High-tension Lines Research Articles

Hypersensitivity to man-made electromagnetic fields (EHS) correlates with immune responsivity to oxidative stress: a case report

ABSTRACT There is increasing evidence that exposure to weak electromagnetic fields (EMFs) generated by modern telecommunications or household appliances has physiological consequences, including reports of electromagnetic field hypersensitivity (EHS) leading to adverse health effects. Although symptoms can be serious, no underlying mechanism for EHS is known and there is no general cure or effective therapy. Here, we present the case study of a self-reported EHS patient whose symptoms include severe headaches, generalized fatigue, cardiac arrhythmia, attention and memory deficit, and generalized systemic pain within minutes of exposure to telecommunications (Wifi, cellular phones), high tension lines and electronic devices. Tests for cerebral, cardiovascular, and other physiological anomalies proved negative, as did serological tests for inflammation, allergies, infections, auto-immune conditions, and hormonal imbalance. However, further investigation revealed deficits in cellular anti-oxidants and increased radical scavenging enzymes, indicative of systemic oxidative stress. Significantly, there was a large increase in circulating antibodies for oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDLox), byproducts of oxidative stress accumulating in membranes of vascular cells. Because a known primary effect of EMF exposure is to increase the concentration of cellular oxidants, we propose that pathology in this patient may be causally related to a resulting increase in LDLox synthesis. This in turn could trigger an exaggerated auto-immune response consistent with EHS symptoms. This case report thereby provides a testable mechanistic framework for EHS pathology with therapeutic implications for this debilitating and poorly understood condition.

GIS and remote sensing-based site suitability analysis for a new abattoir: a case study in Adola Woyu town, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine the ideal location for an abattoir in Adola Woyu town, taking into account environmental considerations by utilizing remote sensing and GIS, and collaborated with Ethiopia’s national urban planning agency for guidance on urban land use planning. The study analyzed various factors such as land use, cover, elevation, slope, streams, distance from roads, high-tension lines, social services, and boreholes. Researchers found acceptable areas with a highly attractive location of 1.27%, 28.42% being suitable, 21.54% being somewhat suitable, and 48.75% being unsuitable by hierarchical weighting utilizing the MCE approach. The highly desirable areas are in the north-west, north-east, and south-east, classified as bare land. The suitable areas are near the edges of built-up zones, while the unsuitable sites are in developed areas. The study’s main objective is to have the abattoir situated in an ideal location to minimize environmental impact from liquid and solid waste, airborne waste, and noise pollution while promoting sustainable land-use practices. The results are readily applicable for land-use planners and managers to make informed decisions on the strategic placement of the abattoir. By implementing the study’s recommendations, we can effectively minimize negative impacts on adjacent ecosystems while promoting responsible and sustainable development practices.

Geospatial mapping of public electricity distribution network systems in Owerri Municipal Local Government Area, Imo State Nigeria

The Owerri Municipal Local Government Area is plagued by problems such as inability to meet the target set for power generation, insufficient equipment, substandard methods of transmission, poor zoning of distribution, low voltage supply, unauthorized connection and disconnection, corruption in its management, equipment vandalization and inefficient distribution. This study is therefore aimed at Geospatial mapping of public electricity distribution network systems in this Local Government Area. The methodology employed in this research started from the planning, primary data acquisition from the field using handheld GPS and questionnaire, secondary data acquisition from Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), Enugu and Imo State, database design and creation, query and analysis, visualization and presentation of result using ArcGIS 10.5. From the result of the spatial analyses carried out, the study area has 26,350 public electricity distribution network systems. These public electricity distribution network systems comprise of 2507 High Tension lines, 8536 Low Tension lines, 11502 Low Tension poles, 3238 High Tension poles, 505 Transformers (DSS), 59 Solar Energy systems and 3 distribution feeders as at the period of study. The spatial search carried out showed that Umueche community has the highest number of occupants and also the highest number of transformers spread across. The spatial distribution result showed that Arugo layout and Onitsha Road layout are where industrial activities are concentrated and they have a total number of 20 and 21 transformers spread across each area respectively. Ikenegbu layout was revealed to have 25 transformers (DSS) spread across it. It is recommended that this study should serve as a decision support system for siting of power generation facilities within the study area.

