EMF COMP
EMF Modelling
EMFcomp has an unrivalled ability to carry out complex computer modelling of EMF exposure situations.
Some limits cannot be checked with a meter, because they apply inside the human body. We calculate them. Using our own state-of-the-art electromagnetic modelling, we assess compliance with the internal dosimetry limits at both low and high frequencies, something very few UK consultancies can do. Need to know the electric fields induced in the body? Induced current densities? Specific Absorption Rate (SAR)? Our award-winning experts deliver EMF dosimetry you can rely on. Get in touch for more information.
Assessing EMF Compliance Correctly
Exceeding an Action Level is not the end of the story. If a measurement comes in above an Action Level in the Control of Electromagnetic Fields at Work Regulations (CEMFAW), or an ICNIRP Reference Level, the job does not have to stop. Action Levels are triggers for a closer look, and that closer look is EMF modelling: we place a computer model of the human body in the field and calculate what is actually induced inside it. Those results are compared with the limits that really count, the Exposure Limit Values (ELVs) or ICNIRP Basic Restrictions. Because Action Levels are set very conservatively, the modelling often shows that the ELVs are not exceeded, and the work can carry on. We can carry out this EMF modelling for you.
Award Winning Services
Strong electromagnetic fields can harm employees, so the assessment has to be right. Accurate modelling against the electromagnetic regulations, guidance and standards means EMF hazards are managed properly: no unnecessary restrictions, no hidden risks. A SAR calculation, for example, tells you the whole-body average SAR, or the localised SAR in the head, torso or limbs.
Modelling or measurement, EMF is all we do. Need an EMF assessment for your facility, dosimetric calculations for a new development, or an analysis of the fields around your equipment? Tell us the problem and our award-winning, chartered experts will give you a clear answer. Get in touch today for your free consultation.
Modelling Methods
You cannot put a probe inside a person. So when you need to know how EMF is absorbed in the body, for comparison with the CEMFAW Exposure Limit Values (ELVs) or ICNIRP Basic Restrictions, computer modelling is the only way. How does it work? We start with anatomically realistic models of the human body, built from many different tissue types, and apply the right numerical method to calculate either the induced electric field or the SAR.
At low frequencies we use the Scalar Potential Finite Difference (SPFD) method to calculate the electric fields induced in the body. At high frequencies we use the Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method to calculate SAR, a measure of the heating that results, in male or female models. These are heavyweight calculations, and the run time depends on the exposure situation. When the solution converges, we produce and analyse EMF absorption images like the ones on this page, showing exactly where in the body the energy goes.
Frequently Asked Questions
01Why Do the EMF Regulations (CEMFAW 2016) Exist?
Any electrical device produces an electromagnetic field, and strong fields can harm workers. At low frequencies they induce electric fields in the body, causing tingling, dizziness, nausea and nerve stimulation. At high frequencies they deposit energy as heat, with a risk of RF burns, heat stress and hyperthermia. The Regulations set limits on those internal effects, which is exactly what modelling calculates. Fields can also interfere with pacemakers, defibrillators and other active implanted medical devices, and heat passive implants such as screws, plates and rods. That is why the Regulations treat these workers as “employees at particular risk”.
02How Is Compliance with The EMF Regulations Assessed?
By measurement, by calculation, or both. Measurement comes first: we use calibrated, state-of-the-art instruments and compare the readings with the Action Levels in the Regulations and HSE’s guidance. Where an Action Level is exceeded, or the equipment exists only on paper, we move to computation, calculating the induced electric fields or SAR in the body for comparison with the Exposure Limit Values in CEMFAW. If exposure still needs to be reduced, we recommend exclusion zones or other controls. Either way you receive an in-depth report covering the legislation and guidance, the methods, a full breakdown of results, and recommendations, action plans and mitigation measures. Those reports are one of the reasons EMFcomp is an award-winning consultancy.
03Who Can Carry Out These CEMFAW Regulation Compliance Assessments?
A competent, qualified assessor. The recognised benchmark is the Society for Radiological Protection’s (SRP) Chartered Radiation Protection Professional (CRadP) qualification, and for modelling you also need someone who understands computational dosimetry. EMFcomp’s work is led by a Chartered Radiation Protection Professional and Fellow of the SRP, who is past Chair of its EMF Safety Committee and sits on international safety bodies including ICES. The company is an Affiliate of the SRP and an alumnus of the European Space Agency’s Business Incubation Centre, which supported the development of our modelling techniques. More than 500 electromagnetic field assessments stand behind the advice we give on the EMF Regulations.
Our modelling has a track record. We co-wrote the European Commission’s ‘Practical Guide to the EMF Directive’ and carried out the computational dosimetry behind it. The UK’s Regulations were transposed from that Directive, 2013/35/EU, so the same methods underpin compliance here. Our capability extends to SAR modelling of MRI exposure. Everything we provide rests on results published in the peer-reviewed scientific literature, including more than twenty papers of our own on electromagnetic fields.
