title: Experimental validation of a statistical model for evaluating the past or future magnetic field exposures of a population living near power lines.
abstract: This study was designed to provide an experimental validation for a statistical model predicting past or future exposures to magnetic fields (MF) from power lines. The model estimates exposure, combining the distribution of ambient MF in the absence of power lines with the distribution of past or future MF produced by power lines. In the study, validation is carried out by comparing exposures predicted by the model with the actual measurements obtained from a large-scale epidemiological study. The comparison was made for a group of 220 women living near a 735 kV power line. Knowing that the individual arithmetic means of MF exposures follow a log-normal distribution, the Pearson correlation between the log-transformed measured means and the calculated ones was determined and found to be 0.77. Predicted values of MF exposures were slightly lower than measured values. The calculated geometric mean of the group was 0.33 microT, compared to 0.38 microT for the measured geometric mean. The present study shows good agreement between the measured MF exposure of an individual inside a house near a 735 kV line and the MF exposure calculated using a statistical model.
authors.affiliation: Institut de Recherche d'Hydro-Québec (IREQ), Varennes, Québec, Canada. turgeon.alain@ireq.ca
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Turgeon
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bourdages
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Levallois
authors.forename: Denis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gauvin
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gingras
authors.forename: Jan Erik
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Deadman
authors.forename: Daniel L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Goulet
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plante
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004559:Electric Wiring; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D016021:Epidemiologic Studies; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008280:Magnetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D016011:Normal Distribution; D011792:Quebec