Affordable evaluation of low frequency electric fields from the standpoint of Directive 2013/35/EU

Abstract

<p>Since the 1st of July 2016, the Directive 2013/35/ EU on the employees’ health protection in terms of non-ionizing electromagnetic<br />radiations acquired the force of law.<br />An accessible methodology for the characterization of a workspace is proposed here, in terms of exposure to low-frequency electric fields.</p><p>Firstly, the means whereby an external electric field can induce electrical processes in the human body are presented, followed by a comparative summary of differently expressed exposure levels (ICNIRP, European Directive, IEEE-ICES).</p><p>Further on two electric field sensors are presented that can easily be hand-crafted in any laboratory, useful for extending the capabilities of a budget, low-frequency handheld spectrum analyzer. A realistic exposure metric is developed that cumulates the influence of all E-fields in the environment. A case study is presented on the cumulative assessment of exposure to low frequency electric fields produced in a laboratory-class where a network of 16 computers was working.</p><p>A simple numerical approach based on FEMM 4.2 has also been developed for evaluating the E-field produced by overhead high voltage transmission lines.</p><p>This paper is an extended version of the original contribution to the IMEKO TC 4 2016 symposium in Budapest, Hungary.</p>

Analysis of the influence of the current drawn by the appliance on the close magnetic field

“…Concerning control of a person's exposure to electromagnetic fields during working hours, Directive 2013/35/EU [1] stipulates precise responsibilities for employers and presents an overview of action levels at 50 Hz (1,000 µT RMS) as recommended by the ICNIRP 2010 Guidelines. At home, where a person is supposed to be in a "corner" for rest and relaxation, it is a priori supposed that exposure to various harmful factors, including electromagnetic fields, is lower, without additional checks.…”