The impact of high-voltage power lines on health. Damage from high-voltage lines near the house

There is a lot of talk about the dangers of high-voltage power lines, and most often in vain. Whatever theories have been put forward about how power lines affect a person, here are statistics on the incidence of cancer of people living in an area with a nearby high-voltage line, and the influence of power lines on brain cells, and even widespread hair loss is associated with closely located high-voltage lines. Let's try to understand this issue and justify what is said but never proven.

So, only two types of radiation can come from power lines, in the form of a static field and alternating waves. In addition to high-voltage lines, the same radiation is produced by electrical wiring and any of the electrical appliances in our houses and apartments. For comparison, let's take one AC outlet with a voltage of 220-240 volts, located a meter from a person, and a power line with a voltage of about 200 kilovolts, located at a distance of 30 meters. The strength of the static field becomes smaller in proportion to the square of the distance, so both radiation sources, the outlet and the power line, have approximately the same effect.

In the case of alternating waves, the attenuation occurs much weaker, since their strength is inversely proportional to the distance from the radiation source, and if we take the same distances as in the previous case, then the equivalent of an outlet located a meter away from us will be a power line with a voltage of 6. 5 kilovolts. Please also note that in our home there is not just one outlet, but also meters of electrical wiring, a refrigerator, a TV, a computer, and a bunch of other electrical appliances, and their radiation will be much stronger.

It is impossible to say that high-voltage power lines have any harmful effects on the human body. The fact is that this issue has never been fully studied. In theory, the only thing that a nearby power line can cause in the body is resonance of internal organs. However, the industrial frequency of the current is 50 Hz, and there is no such frequency in the human body; lower frequencies influence us. However, people who work with high voltage, including high-voltage power lines, have noted that they experience chronic fatigue syndrome, irritability, and weakened immunity. It is quite possible that the listed symptoms are due to the fact that work with high voltages requires constant composure and attentiveness, in contrast to other jobs, when increased attention is required only periodically.

The issue of the dangers of power lines will remain unstudied for a very long time, and the point is not that there are people for whom it is important that this information remains sealed, although this may well be the case, the point is that Each person has a very different perception of both electromagnetic fields and static radiation from high-voltage lines. In some countries there is even the concept of “electrical allergy”.

People who are especially sensitive to radiation from electrical appliances and high-voltage lines have the right to move to a greater distance from passing power lines. By the way, all costs and search for housing are borne by the government. In our country, the maximum money was spent on was to develop standards according to which high-voltage lines are installed. Residential buildings should be located no closer than 10 meters for a line of 35 kilovolts, 50 meters for 110-220 kilovolts and 100 meters for 330 kilovolts and above. The distance is calculated from the outermost wire to the wall of a residential building.

Another interesting fact: living next door in the same house, two people of the same age can experience different effects from power lines passing nearby. For one it will have a depressing effect, while for another, on the contrary, it will feel a surge of vigor and strength.

It turns out that indeed high-voltage power lines affect people differently. Perhaps this is precisely what is slowing down research in this area? Although it is quite possible that in reality there is no powerful influence at all, and in both the first and second cases it is simply self-persuasion.

At the moment, there is no evidence that power lines are harmful to humans, however, nothing has been written about their harmlessness. Indeed, what is known for certain is that they have a certain effect on the human body, but how detrimentally it affects us remains a mystery.

However, supporters of the opinion that high-voltage lines destroy the human body annually publish dry mortality statistics in areas where powerful power lines run. Sanitary services, in turn, claim that high-voltage power lines are harmless and provide physical calculations. If you look at this problem sensibly, without giving preference to one side or the other, then you can draw certain conclusions. For example, a drop of water cannot kill a person, but if it methodically drips on his head, then very soon the person goes crazy.

If you spend your whole life under the support of a power line of 330 kilovolts, then naturally there will be a very significant effect of its radiation on your body, but if you are constantly away from power lines and only periodically come into contact with the radiation emitted by them, then you will not see any changes in your body notice.

That is why, if possible, try to get out of the city, at least occasionally, because our cities have long become a kind of energy cesspools, where electromagnetic, static and many other types of energy fields intertwine. In some places, influencing each other, they weaken, in others, overlapping, they intensify many times and no longer meet sanitary standards at all. It is virtually impossible to protect yourself from them, but giving your body a break from their effects is available to almost everyone.

