Stray current affects animals, people and infrastructure. Unknown in the Netherlands, urgent worldwide. Prevention is now possible—provided we act in time.
In the Netherlands, the subject is still little known. It is already more on the map in the US, Belgium and France. Electrical currents leak to the Earth's surface if they are not properly insulated. Cow farmers in particular notice this in their animals. For example, they don't want to drink anymore and perform significantly less.
Experts suspect that stray current also has a significant impact on people. It is also likely to have an impact on the safety of metal pipes in the soil and even on the lifespan of buildings. The leakage current that will circulate can be prevented by now taking into account the isolation of new infrastructure. If there are no rules for this in electrifying countries, we will soon face high recovery costs if it turns out that the effects are significant.
The Foodlog Café @WFC on December 4 is about what we now know about stray electricity and what is wise to do already.