Measuring progress in megawatt: Colonialism, development, and the “unseeing” electricity grid in East Africa

The electrification of East Africa followed an exceptionally uneven path. After about 50 years of relative neglect under colonial rule, the construction of hydroelectric dams moved electricity generation into the focus of late colonial development policy and became the major field of intervention for foreign donors after independence. The metrics of electricity attained a role as indicator and driver for economic growth, and therefore as a target figure in economic policy, one that was arguably not justified by their actual significance in the energy landscape of East Africa. This paper analyses both the global preconditions of this shift and its local repercussions. Rather than the physical visibility of electricity in the form of large dams and high-tension lines, the paper focuses on the processes that rendered electricity ontologically visible. It traces attempts by engineers, expert advisors, or development consultants to translate the complex information associated with the generation and consumption of electricity into calculable and comparable metrics. The paper scrutinises these commensuration processes in terms of the resources and knowledge they required, the frameworks of agency they opened, and the way they fed into wider discourses of development. It asks how the metrics of electricity themselves became part of the colonial and postcolonial politics of calculation, as they increasingly came to be seen as a medium for conceiving national economies. This trend was reinforced by the ascent of development economics in the 1950s and its influence on the ontological foundations of international development cooperation and post-independence nation-building. Because of the calculability and capital-intensity of its production, electricity lent itself perfectly to an economic policy based on macroeconomic aggregates and abstract growth models. Conversely, the electricity bias of international development agencies and the national government rendered rural, non-commercial, and non-productive energy use largely invisible.

The underground sex life of the Guatemalan Spike-thumb Frog (Plectrohyla guatemalensis)

Two populations of Plectrohyla guatemalensis from two different sites in Sacatepéquez, Guatemala, were monitored for three consecutive rainy seasons, and noteworthy reproductive behavior was observed. The objective of the surveys was to assess the impact of nearby high-tension power lines, but additional information could be obtained. Our observations that male vocalizations to attract females occurred in the crevices of rocks in streams, inside which females lay eggs, suggest that the species’ reproduction is closely linked to the presence of such crevices. Any clutches were then guarded by the male until hatching. We inferred the existence of male-male competition for gaining control of these reproduction sites building upon previous observations, remarks about the genus and other species with similar patterns, and evidence of such aggression, although we did not directly observe any. Also, with the help of local wardens, we recorded vocalizations in mid-January, extending the previously reported reproductive period for this species. We therefore consider the conservation and restoration of rocky streams with adequate forest coverage to be an important conservation action for this species.

Conductor Reconstruction for Dynamic Line Rating Using Vehicle-Mounted LiDAR

Dynamic Line Rating (DLR) is a process which electrical network operators can implement to improve efficiency by dynamically adjusting the load capacity as conditions allow. To implement DLR an accurate model of the conductors and their clearances is needed. Airborne LiDAR, while expensive, is the most common method of collecting line data as it is fast and is of high quality. State of the art methods for automatically reconstructing conductors first classify conductor points before fitting conductor models. This approach works well for high tension lines with significant separation between conductors but tends to perform poorly in urban environments where conductors are packed tightly together and surrounded by clutter. The method presented in this article attempts to overcome these challenges by performing an informed search for the conductors, anchored to the utility poles. Before the conductors are classified, their layout and sag are estimated, converting conductor segmentation into a linear problem; and a 3D to 2D projection is used to improve density and simplify clustering. The work also attempts to reduce the cost of conductor reconstruction by utilising lower-cost vehicle-mounted LiDAR. By avoiding point classification, higher precision can be achieved in scenarios where previous methods have suffered from significantly degraded performance.

