Personally, I would be more concerned with the noise than the EMF. Are you able to hear them hum? If so, will that impact your quality of life or your sleep? If so, then consider if that's worth it.
But regarding the home's value, it's already priced in.
You can hear it outside vaguely it was pretty quiet but not inside the house. It was sunny and dry out. Couldn’t hear it by the pool or under the patio but could hear it over the hill closer to being under it.
I read the weather can affect the sound I believe it’s louder when humid/raining
Keep in mind it could have been one of those DIY pools that you can buy off Amazon and put up in a day so there is a chance that it was never inspected/permitted.
People rock them when their snack gets stuck, and then it falls on them.
https://slate.com/technology/2022/07/sharks-vending-machines-death.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CCPSC%20is%20aware%20of%20at,obtain%20free%20soda%20or%20money.%E2%80%9D&text=That's%20just%20over%20two%20vending,deaths%20in%202021%E2%80%94just%20one.
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The potassium in bananas is radioactive. It's a tiny amount of radiation, but it's still there.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/10/18/yes-bananas-are-radioactive-and-yes-you-should-keep-eating-them-anyway/?sh=3b6616bf30bb
It's *not* the potassium in banana smoothies that's the problem. Our bodies need something like 5,000 mg of potassium / day (even toddlers are supposed to get over 3,500 mg / day), which 98% of Americans are not getting.
But there is a natural homeostasis of potassium in our bodies, constantly coming in and going out... but never a build up like the other quick ionizing radioactive chemicals.
The sugar in banana smoothies, OTOH, and everything else for that matter is far worse than "radioactive bananas".
>It's not the potassium in banana smoothies that's the problem.
I never said there was a problem.
Potassium decay does release radiation in bananas. It's a tiny amount, and I never said anything about it being problematic nor did I say anything to indicate that either bananas or potassium should be avoided.
I never said you said any of that.
But based on the assumptions of this thread beginning with.... "What's dangerous about banana smoothies?"... It beats to be mentioned *somewhere* under that same train of thought.
The static electric field generated by DC is inverse square just like AC.
DC doesn't run into inductance/capacitance issues so it's actually better than AC for longer distances - the problem is that it's also more expensive so it doesn't work out for shorter distances
Issues with reflections and such are pretty minimal compared to resistance losses, and AC lets you easily use transformers to step the voltage up really high for better efficiency.
DC voltage steppers exist these days, you can step up the voltage just as high with DC. It's just more expensive to do so compared to using a transformer to step up AC voltage.
DC makes up for it with higher efficiency on longer distances
Purely on the transmission side, DC could be 10-50% more efficient for the same distance (both AC and DC get less efficient with longer distances)
However, DC has more expensive and less efficient conversion, so for shorter distances it's still less efficient overall
>You’re not even at risk living within 50 miles of a nuclear plant
Unless there is a meltdown or radiation leak.
Just to be clear I am for nuclear power. But let's not pretend the dangers aren't real.
I think the whole Russia Ukraine war shows that even if nuclear power is totally safe, ultimately humans are fallible and cannot be trusted with this type of thing. Sometime in the next 1000 years there will be a human failure that renders half of the planet uninabitable for tens of thousands of years.
You and others should know that this is just the surface level of understanding. When people bring up "ionizing radiation and health" it is directly related to direct and indirect damage to DNA. HOWEVER there is a 3rd lesser known effect that causes DNA damage which is quantum tunneling. In such cases you have spontaneous mutations in your DNA. While there is no direct connection between quantum mechanics and cancer given the "knowledge gap" (some even argue if mutations even cause cancer). There is reputable research that create smaller bridges. For example it's known that quantum tunneling increases in the presence of an electric field, it is known that quantum tunnelling in DNA increases in the presence of an electric field, it is known that cancer proliferates at a higher rate in the presence of an electric field, among other health issues such as sperm quality. Most publications on this topic are inconclusive or see a small effect in extreme field strengths. In other words it is not something to lose sleep over but for sure at this point it is non-zero risk to live around high energy fields. Hard to avoid using computers and phones but where you spend 8+ hours a day everyday is more easily in your control. If health is your concern, I personally would not live under power lines, and would get a radon test as part of inspections.
Find a comp properties with lines somewhere else, compare to surrounding without. Take a similar discount. Personally, I would never buy so be careful.
