This is a very common concern, and multiple international health and scientific organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), have conducted extensive research on the topic. The consensus is that there is no conclusive scientific evidence to prove a direct link between living near power lines and adverse health effects, such as cancer. The electromagnetic fields (EMF) generated by power lines are a form of non-ionizing radiation, which is different from the high-energy ionizing radiation (like X-rays) that can damage DNA. The intensity of these fields also drops off very rapidly with distance, meaning that at the typical distance of a residential home, the EMF levels from power lines are often lower than those from common household appliances.