Power Line Fears | Retro Report | The New York Times

News media coverage in the 1980s and early 1990s fueled fears of a national cancer epidemic caused by power lines and generated a debate that still lingers today.

Produced by: Retro Report

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Power Line Fears | Retro Report | The New York Times

[bbigguy]

The 80's sound like one huge panic after another

[amstevenson]

Does this remind anyone of the fear around radiation from cell phones during the 2000s?

[kaylee]

Wonderful series that touches on the "American condition." Retro Report is outstanding!

[Masterkodak]

Correlation doesn’t equate to causation

[NoNo-fbif]

Thank you for this! I live in Europe and everybody still believes power lines are dangerous. It’s absurd and I think it’s an embarrassment for our country. Here’s a little story from my own experience: years ago I went hiking and came by a cell phone tower. it reminded me of all the stories I had heard about strong EMF sources, etc and I got a headache. My body must have became tense from worrying. Part of me wanted to believe it was the tower, another part knew it could just be my worries. Not long after I went hiking again near another cellphone tower, but didn’t notice it and was distracted. I had a great day that day. No symptoms. I have hiked past that tower a few times now and am usually very distracted and don’t worry. I never get a headache. People forget how fast and strongly our bodies react to stress/worry/fear. If anything causes cancer it’s stress and worrying about these kinds of things! (Also: If EMFs were that harmful we would have had steadily increasing cancer rates in young people for the past 50 years and a rapid increase in the past 30, since our world has been becoming more and more electrical.)

[darc]

When I was a kid I was told that the microwave in my kitchen could make me really sick if I stood too close to it 🙄

[howcin]

Power lines are gorgeous. I am extremely attracted to the ominous setting created by their presence.

[stephenmiller]

Just caught on to this series a few days ago, glad I did! Please keep doing these series, they are both interesting and educational.

[leifharmsen]

I held a fluorescent tube over my head under a high voltage power corridor between Pickering Nuclear Generating Station to all the air conditioners of Toronto on a sweltering night. It glowed! Fun with electromagnetism. Good thing I'm not a fluorescent tube.

[Lylelanley]

The real risk of those huge power line towers is ice forming on the lines and dropping off from such a tall height.

[sld]

Repeat after me: "non-ionizing radiation, non-ionizing radiation, non-ionizing radiation...."

[nikkim]

visible light is electromagnetic radiation...

By not specifying what frequency of light they are referring to, makes the statement "EMR is dangerous" just plain laughable.

[wallsink]

This is such a cool series and even better I found it by accident they seem to show both sides fairly without prejudice

[hurricaneofcats]

Meanwhile in 2020 some people think 5G causes COVID-19...

[grayterminal]

Wait isnt the earth covered by an electrical magnetic fields ????

[noname-tfkq]

Dave slap-a-rude?! I'm dieing ! Long live the 80's

[thewhitefalcon]

I would love to see what happens if those people who protested the power line succeeded in stopping it, then got rolling blackouts to conserve power.

[gavz]

Power lines, a reminder of man's ability to generate electricity - Dale Kerrigan from the Castle said that. Thing is, I have looked at a few houses near these and I always think, if I have a choice between with and without. I'd go without being close to them. Also the buzzing noise is enough to give me a headache when close by. They certainly look ugly too. Those things all bring down house prices for those in close proximity.

[jesusisreal]

This was a waste of time, we all know the dangers of emf's, but for the sake of not being labeled a conspiracy theorist, or getting footage removed, no one is going to say anything. I had a headache for 2 days after walking under high voltage towers and I still feel the effects. We can't get away from emf's. May God deliver us from cancer, other sicknesses and premature deaths.

[curiousnutsandbolts]

Industrial areas should be separated from living places!