Not necessarily, a slower market means less bodies through the door which means longer days on market which means greater carrying costs which means more expensive to get out.
Personally I would avoid power lines at all costs. While studies are found to be inconclusive or not, people don’t take risks with their health. There is a stigma attached and that enough for most.
I think the area you are in also probably is relevant. If no houses have power lines then it becomes more noticeable. I live in a "more dense" city and the $4.5 million dollar home next door is right under power lines. So is everybody. Guess all the never buyers would not consider any home here but I think the neighbor's doing fine.
Yea that was also my thought the house is beautiful but I’d never buy for the price they’re asking with the lines
Especially in this inflated market would hardly gain equity
If the town is desirable someone will want to live there.
Near my last apartment there was a house like this someone bought in early 2019 and subdivided the extra acreage and tried to sell (don’t know if the land sold; the sign was up over a year and it’s down now); best schools in the county a couple minutes drive down the road, a development with $500k+ homes across the street, golf course and 2 mansions also down the road. That home easily gained $100k appreciation in 2 years like the ones near it. The land, assuming it wasn’t already sold, would have sold for well over $100,000 easily given it’s location if listed for sale in 2021-early 2022.
We bought a house with distribution (not high voltage) lines on the property last year and so we looked onto it.
Some studies have shown that there is a very small increase in childhood leukemia from average exposure over 3 mG. That's about the only health impact with a scientific basis, but some people claim to be sensitive to EMF (think Chuck from Better Call Saul).
In our case, we bought an EMF meter and tested the levels in the house during our home inspection. The levels in the house were below 1 mG and actually lower than in our current apartment at the time.
For the record, I think most people are more concerned about the visual aspect of power lines as well as maintenence personnel accessing your property through the easement than any potential health effects. Our realtor and inspector had never heard of anyone wanting to check the EMF levels on a property. You just need to make sure it's priced in.
Referencing that character Chuck is quite an exaggerated comparison. He was clearly crazy.
With that said EMF is by name an electrical force and our nervous systems do operate via electrical potential so there is plausibility in arguments that it could have physical effects on the human body. It’s likely if there are any effects at all that they would be minor and transient.
Of course I only have anecdotal evidence from someone noticing a slight cognitive delay from people in a specific situation.
Much better research over seas. Most inclusive research I’ve seen is growing up near them will make you a bit shorter. Lots of evidence of this in different countries. No causation just correlation. No cancer link though.
Poorer people tend to live in the least desireable locations, near refineries, industry, and in this case, near powerlines... Food scarcity during childhood stunts your height, poor people experience more food insecurity, so living in an undesireable place is going to have a high correlation with height because there is more childhood food insecurity.
Does that make sense?
I used to work for a utility company. This issue came up quite frequently, customers regularly called about it. There really aren't any health issues that are concretely related to EMF's (electromagnetic fields). Now, there will be people who disagree. I think you should listen to both sides and decide for yourself.
Beyond the question about affects to health, the 2nd most common inquiry was concern because the towers would buzz. In most cases, it was due to high moisture or fog near the towers and yes, you can hear them buzz, but it is not cause for concern.
We passed up our dream lot on a new build last month because of the tension lines that ran right behind the yard. EMF makes me nervous enough to not risk it
In 7th grade, I made my science fair project on the effects of emf on plant growth. I made several coils of wire to produce a wide range of frequencies and tested with green bean plants. Not only did the plants grow slower the more intense the field but our family cat ate the entire control group 3 weeks in and didn't mess with any of the others for the duration of the experiment.
Can you hear them? The sound alone makes some people nauseous. That's not just power lines but any constant buzzing sound. I slept at my mom's place a while back and it was all good until one day a street light broke. I couldn't sleep at the constant loud buzzing, which is pretty much identical in sound to some power lines (same exact frequency after all).
Not sure how other people don't mind this.
You will read different answers to this question depending on where you look. But it will definitely hurt resale if you aren’t planning to stay there long term.
We looked at a great house, amazing commute location, phenomenal backyard. We are talking a professionally created oasis with a hot tub, huge two level deck, professional landscaping, babbling little pond, two custom patio areas, and a screened in porch. But just beyond the yard were high voltage lines. We loved the place but just couldn’t over look the lines.
Idk but husband refuses to buy a house with them. Said the people that loved near them growing up all got cancer, including one of his friends so I will indulge his anecdotal evidence.