What should be the safe distance from power lines to residential buildings? To give a comprehensive answer to this question, we will analyze the reasons for the danger that power lines pose.

Electricity has become an integral part of our lives, and we can no longer imagine our existence without household electrical appliances, cell phones and familiar gadgets, and yet all of them are fraught with hidden danger.

Why is current dangerous?

The main danger, it turns out, is electromagnetic radiation, which comes from all electrical appliances and spreads over a long distance around. Only as you move away from the source does its indicator slowly fade. It differs in frequency ranges and is characterized by wavelength: radio waves, infrared and ultraviolet radiation, visible and x-ray radiation and, finally, gamma radiation. Their daily influence on humans is not safe.

Using scientific research methods, scientists were able to determine the effect of these fields on the concentration of ions in the cells of the body. A pathological change in this value is fraught with metabolic disorders. Refrigerator, TV, electric hood, built-in electric hob, air conditioner, washing machine, microwave oven - this is an incomplete list of secret spiteful critics. And yet, electromagnetic radiation from household electrical appliances is not so great, since it is determined by the power of the radiation source and the duration of exposure.

Let's take a look at the wires and cables stretched between power line supports. Caution: They are all high voltage. It is voltage that ensures the transmission and transportation of electricity from the source to the consumer, more clearly: from the power plant - to our houses and apartments. The power line voltage scale looks like this: 0.4; 10; 35; 110; 220; 380; then there are 500 kV and 750 kV, finishing with 1150 kV.

Power lines are a source of powerful electromagnetic radiation, and in addition to voltage, it depends on the length of the power line.

The influence of power lines on the body

Electromagnetic radiation leads to the following processes in the body:

• heart rate increases, blood pressure rises;
• the number of leukocytes in the blood is growing rapidly;
• irreversible changes occur in the body at the cellular level;
• metabolism is disrupted.

What are we focusing on?

Above we have given the dangerous factors of the influence of these ill-fated waves. It is on these that, first of all, those who create all kinds of standards rely, so that the lives of the citizens of our country are long and happy.

In this case, the standards that interest us are set out in a document with a long but serious title: “Sanitary standards and rules for protecting the population from the effects of the electric field created by industrial-frequency AC overhead power lines.”

Everything is very clear. Neither subtract nor add. Further, when viewing, the gaze accidentally rests on the main face of these provisions, which approved them. We read: Deputy Chief State Doctor of the USSR. The regulation dated February 28, 1984, approved under number No. 2971-84. Inspires confidence.

What does the standard say?

The document defines the standard: what distance from power lines is safe for the construction of residential buildings and living.

Important! According to the above document, the creation of sanitary protection zones is prescribed along all high-voltage power lines. Their size is determined by the network voltage class.

The safe distance is determined by the electric field strength, normally 1 sq/m. The greater the power of the power line, the greater the distance from it should be. This also takes into account the possibility of normal maintenance of high-voltage lines. You cannot build fences, install garages, or plant large trees next to, behind, or around the support. The sanitary protection zone must be strictly observed. To accurately determine the boundaries of this zone, the projection onto the ground of the outer phase wires of the high-voltage line support in the direction perpendicular to the overhead line itself is conventionally accepted.

Table No. 1. Sanitary zones of power lines according to SN No. 2971-84

Let's continue the table: for 1150 kV, the safe distance is determined to be 55 meters.

The width of the right of way is determined by multiplying the indicators in meters given in the table by 2.

Many people are interested in the question of how to visually determine the network voltage. There are several secrets: you need to pay attention to the number of wires and cables in a bundle of one phase or to the number of insulators installed on the support. One insulator is designed for an average of 15 kV, which means that for a 35 kV line there are 3-5 insulators (depending on the type), for 110 - 6-8, and for 220 - 15. In higher voltage lines: 2 wires per a bundle of one phase - a 380 kV line is above you; if 3 - 500 kV; 4 - 750.


The passage of overhead lines through the territory of children's and educational institutions, stadiums, and over residential buildings is not allowed. It is allowed only for the inputs of residential buildings, and the average distance from the wires themselves to the ground in a populated area is determined by the value of 7 m. The standard also determines the maximum permissible level of electric field strength inside residential buildings. This value is 0.5 kV/m and no more than 1 sq/m in the building area. All the given distances are, in principle, safe for humans, but do not provide complete protection from the harmful effects of the electromagnetic field.