A Death in a Tea Estate as a Result of Illicit Power Trapping

Electrocution results when a human is exposed to a lethal amount of electrical energy. Electrocution is the cause of death for approximately 1000 people in the United States every year. In Sri Lanka common causes for injuries due to electrocution include use of defective electrical appliances, faulty wiring, failure to take safety precautions and installations of unauthorized connections from high tension lines. In this case the diseased was a 48 year-old farmer from a rural area in Galle district. On this particular day, the diseased left home around 9.00 p.m. to go to his paddy field and did not return. The next morning, he was found lying unresponsive on a tea estate near his paddy field. At the post-mortem examination, multiple 2nd degree burns were found on the front aspect of the right upper thigh, back of the middle third of the right forearm, front of the upper third of the left leg and between the base of right thumb and index finger. Ruptured blister was present on the back aspect of the thumb over the metarcarpo-phalangeal joint. Musculo-skeletal dissection revealed charred subcutaneous tissues and superficial layers of the muscles underline the above-mentioned injuries. No deep contusions or fractures were seen. The cause of death was electrocution. This was an unfortunate case of accidental electrocution of a farmer due to application of an unauthorized power line to trap wild animals. The most likely mechanism of death was ventricular fibrillation. A detailed history regarding the incident, scene visit and proper postmortem examination with the histological and toxicological analysis are recommended prior to concluding the cause of death as electrocution.

Electricity: The Enemy Invisible

Electrical injuries, as such, are less prevalent in comparison to other forms of burn injuries. However, this type of injury is considered to be one of the most devastating injuries due to its high morbidity and mortality. It is also associated with high costs and long-term hospitalization as well as the need for multiple surgical procedures; therefore, specific management considerations are required for this type of injury.
 It is more prevalent in developing countries, with prevalence rate being higher among men. Most of the pediatric population suffers injuries at home from low voltage appliances.
 The patient with electrical injury is usually a young, employed person who can potentially return to a productive working life. Successfully achieving this goal would save society a great loss of human potential. The plastic surgeon is actively involved in all phases of the pursuit of maximal recovery of the patient with electrical injuries. Reconstructive procedures are required both in high voltage injuries and low voltage injuries and have improved the quality of lives of these patients by timely intervention.
 Precautionary measures are necessary to reduce the incidence of high voltage injuries and their devastating effects. The incidence of high voltage injuries would not have been so high had the electric workers been properly trained and hazards of high tension lines explained. Moreover emphasis must be laid on the use of safety measures.

Development of a Self-Powered Temperature Monitoring Wireless Node for Transmission Lines for Smart Grid Application

Increasing the safe operating temperature limits of the transmission line, by a small percentage above the present safe operating temperature limit can help in transmission of more power over existing lines and it would also help in avoiding huge investment and loss of time due to regulatory processes for establishment of new lines. Since the operating temperature is a critical parameter for transmission of the power, low cost sensors on high tension lines would enable data acquisition on real time basis for faster decision making. This is an alternative power source to the battery or solar panels. The results of laboratory experiments and data on simulation for the developed self-powered temperature, sag and tension monitoring system are presented and discussed in this paper. A comparison of two different methods of computation of temperature based on frequency and amplitude of output signal and cost benefit of the different methods of powering the wireless sensor nodes for transmission line application are also discussed.

High tension lines: Negative social exchange and psychological well-being in the context of instant messaging

Instant messengers (IM) mediate several types of negative social exchanges that can affect the psychological well-being of their users. Using an instant messenger popular in Taiwan (LINE) as an example, this study examined the relationship between IM communication and well-being. An online survey was conducted and found that negative IM social exchanges in which messages were ignored by their recipients, interfered with other activities, or contained hostility or ridicule were directly related to a global measure of negative social exchange that included face-to-face as well as online interactions. Insensitive IM social exchanges were positively related to loneliness, depression, and fear of missing out (FoMO), and were negatively related to social support.