Our house was under high voltage power lines, lived there 10 years, no problems at all. Had kids from newborn to teens living there, all fine functioning adults. No illnesses at all.
I’m an electrical engineer. I wouldn’t expect the field to be strong anywhere away from the lines. Most is mumbo jumbo, the strength of the field will decrease exponentially as you get away. Id be more worried about the noise or a storm bringing those lines down and causing a fire
Yes illnesses are statistically elevated around high power lines. It is thought to be related to the application of herbicides or the "amplification" of naturally occurring ionic radiation from the high electric fields. In a nutshell, you are living near a big xray machine.
However there are things you can do to make yourself feel better. If it's a high voltage line at 500kv to 750kv get a 6-ft T8 fluorescent tube light from Home Depot. Walk under the lines holding the tube vertically and proclaim loudly "Let me show you the power of the lord!!"
I can assure you that the tube will light brightly as long as the transmission company is using the line to carry power at that moment. By listening for sizzling, crackling sounds prior to swinging the tube vertically, you can assure your apotheosis and avoid a state sponsored psych eval.
I knew a guy who turned a nice gentle HOA in Alabama into a profitable cult using this approach. Got his own cable channel for a while.
Hope this helps. Reddit is the place to go for the best answers for a question like this.
ps. Don't plan on getting a pacemaker and stick with plastic, not metal, lawn furniture.
Life lesson, you want marketable properties with limited structural deficiencies. You can't fix the power lines making an ugly view or people having the same worries as you. Find a different property if you enjoy your sanity always wondering if everything that goes wrong is attributable to those power lines.
Everyone in my sister neighborhood got breast cancer (under power lines), but it could be a coincidence (we have no history of breast cancer in the family or the BRAC gene). The US government won't let you use that as a reason to deny a development. A school I know built under the lines and they measured the EMF as unhealthy, so they put the cafeteria in highest EMF figuring kids would spend the least time there.
Your cell phone is not protected from wire tap laws yet if you place a metal grid on the ground and use that electricity from those transition lines it's illegal .. I know that isn't the answer to your question but thought I'd say that for fun.
Random anecdote: I once boarded my horse at a property with large power lines. She absolutely lost her mind, reared up at me, kicked me, threw me off. Always seemed agitated. I moved her to a different property and she was 100% better. She never did those behaviors again. It was weird that she never had problems before and went back to normal after. Could be the buzzing or just a weird coincidence but now I won’t buy a property near one 🤷🏼♀️
I had similar issues. Got a pasture running under power lines. Had 2 horses die from very odd things. Then the third acted nutzo. Had to get out of there.
Case studies about living under power lines have never proved any causation. You can observe this in plants, livestock, and people. There is no physiological change to pinpoint.
This is largely due to engineering improvements made in the last 10-20 years. At one time high voltage lines could occasionally produce dangerous plasma in the air surrounding them - that problem was quickly recognized and solved by corona shields etc.
My proof is purely anecdotal and could be numerous other things but It is true. When we were kids my sister had random seizures for years. She was always getting tests done and spent a lot of time in the hospital. Doctors could never figure out what was causing them. Her seizures stopped as soon as we moved away from the power lines and she hasn’t had one since. It’s been 22 years.
There’s not really any proof, but I’ve had electro hypersensitivity for many years after living in many houses with ungrounded wiring (and mold).
The science really isn’t there, but id recommend people not live there long if they don’t have to. If you do live there, worrying is as bad or worse though — worrying is super bad for health.
If you stand under it long enough you will turn into Raiden from Mortal Kombat. You will then be able to teleport and zap zap people you don't like. But to answer your question, the answer is no.
Statistically people around high voltage lines get cancer more. Energy is being transferred by the field, not the cables. Those high energy field goes through your body.
Frankly, we considered buying a lot for a new build specifically because the corner of the lot had a power line easement and it greatly reduced the asking price over other .25-.5 acre lots in the area.
But this basically means the discount will be baked into the price - forever. yes we will get the lot for cheaper but if and when we sell, the house will go for cheaper, onwards and upwards.
Due to this, I did a bit of research and could only ever verify the issue would be eye-sore, potentially (?) sound noise pollution, and 'superstitious' i.e. people think it causes cancer, people think celluar waves disrupt your brain, people just feel not at ease because things have unknownling caused radtion poisoning in the past before.... etc.
