1980 Prize Paper Environmental Considerations Concerning the Biological Effects of Power Frequency (50 or 60 Hz) Electric Fields

The results of a comprehensive literature survey on the biological effects of 60 Hz electric fields are summarized to describe two contrasting sets of research findings. On one hand, research results in Western Europe and America have failed to provide any evidence that human exposure to present levels of fields from high voltage overhead power lines, as normally encountered, has any harmful biological effect. On the other hand, studies performed in the USSR report some undesirable effects on workers--not in the typical power line environment--but in the more complex environments found in high voltage switchyards. The disparity in results could be attributed to differences between the environments found near high voltage lines and within switchyards. Special measurements ments of the low-frequency acoustical noise in a high voltage switchyard disclosed a high level (104 dB) of 120 Hz sound. This high intensity, 100 or 120 Hz sound, found in switchyards (but not near transmission lines) could produce symptoms similar to those reported for Soviet switchyard workers. Other possible biologically significant environmental influences include repeated spark discharges and the chemical environment. Numerous studies have similarly neglected the total environment and examples are presented in this paper. This neglect presents a major obstacle in trying to use the results of these studies.