The countryside under multiple high-tension lines: A perspective on the rural construction of Heping Village, Shanghai

Different rural developmental options exist because of different national and regional contexts. Since its reform and opening-up policy, China has undergone rapid urbanization and development, and rural-urban relationships have become disjointed. China's attempts to change these circumstances are inadequate. A new movement known as “rural construction,” which aims to promote or direct the social or economic development of rural areas, has been gaining momentum in recent years. This paper takes Heping village in Shanghai as a typical case of rural construction, and integrates the methods of statistics, field investigation, and personal participation into rural research. The village presents challenges related to multiple “high-tension lines,” literally and figuratively. In a literal sense, physical high-tension lines are located near residents' houses; in a figurative sense, high-tension lines come from power and capital, symbolizing the predominant top-down mode of rural construction and imbalance of allocated funds in the process of rural planning; and finally, psychological high-tension lines make the residents lose their sense of belonging. The local governments often regard village construction projects as opportunities to showcase their work, failing to involve villagers in the decision-making process; movements such as beautification of the countryside lack bottom-up initiatives. However, a collaborative approach between the government and residents is ideal in rural planning and construction. The theories of rural research should be renewed under the context of the changing rural world. It is worth exploring some new methods like metaphor into rural studies.

Seasonal electrocution fatalities in free-range rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) of Shivalik hills area in northern India.

The arboreal nature of rhesus macaques makes them vulnerable to electrocution from high-voltage industrial supply as well as low-tension domestic wires. The data on pattern of electrocution injuries and electrocution mortalities in free-ranging rhesus macaques are rarely reported. From January 2011 to 2013, the cases of accidental electrocution injuries were recorded in difference to sex, age group, season, body region distribution, contact details, and extent of injuries in free-ranging rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) of Shivalik hill areas. electrocution injuries were highest in juveniles (52.05%), followed by adults (30.13%) and old (10.95%) rhesus macaques. Of the 73 cases recorded, 23 (31.50%) succumbed to death following severe electrocution and associated injuries. The intensity and body region distribution of electrocution injuries was recorded. High-voltage current is the most common factor for fatal injuries. Strategies to avoid such electrocutions include burying all lines and transformers, shielding and insulating all high-tension lines, installing bridges that monkeys, and other arboreal species can use to move around.

Perceptions of Healthcare Workers of Health Risks of Electromagnetic Fields

Background: This study assessed the perceptions of healthcare staff of the health risks of exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). Methods: In total, 328 healthcare workers (e.g., physicians, nurses, medical students, and paramedics) completed a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed the following: risk perceptions of 17 environmental factors as potential health threats; EMF sources; information for the potential risks of EMF; and thoughts on how to protect the public from potential EMF-related health risks. Results: Of the included environmental factors, high-tension power lines and mobile phone handsets were ranked as the second and fourth lowest perceived risk, respectively. Approximately 60% of respondents were concerned about the potential health risks of EMF and dissatisfied with the information they received. The main reason for dissatisfaction was insufficient information. The most frequently cited action was that the government should review the available scientific evidence on potential EMF-related health risks. Conclusions: Having scientific basis through well-designed researches and providing accurate information to the public on the potential health risks of EMF will be important in the future. Korean J Health Promot 2015;15(2):39-46

Design and Analysis of High-Tension Lines De-Icing Device

To overcome the problem of the de-icing for high-voltage wire which is nowadays done artificially and dangerously, a kind of impact type de-icing device was designed in this paper. A cam and de-icing tool are designed specially for the device. The device can conduct deicing operation automatically and realize the automatic reciprocating walking on the transmission line. In conclusion, the impact type de-icing device for transmission line can effectively solve the problem of the ice coating on the transmission line and has a large value of reference and promotion.

