Electromagnetic Field Exposure Dosimeter.
Abstract
The growing concern about adverse health effects caused by electromagnetic radiation prompted the ideas for this dosimeter. Data have been presented that !ink prolonged exposure to electromagnetic radiation from power lines to leukemia and some types of cancer. At present, though, there is a lack of recording instrumentation to measure the prolonged exposure of an individual; thus, it is not possible to correlate properly the amount of exposure or dose to health effects. With the recent advances in small, low-power devices, a small measuring device can be developed. Once this is built, a large data base can be obtained to help correlate electromagnetic field exposure to health conditions. The objective of this project is to develop an instrument which can measure electromagnetic fields over a prolonged period of time. The instrument would be small, say about the size of a radio Walkman, and would be worn throughout the day while taking data, as the individual goes about normal activities. A PC would be used to retrieve the data from the instrument at the end of the day. The dosimeter comprises a triaxial ferrite-loaded coil sensor, a set ofamplifiers and filters, analog-to-digital converters, a microcontroller, and random access data memory. The signals from the sensor are filtered into three frequency ranges: one to measure 60-Hz exposure and two harmonics, another to measure high-energy pulsed energy, and a third frequency range to record the activity level of the individual. The signals from the filters are digitized and read into a microcontroller. The microcontroller performs a few calculations and controls the flow of the data to either random access memory or to a computer. A computer is used to retrieve the data from the dosimeter, and can store and display the measured data.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 28, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA293191
Entities
People
- A. C. Feaga
- M. P. Hilliard
- R. Link
Organizations
- Naval Surface Warfare Center