Electromagnetic Fields

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) occur both in natural and human made environments, for example in the form of the terrestrial magnetic field or thunderstorms on one hand and along with electric appliances like welding equipment, electrolysis methods, inductive heating, or communication devices on the other hand. State-of-the-art electric appliances use static, slow, or fast alternating pulsed or continuous fields, with homogeneous or inhomogeneous field characteristics.

Electromagnetic fields consist of an electric and a magnetic component coupled weakly for low-frequency fields and closely for high-frequency fields. As opposed to radioactive radiation, electromagnetic fields (0 Hz to 300 GHz) do not have enough energy to ionise materials or biological matter.

Wavelengths, frequencies, effects, and applications of electromagnetic fields
Wavelengths, frequencies, effects, and applications of electromagnetic fields

Humans do not have any sensory organs sensitive to EMF, which is why electromagnetic fields can only be described and assessed on the basis of measurement and numeric simulation methods.

Electrical, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields have different biological effects on the human body depending on frequency, modulation, and intensity. However, this does not mean that measurable changes of a field parameter have relevant physiological effects or pose adverse health effects.
Proven effects of electromagnetic fields on humans are comprised of direct biological effects as well as indirect effects. First, direct biological effect include thermal effects by high-frequency EMFs (100 kHz to 300 GHz), like tissue heating through energy absorption in the exposed tissue, and reversible short-term sensory effects like stimulation of excitable cells (e. g. sensory organs, nerves, and muscles) by static and low-frequency fields (0 to 100 kHz). Only if EMF exposure is above a certain level, i. e. sensitivity threshold, sensory effects are noticed. For intermediate frequencies between the low and high ends of the spectrum (100 kHz to 10 MHz), both sensory and thermal effects are prevalent.

Further Information

Conference Proceedings

Publications

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Experience of 8 years with the EU EMF-Directive 2013/35/EU

Report 2022

The European ElectroMagnetic Fields Forum (EEMFF) is a pan-european network of national occupational safety and health …

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Protection of Workers Exposed to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields: A Perspective on Open Questions in the Context of the New ICNIRP 2020 Guidelines

Article 2022

Workers in occupational settings are usually exposed to numerous sources of electromagnetic fields (EMF) and to different …

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Implementation of 2013/35/EU in Germany - Risk Assessment based on Exposure Limit Values

Article 2021

The complete article "Implementation of 2013/35/EU in Germany - Risk Assessment based on Exposure Limit Values" can be …

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Implementation of 2013/35/EU in Germany: Risk Assessment Based on Exposure Limit Values

Article 2021

The complete article "Implementation of 2013/35/EU in Germany: Risk Assessment Based on Exposure Limit Values" can be downloaded …

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Technical Rules for the Ordinance on Occupational Safety and Health Electromagnetic Fields

Article 2021

The complete article can be purchased in German at the website of the Journal "StrahlenschutzPRAXIS", Volume 27, Issue 2, pp. …

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Technical Rules for the Ordinance on Occupational Safety and Health Electromagnetic Fields

Article 2021

The complete article can be purchased in German at the website of the Journal "StrahlenschutzPRAXIS", Volume 27, Issue 4, pp. …

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Deriving exposure limit values for electromagnetic fields

Article 2018

The complete article "Deriving exposure limit values for electromagnetic fields" is a chapter of the ISES-Europe 2018 Abstract …

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Implementation of the EMF Directive 2013/35/EU in Germany

Article 2016

Poster presented at the Joint Meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society and the European BioElectromagnetics Association …

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Simple assessment of non-sinusoidal, pulsed or intermittent exposure to low frequency electric or magnetic fields at workplaces

Article 2015

Poster presented at the Joint Meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society and the European BioElectromagnetics Association …

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Influence of electromagnetic fields of mobile radio systems TETRA, GSM and UMTS on the behaviour of humans in different demand situations

Article 2014

Poster presented at the Joint Meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society and the European BioElectromagnetics Association …

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