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Accuracy of short-term residential measurement in the prediction of 72-h exposure to power frequency magnetic field in households very close to high-tension transmission lines

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology volume 17, pages 69–75 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Between February and April 2003, a total of 80 single-dwelling households close (<70 m) to high-tension (161 or 345 kV) power lines in a northern community of Taiwan received measurements of indoor extremely low-frequency (ELF) magnetic field for 72 h. Measurements were performed with EMDEX II™ meter at a sampling rate of every 300 s, yielding some 860 readings of ELF magnetic field for each household. In addition to the 72-h mean ELF magnetic field, we also calculated arithmetic means of the first 2, 6, 12, and 288 readings taken in each household to represent the information on spot, 30-min, 60-min, and 24-h exposures, respectively. The mean 72-h exposure to ELF magnetic field for the 80 study households was estimated at 0.80 micro-Tesla (μT) with a standard deviation (SD) of 1.13 μT. The mean for pot, 30-min, 60-min, and 24-h exposure was 0.88 (SD 1.38), 0.90 (SD 1.40), 0.9 (SD 1.17), and 0.83 (SD 1.17) μT, respectively. There were high agreements, indicated by a nearly perfect intra-class correlation coefficient, between 72-h mean exposure and those short-term exposure measures. Additionally, the sensitivity and specificity of various short-term exposures in the prediction of 72-h exposure greater than 0.4 μT were similar at values of 0.82–0.87 and 0.93–0.95, respectively. This study indicates that short-term measurements of indoor ELF magnetic field seem adequate to represent the mean 72-h exposure, but tended to overpredict 72-h exposure greater than 0.4 μT. Further investigation is needed to assess whether these findings can be replicated in households far away from high-tension power lines.

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Acknowledgements

The Taiwan National Scientific Council (NSC- 93-2320-B-030-006) financially supported this study

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Environmental Health Science, National Yang Ming University, College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan

    We I-Jong Ger & Wushou Peter Chang

  2. Institution of Environmental Health, China Medical University, College of Public Health, Taichung, Taiwan

    Fun G-Chang Sung

  3. Department of Public Health, Fu-Jen Catholic University, College of Medicine, Taipei Hsien, Taiwan

    Chun G-Yi Li

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  1. We I-Jong Ger
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Correspondence to Chun G-Yi Li.

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Ger, WJ., Chang, W., Sung, FC. et al. Accuracy of short-term residential measurement in the prediction of 72-h exposure to power frequency magnetic field in households very close to high-tension transmission lines. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol 17, 69–75 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.jes.7500522

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