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• Understanding EMF (Electric and Magnetic Fields)
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Understanding EMF (Electric and Magnetic Fields)

Questions have been raised about the possible health effects of 60-Hertz (power frequency) electric and magnetic fields (EMF), which are found wherever you have electric power. This article contains information that will help you understand the EMF issue, plus practical tips you can use if you want to reduce your exposure at home and at work.

Can EMF Harm Your Health?

Electric and magnetic fields are present wherever electricity flows — around appliances and power lines, and in offices, schools and homes. Many researchers believe that if there is a risk of adverse health effects from usual residential exposures to EMF, it is probably just at the detection limit of human health studies; nonetheless, the possible risk warrants further investigation. The varying results from epidemiological studies, which looked at estimated EMF exposures and childhood leukemia, are consistent with a weak link. Laboratory studies and studies investigating a possible mechanism for health effects (mechanistic studies) provide little or no evidence to support this weak link.

The results from many research studies have been evaluated by international, national and California EMF research programs to find out if EMF poses any health risk. Given the uncertainty of the issue, the medical and scientific communities have been unable to determine that usual residential exposures to EMF cause health effects or to establish any standard or level of residential exposure that is known to be either safe or harmful. These conclusions remain unchanged by recent studies.

World Health Organization Findings

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently concluded a review of the potential health implications of extremely low frequency (ELF) EMF, which includes power-frequency fields. Their conclusions and recommendations were presented in June 2007 in a report known as the Extremely Low Frequency Fields, Environmental Health Criteria Monograph No. 238.

The WHO report concluded that evidence for a link between ELF magnetic fields and childhood leukemia “is not strong enough to be considered causal but sufficiently strong to remain a concern.” “Virtually all of the laboratory evidence and the mechanistic evidence fail to support” this reported association. For all other diseases, there is inadequate or no evidence of health effects at low exposure levels.

The report emphasized that, given the weakness of the evidence for health effects, the health benefits of exposure reduction are unclear and policies based on the adoption of arbitrary low exposure limits are not warranted. In light of this situation, WHO made these and other recommendations:

• National authorities should implement communication programs with all stakeholders to enable informed decision-making, including how individuals can reduce their own exposure.
• Policy makers and community planners should implement very lowcost measures to reduce exposures when constructing new facilities and designing new equipment, including appliances.
• Policy makers should use existing international guidelines (833 and 9,000 milligauss) to establish standards for exposure to short-term, high-level ELF fields. These guidelines pertain to field levels that are virtually never encountered by the general public except from a few electric appliances.
• Government and industry should promote research to reduce the uncertainty of the scientific evidence on the health effects of ELF field exposure. Several recommended research projects are already under way through the Electric Power Research Institute, of which SCE is a member.

To view the full report and a fact sheet summarizing it, visit
http://www.who.int/peh-emf/publications/en/
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs322/en/index.html

Soures: Adapted from Gauger 1985.

What You Can Do

In a situation of scientific uncertainty and public concern, WHO recommended that utilities explore “very low-cost” ways to reduce EMF exposure from new or upgraded facilities. SCE and other California public utilities already pursue no-cost and low-cost measures to reduce EMF levels from new utility transmission lines and substation projects.

You, too, may want to take no-cost and low-cost measures to reduce your EMF exposure at home and at work. Human studies have not produced a consensus about any health benefits from changing the way people use electric appliances. But, if you feel reducing your EMF exposure would be beneficial, you can increase your distance from electric appliances and/or limit the amount of time you use appliances at home or at work. You can locate the sources of EMF in your work environment, and spend break time in lower-field areas. It is not known whether such actions will have any impact on your health.

Additional Information Is Available

SCE provides free EMF information packages and home/business measurements upon request.We also invite you to attend a workshop on EMF at our EMF Education Center located in Irwindale. For any of these services, please call us at 1-800-200-4SCE. Additional information is also available from these sources:

World Health Organization International EMF Project

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

California Department of Health Services

California Public Utilities Commission

Reviewed by: California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
This article may be reproduced. September 2010

Campos Eléctricos y Magnéticos (EMF): Si desea recibir información en español, comuniquese con SCE al 1-800-441-2233

*Percentages are estimated annually by the California Energy Commission based on electricity sold to California consumers during the previous year.

For specific information about this electricity product, contact Southern California Edison. For general information about the Power Content Label, contact the California Energy Commission at 1-800-555-7794 or www.energy.ca.gov/consumer.