Is living next to a electrical power grid bad for your health?  OR even bad for your brain development?
437815
The previous post is pure bunk.\n\nMillions of dollars have been spent and thousands of people have been tracked and interviewed over decades in an attempt to scientifically prove or disprove a link between ill health and electromagnetic fields. And guess what? They can't find one. There is no known biological mechanism for the low-level radiation from power lines to damage DNA. \n\nPeople used to worry about the same things resulting from the use of microwave ovens, but I guess that scare has passed. The low level radiation from power lines is even less than that emitted by microwaves. Radiation from cell phones isn't a health issue, either.\n\nHere's a relevant passage from Christopher Wanjek's "Bad Medicine: Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Distance Healing to Vitamin O":\n\n"Many folks seem to equate all kinds of radiation with the dangerous kind, called ionizing radiation. This type of radiation is energetic enough to knock an electron loose from an atom. Many types of radiation pass through our bodies all the time. Although you cannot shine a flashlight (visible light) through your chest, radio waves and microwaves will pass through easily enough. Ionizing radiation also passes through you, but it can damage the atoms in your cells as it travels, knocking loose an electron from a DNA molecule. Ultraviolet light is ionizing radiation; too much of it causes skin cancer. X rays and gamma rays are also ionizing. Too many X-ray exams can lead to organ cancers. Fortunately, the nastiest forms of ionizing radiation are produced in deep space, and the earth's atmosphere blocks most of this from reaching the earth's surface (although that hole in the ozone layer is letting in more UV). ...Over 80% of the ionizing radiation we encounter day to day comes from natural sources: cosmic rays, which are atomic particles from space; and alpha and beta particles from radioactive gas, namely radon. ...Medical X rays account for about all the rest of our ionizing radiation exposure."\n\nYou don't have to move, and no one's brain is being harmed.
401656
Damage to the human organism is dependent on frequency, distance to the source, and transmit power (in Watts)\n\nSee the following:
934779
Hi Ma...The answer may vary State to State/Privince etc..Even different Municipalities and Cities have their own rules...\n\nThe easiest way is to contact your local City planning dept...\nYou can't go wrong there....Generally the farther away from power poles, the better it is for safetys' sake...\n\nGood luck and please be careful... :)
333807
No, none of the equipment in a PC emits any radiation. Some people believe that the electromagnetic fields around ANY electric device can cause some health issues, but no scientific proof exists and personally I believe its bogus. You may not be sleeping well due to the noise and lack of sleep can have some strange effects on your body.
484256
Yes because sometimes lighting can get through the electric lines and damage your PC if the building does not have proper "earthing".  Safer still, after turning off the computer, remove the plug from the socket too. Replug only after the storm has gone
45178
if you get electrocuted by 240 v. you will definetly be severely burned internally. and dying is also quite likely.\nif you do live, then yes your brain might not function quite the same.\n\nbe careful around live wires.
5816
I would recommend not.  Two years ago, my Sony Vaio's telephone modem suddenly stopped working during a lightning storm.  The lights hadn't dimmed or anything, so I thought it was just a glitch.  The technician said that just because the power supply was protected by a surge protector, the phone line (which was not plugged into a surge protector) experienced a surge when a telephone box blew a few blocks away (it was a bad storm, but I just had to check my email).  The surge wouldn't have hurt someone on a normal phone, but was just enough to disrupt my delicate computer.  So unless its urgent, or you can work off the power grid (like a laptop), I'd just leave the computer turned off in a storm.
244583
If you have a good surge protector, that is one that not only protects the power, but also your modem line or cable, and you have backups, you are reasonably safe.  If not, it would be best to unplug your computer from modem and power.\n\nTo those who say that it is absolutely unsafe to be online during a thunderstorm, do you all think that every business with computers shuts down during thunderstorms?  Of course not.  They just take precautions.  If the home user does not have adequate electrical protection, then she would be wise to disconnect her computer.  If she has adequate protection, then surf away and have fun!
354158
Yes I have heard of that, but I wasn't sure what it was called.  My uncle who lived near a power station, had parkinson's disease, and that is what I contribute it to.  I have had a hair analysis done and found several things unbalanced, and also found some toxic elements too.  I actually live only a few blocks from it...I took specific vitamins and minerals to correct my imbalances and toxicities.
1139893
1. Be very careful.  Working with electricity without understanding the risks is very dangerious.\n2. I don't know if there is anywere on the web but your local library will have many books on home wiring.\n3. After gaining an understanding of basic wiring you will need to research the local building codes for your area.
74815
no that is why our electricity is ran house to house in ac.  it is safer to operate ac and also more energy efficient.
1184390
yes. i live in fort hood Texas one of the biggest military installations. they have had their electric shut off and half of the base is having to drive for miles to use the bathroom because sewer is backing up. we have been told nothing can be done because the gov. is out of money. we are starting to live like a 3rd world country because all our finances are being pulled to support the war. fort SAM Houston just received their electric disconnection notice today. its sad that are bases here have to live like this. we have no more money or emergency funding left. i hope there isn't another Katrina this year because our economy could not handle it. its sad when we take care of Iraq before we take care of united states.
714811
No, I pity the children that spend more than 30 minutes a day with that crap..they need to use their imagination and not be desensitized by tv and video games. The children of the future will tap into their parts of the brain that we are as a whole not using right now, the telepathic etc.
342688
In a word, NO.  Now, in a much longer paragraph... :-)  After many years of study, there's not any conclusive evidence that exposure to WiFi (RF frequencies) has any effect whatsoever on living things and there are generally no health concerns, even if you placed your access point under your pillow.  RF exposure involves frequency, power and the duration of the exposure.  The human body most efficiently absorbs radio frequencies in the 30 to 300MHz range, and WiFi is at 2.4GHz.  So not only is the frequency much different, but WiFi products have strict power and RF emmissions requirements, such as 100 milliwatts maximum output power.  Plus, the WiFi RF energy is not "ionizing radiation" like it is UV light and Xrays, so WiFi frequencies pose no danger to human DNA the way prolonged sunlight UV rays cause skin cancers... What is actually of more concern is the RF energy from nearby FM radio stations!  (But they've been around much longer than WiFi, studied extensively, and again, nothing conclusive about any health concerns.)
1066501
As others have said, much more electricity is used if you leave it on all day.  However, if you're going to be using it at various times during the day, by all means leave it on - saves time and wear and tear on its parts.
395247
This is really impossible to say, being both a science and political question.\n\nReactors need to be close enough to the energy grid and populations that the energy lost in transmission is minimal.  On the other hand, far from populations to limit the ramifications of a meltdown.\n\nTransporting waste is risky itself.  So easy safe access to storage sites is important.  On the other hand, risk of contaminated water and people stumbling on it would have it far away.  Not to mention the possible ecological side-effects to local fauna.\n\nThere's no best answer in a real world, just some less awful ones.
547583
Water + Electricity = Bad News\n\nSealing electronics and connectors is difficult and expensive.