Electric and magnetic fields

Low frecuency electric and magnetic fields are an invisible way of transmitting energy. They are also known as radiation. They are generated by high voltage lines, transformers, telecommunications antennas, household appliances, computer screens, electric motors -among others-, increasing especially in imperfect installations.

Alternating electric fields are produced by voltage or potential difference. It is the area of space where the intensity of an electric force appears. This force is directed radially from a higher potential to the lower potential, and finally to the origin of the field, the earth.

They act on people in such a way that the field intensities can redistribute the loads of the different organs of the body, also generating parasitic body power. They are less penetrating than the magnetic field and consequently the ability to affect the body’s organs is lower.

The alternating magnetic field appears at the moment when electricity is consumed, i.e. there is movement of electrons. It consists of a magnetic force around the space through which the electrons move. As the charge of moving electrons increases, the magnitude of the magnetic field also increases.

The magnitude of these fields depends on the distance to the emission source. They act on the human body through the induction effect and generate parasitic body currents that can cause disturbances in the fundamental biological processes of the human body.

The human being is a bioelectrical organism and is affected by artificial electric and magnetic fields.

Due to the effect of low frequency MF, the production of the hormone called melatonin is altered. Melatonin plays an important role in human biorhythms, in reproduction, growth and the immune system. The direct consequences of a decrease in its production can be sleep disorders, psychological disorders -depressions- and degenerative diseases -Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s-.

Since 2002, low frequency MF are considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) as possible human carcinogens -group 2B-.

In 2015, the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) indicated that, in general, epidemiological studies of low frequency fields show a higher risk of childhood leukemia with average daily exposures of MF greater than 0.3-0.4 μT.

More recent studies have shown a direct relationship between MF and miscarriage. For instance, a 2017 study by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH) has found that “women exposed to higher MF levels had almost three times the risk of miscarriage than those with lower MF exposure”.

As for the magnetic field, the measurement is made by means of voltage induction in stationary coils. The measurements obtained include recording the low frequency (nT) magnetic flux density of the electrical current of the network with determination of the dominant frequency.

The measurement of the electric field includes the intensity of low-frequency electric fields (V/m) and of the induced voltage in the human body (mV) with determination of the dominant frequency.

The most effective measures to prevent magnetic and electric fields are to keep away from emission sources. Shielding electric fields is also relatively easy and inexpensive using massive materials.

The results of the measurement can be used to evaluate the use of conductive materials connected to an electrical ground to divert the electric field or the use of a mains disconnector, a device that automatically cuts off the voltage of the house when there is no demand for electricity.