The discussion revolves around the observation of dead plants under power lines and whether electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from these lines could be a contributing factor. Participants explore various hypotheses, including the potential use of herbicides by power companies and the effects of EMF on plant health.
Participants do not reach a consensus; multiple competing views exist regarding the causes of plant death under power lines, including herbicide use and the effects of EMF. The discussion remains unresolved with ongoing questions about the relationship between power lines and vegetation health.
Participants note limitations in their observations, such as the lack of clear data on the type of power lines and the absence of scale units in the shared graph. There are also unresolved questions about the impact of environmental factors on herbicide effectiveness.
This discussion may be of interest to individuals studying environmental science, plant biology, or those concerned with the effects of electromagnetic fields on health and vegetation.
To be frank, if you've done quality research you should know that isn't a useful thing to do.FlimFlam said:Yes that's why I'm interested in asking long term residents about health effects
Agreed. If you want to get results that are going to be taken notice of, you will need thousands of results and multivariable analysis of the data. Some casual interviews with a limited set of subjects will not yield useful results.russ_watters said:To be frank, if you've done quality research you should know that isn't a useful thing to do.
Alright, I can probably follow power lines for 20 miles in my car and constantly record then compare the results later.sophiecentaur said:Agreed. If you want to get results that are going to be taken notice of, you will need thousands of results and multivariable analysis of the data. Some casual interviews with a limited set of subjects will not yield useful results.
OTOH, it is relatively easy to look at thousands of images of crops and to correlate them with the routes of power lines.
How would you "record" them?FlimFlam said:Alright, I can probably follow power lines for 20 miles in my car and constantly record then compare the results later.
These plants were a few inches away from antenna wires which would be used just occasionally and would have a few kV on them. It was a sheltered location and the plants just grew in contorted ways, seemingly to get away from the hazard.russ_watters said:We're they south of the power lines? Bent with the wind?
Well I was thinking taking burst photos and using something like OpenCV to analyze color.sophiecentaur said:How would you "record" them?
I think we can be pretty sure that the effects will not be immediately visible; I can't remember every having been aware of it. However, numerical logging of the Colour of the crops near the lines could give actual data which could be related to the positions of the lines. This is why I reckon google images could help you - if the resolution is good enough. But home sourced (drone?) videos could give plenty of data in a short time.
But what will that tell you? It will not tell you why the foliage under the lines is as it is if you do not control for herbicide application and lack of tree cover. And probably a host of other variables.FlimFlam said:Alright, I can probably follow power lines for 20 miles in my car and constantly record then compare the results later.
Well if I had a way to, I'd test for herbicides.jbriggs444 said:But what will that tell you? It will not tell you why the foliage under the lines is as it is if you do not control for herbicide application and lack of tree cover. And probably a host of other variables.
It's not an "if". It's a prerequisite for the exercise that all possible factors are involved. I didn't realize that you were talking in terms of very high Electric Fields in the close proximity of a conductor. That's a different sort of experiment and would have no relevance to human risks of exposure to power lines. Anyone who stands that close is likely to die of electric shock.FlimFlam said:Well if I had a way to
@FlimFlam -- this is the key point in this thread, and you have not addressed it. We are all about mainstream science here at the PF. This thread is closed until you can send me a Private Message with links to the references you have found and analyzed. Be careful -- there is a lot of misinformation out there. The standard bar that we set at the PF is to use peer-reviewed journal articles and mainstream textbooks for references in your reading and research. So much of what you read in the popular press is incorrect and misleading.russ_watters said:To be frank, if you've done quality research you should know that isn't a useful thing to do.