In the 60s, specialists in Russia paid attention to the electromagnetic fields of power lines (PTLs). After long-term and in-depth studies of the health of people who have contact with power lines at work, the results of these studies showed that people who spent a long time in the electromagnetic field more often complained of weakness, irritability, fatigue, weakened memory and sleep disturbances.

Currently, there are many problems associated with long-term exposure to power lines on the nervous system, cardiovascular, immune and reproductive systems.

power line(power line) - one of the components of the electrical network, a system of energy equipment designed to transmit electricity through electric current.

The wires of a working power line create electric and magnetic fields of industrial frequency in the adjacent space. The distance over which these fields extend from the line wires reaches tens of meters.

Within the sanitary protection zone of power lines it is prohibited:

place residential and public buildings and structures;

arrange parking areas for all types of transport;

locate automobile servicing enterprises and oil and petroleum products warehouses;

carry out operations with fuel, repair machines and mechanisms.

SaNPiN No. 2971-84

And now what happens in reality:

One of the most powerful exciters of electromagnetic waves is industrial frequency currents (50 Hz). Thus, the electric field strength directly under the power line can reach several thousand volts per meter soil, although due to the property of reducing soil tension, already at a distance of 100 m from the line, the tension sharply drops to several tens of volts per meter.

Studies on the biological effects of electric fields have found that already 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.

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 AMY. 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 power lines:

Human biofield– this is its 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. And since today’s electromagnetic background is tens of thousands of times higher than natural, our field cannot withstand such an onslaught.

If our electromagnetic field begins to be affected by other sources of radiation, much more powerful than the radiation of our body, then chaos begins in the body. This leads to a dramatic deterioration in health.

From an energetic point of view, the biofield performs a protective function. It is also called aura. In fact, this is the first protective barrier.

Fig. 1 - Normal human biofield. A person has protection from electromagnetic radiation

Rice. 2 - Biofield of a person living near power lines and in

Facts:

One of the largest studies of this issue took place in England and Wales from 1962 to 1995.

Medical records of more than 29 thousand children under 15 years of age were reviewed

It turned out that the risk of 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 impact negative influence.

"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 Anisimov V.N. provide facts from Swedish scientists:

They analyzed information about the incidence of cancer among people living in close proximity to high-voltage power lines (at a distance less than 300 m).

In a group of 400 thousand. man was discovered 142 children With various types malignant neoplasms and 548 adults with a brain tumor or leukemia.

An examination was also carried out to determine the reproductive function of 542 workers substations Power lines. This analysis allowed us to identify pathologies such as:
1) an increase in the number of congenital deformities if the father worked at a power plant;
2) decreased fertilization function among some male workers
3) The birth rate of boys has decreased.

Was also examined group of youth under 18 years old, living within 150 m from substations, transformers, subways, power lines railways and power lines. They were twice as likely to have disorders nervous system and leukemia.

In Denmark, 1,707 children under 16 years of age were examined during the period. Due to living near power lines, some developed brain tumors and leukemia.

Protection from electromagnetic fields of power lines:

So what should we do??

We understand that if a power line is built near your house, you cannot move it. And not everyone can afford to move today.

And even if you don’t live near power lines, then, believe me, they make a very good contribution to the overall electromagnetic background of the city in which you live.

Today there is already reliable protection against electromagnetic fields and their torsion component.

This must be done because the situation concerns your health and the health of your entire family. Especially if you are young and just planning it, or you have small children.

Russians can see power lines everywhere. At the same time, the spectacle is so familiar that few people attach special significance to it. This happens because a person is confident in the safety and reliability of the designated structures. However, in terms of safety, there are several points that can dispel all the positive ideas about power lines. In this article, the reader will be told about the negative impact of the electromagnetic field on the human condition.

Since the 60s of the last century, the opinion has taken root among scientists that the impact of power lines on living organisms is negative. Thus, according to observations, a person who stays for a long time in close proximity to power lines becomes irritable and feels unwell.

In accordance with the conclusions made during the research, the rules for operating power lines were adjusted. The changes were aimed at establishing prohibitions within the sanitary zone, including:

• construction of residential buildings, as well as structures in which people have to stay for a long time;
• organization of parking;
• manipulations with flammable substances.

Unfortunately, not all rules in our country are followed, which leads to dire consequences.

Despite the fact that research on this issue continues, the following has now been established:

• Insects. Bees exposed to the electromagnetic field begin to behave chaotically and aggressively. In addition, there is a decrease in the activity of insects and their mortality. Other insects, in turn, falling under the influence of power lines, try to quickly leave this area.
• Plants. As for plants growing in the power line zone, it is worth noting their susceptibility to severe deformations. Thus, the organs of representatives of the flora growing in designated areas have uncharacteristic sizes and shapes.

Impact on humans

As already noted, power lines cause ailments in humans. Thus, the main problems that people may encounter due to spending a long time under the influence of an electromagnetic field are:

• diseases associated with the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
• decreased reproductive function;
• severe fatigue;
• poor memory;
• irritability;
• insomnia.

