Measurement of Intermediate Frequency Magnetic Fields Generated by Household Induction Cookers for Epidemiological Studies and Development of an Exposure Estimation Model

Takumi Kitajima, Joachim Schüz, Akemi Morita, Wakaha Ikeda, Hirokazu Tanaka, Kayo Togawa, Esteban C. Gabazza, Masao Taki, Kuniaki Toriyabe, Tomoaki Ikeda and Shigeru Sokejima ()
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Takumi Kitajima: Department of Public Health and Occupational Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
Joachim Schüz: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), WHO, 69372 Lyon, France
Akemi Morita: Department of Public Health and Occupational Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
Wakaha Ikeda: Epidemiology Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Mie University Hospital, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
Hirokazu Tanaka: Division of Surveillance and Policy Evaluation, National Cancer Center Japan Institute for Cancer Control, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
Kayo Togawa: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), WHO, 69372 Lyon, France
Esteban C. Gabazza: Department of Immunology, Division of Molecular and Experimental Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
Masao Taki: Department of Systems Design, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji 192-0397, Japan
Kuniaki Toriyabe: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
Tomoaki Ikeda: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan
Shigeru Sokejima: Department of Public Health and Occupational Medicine, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Tsu 514-8507, Japan

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 19, 1-13

Abstract: Introduction: Exposure assessment of intermediate frequency (IF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) is difficult and epidemiological studies are limited. In the present study, we aimed to estimate the exposure of pregnant women to IF-EMFs generated by induction cookers in the household using a questionnaire and discussed its applicability to epidemiological studies. Method: Two main home-visit surveys were conducted: a Phase 1 survey to develop an estimation model and a Phase 2 survey to validate the model. The estimation model included the following variables: wattage, cookware diameter, and distance from the hob center (center of the stove). Four models were constructed to determine the importance of each variable and the general applicability for epidemiological studies. In addition, estimated exposure values were calculated based on the Phase 2 survey questionnaire responses and compared with the actual measured values using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. Result: The average value of the magnetic field measured in the Phase 1 survey was 0.23 μT (variance: 0.13) at a horizontal distance of 30 cm at the height of the cooking table. The highest validity model was inputted distance from the hob center to the body surface that is variable (correlation coefficient = 0.54, 95% confidence interval: 0.22–0.75). No clear differences were identified in the correlation coefficients for each model (z-value: 0.09–0.18, p -value: 0.86–0.93). Discussion and Conclusions: No differences were found in the validity of the four models. This could be due to the biased wattage of the validation population, and for versatility it would be preferable to use three variables (distance, wattage, and estimation using the diameter of the cookware) whenever possible. To our knowledge, this is the first systematic measurement of magnetic fields generated by more than 70 induction cookers in a real household environment. This study will contribute to finding dose–response relationships in epidemiological studies of intermediate-frequency exposure without the use of instrumentation. One of the limitations of this study is it estimates instantaneous exposure in place during cooking only.

Keywords: intermediate frequency; magnetic field; induction cooker; estimation model; questionnaire; measurements (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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