Involvement of head and neck in high voltage injuries: A study from Himalayan valley

Background: With increasing use of electricity in our day-to-day life the incidence of electrical injuries is increasing. Incidence is higher in developing countries where people are less acquainted to proper and safe use of electricity in contrast to developed countries. Objectives: (1) To study the clinical profile of high voltage injuries to the head and neck region (2) To know the reason for the higher incidence of such injuries and find out various preventive measures to reduce such injuries in future (3) To launch an awareness program among the electrical department workers about electrical injuries and their prevention. Materials and Methods: All patients with high voltage electrical injuries to the head and neck region reporting to our center were included in the study. The study was conducted retrospectively from January 2001 to May 2008 and prospectively from June 2008 to December 2010. A total of 54 patients were included in the study. Results: Involvement of head and neck region was seen in 25.35% of high voltage electrical injury victims. The most common age group was 20-30 years with a mean age of 29.13 ± 8.37 years. Incidence was higher in rural population 75.93% compared with urban 24.07%. Incidence was higher in winter months. Electricians comprised 59.26% of victims. The most common mode of injury was touching the live wire directly or indirectly and was seen in 74.07% patients. Average total body surface burn was 16.32 ± 8.13%. An average of 2.91 surgical procedures per patient were performed. Reconstructive procedures were required in 85.18% of patients. Average hospital stay was 26.81 days. Conclusions: High voltage injuries are not uncommon in Kashmir valley and electric department workers are at a greater risk. The incidence of high voltage injuries would not have been so high had the electric workers been properly trained, hazards of high tension lines explained and use of safety equipments made mandatory.

A modified septoplasty with three high tension lines resection

Conclusion: The modified septoplasty with three tension lines resection is an effective and well-tolerated procedure, which can improve the objective and subjective outcomes, and provide a good approach that is applicable for various septal deviations, especially caudal deviation. Objectives: According to the biomechanics of the septal deviation, a modified septoplasty with three high tension lines resection was redefined. The purpose of this study was to review the surgical technique and objective and subjective outcomes. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted to identify patients undergoing septoplasty between 2005 and 2006 at Beijing Tongren Hospital. The records were reviewed for demographic data, intraoperative technique, surgical indications, objective and subjective outcomes, and postoperative complications. Results: A total of 54 patients were identified. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 12 months. Indications for septoplasty included nasal obstruction (40.7%) and access (59.3%). The data showed that both the objective and subjective outcomes improved after septoplasty. Complications included transient dental pain/hypesthesia (5.6%), synechiae formation (7.4%), epistaxis (1.9%), septal hematoma (3.7%), asymptomatic septal perforation (0%), and nasal deformity (0%).

Effect of Electric and Magnetic Fields (60 Hz) on Production, and Levels of Growth Hormone and Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1, in Lactating, Pregnant Cows Subjected to Short Days

Electric and magnetic fields (EMF) are generated by the transmission of electricity through high tension lines traversing rural areas. Previous studies showed increased dry matter intake (DMI) and fat corrected milk in dairy cows exposed to EMF. Because EMF exposure has been shown to suppress pineal release of melatonin in some species, it was hypothesized that EMF effects resemble those of exposure to long days. Previous studies have shown that DMI and milk production increase in dairy cattle in response to long day photoperiods, and this has been observed in association with increased circulating insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), but not growth hormone (GH). The hypothesis that EMF act by modifying the response to photoperiod was tested by subjecting dairy cows to controlled EMF exposure while keeping them under short-day conditions. Sixteen lactating, pregnant Holstein cows were exposed to a vertical electric field of 10 kV/m and a horizontal magnetic field of 30μT in a crossover design with treatment switchback. Two groups of eight cows each were exposed to EMF for 16h/d in either of two sequences. Each sequence consisted of three consecutive 28-d periods. All animals were maintained under short day conditions (8h light, 16h dark) during the trial. DMI and plasma IGF-1 were increased (P<0.01) during EMF exposure (17.03 vs.16.04kg/d, SE=0.4; 137±6ng/ml vs 126±6, respectively). The mean GH concentration was not affected, but a treatment×hour interaction was detected, with GH lower for the EMF exposed animals during the first 16h of the sampling period, and higher for the last 8h. Overall, the yield of milk or its components was not affected by EMF exposure, but milk yield was significantly higher for the exposed animals during wk 4 of treatment.

