Other Coverage: Microwave News
Scientists have found new evidence of a link between overhead power lines and childhood leukaemia. They have identified a defective gene that quadruples the risk of cancers of the blood and bone marrow for carriers who live within 330ft of an overhead cable. The discovery could help explain the findings of a Government-funded study published three years ago.
It concluded that children who grew up near high-voltage power lines were, on average, almost 70 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with leukaemia than those living further away. Previous studies have suggested that exposure to the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) created around power lines can cause damage to the DNA, or genetic blueprint, of animal cells. The latest research, which is from China, shows that one in 20 children inherits a faulty copy of a gene that normally helps repair DNA damage, making them more vulnerable to developing leukaemia when young.