Thus, power lines have a strong negative impact on human health and mental state. That is why it is worth listening to scientists and avoiding prolonged stay in the electromagnetic field of power lines.

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 in 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 substantiate 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 outlet AC 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 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 been noted to experience the syndrome chronic fatigue, irritability, weakened immunity. It is quite possible that the symptoms listed are due to the fact that working with high voltages requires constant composure and attentiveness, unlike 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 may experience different impact from a nearby power line. 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 human body, annually publish dry mortality statistics in areas where there are powerful power lines. 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 certain conclusions can be drawn. 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 impact 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. Somewhere, influencing each other, they weaken, somewhere, overlapping, they intensify many times and no longer correspond at all. sanitary standards. It is virtually impossible to protect yourself from them, but giving your body a break from their effects is available to almost everyone.

In the 60s of the XX century it was discovered dangerous influence electromagnetic fields of power lines on the human body.

The health status of people who come into close contact with power lines in production conditions or who live nearby is approximately the same. People complain of increased fatigue, irritability, memory impairment, sleep disturbances, depression, migraines, disorientation in space, muscle weakness, problems with the cardiovascular system, hypotension, visual impairment, atrophy of color perception, decreased immunity, potency, and changes in blood composition. This list can be continued with a number of physiological disorders and various diseases.

It has been proven that 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 children. It was found that children living at a distance of up to 150 meters from power lines and substations 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 for free to another, located as far as possible from sources of electromagnetic radiation. 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 determines the voltage class of a power line by the number of wires in a bundle not on the support itself:

– 2 wires – 330 kV;

– 3 wires – 500 kV;

- 4 wires - 750 kV.

The lower voltage class of power transmission lines 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:

— Voltage less than 20 kV – 10 m;

— Voltage less than 35 kV – 15 m;

— Voltage less than 110 kV – 20 m;

— Voltage less than 150-220 kV – 25 m;

— Voltage less than 330 – 500 kV – 30 m;

— Voltage less than 750 kV – 40 m.

These standards apply to Moscow and the Moscow region, and in accordance with them, plots for development are allocated. These standards do not take into account the harmful effects of electromagnetic radiation, which is sometimes tens and sometimes hundreds of times greater more dangerous to health!

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

A new project of the Moscow government to move some sections of high-voltage power lines underground. 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 land from power lines, and along with them the Moscow government, claim that modern technologies will completely isolate electromagnetic radiation. For this it is planned to use coaxial cables laid in special shielding collectors.

Moving power lines underground is an expensive procedure (approximately 1 million euros per 1 km of cable laid), and therefore there is no guarantee that developers will not “save money”. Consequently, there is no certainty that housing built above power lines will be safe in all respects.

The most correct decision is to buy a home located in a safe zone - where there is no harm to health! ♌

Catching Goldfish on the Internet

In the USSR, the magnetic component of radiation from high-voltage power lines was not taken into account at all in safety standards. Both construction in the power line zone and residence were allowed. Magnetic radiation levels acceptable in Russia since 2007 are today tens of times higher than similar standards in Scandinavia and a number of other European countries.

The majority of experts interviewed by BN advise weighing and even taking some measurements before buying or building new housing near power lines.

A look into history

Oddly enough, humanity is much more aware of safe levels of radiation than critical levels of electromagnetic radiation. High-voltage power lines are precisely sources of electromagnetic fields of industrial frequency - 50 Hz. Their wires are a kind of antenna for radio waves of enormous length - 6 million meters, these waves are called “megameter”. For comparison: FM radio stations broadcast on waves several meters long, and GSM cellular networks use decimeter waves.

In the USSR, permissible standards took into account only the electrical component of the field, and the impact of the magnetic component on the human body was not assessed at all.

Buying a home on the secondary market: what are the risks?When purchasing an apartment, room or house on the secondary market, you need to thoroughly check the history >> There are no problems with the electrical intensity of the electric field. Maximum permissible level tension inside residential premises - 0.5 kilovolts per meter (kV/m), in residential areas - 1.0 kV/m. It is very difficult to exceed it, as experts say, so in the “Soviet” version, lines up to 220 kV were allowed to be located as much as desired, and sometimes even built. Dacha settlements under high-voltage lines were quite common. Later, so-called power transmission line security zones appeared, designed to protect the structures themselves rather than the health of the population. One way or another, they took into account the distance from the house to the power lines.

Magnetism is worse than electricity

“Most of our practical studies confirm that the electric field strength near power lines does not exceed established standards. Regarding the magnetic field, everything is not so clear. The magnitude of the magnetic field depends on the currents passing through the wires, the material of the building walls, and even the design of power line supports,” said Oleg Grigoriev, director of the Center for Electromagnetic Safety, member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of the EMF and Health program of the World Health Organization (WHO). A number of Western studies indicate that living near power lines increases the risk of a number of diseases, precisely because of the magnetic component. Some results are alarming.

