# Climbing Power Pylons
**URL:** https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/climbing-power-pylons/4143
**Category:** Context
**Tags:** civil-engineering, acrophobia, electrical-power-grid
**Created:** [27 December 2023 14:50 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/climbing-power-pylons/4143 "2023-12-27T14:50:39Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@johnwalker](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/johnwalker)
#### Post date: [27 December 2023 14:50 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/climbing-power-pylons/4143/1 "2023-12-27T14:50:40Z")
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0JDK_71yDg)
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### Author:  [@jdougan](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/jdougan)
#### Post date: [29 December 2023 10:22 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/climbing-power-pylons/4143/2 "2023-12-29T10:22:04Z")
The dudes who work on high tension lines hanging off a helicopter to keep unconnected to ground are impressive.
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBJyyEAw-6g)
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### Author:  [@civilwestman](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/civilwestman)
#### Post date: [29 December 2023 12:58 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/climbing-power-pylons/4143/3 "2023-12-29T12:58:34Z")
It might be interesting to study sperm counts of dudes with the (you’ll pardon the expression) balls to immerse themselves in such intensities of EMF. I wonder if the industry logs hours or makes any attempt to limit them.
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### Author:  [@johnwalker](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/u/johnwalker)
#### Post date: [29 December 2023 14:39 UTC](https://scanalyst.fourmilab.ch/t/climbing-power-pylons/4143/4 "2023-12-29T14:39:39Z")
> [@civilwestman](#):
>
> It might be interesting to study sperm counts of dudes with the (you’ll pardon the expression) balls to immerse themselves in such intensities of EMF.
The wavelength of 50 Hz electrical power in free space is
\frac{50~{\rm Hz}}{c} \approx 6000~{\rm km}
or around continental scale. This is so far below ionising radiation adjectives fail to describe it. The instantaneous electromagnetic field variation across something at human scale is negligible. The World Health Organisation [standards for exposure to non-ionising electromagnetic fields](https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-electromagnetic-fields) are:
[](https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-electromagnetic-fields)
The separation between conductors required to prevent arc-over should be more than sufficient to keep exposure to people working on lines well below these levels. At higher frequencies (radio and microwave), the exposure standards are much lower, because at those frequencies heating can occur due to water molecules responding to oscillating fields.