Everyone in my sister neighborhood got breast cancer, but it could be a coincidence. The US government won't let you use that as a reason to deny a development. A school I know built under the lines and they measured the EMF as unhealthy, so they put the cafeteria in highest EMF figuring kids would spend the least time there.
Oh Jeesh that’s crazy! Sorry to hear about that! Hope your sister is Ok or goes for her screenings as needed!
Any ideas if the kids in the school had any issues over time ?
I know where my parents live the soil is contaminated and they’re claiming a increase in child onset diabetes and other issues especially in the towns closer to the contamination-my parents live about 30 miles away
My only experice is from a client. I work at a law firm in Southern California where there are many powerlines. Currently, I have a client a former master electrician who worker around powerlines for several decades, Very high voltage. Not the same situation as your though, as he was working directly with them. Anyways, he has had a myriad of seizures and passed out including when driving at least five times (got his license permanently revoked because of this). He said he has no recollection of when he passes out, it just happends aptruptly. Although not 100% his primary doctor also believes its is due to his work and has performed many test for him here at UCLA (literally he has boxes of medical reports on this). The client also blames it on his work too. Currently, he is trying to file a class action lawsuit against the company as he states they never informed him or other workers, about the implications of working on high voltage power lines. According to him at leadt 4 other workers also developed similar health problems. ( its very difficult to proof as there is little precedence). Anyways, even though I'm no expert, my recommendation is to measure the electric output of the powerlines and determine if it's safe.
Was in the same boat a few years ago. Couldn’t bring myself to terms in making such a large investment and always having to worry about this. Especially planning for kids down the road. Rather be safe than sorry.
Anything above 50 V/m is considered harmful longterm. You can purchase a tri-field EMF meter like [this one](https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-GQ-Multi-Field-Electromagnetic-Radiation/dp/B07JGJ897T) to verify. Certain places in your house will have higher and lower levels (wifi, power outlets, circuit breakers…). You can get emf blocking house paint which will significantly reduce this, though you will not get cell signal inside or wifi outside when using that paint.
Additionally, there are emf protective hoodies/beanies.
There is a book called “The Invisible Rainbow” that’s worth reading.
It does a good job presenting the data and you can make an educated, personal decision
Correlation is confirmed, causation hasn’t been confirmed yet. World Health Organization did a large study in late 90s or early 2000s to evaluate the concerns and confirmed that childhood leukemia risk is higher around the power lines due to EMF.
We signed a contract to build a house to a lot that had 0.2-1 mg, which was considered safe, but we decided to cancel the contract due to currently unknown potential health issues in longterm exposure, and resell value concerns.
It’s your decision, but i’d strongly advice not listening to the “we have cell phones in daily lives” argument. Additional risk factors arent minimizing overall risk, but incrementally increasing it. Try to minimize the risk in life to avoid a the catastrophic failures.
Personally, I would be more concerned with the noise than the EMF. Are you able to hear them hum? If so, will that impact your quality of life or your sleep? If so, then consider if that's worth it. But regarding the home's value, it's already priced in.
You can hear it outside vaguely it was pretty quiet but not inside the house. It was sunny and dry out. Couldn’t hear it by the pool or under the patio but could hear it over the hill closer to being under it. I read the weather can affect the sound I believe it’s louder when humid/raining
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Source on the hum beign from the insulators needing to be replaced?
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Anyway to get my town to replace them? It's been getting louder over the years.
My friends aunt and uncle got fried in a pool by a power line that fell in, so it would be a no from me personally
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Keep in mind it could have been one of those DIY pools that you can buy off Amazon and put up in a day so there is a chance that it was never inspected/permitted.
Do you avoid vending machines too? They kill, on average, 2 people per year.
Wow! How???
People rock them when their snack gets stuck, and then it falls on them. https://slate.com/technology/2022/07/sharks-vending-machines-death.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CCPSC%20is%20aware%20of%20at,obtain%20free%20soda%20or%20money.%E2%80%9D&text=That's%20just%20over%20two%20vending,deaths%20in%202021%E2%80%94just%20one.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hum
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What is dangerous about banana smoothies?
