EXPOSURE TO EXTREMELY LOW-FREQUENCY MAGNETIC FIELDS IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES: AN OVERVIEW
Abstract
To compare extremely low-frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) exposure in the general population in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with high-income countries (HIC), we carried out a systematic literature search resulting in 1483 potentially eligible articles; however, only 25 studies could be included in the qualitative synthesis. Studies showed large heterogeneity in design, exposure environment and exposure assessment. Exposure assessed by outdoor spot measurements ranged from 0.03 to 4μT. Average exposure by indoor spot measurements in homes ranged from 0.02 to 0.4μT. Proportions of homes exposed to a threshold of ≥0.3μT were many times higher in LMICs compared to HIC. Based on the limited data available, exposure to ELF-MF in LMICs appeared higher than in HIC, but a direct comparison is hampered by a lack of representative and systematic monitoring studies. Representative measurement studies on residential exposure to ELF-MF are needed in LMICs together with better standardisation in the reporting.
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BibTeX
@article{samaras2026exposure,
title = {{EXPOSURE TO EXTREMELY LOW-FREQUENCY MAGNETIC FIELDS IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES: AN OVERVIEW}},
author = {Theodoros Samaras and Joachim Schüz and Isabelle Deltour and Dan Baaken and Daniel Wollschläger},
journal = {Radiation Protection Dosimetry},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/rpd/ncaa172},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05795609v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - EXPOSURE TO EXTREMELY LOW-FREQUENCY MAGNETIC FIELDS IN LOW- AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES: AN OVERVIEW
AU - Theodoros Samaras
AU - Joachim Schüz
AU - Isabelle Deltour
AU - Dan Baaken
AU - Daniel Wollschläger
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/12
JO - Radiation Protection Dosimetry
DO - 10.1093/rpd/ncaa172
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05795609v1
AB - To compare extremely low-frequency magnetic field (ELF-MF) exposure in the general population in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with high-income countries (HIC), we carried out a systematic literature search resulting in 1483 potentially eligible articles; however, only 25 studies could be included in the qualitative synthesis. Studies showed large heterogeneity in design, exposure environment and exposure assessment. Exposure assessed by outdoor spot measurements ranged from 0.03 to 4μT. Average exposure by indoor spot measurements in homes ranged from 0.02 to 0.4μT. Proportions of homes exposed to a threshold of ≥0.3μT were many times higher in LMICs compared to HIC. Based on the limited data available, exposure to ELF-MF in LMICs appeared higher than in HIC, but a direct comparison is hampered by a lack of representative and systematic monitoring studies. Representative measurement studies on residential exposure to ELF-MF are needed in LMICs together with better standardisation in the reporting.
SN - 0144-8420
SN - 1742-3406
ER -