Health Risks from Electromagnetic Flux

[Martin OK]

Hi Everyone,
Has anyone got an opinion on the health dangers or maybe had some personal experience, from electromagnetic fields?
Thanks,
Martin

 

[TechnicAl]

I went on a seminar about it quite a few years ago. There are restrictions in place I believe. From what I can recall you are OK if you are about 1 metre away from the power source.

I should google it ........Electro magnetic directive.......or something similar

 

[madkayaker]

I'm an RF worker working on very high power radio equipment so have had training on the issue. There is guidance and an eu directive but its very difficult to really get accurate readings to compare to the values in directive. It's to do with voltage pick up, duration and frequency. You are never going to get a welder powerful enough to get close to occupational exposure levels or public levels for that matter so wouldn't worry about it.

 

[W4yne]

I had hold of an antenna once when somebody keyed the mike, got a nasty burn. Hence I don't care what the phone companies say I don't like holding a mobile phone to my ear. Would you put your head in a microwave?

 

[madkayaker]

Have you ever seen a mobile phone with 750w transmitter?

 

[Martin OK]

Cheers guys,
The only thing is that my welding mentor has come down with heart issues and needs a pacemaker. The boss man has had people in the look at the flux levels, I mean low frequency fields, not high frequency harmonics. Anyway, the levels do exceed UK thermal regulations (apparently) Not sure were it will go from here, that's why I asked if anyone has had experience?
Out for now.

 

[hotrodder]

A previous thread on welding and pacemakers here... http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=10165&highlight=pacemaker, the AWS link i posted is broken, new one... http://www.aws.org/technical/facts/FACT-16.pdf

Found a couple of papers... http://www.fronius.com/cps/rde/xbcr/SID-3FF33BF5-DFC96E4B/fronius_international/FA_0205_Assessment_of_EMF_IIW_DOC_XII_1848_05_en_150433_snapshot.pdf only had a quick scan of it but this jumped out...

3.2 The electric field
The working voltages used in arc welding are low compared to the voltage levels capable of causing biological effects inside the human body. Therefore the studies regarding EMF and arc welding are currently confined to the assessment of magnetic fields and their effects.
4 Biological effects
4.1 Forces and effects on active medical implants
The dominating effect on the human body due to static fields are resulting forces on ferromagnetic elements (e.g. metallic implants) or moving charges (e.g. blood ions). Even under worst case conditions the levels of static fields generated in arc welding applications are far below the established permissible levels.
Passive and active medical implants like cardiac pacemakers might be susceptible to static and a.c. electromagnetic fields. This issue is important for welders wearing such implants and has to be considered carefully, however it is not further discussed in this paper.

Found another study that's specific to welders but it appears to be more concerned about effects from inductive heating coils used for preheat etc https://osha.europa.eu/data/case-studies/welders-emf-2014-reduction-of-welders2019-exposure-to-magnetic-fields-from-induction-heaters-used-in-power-stations/welders-emf.pdf

 

[mike 109444]

Slip on a chain mail vest aka personal Faraday cage?

 

[Hitch]

Be usefull mind, an app to warm your food, just by waving your phone over it!

 

[the snooper]

Be usefull mind, an app to warm your food, just by waving your phone over it!

we can already use our mobiles to get hot food

 

[madkayaker]

Last time I rang wife asking nicely to bring coffee up stairs for me I got a thick ear

 

[500e]

MK
How hi was the tower then one of our little ones

 

[madkayaker]

Nice little tower but mine is bigger http://lindamphotos.files.wordpress...itter-at-sunset-saturday-14th-august-2010.jpg

 

[Robotstar5]

I can see a "show us your tower" thread starting