Subject: Re EMF in the barnyard... (fwd) & "stray voltage" (fwd)
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 1998 190437 -0500 (CDT)
From: "Roy L. Beavers" <rbeavers@llion.org>
To: emfguru@hotmail.com
--------------------------------------------------
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 17 Jun 1998 21:58:14
From: Alasdair Philips
To: "Roy L. Beavers"
Subject: Re: EMF in the barnyard... (fwd) & "stray voltage" (fwd)
Hi
I needed to get back regarding my comment about Calcium. There
is SO much in the literature about inter- and intra-cellular
calcium and electric and magnetic field interactions it is
difficult to know where to start. For the moment suffice it
to say that cellular calcium levels are affected by EMFs.
This is not the same as overall mineral levels in people and
animals, and I do not think how the cellular results link to
actual health problems has really been investigated or
reported, although some suggestions have been put forward.
This message was stimulated by Marjorie's email below. I have
a great respect for much of Marjorie's work and value her
contribution to these debates, but...
Most significant "stray voltage" problems are really "stray
current" problems and are ELF. Some 50 or 60 Hertz and plenty
of odd harmonic content. You can look at the signals on an
oscilloscope. They are due to "return currents" finding a
lower impedance path back to the substation or supply transformer
(or, often, to another one! All they want to do is to get back
home to the supply system somewhere and in the process can
travel some weird ways!). You also get RF signals induced on
ALL metalwork in our world due to natural and human activity.
However, unless you are near to a strong power transmitting
source, the voltages induced are TINY. These small RF voltages
are also directly induced in people and animals unless they
are in a totally screened room.
You can NOT have two different voltages existing at the same
time between two fixed points. This is just not possible in the
universe as we know it.
The spark at the end of the waveguide is NOT between the two sides
of the wave guide, but can be thought of as like lightning - there
is a high dynamic microwave potential in the air at the mouth of
the waveguide and it is sometimes possible at high power levels
for this to discharge from "space" to the metal end of an
un-terminated waveguide. If you put your hand there it will get
RF burns. If you put a piece of metal there it will warm up.
As I understand it, you can and sometimes do get standing waves
along the length of the waveguide metal which can also act as an
unintentional antenna at some frequencies, but I do not believe
you can get sparking from side to side across the end of an open
waveguide due to different voltages on the two sides. It would
defeat how the waveguide worked.
If you take a length of wire forming a flexible loop and fix the
two ends in space by holding them on non-conductive supports,
then in the presence of RF fields the voltage between the ends
of the wire will vary enormously depending on the length and
spatial positioning of the wire. This is due to the signal
induced in the wire by the RF fields. THIS is the reason why it
IS so very difficult to predict just what RF voltages will be
induced in metalwork nearby to an RF source - as Marjorie
correctly states happens in practice. It is her reasoning as
to what is happening that I challenge.
I believe that *all* EMFs can influence living biological systems
in a number of ways, some of which we do not yet understand. It
is as wrong to dismiss ELF field bio-effects as it is to dismiss
RF and Microwave field bio-effects.
I now believe that there are both "mechanical" mechanisms which
come down in some way to regularly vibrating or polarising ions
and cells, and that there are also "informational" mechanisms.
I now beleive that Life processes communicate in subtle ways that
we have not started to comprehend. Just as the way the flows of
invisible information on the internet is starting to affect our
lives in ways not conceivable early this Century, I believe that
there are energy and information flows which affect Life processes
that "science" is as yet completely blind to. Some traditional
medicinal practices (eg Chinese medicine and Accupuncture) and
spiritual healing recognise and use these information streams.
I hope this email will help EMF-L members think through and around
these important matters.
Alasdair
ps I think Marjorie's other email about the importance and complexity
of EMF and chemical pollutant interactions was 'spot on'.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alasdair Philips (aphilips@gn.apc.org)
Director, UK Powerwatch,
EMC Engineer and EMF-bioeffects researcher
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At 08:37 17/06/98 -0500, you wrote:
>
>x---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Tue, 16 Jun 1998 19:48:11 -0700 (PDT)
>From: marjorie lundquist
>To: "Roy L. Beavers"
>Cc: dahlberg@cord.edu
>Subject: Re: EMF in the barnyard... (fwd) & "stray voltage"
>
>Duane has made a good point, drawing a parallel between the "stray
>voltage" problem on farms underneath high voltage transmission lines
>here in the USA and the very similar problem on Herr Altenweger's farm
>in Germany.
>I am satisfied that the similarity is not accidental. Both are
>manifestations of the very same problem, in my judgment. (In fact,
>many of the comments I have made to Wolfgang about the situation on
>Herr Altenweger's farm draw on information learned from the
>transmission line problem here in the USA that Duane mentions.)
>For those who are not aware of it, I will repeat that I believe the
>health problems around electric power lines are caused NOT by ELF
>fields, but by RF fields. These RF fields surround electric power
>lines that carry RF signals. Certainly most transmission lines in the
>USA carry such RF signals, and therefore are surrounded by an RF field.
>Also, only RF could cause the "stray voltage" problems that Duane
>refers to. If this was caused by ELF (power frequency fields) then
>the additional grounding that is done to try to correct the "stray
>voltage" problem WOULD correct it! But in reality, it makes it worse!
> And that is exactly what would be expected if the culprit were RF
>fields.
>Here is a bit of physics: In a static electric field, the voltage
>between two points in space is INDEPENDENT of the path between these
>two points. In an ELF field, for all pracatical purposes, this is
>still true. But in an RF field, this is no longer true. The voltage
>between two points depends on the path! This means that there is NO
>UNIQUE VOLTAGE between two points! Along one path, the voltage
>difference between two fixed points P and Q may be 100,000 volts; but
>along another path between the same two points, the voltage difference
>could be almost zero! In such a situation, current will flow along
>those paths having the highest voltage difference.
>Microwave engineers have encountered this phenomenon. The open end of
>an active waveguide can produce a spark that jumps across the opening.
> The voltage that produced this spark must have exceeded the
>dielectric breakdown for air, yet the two points at the ends of the
>spark are on the metal waveguide, which is shorted out (literally!) by
>a different path along which the voltage difference is essentially zero!
>It is a weird world in which there is not a unique voltage difference
>between two fixed points--but it is the real world, when that world is
>filled with RF fields!
>The only way to correct the "stray voltage" problem around
>high-voltage transmission lines is to take the RF signals off those
>lines. Fortunately, this is now feasible; fiber optic cable can serve
>this function. But the state commissions that regulate electric power
>transmission in the USA have to require that electric power companies
>switch over to using fiber optic cable, and they are not doing this
>because they are ignorant, or perhaps they are too political (being a
>governor's lap-dog, maybe).
>With the transmitters on the tower on Herr Altenweger's farm, there is
>no such easy solution, I fear. Probably some of the transmitters will
>have to be turned off, or else moved some distance away. -- Marjorie
>*********************************
>Marjorie Lundquist, Ph.D., C.I.H.
>Bioelectromagnetic Hygienist
>P. O. Box 11831
>Milwaukee, WI 53211-0831 USA
>*********************************
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alasdair Philips (aphilips@gn.apc.org)
Director, UK Powerwatch,
EMC Engineer and EMF-bioeffects researcher
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org
Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.feb.se/EMF-L/EMF-L.html