Additional protection measures

Methods of protection against radiative effects of power lines include:

• shielding devices;
• a roof made of metal tiles or profiled galvanized sheets, which must be grounded;
• reinforcement mesh placed between the walls, therefore reinforced concrete walls are most effective in buildings.

Citizens' fears are quite justified, because the main threat of electric current, voltage or electromagnetic radiation is that they are invisible.

Important! To calculate a safe distance that guarantees protection not only from electric field strength, but also from the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation, you need to multiply the indicator from table No. 1 by 10! According to calculations, it turns out that a 220 kV power line will not have its insidious effect on you if you live no closer than 250 meters from it.

When laying cables hidden underground, this distance is reduced significantly. The cost of underground power lines is much higher than overhead power lines, and therefore they are less popular, but the country's energy sector is constantly searching for new effective, environmental and economically sound solutions. In the meantime... cities and villages are intertwined with an electric “web”, and we understand: our salvation lies in protecting ourselves. Follow our advice and be healthy!

Among power line personnel, visual impairments, changes in color perception, narrowing of visual fields in green, red and especially blue colors, and vascular changes in the retina were noted. Studies have been conducted of professionals working 8 hours a day in contact with EMR. Some reported decreased sex drive, a tendency toward depression, and irritability. There was a decreased number of lymphocytes in the blood. Look what happens to the biofield of a person living near a power line: A person’s biofield is his electromagnetic field, that is, the totality of radiation from every cell of our body. In fact, any object on Earth, any living organism, has it. Our electromagnetic field was formed under the influence of the Earth's electromagnetic field.

Damage from high-voltage lines near the house

Attention

For comparison, let's take one AC outlet with a voltage of 220-240 volts, located a meter from a person, and a power line with a voltage of about 200 kilovolts, located at a distance of 30 meters. The strength of the static field becomes smaller in proportion to the square of the distance, so both radiation sources, the outlet and the power line, have approximately the same effect. In the case of alternating waves, the attenuation occurs much weaker, since their strength is inversely proportional to the distance from the radiation source, and if we take the same distances as in the previous case, then the equivalent of an outlet located a meter away from us will be a power line with a voltage of 6. 5 kilovolts.

The impact of a high-voltage line on residents

WHO experts admit that the magnetic component of an electromagnetic field of industrial purity with a flux density higher than 0.3-0.4 μT “under conditions of prolonged chronic exposure may be a carcinogenic environmental factor.” To be fair, we note that in the new millennium, Russian standards also finally “saw” the danger of the magnetic component of the field. SanPiN 2.1.2 1002-00 established the limit value of the magnetic indicator for residential premises at 10 µT, and for residential areas at 50 µT.
On November 10, 2007, more stringent limits came into force, amounting to 5 and 10 μT, respectively. Alas, even these figures are tens of times higher than the “Scandinavian” threshold of 0.2 µT, which has become the official criterion for many countries. “A number of countries have confirmed these standards by law. These are Switzerland, Scandinavian countries, Israel and some others.

Life under tension

Thus, the electric field intensity directly under a power transmission line can reach several thousand volts per meter of soil, although due to the property of soil reducing the intensity, even when moving 100 m from the line, the intensity drops sharply to several tens of volts per meter. Studies of the biological effects of the electric field have found that even at a voltage of 1 kV/m it has an adverse effect on the human nervous system, which in turn leads to disruption of the endocrine system and metabolism in the body (copper, zinc, iron and cobalt), disrupts physiological functions: heart rate, blood pressure, brain activity, metabolic processes and immune activity. * * * As for electricians and other power line workers, the situation is even worse.

How harmful is the power line running next to the site?

After all, if overhead power lines are always available for monitoring by operating and controlling organizations, then the underground, as you know, is a shady business. But overhead lines can also be made safer. “Today there are projects of supports where, due to the suspension of wires, phase splitting, etc., vector field compensation occurs,” says Oleg Grigoriev. Draw conclusions According to most experts, it is still better to purchase or build a new house away from power lines.

And not only because of the possible impact of IHRL. The “psi factor” can also play a huge role, when the real danger will be much less than the phobias of the residents. “I’ll give you a funny incident. The owners of a country house noticed that after the construction of a mobile operator base station nearby, bees disappeared from the site, and the number of flies and wasps decreased sharply. Upon checking, it turned out that the station had not yet been connected at all.

