Human exposure to pulsed fields in the frequency range from 6 to 100 GHz.

Restrictions on human exposure to electromagnetic waves at frequencies higher than 3-10 GHz are defined in terms of the incident power density to prevent excessive temperature rise in superficial tissue. However, international standards and guidelines differ in their definitions of how the power density is interpreted for brief exposures. This study investigated how the temperature rise was affected by exposure duration at frequencies higher than 6 GHz.

On the averaging area for incident power density for human exposure limits at frequencies over 6 GHz.

Incident power density is used as the dosimetric quantity to specify the restrictions on human exposure to electromagnetic fields at frequencies above 3 or 10 GHz in order to prevent excessive temperature elevation at the body surface. However, international standards and guidelines have different definitions for the size of the area over which the power density should be averaged. This study reports computational evaluation of the relationship between the size of the area over which incident power density is averaged and the local peak temperature elevation in a multi-layer model simulating a human body.

Dielectric polarization transients in biological tissue moving in a static magnetic field.

Movement of a body in a static magnetic field gives rise to the Lorentz force that induces in the medium both electric currents and dielectric polarization. It is usually assumed that the conductivity of biological tissues is sufficiently high in order to neglect dielectric phenomenon arising from non-equilibrium of polarization charges. However, the permittivity of biological tissues is extremely high and the relaxation time of free charges is relatively low.

Occupational exposure to intermediate frequency and extremely low frequency magnetic fields among personnel working near electronic article surveillance systems.

Cashiers are potentially exposed to intermediate frequency (IF) magnetic fields at their workplaces because of the electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems used in stores to protect merchandise against theft. This study aimed at investigating occupational exposure of cashiers to IF magnetic fields in Finnish stores. Exposure to extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields was also evaluated because cashiers work near various devices operating with 50 Hz electric power.

Computational dosimetry of induced electric fields during realistic movements in the vicinity of a 3 T MRI scanner.

Medical staff working near magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners are exposed both to the static magnetic field itself and also to electric currents that are induced in the body when the body moves in the magnetic field. However, there are currently limited data available on the induced electric field for realistic movements. This study computationally investigates the movement induced electric fields for realistic movements in the magnetic field of a 3 T MRI scanner.

Physiologic and dosimetric considerations for limiting electric fields induced in the body by movement in a static magnetic field.

Movement in a strong static magnetic field induces electric fields in a human body, which may result in various sensory perceptions such as vertigo, nausea, magnetic phosphenes, and a metallic taste in the mouth. These sensory perceptions have been observed by patients and medical staff in the vicinity of modern diagnostic magnetic resonance (MR) equipment and may be distracting if they were to affect the balance and eye-hand coordination of, for example, a physician carrying out a medical operation during MR scanning. The stimulation of peripheral nerve tissue by a more intense induced electric field is also theoretically possible but has not been reported to result from such movement.

[Mobile phones radiate--risk to the health?].

The mobile phones radiate electromagnetic energy which is partly absorbed into the tissues in the vicinity of the phone. The minor heating, in maximum up to 0.3 degrees C, may cause some alterations in the expression of genes and proteins similar to physiological response to other stimuli.

Occupational exposure measurements of static and pulsed gradient magnetic fields in the vicinity of MRI scanners.

Recent advances in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have increased occupational exposure to magnetic fields. In this study, we examined the assessment of occupational exposure to gradient magnetic fields and time-varying magnetic fields generated by motion in non-homogeneous static magnetic fields of MRI scanners. These magnetic field components can be measured simultaneously with an induction coil setup that detects the time rate of change of magnetic flux density (dB/dt).

Specific absorption rate and electric field measurements in the near field of six mobile phone base station antennas.

In this article, the exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields was studied in close proximity (distances of 10, 100, 300, and 600 mm) to six base station antennas. The specific absorption rate (SAR) in 800 mm x 500 mm x 200 mm box phantom as well as unperturbed electric field (E) in air was measured. The results were used to determine whether the measurement of local maximum of unperturbed electric field can be used as a compliance check for local exposure.

Space efficient system for whole-body exposure of unrestrained rats to 900 MHz electromagnetic fields.

The aim of this study was to design, implement and analyze a space-efficient setup for the whole-body exposure of unrestrained Wistar rats to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields at 900 MHz. The setup was used for 2 years in a cocarcinogenesis study and part of it for 5 weeks in a central nervous system (CNS) study. Up to 216 rats could be placed in separate cages in nine different exposure chambers on three racks requiring only 9 m2 of floor area (24 rats per m2).

Setup and dosimetry for exposing anaesthetised pigs in vivo to 900 MHz GSM mobile phone fields.

The aim of this study was a dosimetrical analysis of the setup used in the exposure of the heads of domestic pigs to GSM-modulated radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) at 900 MHz. The heads of pigs were irradiated with a half wave dipole using three different exposure routines; short bursts of 1-3 s at two different exposure levels and a continuous 10-min exposure. The electroencephalogram (EEG) was registered continuously during the exposures to search for RF-EMF originated changes.

Measured and computed induced body currents in front of an experimental RF dielectric heater.

Operators of industrial high-frequency dielectric heaters are exposed to electromagnetic fields that are high enough to significantly increase body temperature. The assessment of exposure based on the measurement of external field strengths is, however, inaccurate due to the non-uniformity of the fields. This paper presents an exposure assessment method based on the measurement of the current induced by the external electric field in the body of the operator.

Setup and dosimetry for exposure of human skin in vivo to RF-EMF at 900 MHz.

The aim of this study was a dosimetrical analysis of an experimental setup used in the exposure of 10 female volunteers to GSM 900 radiation. The exposure was carried out by irradiating a small region of the right forearms of the volunteers for 1 h, after which biopsies were taken from the exposed skin for protein analysis. The source of irradiation was a half-wave dipole fed with a computer controlled GSM phone.

Assessment of complex EMF exposure situations including inhomogeneous field distribution.

Assessment of exposure to time varying electric and magnetic fields is difficult when the fields are non-uniform or very localized. Restriction of the local spatial peak value below the reference level may be too restrictive. Additional problems arise when the fields are not sinusoidal.

Evaluation of a single-monochromator diode array spectroradiometer for sunbed UV-radiation measurements.

The suitability of a new technology single-monochromator diode array spectroradiometer for UV-radiation safety measurements, in particular for sunbed measurements, was evaluated. The linearity, cosine response, temperature response, wavelength scale, stray-light and slit function of the spectroradiometer were determined and their effects on the measurement accuracy evaluated. The main error sources were stray-light and nonideal cosine response, for which correction methods are presented.

Assessment of the magnetic field exposure due to the battery current of digital mobile phones.

Hand-held digital mobile phones generate pulsed magnetic fields associated with the battery current. The peak value and the waveform of the battery current were measured for seven different models of digital mobile phones, and the results were applied to compute approximately the magnetic flux density and induced currents in the phone-user's head. A simple circular loop model was used for the magnetic field source and a homogeneous sphere consisting of average brain tissue equivalent material simulated the head.