Abstract
Objectives
Assessing occupational exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) presents significant challenges due to the considerable variability in exposure levels within and between occupations. This spatial and temporal variability complicates the reliable evaluation of potential health risks associated with RF-EMF exposure in the workplace. Accurate assessment methods are crucial to understand the extent of exposure and to evaluate potential health risks, especially given the potential for higher exposures in occupational settings compared to the general population. This study compares the historical RF-EMF exposure estimates in the INTEROCC RF-EMF job-exposure matrix (RF-JEM) with recent personal measurement data collected in 2 countries as part of the OccRF-Health study, to assess the broader applicability of the RF-JEM.
Methods
Weighted kappa (k w) coefficients and Spearman rank correlation tests were performed to assess the alignment between RF-JEM estimates and measurements for 8 h time-weighted average exposure intensity and prevalence estimates across various occupations. The comparisons were mainly based on 22 jobs having ≥5 measured workers in the OccRF-Health study.
Results
Poor agreement was found for both exposure prevalence and intensity between both methods (k w < 0.1). RF-JEM values likely overestimated exposure levels for both electric (E) and magnetic (H) fields (mean percentage difference >194%) compared to current personal measurements.
Conclusions
Findings suggest that the INTEROCC-JEM likely overestimates current exposure intensity levels in the measured jobs. Adopting a semiquantitative JEM could also mitigate misclassification errors due to exposure variability, improving accuracy in exposure assessment. These findings indicate the need for more targeted personal measurements, including among highly exposed workers, and for potentially considering new exposure metrics to more accurately assess occupational RF-EMF exposures in occupational epidemiological research.
Assessing occupational exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) presents significant challenges due to the considerable variability in exposure levels within and between occupations. This spatial and temporal variability complicates the reliable evaluation of potential health risks associated with RF-EMF exposure in the workplace. Accurate assessment methods are crucial to understand the extent of exposure and to evaluate potential health risks, especially given the potential for higher exposures in occupational settings compared to the general population. This study compares the historical RF-EMF exposure estimates in the INTEROCC RF-EMF job-exposure matrix (RF-JEM) with recent personal measurement data collected in 2 countries as part of the OccRF-Health study, to assess the broader applicability of the RF-JEM.
Methods
Weighted kappa (k w) coefficients and Spearman rank correlation tests were performed to assess the alignment between RF-JEM estimates and measurements for 8 h time-weighted average exposure intensity and prevalence estimates across various occupations. The comparisons were mainly based on 22 jobs having ≥5 measured workers in the OccRF-Health study.
Results
Poor agreement was found for both exposure prevalence and intensity between both methods (k w < 0.1). RF-JEM values likely overestimated exposure levels for both electric (E) and magnetic (H) fields (mean percentage difference >194%) compared to current personal measurements.
Conclusions
Findings suggest that the INTEROCC-JEM likely overestimates current exposure intensity levels in the measured jobs. Adopting a semiquantitative JEM could also mitigate misclassification errors due to exposure variability, improving accuracy in exposure assessment. These findings indicate the need for more targeted personal measurements, including among highly exposed workers, and for potentially considering new exposure metrics to more accurately assess occupational RF-EMF exposures in occupational epidemiological research.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | wxae072 |
| Pages (from-to) | 951-966 |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Journal | Annals of Work Exposures and Health |
| Volume | 68 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| Early online date | 26 Sept 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society. All rights reserved.
Funding
Funding for the OccRF Health Study is provided by ANSES (Agence Nationale de Securite Sanitaire del'Alimentation, de l'Environnement et duTravail) No. EST-2018 RF-35. MCT is funded by a Ramon y Cajal fellowship (RYC-2017-01892) from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and co-funded by the European Social Fund. ISGlobal acknowledges support from the the grant CEX2018-000806-S funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, and support from the Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA Program. FdV is partly funded by NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West) at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. The conduct of the INTEROCC study was funded by the National Institutes for Health (NIH) (grant no. R01CA124759-01).
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| ANSES (Agence Nationale de Securite Sanitaire del'Alimentation, de l'Environnement et duTravail) | EST-2018 RF-35 |
| Ramon y Cajal fellowship Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities | RYC-2017-01892 |
| European Social Fund | |
| MCIN/AEI | CEX2018-000806-S |
| Generalitat de Catalunya through the CERCA program | |
| NIHR Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West) at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust | |
| National Institutes for Health (NIH) | R01CA124759-01 |
Keywords
- Exposure assessment
- Occupational exposure
- Personal measurements
- Rf-emf
- job-exposure matrix (JEM)
