Exposure to electric and magnetic fields at intermediate frequencies of household appliances

Human exposure to electric and magnetic fields has been amply investigated in the extremely-low frequency (ELF) and radiofrequency (RF) ranges. However, research on typical emissions in the intermediate-frequency (IF) range remains limited. In this study, an extensive measurement survey was performed on the levels of electric and magnetic fields at intermediate frequencies typically emitted by a wide range of household appliances. The emissions contained either harmonic signals, with fundamental frequencies between 6 kHz and 100 kHz, or much more capricious spectra, dominated by 50 Hz harmonics emanating far in the IF domain. Use of appliances at close distance (20 cm) of certain appliances may result in a relatively high exposure, but no appliance's IF emissions exceeded the ICNIRP2010 exposure summation rule (maximum electric- and magnetic-field exposure quotients were respectively 1.00, for a compact fluorescent lamp, and 0.13, for an induction cooker).