title: Assessment of exposure to intermediate frequency electric fields and contact currents from a plasma ball.
abstract: While electric fields at intermediate frequencies are not widely utilized for industrial technologies, surprisingly, certain toys emit the highest electric fields found in our living environment. These toys, plasma balls, are devices that use high voltage to create ionized light discharges. In this study, we assessed exposure to electric fields and contact/induced current from a recreational plasma ball device. The electric field strength was measured as a function of distance from the device, and the contact/induced current was measured with a current clamp in different exposure situations with point or grasping contact. The characteristic spectra of the electric field and contact current were measured, and both the multiple frequency rule and weighting of the spectra were applied according to the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) 1998 and 2010 guidelines. The results indicate that the recommended reference levels for the general public are exceeded at distances <1.2 m, and that the contact currents in the hand may be twice higher than recommended by the general public guidelines.
authors.affiliation: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland. tommi.alanko@ttl.fi
authors.forename: Tommi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alanko
authors.forename: Lauri
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Puranen
authors.forename: Maila
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hietanen
mesh_terms: D004560:Electricity / Q000009:adverse effects; D004574:Electromagnetic Fields / Q000009:adverse effects; D060733:Electromagnetic Radiation; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D006225:Hand / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D008452:Maximum Allowable Concentration; D010988:Play and Playthings / Q000293:injuries; D011835:Radiation Protection; D011840:Radiation, Nonionizing / Q000009:adverse effects; D012016:Reference Values