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Exposure Assessment of Magnetic Field in Dwellings with Built-in Transformers in Bulgaria

Received: 27 November 2014     Accepted: 10 January 2015     Published: 2 February 2015
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Abstract

An exposure assessment study was performed within a sample of apartment buildings with built-in transformer rooms located throughout the Sofia city. This study was a part of the International project TRANSEXPO which goal was to find the epidemiologic association between extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) and childhood leukemia. The exposure assessment part was directed to estimation of magnetic field exposures in residences that are both near to and distant from the transformer room, based upon their location relative to the transformer station. Measurements of 50 Hz magnetic field (MF) were performed in 65 apartments, 21 buildings, with built-in transformer stations. In each building, measurements were made in the following types of apartments: 1. apartments that have rooms directly above and next to the transformer; 2. apartments selected on the same floor as the one directly above and next to the transformer; 3. apartments on the upper floors randomly selected among all the other apartments of the building; The measurement results show clear difference among the magnetic field values measured of the three categories of apartments, respectively 0,4 µT for the “exposed” apartments 0,23 µT on the same floor, and 0,1 µT on other floors. These results confirm that classification of magnetic field exposure based on apartment location is possible with specificity 0,91 and sensitivity 0,95 for cut-off point 0,4 µT. Values of 0,4 µT and above were measured in 18 out of 19 apartments that have rooms directly above and next to the transformer. The exposure assessment in the buildings with built-in transformer station shows that the apartments can be reliably categorized as an exposed, low exposed or unexposed based on their location to the transformer stations.

Published in Science Journal of Public Health (Volume 3, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.sjph.20150301.28
Page(s) 101-106
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2015. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Exposure Assessment, Transformer, Built-In, Magnetic Field, Measurement

References
[1] Ahlbom A, Day N, Feychting M, Roman E, Skinner J, Dockerty J, et al. A pooled analysis of magnetic fields and childhood leukemia. Br J Cancer 2000; 83:692-698.
[2] Greenland S, Sheppard AR, Kaune WT, Poole C, Kelsh MA for the Childhood Leukemia-EMF Study Group. A pooled analysis of magnetic fields, wire codes, and childhood leukemia. Epidemiology. 2000;11:624–634
[3] International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Non-ionizing radiation, Part 1: Static and extremely low-frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields. IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans: 2002,Volume 80. IARC Press, Lyon.
[4] World Health Organization. Extremely low frequency fields. In: 238 EHC, ed. Geneva: WHO, 2007.
[5] Transexpo TransExpo: International Study of Childhood Leukemia and Residences Near Electrical Transformer Rooms. EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: 2010. 1019901.
[6] Thuroczy, G., G. Janossy, N. Nagy, et al.Exposure to 50 Hz magnetic field inapartment buildings with built-in transformer stations in Hungary. Radiat Prot Dosimetry, 2008, 131, 469-473
[7] Ilonen, K., A. Markkanen, G. Mezei and J. Juutilainen. Indoor transformer stationsas predictors of residential ELF magnetic field exposure. Bioelectromagnetics, 2008,29, 213-218.
[8] Hareuveny R, Kandel S , Yitzhak N, Kheifets L, Mezei G, Exposure to 50 Hz magnetic fields in apartment buildings with indoor transformer stations in Israel, Journal Of Exposure Science And Environmental Epidemiology, 2010.
Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Tsvetelina Shalamanova, Michel Israel, Mihaela Ivanova, Victoria Zaryabova. (2015). Exposure Assessment of Magnetic Field in Dwellings with Built-in Transformers in Bulgaria. Science Journal of Public Health, 3(1), 101-106. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150301.28

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    ACS Style

    Tsvetelina Shalamanova; Michel Israel; Mihaela Ivanova; Victoria Zaryabova. Exposure Assessment of Magnetic Field in Dwellings with Built-in Transformers in Bulgaria. Sci. J. Public Health 2015, 3(1), 101-106. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150301.28

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    AMA Style

    Tsvetelina Shalamanova, Michel Israel, Mihaela Ivanova, Victoria Zaryabova. Exposure Assessment of Magnetic Field in Dwellings with Built-in Transformers in Bulgaria. Sci J Public Health. 2015;3(1):101-106. doi: 10.11648/j.sjph.20150301.28