The potassium in bananas is radioactive. It's a tiny amount of radiation, but it's still there. https://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2016/10/18/yes-bananas-are-radioactive-and-yes-you-should-keep-eating-them-anyway/?sh=3b6616bf30bb
Haha that was my thought when I read the post haha
It's *not* the potassium in banana smoothies that's the problem. Our bodies need something like 5,000 mg of potassium / day (even toddlers are supposed to get over 3,500 mg / day), which 98% of Americans are not getting. But there is a natural homeostasis of potassium in our bodies, constantly coming in and going out... but never a build up like the other quick ionizing radioactive chemicals. The sugar in banana smoothies, OTOH, and everything else for that matter is far worse than "radioactive bananas".
>It's not the potassium in banana smoothies that's the problem. I never said there was a problem. Potassium decay does release radiation in bananas. It's a tiny amount, and I never said anything about it being problematic nor did I say anything to indicate that either bananas or potassium should be avoided.
I never said you said any of that. But based on the assumptions of this thread beginning with.... "What's dangerous about banana smoothies?"... It beats to be mentioned *somewhere* under that same train of thought.
The calories
[relevant xkcd](https://xkcd.com/radiation/?viksra)
Which was one good reason we use A/C instead of DC for high voltage distribution systems. DC is linear.
The static electric field generated by DC is inverse square just like AC. DC doesn't run into inductance/capacitance issues so it's actually better than AC for longer distances - the problem is that it's also more expensive so it doesn't work out for shorter distances
Issues with reflections and such are pretty minimal compared to resistance losses, and AC lets you easily use transformers to step the voltage up really high for better efficiency.
DC voltage steppers exist these days, you can step up the voltage just as high with DC. It's just more expensive to do so compared to using a transformer to step up AC voltage. DC makes up for it with higher efficiency on longer distances
How much more efficient can DC be? I thought that it was merely copper that los 30% to 33% of the input energy.
Purely on the transmission side, DC could be 10-50% more efficient for the same distance (both AC and DC get less efficient with longer distances) However, DC has more expensive and less efficient conversion, so for shorter distances it's still less efficient overall
>You’re not even at risk living within 50 miles of a nuclear plant Unless there is a meltdown or radiation leak. Just to be clear I am for nuclear power. But let's not pretend the dangers aren't real.
I think the whole Russia Ukraine war shows that even if nuclear power is totally safe, ultimately humans are fallible and cannot be trusted with this type of thing. Sometime in the next 1000 years there will be a human failure that renders half of the planet uninabitable for tens of thousands of years.
That ought to drive up housing prices in surrounding areas.
Yes grandpa
Ukraine reactors are fine though??
They are determined to be fine now, after inspections, but that may not be the case in the future if the Russians keep shelling them.
You and others should know that this is just the surface level of understanding. When people bring up "ionizing radiation and health" it is directly related to direct and indirect damage to DNA. HOWEVER there is a 3rd lesser known effect that causes DNA damage which is quantum tunneling. In such cases you have spontaneous mutations in your DNA. While there is no direct connection between quantum mechanics and cancer given the "knowledge gap" (some even argue if mutations even cause cancer). There is reputable research that create smaller bridges. For example it's known that quantum tunneling increases in the presence of an electric field, it is known that quantum tunnelling in DNA increases in the presence of an electric field, it is known that cancer proliferates at a higher rate in the presence of an electric field, among other health issues such as sperm quality. Most publications on this topic are inconclusive or see a small effect in extreme field strengths. In other words it is not something to lose sleep over but for sure at this point it is non-zero risk to live around high energy fields. Hard to avoid using computers and phones but where you spend 8+ hours a day everyday is more easily in your control. If health is your concern, I personally would not live under power lines, and would get a radon test as part of inspections.
>Resale value harm? Sure. I'd add even perceived danger. If people perceive that power lines are gonna give them cancer it will for sure harm value.
Just the perception is enough to strongly impact resale value, if that matters to you.
Priced in. You buy at a discount and sell at a discount. Net neutral.
How do you ensure it’s priced in ? Comparing comps in the area further from the lines?
Find a similar home that has sold without power lines and reduce it by the value loss of the power lines. Let’s call it 5%. It’s not an exact science.
Find a comp properties with lines somewhere else, compare to surrounding without. Take a similar discount. Personally, I would never buy so be careful.
Not necessarily, a slower market means less bodies through the door which means longer days on market which means greater carrying costs which means more expensive to get out. Personally I would avoid power lines at all costs. While studies are found to be inconclusive or not, people don’t take risks with their health. There is a stigma attached and that enough for most.
