Office worker exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields

A study of office worker exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF MF) was conducted at Los Alamos National Laboratory. The main purpose of this study was to quantitatively assess ELF MF exposures. A secondary objective was to determine whether or not exposures to ELF MF can be reduced by implementing administrative controls and educating workers on the sources of such fields. EMDEX dosimeters were used to determine full shift personal exposures for 12 volunteers from two personnel sections and one training section. In addition, using the EMDEX meter in survey mode, office area evaluations were conducted. Administrative controls and training were implemented in an attempt to reduce exposures. Post control monitoring was conducted to determine if a reduction in ELF MF occurred among the workers. On average, baseline office worker exposures to ELF MF were 2.3 mG, ranging from 0.6 to 9.7 mG. The post control exposures averaged 1.1 mG with a range from 0.5 to 2.2 mG. A reduction of 53% overall was seen after implementation of administrative controls and training. The office area survey indicated that many sources of ELF MF influence exposure and that magnetic field strengths vary not only from one type of equipment to another, but also vary between two similar pieces of equipment