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  • @article{10.11648/j.sjph.20150301.28,
      author = {Tsvetelina Shalamanova and Michel Israel and Mihaela Ivanova and Victoria Zaryabova},
      title = {Exposure Assessment of Magnetic Field in Dwellings with Built-in Transformers in Bulgaria},
      journal = {Science Journal of Public Health},
      volume = {3},
      number = {1},
      pages = {101-106},
      doi = {10.11648/j.sjph.20150301.28},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150301.28},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.sjph.20150301.28},
      abstract = {An exposure assessment study was performed within a sample of apartment buildings with built-in transformer rooms located throughout the Sofia city. This study was a part of the International project TRANSEXPO which goal was to find the epidemiologic association between extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) and childhood leukemia. The exposure assessment part was directed to estimation of magnetic field exposures in residences that are both near to and distant from the transformer room, based upon their location relative to the transformer station. Measurements of 50 Hz magnetic field (MF) were performed in 65 apartments, 21 buildings, with built-in transformer stations. In each building, measurements were made in the following types of apartments: 1. apartments that have rooms directly above and next to the transformer; 2. apartments selected on the same floor as the one directly above and next to the transformer; 3. apartments on the upper floors randomly selected among all the other apartments of the building; The measurement results show clear difference among the magnetic field values measured of the three categories of apartments, respectively 0,4 µT for the “exposed” apartments 0,23 µT on the same floor, and 0,1 µT on other floors. These results confirm that classification of magnetic field exposure based on apartment location is possible with specificity 0,91 and sensitivity 0,95 for cut-off point 0,4 µT. Values of 0,4 µT and above were measured in 18 out of 19 apartments that have rooms directly above and next to the transformer. The exposure assessment in the buildings with built-in transformer station shows that the apartments can be reliably categorized as an exposed, low exposed or unexposed based on their location to the transformer stations.},
     year = {2015}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Exposure Assessment of Magnetic Field in Dwellings with Built-in Transformers in Bulgaria
    AU  - Tsvetelina Shalamanova
    AU  - Michel Israel
    AU  - Mihaela Ivanova
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    Y1  - 2015/02/02
    PY  - 2015
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150301.28
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    T2  - Science Journal of Public Health
    JF  - Science Journal of Public Health
    JO  - Science Journal of Public Health
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    EP  - 106
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-7950
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.sjph.20150301.28
    AB  - An exposure assessment study was performed within a sample of apartment buildings with built-in transformer rooms located throughout the Sofia city. This study was a part of the International project TRANSEXPO which goal was to find the epidemiologic association between extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) and childhood leukemia. The exposure assessment part was directed to estimation of magnetic field exposures in residences that are both near to and distant from the transformer room, based upon their location relative to the transformer station. Measurements of 50 Hz magnetic field (MF) were performed in 65 apartments, 21 buildings, with built-in transformer stations. In each building, measurements were made in the following types of apartments: 1. apartments that have rooms directly above and next to the transformer; 2. apartments selected on the same floor as the one directly above and next to the transformer; 3. apartments on the upper floors randomly selected among all the other apartments of the building; The measurement results show clear difference among the magnetic field values measured of the three categories of apartments, respectively 0,4 µT for the “exposed” apartments 0,23 µT on the same floor, and 0,1 µT on other floors. These results confirm that classification of magnetic field exposure based on apartment location is possible with specificity 0,91 and sensitivity 0,95 for cut-off point 0,4 µT. Values of 0,4 µT and above were measured in 18 out of 19 apartments that have rooms directly above and next to the transformer. The exposure assessment in the buildings with built-in transformer station shows that the apartments can be reliably categorized as an exposed, low exposed or unexposed based on their location to the transformer stations.
    VL  - 3
    IS  - 1
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Author Information
  • National Centre of Public Health and Analyses, Sofia, Bulgaria

  • National Centre of Public Health and Analyses, Sofia, Bulgaria

  • National Centre of Public Health and Analyses, Sofia, Bulgaria

  • National Centre of Public Health and Analyses, Sofia, Bulgaria

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