title: Ambient 60-Hz magnetic flux density in an urban neighborhood.
abstract: A residential neighborhood in Buffalo, NY, was surveyed with a magnetic field meter to evaluate whether or not spot measurements are reliable predictors of the 60-Hz fields at street corners and residences. The results of repeated measurements over 7 days at 33 street corners in this neighborhood indicate that day-to-day variation in power line magnetic fields is negligible (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.94). Multivariate linear regression analysis of the data indicates that transmission lines and thick, three-phase primary wires near the field measurement site are strong predictors and account for the majority of the ambient magnetic field variance between locations (multiple correlation coefficient squared = 0.60; F ratio = 22.2, P less than .001). Magnetic fields measured at the front sidewalk were highly correlated with fields at the front doorsteps of 45 homes in this neighborhood (gamma = 0.81). These results suggest that ambient power line magnetic field levels at urban residences can be reliably characterized on a one-time site inspection using a hand-held magnetic field meter and a simple wiring classification system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, State University of New York, Buffalo 14214.
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Dlugosz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Byers
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vena
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zielezny
mesh_terms: D011211:Electric Power Supplies / Q000009:adverse effects; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields / Q000009:adverse effects; D055590:Electromagnetic Phenomena / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing / Q000009:adverse effects; D014504:Urban Health