Power Lines a health risk?

[kama]

We recently moved into a new house (about a month ago). My two cats and one dog have all settled in well with no problems up to now. About three houses away are some power pylons. In the last week or so, one of my cats has been acting strangely (see 'Strange behaviour in cat' thread), and the dog has had a couple of upset stomachs, where he has eaten grass and vomited. The second cat is competely fine. Dog seems healthy in all other respects, his eyes are clear, he is eating and drinking normally and seems happy.

Has anyone heard of a link between power lines and health problems in small pets?

Kama.

[twinmommy]

They tried to link a form of luekemia(sp?) in children to people who lived near to power lines and as far as I know all those studies have remained inconclusive......any effects on your animals would be a bit premature if you've only lived there for a few days(weeks?) This study was conducted on the effect of living there for years, and still inconclusive.

My guess, regarding wierd behaviour, is that they are just feeling the effects of the move, a new environment, and maybe have gotten into some stuff (old/new?) that you haven't had a chance to kitty/puppy proof yet...

[CyberKitten]

There are actually European studies that show a correlation between power lines and leukemia. I see leukemia EVERY day and have come to believe there is a correlation even if I have never completed a scientific study. I would never live near power lines or a substation and recently convinced my community to tell the power utility NOT to place a substation about a mile away from where I live. That was WAY too close for comfort.

That said, you have just moved there and where there have been clusters of leukemia near power lines, it takea years and sometimes decades to develop. So I rather doubt your cat's behaviour is due to power lines. As Twinmommy suggests, it may be the stress of the move. Cats just hate change!

[chico2]

CK,you are soo right,in Sweden and France any school built near powerlines have been closed and moved,houses are also no more built in the vicinity of power-lines.Unfortunately many times,in North-America the mighty $$$ often comes first.
As for the animals reacting,I think it's too soon to have any effect on them,more than likely it's the move affecting them.
My son just bought a house and his JRT is still acting up,even after a month in the house ,they do not like changes in their routine and feel their world is turned upside down.

[twinmommy]

As I was posting, I was thinking "Cyberkitten should be answering this... "

That's twice, or rather two seperate studies that I have heard of involving children that is inconclusive in North America, and yet conclusive in Europe.

The other study involved the administration of MMR (a live vaccine) and the development of autism.They no longer give this vaccine in France and other parts of Europe, due to the results of the study, and yet we still give it here..

I apologize in advance for the potential "hijack" of this thread, but maybe you could add more to this, Cyberkitten, than if I just "google it"...

[chico2]

It seems to me at times Europe has the"better safe than sorry"attitude,here it's more lets wait and see,let's not rock the boat!!Millions of $$$$ would be involved and maybe potential lawsuits

[CyberKitten]

I think it is because many of the European studies have fewer ties to pharamacutical companies. And more left wing governments? I know when I completed a study with some other researchers a few yrs ago, we went to The Lancet first! Mind you, Marcia Angell, the former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine has an excellent new book out on the pharmacutical industry and many North Amwerican journals have come together to refuse to publish many so called "studies" provided by drug companies that are essentially biased.

I am not in the infectious disease area Twinmommy but I do know the controversy is out there about vaccines. The latest long term study seems to suggest (emphasis on the seems) that they are safe. There is certainly an epidemic of autism though - of varying degrees - and that needs to be examined! A friend of mine is in the infectious disease area and recommends parents get the vaccines. I tend to agree with her. We (at least in the west!!) have after almost eradicated so many of those childhood diseases that were around even when I was a child!

I have researched the area of power lines and informally asked my leukemia patients (past the thousand mark now) if they live near power lines. Among my own patients - excluding other extraneous variables - the closer a child lives to a power line - the more likley the posibility of developing leukemia or another type of cancer. And if they live near a substation or power station, that statistic goes up fourfold. I do not understand why we do not follow some areas and place our power lines UNDERGROUND! And build power stations AWAY from populated areas. (At least James Bay is far enough away but others are not).

I need to get a grant and some students and formalize the work though!! As a scientist, I'd say my findings are inconclusive but peronally, I would NEVER live near a power line. That goes up tenfold for a a plant that is nuclear powered!!!

[chico2]

Thank you CK,for your proffessional opinion...I only use logic in my assessment and have read about the possible healthrisk with power-lines,but read enough to the point I would also never live anywhere near them.I saw a program from out west,where a row of towers were put up in grazingfields and cows reacted negatively...should be enough to warrant more studies.

[kama]

Thanks for all your sensible replies! Of course, you are all right, it's far too soon for them to be suffering effects - mum was just having a wee panic!
And of course, the one cat in the household who wanders around outside a lot and would be more likely to suffer from exposure, is fine!

Dog's stomach seems to have settled down no, no more vomiting, and he scoffed his dinner, so no loss of appetite there!

They've all been well travelled, in fact, the dog and cat in question survived a 9 hour flight from Australia to New Zealand, and have never had issues settling into a new house before, which is why I'm a little more concerned than usual about their behaviour.

Still, we are in the middle of a really weird heatwave - maybe that's the problem!

[chico2]

Heatwave????I did not see at first that you were in New Zeeland,lucky you,we will be having a"snow-wave"today,up to 25cm predicted
Right now it's -14C....Wecome to the Forum!