Do EMF affect livestock, wildlife, crops or other plant life?
A. Many studies have been conducted in the laboratory and in the field to study the effects of EMF exposures on plants and wildlife. Research and years of operating experience have not shown that electric and magnetic fields cause any adverse effects in livestock, wildlife or plants. A group of researchers from Westinghouse Electric Co. and the Pennsylvania State University exposed more than 80 species of plants to power line electric fields at high intensities. No statistically significant differences were found between exposed and unexposed plants in seed germination, seedling emergence, seedling growth, leaf area for plant, flowering, seed production, biomass production and longevity. One response, damage to the leaf tips of sharp-pointed plants, was observed. Near the leaf tip of a sharply pointed plant, an electric field can be very high and can cause drying of the leaf tips. An extensive series of field experiments on plant responses has been carried out near 765,000-volt transmi
