1. Should people living near transmission lines be concerned about their health impacts?
Studies have not found any links to health impacts caused by field intensities below the recommended maximum values, which means it’s safe to live near transmission lines.
For reasons relating to electrical safety, there is a construction restriction zone in the immediate vicinity of a transmission line (aka the transmission line area). We do, however, aim to avoid the construction of transmission lines in the immediate vicinity of homes, kindergartens and schools.
The electric field intensity outside the transmission line area is always at a safe level. Low-frequency magnetic fields will also occur in the vicinity of transmission lines in addition to electric fields.
A decree issued by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health has set the threshold value for magnetic fields at 200 microtesla (µT), a value that won’t be exceeded even directly under a 400-kilovolt transmission line.
2. Are there any situations in which electric and magnetic fields can have an effect?
They can potentially affect implants inside the body, such as pacemakers.
Although the risk of such interference is low, people with pacemakers are not encouraged to spend long periods directly below 400-kilovolt transmission lines. The recommended location for passing beneath transmission lines is by the pylons, as this is where the conductors are at their highest point.
3. Is an underground high-voltage cable safer than an overhead line?
According to current data, a high-voltage transmission line is safe regardless of whether it is an overhead line or an underground cable. Low-frequency electric and magnetic fields are always present in the immediate vicinity of both overhead lines and underground cables, and their field intensities decrease with distance.
Overhead lines are further away from the ground surface than underground cables, which is why the magnetic field intensities of underground cables are often reduced by, for example, placing the cables inside a metal sheath and using triangular installation.
