Possible Health Benefits From Reducing Occupational Magnetic Fields

Details

• Journal Article:
  Am J Ind Med
• Personal Author:
  Bowman, Joseph D. ; Ray, Tapas K. ; Park, Robert M.
• Description:
  Background
  
  Magnetic fields (MF) from AC electricity are a Possible Human Carcinogen, based on limited epidemiologic evidence from exposures far below occupational health limits.
  
  Methods
  
  To help formulate government guidance on occupational MF, the cancer cases prevented and the monetary benefits accruing to society by reducing workplace exposures were determined. Life-table methods produced Disability Adjusted Life Years, which were converted to monetary values.
  
  Results
  
  Adjusted for probabilities of causality, the expected increase in a worker’s disability-free life are 0.04 year (2 weeks) from a 1 microtesla (μT) MF reduction in average worklife exposure, which is equivalent to $5,100/worker/μT in year 2010 U.S. dollars (95% confidence interval $1,000–$9,000/worker/μT). Where nine electrosteel workers had 13.8 μT exposures, for example, moving them to ambient MFs would provide $600,000 in benefits to society (uncertainty interval $0–$1,000,000).
  
  Conclusions
  
  When combined with the costs of controls, this analysis provides guidance for precautionary recommendations for managing occupational MF exposures.
  
  
• Keywords:
  Brain Cancer Brain Neoplasms Cost Control DALY Disability Evaluation EMF Environmental Monitoring Female Humans Industry Leukemia Magnetic Fields Male Maximum Allowable Concentration National Institute For Occupational Safety And Health, U.S. Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Quality-Adjusted Life Years Risk Assessment United States Workplace

  More +
• Source:
  Am J Ind Med. 56(7):791-805
• Pubmed ID:
  23129537
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC4687895
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  56
• Issue:
  7
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:53e87bafd6b65932757075e974608e1c6f342c38343caf847320b5a3f7ee86e4d9f144c31697625283f69ac76c2f743defc7bfbdd0d1db3107411b4f4950c4d4
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/37015/cdc_37015_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 967.45 KB ]