I realise this is slightly off-topic, but I'd value some well-informed opinion and this is a good place to get it I think.
I'm being put off buying a certain house because at the bottom of the garden there lurks an electricity sub-station. I think it's the 11,000V
Should I give any credence to the health scares over living in proximity to magnetic fields?
Here are my specific concerns:
- Lots of countries other than the UK, e.g. Sweden, seem to think that a field strength of 100-300 nT (nano Tesla) becomes harmful. However there is a lot of controversy over this. Some scientific studies seem to indicate that at this kind of level the incidence of childhood leukemia is increased for example - some refute this. Worth noting that UK guidelines are more than 1000 times higher than this kind of level.
- It seems to be impossible to predict magnetic field strength in the vicinity of substations or overhead power cables. If you really want to know, you have to go out and measure it. From my research it appears that levels outside a common or garden (sic.) substation may sometimes be well over 300 nT.
- Even if there is no real health risk, a perceived risk could knock the property value in future.
So my questions are: (1) Am I nuts? (2) Would you buy a house with a substation at the bottom of the garden (if you had young kids)?
Thanks a lot John