Personal exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields in various occupations in Spain

Abstract

Background: A Job-Exposure Matrix (JEM) for radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) was previously created based on measurements collected from the literature and individualized EMF source-based information. In the context of an international study aimed at enhancing this preliminary JEM, personal measurements of occupational exposure to RF-EMF were conducted among various occupations in Spain. Methods: Identification and prioritization of occupations to be measured were based on the levels and prevalence of exposure to RF fields in the preliminary RF-JEM and expert judgements. A screening questionnaire developed within our project was used to identify potential participants, based on job titles, tasks, and reported sources of RF exposure. Personal full-shift measurements were conducted using 10 Narda RadMan 2XT personal measurement devices. Results: Personal full-shift measurements were collected for 285 workers of various occupations in Spain. Exposures to electric (E) and magnetic (H) fields were low (99.74% of (E-fields) measurements <1% ICNIRP standards). Results exceeded the ICNIRP limits for only 3% of the workers, though these exceedances lasted a few seconds. Overall, almost 50% of workers had values above 1% of the ICNIRP standards (exposure duration between 1 second and 27.13 minutes). Electric and magnetic fields peaks exceeding 100% of the standards were observed among 8% of the physiotherapists (N=59) and 7% of the nursing auxiliaries (N=28), with exposure durations ranging from 1 to 13 seconds (E-fields) and 2 to 36 seconds (H-fields) of exposure above the limits, respectively. Conclusion: We performed the first phase of data collection of personal RF-EMF measurements among various occupations in Spain in the framework of an international study. The initial results in Spain showed low prevalence and low overall levels of exposure to RF fields, despite some short-term peaks. Additional measurements will be conducted in France and the Netherlands. Keywords: Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, occupational exposure assessment, job-exposure-matrix