Thus, Swedish scientists have found that people living at a distance of up to 800 m from power lines with a voltage of 200 kV are statistically more likely to have leukemia, brain tumors, and breast cancer. In men, reproductive function decreases, and the percentage of births of boys decreases. The researchers found that all of these problems were to blame for the increased level of the magnetic component of the electromagnetic field, and estimated the dangerous threshold for magnetic flux density at 0.1 microtesla (μT).

Finnish experts came to a similar conclusion. True, they conducted research in a five-hundred-meter corridor from power lines with a voltage of 110-400 kV. Finnish scientists considered a magnetic flux density value of 0.2 μT to be a dangerous threshold.

Edge of risk

The WHO Agency for Cancer Research has classified power frequency magnetic fields (PFMF) with flux densities above 0.3-0.4 μT as Group 2B “possible carcinogens.” To make it clear, there is also group 2A (“probable carcinogens”) and group 1, which, in fact, includes absolutely proven carcinogens. 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 installed limit value the magnetic indicator for residential premises is 10 µT, and for residential areas - 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. This is Switzerland Scandinavian countries, Israel and some others. But Russia is not on this list. I consider it appropriate for newly introduced residential buildings and for all school and preschool institutions adhere to WHO recommendations on this issue. Even if this does not have a hygienic justification, the WHO precautionary principle is precisely intended for such situations,” says Oleg Grigoriev.

So far, representatives of the scientific world cannot find a biological basis for the effects of IHRL on the human body. There is also a dissenting opinion. They say that power lines cannot have a significant impact on people’s health, since at distances of 200 meters from the wires the magnetic field formed by them is less than the Earth’s magnetic field, which is 30-50 µT. However, we should not forget that the magnetic field of our planet is relatively constant, and does not vibrate at a frequency of 50 Hz per second, like MPFC.

Enemies external and internal

When inspecting a property, you should not immediately panic if you find a power line nearby. First, assess her tension. In Russia, the most common power lines are 6, 10, 35, 110, 150, 220, 330 and 500 kV. You can determine what voltage a given line has indirectly by counting the number of insulators (in power lines up to 220 kV), or the number of wires in one bundle (“bundle”) for lines from 330 kV and above.

In areas of individual housing construction 6-10 kV lines, less often 35 kV, run along the streets. You will have to come to terms with this (if a potential buyer is scared of even such power lines, you should think about moving to a non-electrified eco-village). A more serious danger is posed by power lines from 110 to 750 kV.

“And it’s not even about the electromagnetic field, or rather, not only about it. Power lines are a source of increased danger: hurricanes, wire breaks, lightning striking power line supports - all this, alas, cannot be excluded,” says the chief occupational health specialist from Federal service for supervision in the field of consumer rights protection in the Novosibirsk region Sergey Urzhumov.

If there is a choice, construction under power lines is, of course, undesirable. Theoretically, a residential building located near power lines can be protected. A grounded roof made of corrugated sheets or metal tiles and reinforcing mesh inside the walls protect well from the electric field (therefore, reinforced concrete walls best attenuate radio waves). But the roof and grid must be reliably grounded. To suppress industrial-frequency magnetic fields, you may additionally need shielding with ferromagnets or multilayer “pies” made of special grades of steel.

But even if all this is organized and protection is provided from external danger, we should not forget that electromagnetic fields Industrial frequency will be provided in abundance by a refrigerator, an iron, and even a cozy home floor lamp. Look at the table below and you will understand - in addition to external electromagnetic “enemies”, there are many potentially dangerous internal sources in the house.

Propagation of industrial frequency magnetic field from household electrical appliances (above the level of 0.2 µT)

Power lines will go underground

If Russia, following developed countries, recognizes an IHRL level of at least 0.4 µT as dangerous, this will seriously affect the real estate market, since significant amount individual and apartment buildings, kindergartens and schools will be in the zone higher level IHRL. The authorities will have to organize expensive work to reduce the level of the magnetic field. Perhaps the question will arise about moving one or another power line. However, in large cities, in particular in Moscow and St. Petersburg, programs have been developed to transfer power lines from the surface to the ground. This is largely done in order to free up expensive land plots currently located under power lines for development. In this case, the thickness of the earth can become a natural barrier to the propagation of electromagnetic waves, and it will become easier to achieve a safe level of radiation.

However, experts point out the danger of poor-quality installation of underground lines, since the cost of relocation is estimated at 1 million euros per 1 km, and developers will be tempted to save on safety. 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. Owners 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. So many requests are purely due to psychological reasons- suspiciousness and fears,” notes Sergei Urzhumov.

If a house or apartment is located near power lines and a potential buyer has doubts, you can call Rospotrebnadzor specialists and determine the levels of electric and magnetic fields. But since the level of the magnetic component depends on the amount of current in the wires, it is necessary to find out in advance from the energy company in what mode the power line is operating at the time of diagnosis.

Text: Mark Powerman Photo: Alexey Alexandronok