About the dangers of power lines on the human body

The proximity of any buildings to high-voltage power lines is strictly regulated by the Rules of Technical Operation, which indicate the minimum distance of buildings from power lines of various voltages. In the security zone, as is known, even shrubs are not allowed to grow to a certain height (you can make good money by cutting them down, the same students, during holidays). As for the dangers of constantly being under high-voltage power lines, those who have studied physics know what a current-carrying conductor creates in their area, and anyone who has ever walked on the grass under a power line - 500 OR 750, remembers the tingling sensation when their feet touch the grass. On a cloudy or rainy day, under the Line your skin you feel the saturation of the air with electricity, even with less voltage.

Why can't you live next to a high-voltage power line?

At the same time, the female body is more sensitive to electromagnetic radiation, which is why it is so dangerous for pregnant women or those wishing to become pregnant. Exposure to EMR leads to miscarriages (80%) and congenital deformities in children. In addition, the endocrine and immune systems are affected.
The likelihood of developing cancer increases several times. Electromagnetic radiation has a very dangerous effect on children. More information about the consequences of EMR can be found in the section “The influence of electromagnetic radiation on humans.”
- Find out how to protect yourself! - One of the most powerful exciters of electromagnetic waves is industrial frequency currents (50 Hz).

High-voltage power lines do not affect health

In our country, the maximum money was spent on was to develop standards according to which high-voltage lines are installed. Residential buildings should be located no closer than 10 meters for a line of 35 kilovolts, 50 meters for 110-220 kilovolts and 100 meters for 330 kilovolts and above. The distance is calculated from the outermost wire to the wall of a residential building.

Info

Another interesting fact: living next door in the same house, two people of the same age can experience different effects from power lines passing nearby. For one it will have a depressing effect, while for another, on the contrary, it will feel a surge of vigor and strength. It turns out that indeed high-voltage power lines affect people differently.

Protection against electromagnetic radiation. gamma 7

Important

Medical records of more than 29 thousand children under 15 years of age were reviewed. It turned out that the risk of developing leukemia in children who lived from birth at a distance of up to 200 meters from power lines is 70%, and from 200 to 600 m – 20%. Statistics have shown that power lines have a significant negative impact. "Our study shows that approximately 5 in 400 cases of childhood leukemia can be associated with high-volume lineages, representing about 1% of cases," said Gerald Draper, leader of the research team at the University of Oxford. *** The works of V.N. Anisimov cite facts from Swedish scientists: They analyzed information on the incidence of cancer among people living in close proximity to high-voltage power lines (at a distance of less than 300 m).

The dangerous effects of electromagnetic fields from power lines on the human body were first discovered in the 60s of the last century. After careful research into the health status of people who come into close contact with power lines in industrial settings, scientists have discovered alarming facts. Almost all of the examined individuals complained of increased fatigue, irritability, memory and sleep disturbances.

To all of the above symptoms that occur in a person after frequent contact with electromagnetic waves of industrial frequency, one can safely add depression, migraine, disorientation in space, muscle weakness, problems with the cardiovascular system, hypotension, visual impairment, atrophy of color perception, decreased immunity, potency, changes in blood composition, etc. and so on. The list can be continued with a number of physiological disorders and all kinds of diseases.

Very often, people living near power lines experience cancer, serious reproductive dysfunction, as well as the so-called electromagnetic hypersensitivity syndrome. It is quite scary to hear reports of research by some foreign scientists on the impact of high-voltage power lines on the health of our children. For example, Swedish and Danish researchers discovered that children living up to 150 meters from power lines, substations and subways (!) are twice as likely to suffer from leukemia, and almost all of them have nervous system disorders.

In some countries there is such a medical term as electromagnetic allergy. People suffering from it have the opportunity to change their place of residence to another, located as far as possible from sources of electromagnetic radiation. Moreover, all this is officially sponsored by the government! How can the energy sector comment on the possible danger posed by power lines? First of all, they insist that the voltage of the electric current in power lines can be different, and therefore it is necessary to distinguish between safe and dangerous voltage. The range of influence of the magnetic field created by power lines is directly proportional to the power of the line itself. A professional can determine the voltage class of power lines offhand. You too can have this knowledge. Everything is quite simple - you need to pay attention to the number of wires in the bundle (not on the support itself). So: 2 wires - 330 kV 3 wires - 500 kV 4 wires - 750 kV The lower voltage class of the power line is determined by the number of insulators: 3-5 insulators - 35 kV 6-8 insulators - 110 kV 15 insulators - 220 kV.

