Will power lines from offshore wind pose a risk to humans?
When you are dealing with cables that transport huge voltage levels from offshore wind farms, the cables are designed to reduce the electric current as they come on shore, keeping the power at an appropriate level. Electric current is what generates the magnetic field, so by reducing the current for a high-voltage cable, the EMF (electric magnetic field) ends up being about the same as a regular power line that you’d see running alongside roads.
Also, EMFs may inspire questions around health risks and exposure. According to the World Health Organization, potentially carcinogenic substances have four different categories:
Type 1 means definitely carcinogenic,
Type 2a means probably carcinogenic,
Type 2b is possibly carcinogenic (inconclusive, some correlations but causation isn’t proven),
Type 3 is no evidence of being carcinogenic,
Type 4 is not carcinogenic.
EMFs fall under 2b, which is the same classification as given to cell phones.
The NIH National Cancer Institute Website defines EMFs from power lines as Extremely Low Frequency-EMFs (ELF-EMFs). It states, “No mechanism by which ELF-EMFs or radiofrequency radiation could cause cancer has been identified. Unlike high-energy (ionizing) radiation, EMFs in the non-ionizing part of the electromagnetic spectrum cannot damage DNA or cells directly. Some scientists have speculated that ELF-EMFs could cause cancer through other mechanisms, such as by reducing levels of the hormone melatonin. There is some evidence that melatonin may suppress the development of certain tumors. Studies of animals have not provided any indications that exposure to ELF-EMFs is associated with cancer (10–13). The few high-quality studies in animals have provided no evidence that Wi-Fi is harmful to health.”