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Posted

Me & my better half considering buying a house in a lovely residential suburbian gated village in Bangkok. Wide roads between the houses and even a small man made pond in the vicinity.

Across the road, maybe 10 m there's a mounted transformer. Neighbors house in the picture, they're on the same side of the pole.

I googled and some oil cooled transformers are known to cause cancer but such systems have supposedly been replaced by improved technology in transformers in residential areas in the west.


I know google is my friend but I'm also valuing input from humans.
The concern being radiation and health hazards. I know there's other dangers mobile radiation etc etc, but I'm addressing the potential health hazards of the emissions of these particular transformers at the moment.
Has anyone got any input or thoughts on this?   grateful for any thoughts

 

danger-or.jpg

Posted

Old timey oil filled transformers used PCB's as a cooling/insulating fluid.  That's what causes cancer, but only if it's no longer sealed in the transformer.  Occasionally, transformers do leak or blow up and spew their die-electric fluid, but it's pretty easy to avoid contact.  And most transformers made in the past few decades have been PCB free, though someone else should be along soon with more details for Thailand.  Besides which, there are worse things very common to Thai construction and electrical installs.  But that's a whole 'nother thread.

 

EMF's at the 50 hz range aren't suspected to cause cancer as far as I know, otherwise you'd get it from your home wiring and appliances.  It's not as strong as the current in the transformer, but it's much closer- so the effects would be more profound by the inverse square rule.

 

Which leaves the aesthetics of having a transformer so close.  Along with a possible irritating hum for a transformer that's not in top condition.  Or a crackle for one in a very humid environment.  (I had both from transformers near my Asoke apartment in BKK, but not too irritating from 25 meters away)   Those are personal preference issues and not a cancer thing.

 

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Posted
10 hours ago, WhereIsMyRyeBread said:

The concern being radiation and health hazards.

the frequency that transformer operates at is too low to be cause for concern and it is too far away. 

i would be far more concerned about cellphone towers, especially the ones you see mounted directly on top of office buildings. they can have microwave links that use high power to tie cell sites together. 

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Posted
2 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

the frequency that transformer operates at is too low to be cause for concern and it is too far away. 

i would be far more concerned about cellphone towers, especially the ones you see mounted directly on top of office buildings. they can have microwave links that use high power to tie cell sites together. 

Thanks for the reply, out in Pathumthani they readily put mobile phone towers on the roof of residential apartment blocks as well.

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Posted

 

10 hours ago, impulse said:

Old timey oil filled transformers used PCB's as a cooling/insulating fluid.  That's what causes cancer, but only if it's no longer sealed in the transformer.  Occasionally, transformers do leak or blow up and spew their die-electric fluid, but it's pretty easy to avoid contact.  And most transformers made in the past few decades have been PCB free, though someone else should be along soon with more details for Thailand.  Besides which, there are worse things very common to Thai construction and electrical installs.  But that's a whole 'nother thread.

 

EMF's at the 50 hz range aren't suspected to cause cancer as far as I know, otherwise you'd get it from your home wiring and appliances.  It's not as strong as the current in the transformer, but it's much closer- so the effects would be more profound by the inverse square rule.

 

Which leaves the aesthetics of having a transformer so close.  Along with a possible irritating hum for a transformer that's not in top condition.  Or a crackle for one in a very humid environment.  (I had both from transformers near my Asoke apartment in BKK, but not too irritating from 25 meters away)   Those are personal preference issues and not a cancer thing.

 

 Thanks for this kind reply, I appreciate the details

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