Abstract
With an increase in the commercialization of electricity, and the development of advanced and large electric devices and various wireless radio wave services, concerns over the effects of electromagnetic fields on human health have increased. Accordingly, the World Health Organization encouraged the development of international standards by establishing the 'International Electromagnetic Fields Project' in 1996 based on studies on the harmful effects of electromagnetic fields on the human body. Moreover, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) classified electromagnetic fields as possible carcinogens under Group 2B category, even though they have been found to have a weak correlation with those effects on human health. Mid-to-large-sized electric facilities used at industrial sites mostly adopt a commercial frequency of 60 Hz, and workers handling these facilities are exposed to such extremely low frequency (ELF) fields for a long time. A previous study suggested that exposure to ELF electromagnetic fields with frequency ranges from 0 to 300 Hz, even for a short time, at densities higher than 100 μT may have harmful effects on human body as it affects the activation of nerve cells in the central nervous system by inducing an electric field and current and stimulating muscles and the nervous system in the body. Such studies, however, focused on home appliances used by ordinary people, and research on facilities utilizing high-capacity current and operated by workers at industrial sites is lacking. Therefore, in this study, a 3000 kilowatt generator, which is a high-capacity electric facility employed at industrial sites, was investigated, and the size of the magnetic fields generated during its no-load and high-load operations per distance to produce a map was measured to reveal spots deemed hazardous according to domestic and international exposure standards. The findings of this study is expected to alleviate workers' anxiety about the harmful effects of magnetic fields on their body and to minimize the level of exposure during operations.