Health responses to a new high-voltage power line route

Bron: bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-14-237
7 maart 2016


Health responses to a new high-voltage power line route: design of a quasi-experimental prospective field study in the Netherlands
Jarry T Porsius, Liesbeth Claassen, Tjabe Smid, Fred Woudenberg and Danielle RM Timmermans
BMC Public Health201414:237

Received: 5 February 2014Accepted: 24 February 2014Published: 7 March 2014
Open Peer Review reports

Abstract

Background
New high-voltage power transmission lines will be introduced due to increasing demand for reliable and renewable energy supplies. Some residents associate non-specific health complaints with exposure to electromagnetic fields from nearby power lines. This study protocol describes the design and rationale of a prospective study investigating whether the introduction of a new power line triggers health responses in residents living nearby.

Methods/Design
The study is designed as a quasi-experimental field study with two pretests during the construction of a new power line route, and two posttests after it has been put into operation. Key outcomes are self-reported non-specific somatic and cognitive health complaints, and attribution of these health complaints to a power line. The main determinant is proximity to the new power line route. One member of every household (n = 2379) residing in close proximity (0-500 meters) to the overhead parts of a new power line route in the Netherlands is invited to participate, as well as a sample of household members (n = 2382) residing farther away (500-2000 meters). Multilevel analysis will be employed to test whether an increase in key outcome measures is related to proximity to the line. Longitudinal structural equation models will be applied to test to what extent health responses are mediated by psychosocial health mechanisms and moderated by negative oriented personality traits.

Discussion
This is the first study to investigate health responses to a new power line route in a prospective manner. The results will provide theoretical insight into psychosocial mechanisms operating during the introduction of an environmental health risk, and may offer suggestions to policymakers and other stakeholders for minimizing adverse health responses when introducing new high-voltage power lines.

Keywords

Power lines Health complaints Symptom reports Environmental concerns Anxiety Environmental incidents Modern health worries Environmental risk perception Nocebo Attribution


Voor het volledige artikel zie bovenstaande link. In bovenstaande hebben we twee maal 'will be' vet afgedrukt. Dat slaat op dingen die dus nog gedaan zullen worden, er staat ook dat het 'a design of a field study' is en verder ontbreken er conclusies, hetgeen wel een gevolg is van het voorgaande.
Vroeger publiceerde men na het voltooien van een studie, de auteurs vinden het kennelijk de moeite waard een 'design' daarvan te publiceren.
In de tekst van het artikel komen de woorden radiation, radio frequency en high frequency niet voor. Als je echter onderzoek wil doen naar de effecten van hoogspanningslijnen op de gezondheid dan dienen de i.h.a. meer dominante effecten van RF EMV meegenonen te worden, tenzij het alleen om perceptie gaat en dat schijnt hier het geval te zijn.
Zie ook:
www.kennisplatform.nl/actueel/15-12-09/Geeft_VUmc_onderzoek_een_aanwijzing_voor_het_nocebo-effect_bij_ingebruikname_van_een_nieuwe_hoogspanningslijn?.aspx



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