Implementation of a realistic model of the human body in investigations on occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields

Project manager: Jolanta Karpowicz Ph.D. (Eng.)

Project summary:

The aim of the task was to conduct investigations on numerical modelling and to use them as a basis for an assessment of the exposure of workers who are exposed to strong electromagnetic fields (EMF) because touch operated field source or are present directly in its vicinity.Comprehensive and systematic investigations were carried out. They included- construction and validation of numerical models of selected conditions of exposure to EMF in the vicinity of industrial sources of field and performance of numerical simulation on the exposure parameters in the vicinity of devices for dielectric heating or spot welding, with various realistic phantoms of worker's body that reflect both the shape and the internal structure of the human body, and the worker's posture - HUGO (an anatomic phantom of a male, with heterogeneous or homogeneous tissue structure, in a standing posture), CIOP-MAN (an uniform phantom of a male, with realistic, adaptable postures) and CIOP-LADY (an uniform phantom of a female, with realistic, adaptable postures),- systematizing procedures of assessing the level of workers' exposure, conducted on the basis of various types of calculations or measurements- development of the procedure for interpretation of the results of a simulation for assessing the level of workers' exposure, and assessing the level of exposure in the vicinity of modelled EMF sources- comparative analysis of the consequences of using various principles of assessment and reduction the level of occupational exposure to EMF.On the basis of the results obtained from the comparative analysis of various principles of assessment and reduction the level of workers' exposure, a proposal of new legislation requirements was developed. It includes, among others, the scope of updating the values of permissible strength of electric and magnetic fields that ensures formal compliance with the requirements of Directive 2004/40/EC and harmonized with the national legal system and occupational safety and health practice in enterprises.

Unit: Department of Bioelectromagnetism

Duration: 01.01.2005 – 31.12.2007