Feasibility study to reduce injuries and fatalities caused by contact of cranes, drill rigs, and haul trucks with high-tension lines

Feasibility study to reduce injuries and fatalities caused by contact of cranes, drill rigs, and haul trucks with high-tension lines

The space-weather enterprise: past, present, and future

Space-weather impacts society in diverse ways. Societies’ responses have been correspondingly diverse. Taken together these responses constitute a space weather “enterprise”, which has developed over time and continues to develop. Technological systems that space-weather affects have grown from isolated telegraph systems in the 1840s to ocean and continent-spanning cable communications systems, from a generator electrifying a few city blocks in the 1880s to continent-spanning networks of high-tension lines, from wireless telegraphy in the 1890s to globe-spanning communication by radio and satellites. To have a name for the global totality of technological systems that are vulnerable to space weather, I suggest calling it the cyberelectrosphere. When the cyberelectrosphere was young, scientists who study space weather, engineers who design systems that space weather affects, and operators of such systems — the personnel behind the space-weather enterprise — were relatively isolated. The space-weather enterprise was correspondingly incoherent. Now that the cyberelectrosphere has become pervasive and indispensable to most segments of society, the space weather enterprise has become systematic and coherent. At present it has achieved considerable momentum, but it has barely begun to realize the level of effectiveness to which it can aspire, as evidenced by achievements of a corresponding but more mature enterprise in meteorology, a field which provides useful lessons. The space-weather enterprise will enter a new phase after it matures roughly to where the tropospheric weather enterprise is now. Then it will become indispensable for humankind's further global networking through technology and for humankind's further utilization of and expansion into space.

The geophysical response of the Las Cruces massive sulphide deposit

Riomin Exploraciones SA, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto pic, discovered the Las Cruces volcanic hosted massive sulphide deposit in 1994. The Las Cruces deposit lies at the extreme eastern end of the Pyrite Belt in southwestern Spain.Interpretation of the regional gravity data indicated that Pyrite Belt lithologies could extend further east than previously interpreted. This possible extension of the Pyrite Belt, however, lays beneath a variable thickness of post-mineral mainly Tertiary aged sediments. Rio Tinto identified the Las Cruces gravity anomaly from a survey conducted across the Laralaes licence block in 1994. The residual Bouguer gravity anomaly is approximately 29 μm/s2: (2.9 mGal).The deposit lies at a depth of approximately 120 m beneath the base of the Tertiary cover and is hosted by typical Pyrite Belt lithologies consisting of highly altered felsic to intermediate volcanics with minor sediments. Las Cruces is unusual as it contains a substantial zone of enriched secondary copper sulphides lying beneath a gold rich gossan cap. At the end of 1998 a measured and indicated secondary copper resource of approximately 14.51 Mt grading 6.13% Cu had been outlined by drilling. Las Cruces also contains primary copper and zinc mineralisation as well as a gossan gold resource lying above the other orebodies at the base of the Tertiary.A number of geophysical techniques including electrical soundings, IP, TEM, CSAMT, DHEM and mise-a-la masse surveys have been completed across the deposit. The area is difficult for electrical surveying as it lies within 18 km of the city of Seville. There are a number of domestic and high-tension power lines crossing the area. There are also roads, fences, a factory and several houses to contend with, as well as a high-speed electric rail link in the vicinity. The IP and TEM techniques both worked well in helping to define the extent of mineralisation at Las Cruces.