Bad physics education + desperate marketing + cell phones = ???

[smashedProton]

http://hps.org/hpspublications/articles/powerlines.html

We are all going to die!!   

Psuedo-science is taking over!

[AlfBaz]

Not quite sure what your stance is here
Perhaps I missed something but it seems to me that the article is saying the were localised pockets of leukemia in and around power lines, The scientists have not been able to link low em fields to cancer and the majority of studies support this. It goes on to say that some research into this continues.

It may very well be a case of, if you are in a small enclosed yard with an agitated elephant you are unlikely to notice the small clump of poison ivy

[tom66]

Studies like this have been examined before, and they always fall foul to three factors: confirmation bias, correlation != causation and poor statistics implementation.

It is, indeed, true that pockets of leukaemia are found around power lines. But, do you know what else is found around power lines... lots of families, including lots of children. There are less power lines in the country side passing near houses and less families with children in the countryside. So, it would be natural to see a small increase in childhood leukaemia around such power lines.

It's very similar to the one I saw in the Daily Mail recently, about asthma being more common around places with power lines within 100m... well, there's also a lot of smog in cities like that, so that's more likely to be the cause, rather than a bit of 50Hz (with limited power across a few more harmonics.)

[rsjsouza]

Similarly to what the article concludes, I've seen several studies published on IEEE and its related societies and they all fail to reach a conclusion due to the complexity of having a clear correlation. The only thing in common I have seen is there is an effect on the surroundings of power lines, cell phones, etc., but with no way to prove harm or benefit.

[SeanB]

Common thing as well is power lines tend to be strung alongside roads ( go figure, they need to get a truck out to build and service them, they are very expensive to fly in) where cars drive, which were often running leaded fuel, and often the houses built there used coal for heating.