J. Radiol. Prot. 14 (March 1994) 67-75

Measurements of static magnetic fields in homes in the UK and their implication for epidemiological studies of exposure to alternating magnetic fields

J Swanson

Technol. & Sci Labs., Nat. Grid Res. & Dev. Centre, Leatherhead, UK

Abstract. The variation of static magnetic fields within and between 55 homes in an area of south east England was measured. In general, fields varied by up to +or-10 mu T from the unperturbed geomagnetic field. They varied more in the corners of rooms (standard deviation 2.6 mu T) than in the centres (1.2 mu T). The field in the bedroom was uncorrelated with the field in the living room of the same home. For this sample of homes, the spread of field within a typical home was greater than the spread between homes. Therefore it is not meaningful to categorise homes by a single value of static field. This finding casts doubt on the suggestion that confusing epidemiological results concerning childhood cancer and power-frequency magnetic fields could be explained by a resonance mechanism involving static fields.