DH is an electrician. I read this out to him and he said that on a misty night, you can go under the pylons and hold a fluro tube up and it will light up. The guys he went to trade school had done this, and so had the teacher. There's enough magnetic field around them to effect a person. Neither of us would live near them. There's nothing on power companies websites that say anything about them and no official authority will actually speak about it if pressed. That's enough to make me worry. When we built where we are, there are some in the area, and we were careful which side of the major road we built on.
I was worried about his too. We live directly across the road from a large substation, and have large major power lines running directly though the suburb. We have had people come out and test it numerous times (usually when a new neighbour moves in and realises how loud it actually 'humms' at night-time). Each time the levels come back as more then 'safe'. As for the lightglobe trick, if you actually stood in the substation it would probably light up, but it will not do so at all out of the fenced off area, nor directly under the lines running through the suburb. I am not as concerned about it now (having lived here for three years and actually talked with the experts). If I could afford it I would prefer to live somewhere without powerlines (certainly without a huge noisy substation across the road), just to be on the safe side; but I don't believe that the risk is anywhere as high as some of the stuff on the internet suggests. Remember that alot of the studies done have been in other countries with different allowable levels of emmissions etc.
It is also worth noting that most people in capital cities will live in or around sub-stations or power lines, most people just do not realise how close they actually are to their homes.
The problem is I don't think anyone can really give you any difinitive answer on this at all. There will always be a large group of people who will just flatly refuse to believe it can be safe, no matter what evidence is provided. And there is not enough evidence to say it definitely is safe. We just do not know. Just as we are still unaware of the effects of using mobile phones longterm.
Umm...ok so I don't live near a power station thingy like I thought I did
I thought I'd see exactly how far we lived from there when I was driving down the road yesterday and umm...it's not there! HAHA. I swear it was. I have no idea where I've seen it now or maybe I dreamt it after this girl told me about power lines I have serious baby brain lately.
Anyways, that's not there but the big transmission lines (I think that's what they're called) are right there. Just down the road that our house backs on to. Probably like 8 houses away. Then there's the normal power lines on the street which are right behind our back fence.
Soo.....anyway, I might see if I can get someone to test the levels or something like someone suggested. Would like to know before moving or anything, this place is really good because the owners don't seem like they'll sell any time soon and they don't put the rent up often.
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I thought I'd see exactly how far we lived from there when I was driving down the road yesterday and umm...it's not there! HAHA. I swear it was. I have no idea where I've seen it now or maybe I dreamt it after this girl told me about power lines 
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