In order to protect the population from the harmful effects of power lines, there are special standards that define a certain sanitary zone, conditionally starting from the outermost power line wire projected onto the ground. So: Voltage less than 20 kV - 10 m, 35 kV - 15 m, 110 kV - 20 m, 150-220 kV - 25 m, 330 - 500 kV - 30 m, 750 kV - 40 m. For some reason, the above standards apply specifically to Moscow and the Moscow region. Naturally, in accordance with them, plots for development are also allocated. The most interesting thing is that these standards do not take into account the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation, which is sometimes tens and sometimes hundreds of times more dangerous to health!

And now ATTENTION! To prevent the magnetic field from affecting your health, multiply each of the listed indicators by 10... It turns out that the lowest-power power line is harmless only at a distance of 100 meters! Power line wires contain voltage that is in maximum contact with the corona discharge threshold. In bad weather conditions, this discharge releases a cloud of oppositely charged ions into the atmosphere. The electric field created by them, even at a great distance from power lines, can be much greater than the permissible harmless values.

Just recently, a new project of the Moscow government to move some sections of high-voltage power lines underground received the green light. The mayor's office plans to use the vacated area for construction. This is where a logical question arises - will underground power lines be safe for people living above them? Will developers call energy specialists to the area planned for housing construction? Electromagnetic radiation from underground power lines and its impact on the human body, unfortunately, is still poorly understood...

The first to go underground will be the power lines located in the areas of Leninsky Prospect, Mira Avenue and Shchelkovskoe Highway. Next, it is planned to remove the power lines of the North-Eastern Administrative District underground, namely in Northern and Southern Medvedkovo, as well as in Bibirevo and Altufyevo. These territories are already put up for sale and are waiting for their investors. In total, there are more than a hundred power lines and open-type electrical substations in the capital. Potential developers of “power line” lands, and along with them the Moscow government, claim that modern technologies will make it possible to completely isolate electromagnetic radiation. For this purpose, it is planned to use coaxial cables laid in special shielding collectors.

Unfortunately, moving power lines underground is an expensive procedure (costing approximately 1 million euros per 1 km of cable laid), and therefore there is no guarantee that developers will not “save money”. So no one knows whether housing built above power lines will be safe in all respects. Remember, if your house is located very close to power lines (see permissible sanitary standards above), the most correct decision is still to buy a new home located in a safer area!

Humanity has long known about the existence of waves invisible to the eye in the Earth’s atmosphere. There are two ways of their occurrence - natural and anthropogenic. In the first case, electromagnetic waves appear as a result of magnetic storms, and in the second - as a result of human activity. A striking example of an anthropogenic source of such waves can be power lines - high-voltage power lines on reinforced concrete pillars (here ) is a convenient and relatively easy to implement method of transmitting electricity over long distances.But is this method as harmless as energy experts make it out to be?Let's try to figure it out.

Is it harmful to live next to power lines?

Research into the influence of electromagnetic fields on the human body has not stopped for several decades. It is still not known for certain how beneficial the use of electrical energy is from an environmental point of view. More precisely, it was possible to prove the safety of household electricity for people and animals, but with industrial electrical networks everything is more complicated. Industrial frequency currents (50 Hz) are one of the most powerful sources of electromagnetic vibrations.

According to studies by Western scientists, living in close proximity to power lines can lead to health problems in the future, and this is largely due to the magnetic field. Researchers have found that the conditionally safe threshold for magnetic flux density is 0.1 microtesla. Because of this, people living near power lines may experience unpleasant sensations when touching grounded objects - external walls of buildings, street furniture, etc. Recently it became known that in order to prevent the harmful effects caused by the magnetic field, it is necessary to stay at a distance of about 800 meters from the high-voltage line. This means that the optimal and safe distance from residential buildings to power lines should be at least 1 km.

The verdict is still out

However, there are some factors that make it difficult to make a final decision. For example, in 2012, scientists found that the individual reaction to the electromagnetic field among people living in the same territory varies greatly. This means that the body’s sensitivity to external influences is determined not only by age and type of activity, but also by a number of other reasons that specialists still have to work on.

Conclusion

So, it is too early to make unambiguous statements for or against living near power lines - researchers still have too little information about the nature of electricity and its effect on the body. However, something is already known: when choosing housing, you should be guided by its location relative to the power grid and choose options located at a distance of more than 1 km from them.