the benefits of electricity
You might have heard, in the news, about a recent study that found an association between childhood leukaemia and the proximity of a child’s home at birth to high voltage power lines. From having observed media misreporting of science stories over the years, I usually take such reports with a pinch of salt.
So I sought out the actual research. You can read the abridged text of the study on the British Medical Journal’s website. It turns out that the news reports are reasonably accurate. There’s a turn up for the books.
Though there are some subtle differences in emphasis. For example, here is the BBC:
The researchers said their findings showed living in such close proximity to power lines at birth could account for five extra cases of childhood leukaemia in a total of around 400 that occur in a year - a total of 1%.
And the Daily Mail:
[The researchers] concluded about five of the 400-420 cases of childhood leukaemia diagnosed yearly in England and Wales could be linked to power lines.
Whereas the researchers say:
Assuming that the higher risk in the vicinity of high voltage lines is indeed a consequence of proximity to the lines we can estimate the attributable annual number of cases of childhood leukaemia in England and Wales. Of the 400-420 cases of childhood leukaemia occurring annually, about five would be associated with high voltage power lines, though this estimate is imprecise. We emphasise again the uncertainty about whether this statistical association represents a causal relation.
It can be interesting to trace a news story back to its source.
By the way, I was interested to see this table in the study. My conclusion is probably not to be relied upon, but it seems to suggest that living slap bang next to a high voltage power line is associated with a decreased risk of brain tumours!
Still, I wouldn’t buy a home next to a power line. Whenever I see one hanging overhead, buzzing ominously, I get nightmarish visions of the cable suddenly snapping and dropping to the ground before me - twisting and spitting bursts of electricity hither and thither like an angry electic eel furious at finding itself stuck on land. Thank God they are all safely below ground around here: angry worms I can cope with.