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EMF exposure assessment in the Finnish garment industry: Evaluation of proposed EMF exposure metrics
Author(s) -
Hansen Norman H.,
Sobel Eugene,
Davanipour Zoreh,
Gillette Lynne M.,
Niiranen Juha,
Wilson Bary W.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
bioelectromagnetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.435
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1521-186X
pISSN - 0197-8462
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1521-186x(200001)21:1<57::aid-bem9>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - occupational exposure , exposure assessment , relevance (law) , mechanism (biology) , ranking (information retrieval) , medicine , disease , confounding , risk analysis (engineering) , environmental health , computer science , toxicology , pathology , biology , physics , artificial intelligence , quantum mechanics , political science , law
Recently published studies indicate that having worked in occupations that involve moderate to high electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure is a risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease. In these studies, the occupational groups most over‐represented for EMF exposure comprised seamstresses, dressmakers, and tailors. Future epidemiologic studies designed to evaluate the possibility of a causal relationship between exposure to EMF and a neuro degenerative disease endpoint such as incidence of Alzheimer's disease, will benefit from the measurement of electromagnetic field metrics with potential biological relevance. Data collection methodology in such studies would be highly dependent upon how the metrics are defined. In this research the authors developed and demonstrated (1) protocols for collecting EMF exposure data suitable for estimating a variety of exposure metrics that may have biological relevance, and (2) analytical methods for calculation of these metrics. The authors show how exposure might be estimated under each of the three prominent EMF health‐effects mechanism theories and evaluate the assertion that relative exposure ranking is dependent on which mechanism is assumed. The authors also performed AC RMS magnetic flux density measurements, confirming previously reported findings. The results indicate that seamstresses, as an occupational group, should be considered for study of the possible health effects of long‐term EMF exposure. Bioelectromagnetics 21:57–67, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.