Increased exposure to pollutant aerosols under high voltage power lines
Authors not listed · 1999
The model predicts a two- to three-fold increase in aerosol deposition on surfaces mimicking the human head under high voltage power lines, and experimental measurements confirmed enhanced deposition of radioactive aerosols.
Plain English Summary
Researchers modeled and measured how 222Rn decay product aerosols behave in the 50 Hz electric field under high voltage power lines to assess increased exposure to airborne pollutants. The model predicted a two- to three-fold increase in aerosol deposition on spherical surfaces mimicking the human head. Experimental measurements using detectors on grounded metal spheres confirmed enhanced deposition of both 218Po and 214Po aerosols. Enhanced 218Po deposition on 400 kV lines ranged from 1.96 to 2.86 times, while 214Po deposition on 275 kV and 132 kV lines was 1.43 and 1.11 times, with the latter not significant.
Why This Matters
The researchers concluded that the observations demonstrate a mode of increased exposure to pollutant aerosols under high voltage power lines through increased deposition on the body. They used TASTRAK alpha-particle spectroscopy to characterize the aerosols at sampling points up to 200 meters from transmission lines.
Exposure Information
Specific exposure levels were not quantified in this study.
Show BibTeX
@article{increased_exposure_to_pollutant_aerosols_under_high_voltage_power_lines_ce1553,
author = {Unknown},
title = {Increased exposure to pollutant aerosols under high voltage power lines},
year = {1999},
doi = {10.1080/095530099139115},
}