend any action.

There is absolutely no way I would even consider it for one minute.

interesting links. But only the ones trying to sell tinfoil hats or devices of similar efficacy say that there is a problem. The independent sources from the real scientists say there is no proof.

from sense about science:' As Professor McKinney said: “The strong conclusions drawn from this paper that magnetic field exposure in pregnancy increases the risk of asthma in offspring cannot be justified based on the evidence provided in the publication. The investigation lacks a biological basis or hypothesis to test.” - See more at: www.senseaboutscience.org/for_the_record.php/69/power-lines-and-childhood-asthma#sthash.J8RD1wix.dpuf'

(Professor Mckinney - Professor of Paediatric Epidemiology at Leeds University).

BMJ: 'There is an association between childhood leukaemia and proximity of home address at birth to high voltage power lines, and the apparent risk extends to a greater distance than would have been expected from previous studies. About 4% of children in England and Wales live within 600 m of high voltage lines at birth. If the association is causal, about 1% of childhood leukaemia in England and Wales would be attributable to these lines, though this estimate has considerable statistical uncertainty. There is no accepted biological mechanism to explain the epidemiological results; indeed, the relation may be due to chance or confounding.'

The BMJ also point out that magnetic fields in homes arise from domestic wiring, wi-fi and electrical appliances.

in short - no proof. However more of an issue is that many people do believe that there is an issue so you'll have a resale problem.

I would also add that it does depend on the volts running through the cables. We all live much nearer than we think to power cables because everyone more or less has electricity in their homes. Some cabling is underground and we aren't completely sure of the effects of this. Only when you start to research this subject do you realise how vulnerable we all are.

Also, there are many factors that contribute to developing cancer. Diet being a big one. Even the study that showed that in the 1960/70s people were more at risk to now might also be explained by diet, exercise, economics. Also the 'Private Poster' may feel unwell because she's anxious about what she has experienced i.e a lot of the neighbours developing cancer. I'm not an expert at all. Do the research, talk to the potential neighbours, contact the grid to find the voltage etc.

There are various correlations (a correlation is not a cause) between, e.g. presence of HV power lines and industrial areas or old factories in the same area.

The numbers are so low that I don't think anyone knows if there is any difference in correlation between address-at-birth and other factors which are less easily mapped.

Our pylon is a couple of minutes walk away but National grid came out with all the equipment to measure.....ummmm it was 15 years ago electric/magnetic field?
Being an untrusting sort I hired my own equipment to test alongside them,very interesting to see where the amounts dropped away (nowhere near our house) and compare fields given off by the phone and microwave in the property.They spent a morning with us.
I had ME at the time and was so paranoid-fully recovered now and think I would have succumbed where ever I lived due to my lifestyle then.

You can hardly see the lines now the trees have grown up and regarding loss of value I think National Grid should compensate you for any loss.
Just check if any previous owners claimed and if you need to own the land the lines run over?

Interestingly after seeing how much of whatever our domestic appliances emitted we designed our new build to minimize this in relation to living and sleeping areas.
And are very strict on not sleeping near mobiles.

We are currently trying to buy in the centre of a large city and it is very difficult to find properties here that are not close to some sort of power line, substation or high voltage cables. They are seemingly everywhere.
We are currently considering a property which fronts on to a road that has 275v underground cables running down it and that worries me a bit as I have no idea if they pose a risk.

stayathome makes interesting points. You shouldn't be sleeping with a mobile phone in the room anyway. Buy an alarm clock!

My main issue would be the noise they make on damp/rainy/foggy days. They hum insanely loudly, like as loud as a train going past. Continuously.

I used to do inspections for compensation claims for overhead pylons like that and the noise would drive me up the wall being anywhere near them. I could never understand how anyone could choose to live near them.

Admittedly you'll get the house cheaper if it's near a line, but you'll also get less when you sell.

Plus there are, as you say, the negative health implications.

Underground cables are made differently, and make much less emf.

Also, as they are insulated and waterproof, they don't make a noise in rain.

However, you are probably much nearer to one.

Pylons are taller for the higher voltages, so if standing underneath, you are further from the cables.

I also would avoid a house to near pylons because of the humming sound when it rains.

Thanks very much for all of the input. We are viewing more houses at the weekend, so hoping to find something else!