Production & Control of Electromagnetic Fields

This article will review current information regarding the production of electromagnetic radiation (EMFs), links to human health problems, and engineering solutions designed to control these problems.

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs), also known as electromagnetic radiation, consist of two distinct types: ionizing and nonionizing. On the EMF Spectrum, above visible light and starting in the ultraviolet frequencies, ionizing radiation has sufficient capacity to break a chemical bond and thereby destabilize an atom or molecule. Included in these frequencies are Xrays and gamma rays. These high frequencies, characterized by short wavelengths and great amounts of energy, cause ionization, which can cause damage to genetic material (Bioelectromagnetic, 1996).

Nonionizing radiation starts at visible light and continues downward. It includes microwaves and radio frequencies (RF), with frequency ranges such as ultra high frequency (UHF), very high frequency (VHF), very low frequency (VLF), and extremely low frequency (ELF). ELF includes 60cycle (60 Hertz, or Hz) household current, electric, and magnetic Fields (Bioelectromagnetic, 1996).

The electromagnetic spectrum covers an enormous range of frequencies, which are expressed in cycles per second, called Hertz, or Hz. Electric power (60 Hz in North America, 50 Hz elsewhere) is in the extremely lowfrequency (ELF) range, which includes frequ

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nt increases in relative risk (RR) for all cancers, brain tumors, and leukemia. The RRs typically varied from 2 to 3. Seventeen occupational studies were published through 1990. When pooled, the data showed modest increases in risk for all cancers, leukemia, and brain cancer, and for occupations associated with EMF exposure (EMF, 1997). A hormone produced by the pineal gland, melatonin, has been shown to slow the growth of breast cancer cells. Recent lab studies show that EMFs may lower melatonin levels and thus promote cancer indirectly (Bioelectromagnetic, 1996). Additional effects of 60Hz EMFs reported in laboratory studies are changes in functions of cells and tissues, changes in biorhythms, and changes in brain activity and heart rate (EMF, 1997). A report released by physicists at Britons university of Bristol shows that power lines attract particles of radon gas, a colorless, odorless gas irrefutably linked with cancer (Information, 1996). Swedish researchers assessed the longterm exposure of people living near highvoltage transmission lines by taking spot measurements of the field strength in each home, and using them to confirm the accuracy of a computer model that calculated the strength of the fields emit
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Approximate Word count = 1485
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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