Subject: [permaculture] Risks (alleged) from power lines
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 07:32:14 -0400
Risks (alleged) from power lines
:
Research done at Bristol University
Professor Henshaw has been studying the question for years, being convinced
that there is a problem.
... TV item a few years ago, where he highlighted the possible influence of particulate pollutants, electrostatically
charged in proximity to high voltage power lines……
‘These charged particles, or corona ions, act as magnets for air pollutants, including carcinogens such as aromatic
hydrocarbons from car exhausts. The electrical charge gives the pollutant, when inhaled, a greater ability to stick to
the lung – so rather than being exhaled, pollutants become lodged. “New York scientists have found that if there is a
charge, pollutants of this size are two or three times more likely to be deposited in the lungs.” He says. “In the
confined space of the lungs and airways, this charge makes a big difference.
“The upshot is that you are retaining air pollutants, some of which are known to be linked to lung cancer, in your
lungs. You can then do a rigorous assessment for lung cancer, which I put at between 250 and 400 cases a year. There is
actually a paper – not mine – that shows a doubling of lung cancer under power lines, but it hasn’t been talked about.”
When the other effects of air pollutants, such as allergies and respiratory disease, are factored in, Henshaw estimates
that corona ions probably damage a few thousand people every year. He also points out that corona ions have been known
about since the Fifties, and have been studied extensively by the industry.’