Grass Death Under Power Lines: EMF's a Factor?

[russ_watters]

Yes that's why I'm interested in asking long term residents about health effects

To be frank, if you've done quality research you should know that isn't a useful thing to do.

 

[sophiecentaur]

To be frank, if you've done quality research you should know that isn't a useful thing to do.

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.

 

[FlimFlam]

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.

Alright, I can probably follow power lines for 20 miles in my car and constantly record then compare the results later.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Alright, I can probably follow power lines for 20 miles in my car and constantly record then compare the results later.

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.

 

[tech99]

We're they south of the power lines? Bent with the wind?

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.

 

[FlimFlam]

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.

Well I was thinking taking burst photos and using something like OpenCV to analyze color.

 

[jbriggs444]

Alright, I can probably follow power lines for 20 miles in my car and constantly record then compare the results later.

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]

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.

Well if I had a way to, I'd test for herbicides.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Well if I had a way to

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.
Perhaps if, as a result of the few comments you have read on this thread, you could construct a thought experiment in detail and then present it for more comments. I don't think anyone is saying it's a nonsense basic idea - just that you haven't thought it through yet.

 

[berkeman]

To be frank, if you've done quality research you should know that isn't a useful thing to do.

@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.

Please do that searching / reading / research. Then PM me with what you have found if you'd like this thread re-opened with a more scientific theme. Thank you.