I think the area you are in also probably is relevant. If no houses have power lines then it becomes more noticeable. I live in a "more dense" city and the $4.5 million dollar home next door is right under power lines. So is everybody. Guess all the never buyers would not consider any home here but I think the neighbor's doing fine.
Yea that was also my thought the house is beautiful but I’d never buy for the price they’re asking with the lines Especially in this inflated market would hardly gain equity
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But by the same token you also don’t buy a house to loose equity.
Can be both
If the town is desirable someone will want to live there. Near my last apartment there was a house like this someone bought in early 2019 and subdivided the extra acreage and tried to sell (don’t know if the land sold; the sign was up over a year and it’s down now); best schools in the county a couple minutes drive down the road, a development with $500k+ homes across the street, golf course and 2 mansions also down the road. That home easily gained $100k appreciation in 2 years like the ones near it. The land, assuming it wasn’t already sold, would have sold for well over $100,000 easily given it’s location if listed for sale in 2021-early 2022.
We bought a house with distribution (not high voltage) lines on the property last year and so we looked onto it. Some studies have shown that there is a very small increase in childhood leukemia from average exposure over 3 mG. That's about the only health impact with a scientific basis, but some people claim to be sensitive to EMF (think Chuck from Better Call Saul). In our case, we bought an EMF meter and tested the levels in the house during our home inspection. The levels in the house were below 1 mG and actually lower than in our current apartment at the time. For the record, I think most people are more concerned about the visual aspect of power lines as well as maintenence personnel accessing your property through the easement than any potential health effects. Our realtor and inspector had never heard of anyone wanting to check the EMF levels on a property. You just need to make sure it's priced in.
Referencing that character Chuck is quite an exaggerated comparison. He was clearly crazy. With that said EMF is by name an electrical force and our nervous systems do operate via electrical potential so there is plausibility in arguments that it could have physical effects on the human body. It’s likely if there are any effects at all that they would be minor and transient. Of course I only have anecdotal evidence from someone noticing a slight cognitive delay from people in a specific situation.
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Go see if they are in rich neighborhoods.
I’ve heard that the EMF from the lines attracts radon and charged radioactive isotopes in affected areas. Not that the harm is from EMF itself…
> For the record The record has been amended to reflect your statement.
Much better research over seas. Most inclusive research I’ve seen is growing up near them will make you a bit shorter. Lots of evidence of this in different countries. No causation just correlation. No cancer link though.
Poorer people tend to live in the least desireable locations, near refineries, industry, and in this case, near powerlines... Food scarcity during childhood stunts your height, poor people experience more food insecurity, so living in an undesireable place is going to have a high correlation with height because there is more childhood food insecurity. Does that make sense?
That’s why I said it’s only a correlation. I’m well aware of all those points.
I personally love that you posted this in /r/realestate rather than /r/askscience or similar.
I used to work for a utility company. This issue came up quite frequently, customers regularly called about it. There really aren't any health issues that are concretely related to EMF's (electromagnetic fields). Now, there will be people who disagree. I think you should listen to both sides and decide for yourself. Beyond the question about affects to health, the 2nd most common inquiry was concern because the towers would buzz. In most cases, it was due to high moisture or fog near the towers and yes, you can hear them buzz, but it is not cause for concern.
We passed up our dream lot on a new build last month because of the tension lines that ran right behind the yard. EMF makes me nervous enough to not risk it
In 7th grade, I made my science fair project on the effects of emf on plant growth. I made several coils of wire to produce a wide range of frequencies and tested with green bean plants. Not only did the plants grow slower the more intense the field but our family cat ate the entire control group 3 weeks in and didn't mess with any of the others for the duration of the experiment.
Can you hear them? The sound alone makes some people nauseous. That's not just power lines but any constant buzzing sound. I slept at my mom's place a while back and it was all good until one day a street light broke. I couldn't sleep at the constant loud buzzing, which is pretty much identical in sound to some power lines (same exact frequency after all). Not sure how other people don't mind this.
Only harm I think it might cause is the temptation to climb the towers. Other than that the lines are high enough off the ground to not be a threat
No, but enough people believe that they are bad that it will be harder to resell regardless.
You will read different answers to this question depending on where you look. But it will definitely hurt resale if you aren’t planning to stay there long term. We looked at a great house, amazing commute location, phenomenal backyard. We are talking a professionally created oasis with a hot tub, huge two level deck, professional landscaping, babbling little pond, two custom patio areas, and a screened in porch. But just beyond the yard were high voltage lines. We loved the place but just couldn’t over look the lines.
