Magnetic field exposure among utility workers

Bracken, T. Dan; Rankin, Richard F.; Senior, R.S.; Alldredge, J. Richard; Sussman, S.S.

doi:10.1002/bem.2250160403

Cited by 27 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 11 publications

(5 reference statements)

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“…The frequency distribution of magnetic ®eld measurements taken in most environments is generally closer to being log normal than normal [Kaune et al, 1987;Zaffanella, 1993;Bracken et al, 1994;Swanson and Kaune, 1999]. This was also true for the magnetic ®eld data reported in this paper.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Magnetic fields produced by hand held hair dryers, stereo headsets, home sewing machines, and electric clocks

Kaune¹,

Miller²,

Linet

et al. 2001

Bioelectromagnetics

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A recent epidemiologic study reported associations between leukemia risk in children and their personal use of television (TV) sets, hair dryers, and stereo headsets, and the prenatal use by their mothers of sewing machines. To provide exposure data to aid in the interpretation of these findings, extremely and very low frequency (ELF and VLF) magnetic fields produced by a sample of each type of appliance were characterized in a field study of volunteers conducted in Washington DC and its Maryland suburbs. Questionnaire data regarding children's or mothers' patterns of usage of each type of appliance were also collected. ELF magnetic fields measured 10 cm from the nozzles of hair dryers were elevated over the ambient by a mean factor of 17 when these devices were in use. Fields near headsets being used to listen to music were not distinguishable from ambient levels except at frequencies below and well above 60 Hz and, even then, field levels were < 0.01 microT. Home sewing machines produced ELF magnetic fields that were elevated by a factor of 2.8 over ambient levels at the front surfaces of the lower abdomens of mothers. Estimated mean daily times of usage of hair dryers, stereo headsets, and sewing machines were 2.6, 19, and 17 minutes, respectively. These data and previously published data on TV sets, do not provide a consistent picture of increased (or decreased) leukemia risk in relation to increasing peak or time weighted average (TWA) ELF magnetic field exposure. The data could, however, conceivably be compatible with some more complex biophysical model with unknown properties. Overall, the results of this study provide little evidence supporting the hypothesis that peak or TWA ELF magnetic fields produced by appliances are causally related to the risk of childhood leukemia in children.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Magnetic fields produced by hand held hair dryers, stereo headsets, home sewing machines, and electric clocks

Kaune¹,

Miller²,

Linet

et al. 2001

Bioelectromagnetics

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“…(35)(36)(37)(38) The TWA exposures observed in cable splicers were much higher than exposures reported in other occupational groups, although a meaningful comparison with results reported by other investigators is dif cult due to the small sample size.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 52%

Assessment of Occupational Exposure Patterns by Frequency-Domain Analysis of Time Series Data

Mihlan¹,

Todd²,

Truong³

2000

Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene

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Laboratory evidence increasingly points to exposure pattern characteristics, including the duration, frequency, and timing of the exposure during the day, as important factors influencing the biological response to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields. An exploratory analysis of exposure patterns was conducted in 113 electric utility workers employed as electricians, cable splicers, line workers, and power plant operators. The purpose of the study was to describe extremely low-frequency magnetic field exposure pattern characteristics of electric utility workers and evaluate grouping strategies for classifying occupational exposures based on their exposure pattern characteristics. Exposure patterns describe the cyclic fluctuation in exposures over time, and were evaluated by partitioning the variation of the time series into frequency components using frequency-domain analysis of the transformed and processed time series. The study samples were classified using traditional grouping strategies based on occupation and time-weighted average (TWA), and non-traditional grouping strategies based on cluster analysis of the standardized, low-frequency exposure pattern components. Rules for classifying samples into each group were developed using linear discriminant analysis, with the performance of each grouping strategy evaluated using a crossvalidation study design to estimate the rate of misclassification. Exposure patterns appeared unrelated to grouping strategies based on quartiles of the workday TWA, but were related to pattern clusters and occupation. The linear discriminant function produced very low misclassification error rates for the cluster grouping strategy (10%) compared to occupation (50%) and TWA quartile (69%) grouping strategies. Significant differences in the exposure patterns occurring between clusters and between occupational groups were observed, indicating that at least one of the spectral estimates in two of the groups were significantly different. However, patterns clusters produced the greatest contrast in exposure patterns of all grouping strategies, explaining 99 percent of the total variation compared to 58 percent of the total variation by occupation.

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“…Yet, exposure to overhead high tension power lines and certain electrical appliances has been shown in some studies to be associated with increased incidence of cancer and other illnesses [Bracken et al, 1995;Savitz and Loomis, 1995].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental changes in Drosophila melanogaster following exposure to alternating electromagnetic fields

Mirabolghasemi

Azarnia

2002

Bioelectromagnetics

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This study investigated the biological effects of alternating electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on developmental stages of Drosophila melanogaster eggs and the first, second and third instar larvae stages. D. melanogaster eggs and larval stages were exposed to a 11 mT 50 Hz field produced by a pair of Helmholtz coils. Each stage was exposed to aEMFs for 2, 4, 6 and 8 h. Features of adult flies such as head, thorax, abdomen and other morphological changes were studied and compared. The frequency of abnormal flies was calculated using statistical methods at P <.05. The results obtained from exposing larvae in different stages of development showed a significant increase in the number of abnormal adult flies, whereas no significant increase was observed in the group arising from eggs exposed to aEMFs. Also, it appeared that duration of exposure correlates with the increase in the number of abnormal flies. There was no significant difference in mortality rate and sex distribution of the abnormal flies between field exposed and the control groups.

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Magnetic field exposure among utility workers

Cited by 27 publications

References 11 publications

Magnetic fields produced by hand held hair dryers, stereo headsets, home sewing machines, and electric clocks

Magnetic fields produced by hand held hair dryers, stereo headsets, home sewing machines, and electric clocks

Assessment of Occupational Exposure Patterns by Frequency-Domain Analysis of Time Series Data

Developmental changes in Drosophila melanogaster following exposure to alternating electromagnetic fields

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