GadgetThese High Powered Electrical Lines Must Be Able to Stop My Heart
Bob the SquidThere have been several large studies done on the health effects of electricity transmission systems. None of those studies have shown any link between power lines and health problems.
Even if you're standing directly under power lines, the amount of electromagnetic radiation you're exposed to is typically a fraction of the what you're exposed to continuously from Earth's own magnetic field.
For example, those large pylons in the video are likely carrying high voltage lines that are usually transmitting electricity in the range of 110-140 kilovolts - something like 1,000 times the voltage of an American residential electrical system. Even if you're standing directly underneath the line, you'll generally be exposed to only 2 microteslas of electromagnetic radiation. The Earth's natural magnetic field to which we're continuously exposed is 25-65 microteslas.
GadgetThank Bob, I did not think of the natural magnetic field of the planet. I feel a lot better, especially because right now a computer is my lap as I type.
Bob the SquidDepending on the model of laptop, you are possibly exposed to a higher amount of electromagnetic fields (EMF) from a laptop touching your body than you are standing under high power lines. But that amount of EMF from the laptop is still not very much, and probably only a fraction of the Earth's natural magnetic field. The worst part of laptop EMF is usually the power supply (the power brick thingy), and even those aren't much more than the Earth's magnetic field. Additionally, you're not usually sitting with the power supply in your lap. I'd say that modern laptops are probably perfectly safe for most people with the single exception being pregnant women.
