Development of hypertension after long-term exposure to static magnetic fields among workers from a magnetic resonance imaging device manufacturing facility.

Objective: To assess the association between long-term exposure to static magnetic fields (SMF) in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-manufacturing environment and hypertension.

Methods: In an occupational cohort of male workers (n = 538) of an MRI-manufacturing facility, the first and last available blood pressure measurements from the facility's medical surveillance scheme were associated with modeled cumulative exposure to SMF. Exposure modeling was based on linkage of individual job histories from the facility's personnel records with a facility specific historical job exposure matrix.

Hearing loss associated with repeated MRI acquisition procedure-related acoustic noise exposure: an occupational cohort study.

Objective: To study the effects of repeated exposure to MRI-related acoustic noise during image acquisition procedures (scans) on hearing.

Methods: A retrospective occupational cohort study was performed among workers of an MRI manufacturing facility (n=474). Longitudinal audiometry data from the facility's medical surveillance scheme collected from 1973 to 2010 were analysed by studying the association of cumulative exposure to MRI-related acoustic noise from voluntary (multiple) MRI scans and the hearing threshold of the volunteer.

Exposure to static magnetic fields and risk of accidents among a cohort of workers from a medical imaging device manufacturing facility.

Purpose: To study the association between occupational MRI-related static magnetic fields (SMF) exposure and the occurrence of accidents.

Methods: Recent and career SMF exposure was assessed by linking a retrospective job exposure matrix to payroll based job histories, for a cohort of (former) workers of an imaging device manufacturing facility in the Netherlands. Occurrence of accidents was collected through an online questionnaire.

Retrospective assessment of exposure to static magnetic fields during production and development of magnetic resonance imaging systems.

At present, the relationship between chronic exposure to static magnetic fields (SMF) and health effects is unclear. We developed a task-based deterministic model for estimating historical electromagnetic field exposure from the static B-field (B0) of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, for a cohort of employees working at an MRI systems development and production facility. Technical maps describing the spatial distribution of fringe fields of B0 surrounding different types of MRI systems of various core strengths were exploited to derive estimates of static B0 exposure as a function of distance from the bore of the MRI system.