Sir, – We have heard a lot about epidemiological studies on the possibilities of a link between electromagnetic radiation generated by high voltage transmission lines and cancer, particularly childhood leukemia. Unfortunately these studies do not seem to have yielded an agreed result that would sway the decision on whether to bury the cables or not.
An aspect of this question, that I have not seen discussed, is the effect that burying the cables would have on radiation. It seems to be assumed that underground cables would have less effect on health. But an electric cable carrying a given current will generate the same magnetic field whether it’s suspended 20 metres in the air or buried two metres under the ground.
No doubt those designing the transmission lines know the intensity of the magnetic field at ground zero (or at any given distance from ground zero) for a suspended cable and how it compares with a buried cable.
An authoritative statement on this point might show how relevant the health argument is to the question of undergrounding.
The aesthetic and economic arguments would, of course, remain. – Yours, etc,
PN CORISH,
Oaklands Drive,
Rathgar,
Dublin 6.