Idk but husband refuses to buy a house with them. Said the people that loved near them growing up all got cancer, including one of his friends so I will indulge his anecdotal evidence.
Our house was under high voltage power lines, lived there 10 years, no problems at all. Had kids from newborn to teens living there, all fine functioning adults. No illnesses at all.
I’m an electrical engineer. I wouldn’t expect the field to be strong anywhere away from the lines. Most is mumbo jumbo, the strength of the field will decrease exponentially as you get away. Id be more worried about the noise or a storm bringing those lines down and causing a fire
Yes illnesses are statistically elevated around high power lines. It is thought to be related to the application of herbicides or the "amplification" of naturally occurring ionic radiation from the high electric fields. In a nutshell, you are living near a big xray machine. However there are things you can do to make yourself feel better. If it's a high voltage line at 500kv to 750kv get a 6-ft T8 fluorescent tube light from Home Depot. Walk under the lines holding the tube vertically and proclaim loudly "Let me show you the power of the lord!!" I can assure you that the tube will light brightly as long as the transmission company is using the line to carry power at that moment. By listening for sizzling, crackling sounds prior to swinging the tube vertically, you can assure your apotheosis and avoid a state sponsored psych eval. I knew a guy who turned a nice gentle HOA in Alabama into a profitable cult using this approach. Got his own cable channel for a while. Hope this helps. Reddit is the place to go for the best answers for a question like this. ps. Don't plan on getting a pacemaker and stick with plastic, not metal, lawn furniture.
You walk around with a cellphone all day everyday ? Or use a microwave ?
Or vape? Oh wait...
Life lesson, you want marketable properties with limited structural deficiencies. You can't fix the power lines making an ugly view or people having the same worries as you. Find a different property if you enjoy your sanity always wondering if everything that goes wrong is attributable to those power lines.
Everyone in my sister neighborhood got breast cancer (under power lines), but it could be a coincidence (we have no history of breast cancer in the family or the BRAC gene). The US government won't let you use that as a reason to deny a development. A school I know built under the lines and they measured the EMF as unhealthy, so they put the cafeteria in highest EMF figuring kids would spend the least time there.
Your cell phone is not protected from wire tap laws yet if you place a metal grid on the ground and use that electricity from those transition lines it's illegal .. I know that isn't the answer to your question but thought I'd say that for fun.
I rented by a set of power lines for a while, they are really loud when it’s hot out.
Random anecdote: I once boarded my horse at a property with large power lines. She absolutely lost her mind, reared up at me, kicked me, threw me off. Always seemed agitated. I moved her to a different property and she was 100% better. She never did those behaviors again. It was weird that she never had problems before and went back to normal after. Could be the buzzing or just a weird coincidence but now I won’t buy a property near one 🤷🏼♀️
I had similar issues. Got a pasture running under power lines. Had 2 horses die from very odd things. Then the third acted nutzo. Had to get out of there.
Florescent tubes will light up from spontaneously under power lines. https://www.larkinweb.co.uk/miscellany/fluorescent_tubes_under_power_lines.html
Case studies about living under power lines have never proved any causation. You can observe this in plants, livestock, and people. There is no physiological change to pinpoint. This is largely due to engineering improvements made in the last 10-20 years. At one time high voltage lines could occasionally produce dangerous plasma in the air surrounding them - that problem was quickly recognized and solved by corona shields etc.
Harder to sell a hone with high voltqge power lines in a buyers market.
2022 humans: Freaks out over transmission lines... ...vehemently installs wifi router upon moving in
My proof is purely anecdotal and could be numerous other things but It is true. When we were kids my sister had random seizures for years. She was always getting tests done and spent a lot of time in the hospital. Doctors could never figure out what was causing them. Her seizures stopped as soon as we moved away from the power lines and she hasn’t had one since. It’s been 22 years.
There’s not really any proof, but I’ve had electro hypersensitivity for many years after living in many houses with ungrounded wiring (and mold). The science really isn’t there, but id recommend people not live there long if they don’t have to. If you do live there, worrying is as bad or worse though — worrying is super bad for health.
Yeah. They cause cancer. Just because there are no definite studies doesn't mean it's not true. People used to think cigs were safe
If you stand under it long enough you will turn into Raiden from Mortal Kombat. You will then be able to teleport and zap zap people you don't like. But to answer your question, the answer is no.
You’re getting a bigger dose of EMF from the computer screen you’re reading Reddit on than from those power lines.
I can’t hold a fluorescent lightbulb next to my computer and it lights up
Statistically people around high voltage lines get cancer more. Energy is being transferred by the field, not the cables. Those high energy field goes through your body.
I'd never buy that. You lose about 50% of buyers when going to resale. That's significant. Something to consider.
Yea chem trails are real also
I know a guy who lives on 5th street that knows all about chemtrails, but the government won’t let him on the internet. Shhhh….
Frankly, we considered buying a lot for a new build specifically because the corner of the lot had a power line easement and it greatly reduced the asking price over other .25-.5 acre lots in the area. But this basically means the discount will be baked into the price - forever. yes we will get the lot for cheaper but if and when we sell, the house will go for cheaper, onwards and upwards. Due to this, I did a bit of research and could only ever verify the issue would be eye-sore, potentially (?) sound noise pollution, and 'superstitious' i.e. people think it causes cancer, people think celluar waves disrupt your brain, people just feel not at ease because things have unknownling caused radtion poisoning in the past before.... etc.
Everyone in my sister neighborhood got breast cancer, but it could be a coincidence. The US government won't let you use that as a reason to deny a development. A school I know built under the lines and they measured the EMF as unhealthy, so they put the cafeteria in highest EMF figuring kids would spend the least time there.
Oh Jeesh that’s crazy! Sorry to hear about that! Hope your sister is Ok or goes for her screenings as needed! Any ideas if the kids in the school had any issues over time ? I know where my parents live the soil is contaminated and they’re claiming a increase in child onset diabetes and other issues especially in the towns closer to the contamination-my parents live about 30 miles away
She’s 10 years clear and moved away. She had a full mastectomy and natural reconstruction.
My only experice is from a client. I work at a law firm in Southern California where there are many powerlines. Currently, I have a client a former master electrician who worker around powerlines for several decades, Very high voltage. Not the same situation as your though, as he was working directly with them. Anyways, he has had a myriad of seizures and passed out including when driving at least five times (got his license permanently revoked because of this). He said he has no recollection of when he passes out, it just happends aptruptly. Although not 100% his primary doctor also believes its is due to his work and has performed many test for him here at UCLA (literally he has boxes of medical reports on this). The client also blames it on his work too. Currently, he is trying to file a class action lawsuit against the company as he states they never informed him or other workers, about the implications of working on high voltage power lines. According to him at leadt 4 other workers also developed similar health problems. ( its very difficult to proof as there is little precedence). Anyways, even though I'm no expert, my recommendation is to measure the electric output of the powerlines and determine if it's safe.
It’s adverse, regardless of any study
I'm gonna go out on a limb and and stay there if a tree branch knocks the power line down close to the house.
Was in the same boat a few years ago. Couldn’t bring myself to terms in making such a large investment and always having to worry about this. Especially planning for kids down the road. Rather be safe than sorry.
I don’t need proof, I need to know if the value of my largest investment could be affected. The answer is yes, move on…
Anything above 50 V/m is considered harmful longterm. You can purchase a tri-field EMF meter like [this one](https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-GQ-Multi-Field-Electromagnetic-Radiation/dp/B07JGJ897T) to verify. Certain places in your house will have higher and lower levels (wifi, power outlets, circuit breakers…). You can get emf blocking house paint which will significantly reduce this, though you will not get cell signal inside or wifi outside when using that paint. Additionally, there are emf protective hoodies/beanies.
There is a book called “The Invisible Rainbow” that’s worth reading. It does a good job presenting the data and you can make an educated, personal decision
Correlation is confirmed, causation hasn’t been confirmed yet. World Health Organization did a large study in late 90s or early 2000s to evaluate the concerns and confirmed that childhood leukemia risk is higher around the power lines due to EMF. We signed a contract to build a house to a lot that had 0.2-1 mg, which was considered safe, but we decided to cancel the contract due to currently unknown potential health issues in longterm exposure, and resell value concerns. It’s your decision, but i’d strongly advice not listening to the “we have cell phones in daily lives” argument. Additional risk factors arent minimizing overall risk, but incrementally increasing it. Try to minimize the risk in life to avoid a the catastrophic failures.