To evaluate whether 60 Hz electric fields can produce symptomatic responses in a potentially electrosensitive woman.
The test person was exposed to a 60 Hz electric field. In two experiments, somatic responses were asked by an interviewer. In the second experiment, it was examined whether a difference exists between sham exposure, a continuous field and a pulsed field. In the third experiment, the ability of the test person to percept the electric field with different frequencies (60 Hz - 500 kHz) was investigated by pressing a "YES" or a "NO" button after each exposure/sham exposure.
| Exposure | Parameters |
|---|---|
|
Exposure 1:
60 Hz
Exposure duration:
10 x 100 seconds (applied in pulses)
experiment 1
|
|
|
Exposure 2:
60 Hz
Exposure duration:
continuous for 100 seconds (5 x)
experiment 2
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|
|
Exposure 3:
60 Hz
Exposure duration:
5 x 100 seconds (applied in pulses)
experiment 2
|
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|
Exposure 4:
60 Hz
Exposure duration:
2 seconds on (pulse application), 10 seconds off (30-50 x)
experiment 3
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|
Exposure 5:
1 kHz
Exposure duration:
2 seconds on (pulse application), 10 seconds off (30-50 x)
experiment 3
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|
Exposure 6:
10 kHz
Exposure duration:
2 seconds on (pulse application), 10 seconds off (30-50 x)
experiment 3
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|
Exposure 7:
100 kHz
Exposure duration:
2 seconds on (pulse application), 10 seconds off (30-50 x)
experiment 3
|
|
|
Exposure 8:
500 kHz
Exposure duration:
2 seconds on (pulse application), 10 seconds off (30-50 x)
experiment 3
|
|
| Frequency | 60 Hz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Waveform | |
| Exposure duration | 10 x 100 seconds (applied in pulses) |
| Additional info | experiment 1 |
| Additional info | electric field pulses were applied for 100 s intervals (duty cycle of 50%, repetition rate of 10 Hz), which resulted in alternating field-on and field-off pulses of 100 ms |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Setup | electric fields were generated by applying a voltage to parallel 49 cm square metal plates spaced 36 cm apart; subject sat in a comfortable wooden chair with her eyes closed and head between the plates |
| Sham exposure | A sham exposure was conducted. |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electric field strength | 300 V/m | mean | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 1,000 V/m | peak value | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 50 V/m | maximum | calculated | - | around the body |
| Frequency | 60 Hz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Waveform | |
| Exposure duration | continuous for 100 seconds (5 x) |
| Additional info | experiment 2 |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Sham exposure | A sham exposure was conducted. |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electric field strength | 300 V/m | mean | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 1,000 V/m | peak value | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 50 V/m | maximum | calculated | - | around the body |
| Frequency | 60 Hz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Waveform | |
| Exposure duration | 5 x 100 seconds (applied in pulses) |
| Additional info | experiment 2 |
| Additional info | electric field pulses were applied for 100 s intervals (duty cycle of 50%, repetition rate of 10 Hz), which resulted in alternating field-on and field-off pulses of 100 ms |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Sham exposure | A sham exposure was conducted. |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electric field strength | 300 V/m | mean | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 1,000 V/m | peak value | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 50 V/m | maximum | calculated | - | around the body |
| Frequency | 60 Hz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Waveform | |
| Exposure duration | 2 seconds on (pulse application), 10 seconds off (30-50 x) |
| Additional info | experiment 3 |
| Additional info | electric field pulses were applied for 100 s intervals (duty cycle of 50%, repetition rate of 10 Hz), which resulted in alternating field-on and field-off pulses of 100 ms |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Sham exposure | A sham exposure was conducted. |
| Additional info | three sequences of 30-50 trials |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electric field strength | 300 V/m | mean | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 1,000 V/m | peak value | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 50 V/m | maximum | calculated | - | around the body |
| Frequency | 1 kHz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Waveform | |
| Exposure duration | 2 seconds on (pulse application), 10 seconds off (30-50 x) |
| Additional info | experiment 3 |
| Additional info | electric field pulses were applied for 100 s intervals (duty cycle of 50%, repetition rate of 10 Hz), which resulted in alternating field-on and field-off pulses of 100 ms |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Sham exposure | A sham exposure was conducted. |
| Additional info | two sequences of 30-50 trials |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electric field strength | 300 V/m | mean | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 1,000 V/m | peak value | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 50 V/m | maximum | calculated | - | around the body |
| Frequency | 10 kHz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Waveform | |
| Exposure duration | 2 seconds on (pulse application), 10 seconds off (30-50 x) |
| Additional info | experiment 3 |
| Additional info | electric field pulses were applied for 100 s intervals (duty cycle of 50%, repetition rate of 10 Hz), which resulted in alternating field-on and field-off pulses of 100 ms |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Sham exposure | A sham exposure was conducted. |
| Additional info | one sequence of 30-50 trials |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electric field strength | 300 V/m | mean | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 1,000 V/m | peak value | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 50 V/m | maximum | calculated | - | around the body |
| Frequency | 100 kHz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Waveform | |
| Exposure duration | 2 seconds on (pulse application), 10 seconds off (30-50 x) |
| Additional info | experiment 3 |
| Additional info | electric field pulses were applied for 100 s intervals (duty cycle of 50%, repetition rate of 10 Hz), which resulted in alternating field-on and field-off pulses of 100 ms |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Sham exposure | A sham exposure was conducted. |
| Additional info | one sequence of 30-50 trials |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electric field strength | 300 V/m | mean | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 1,000 V/m | peak value | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 50 V/m | maximum | calculated | - | around the body |
| Frequency | 500 kHz |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Waveform | |
| Exposure duration | 2 seconds on (pulse application), 10 seconds off (30-50 x) |
| Additional info | experiment 3 |
| Additional info | electric field pulses were applied for 100 s intervals (duty cycle of 50%, repetition rate of 10 Hz), which resulted in alternating field-on and field-off pulses of 100 ms |
| Exposure source |
|
|---|---|
| Sham exposure | A sham exposure was conducted. |
| Additional info | one sequence of 30-50 trials |
| Measurand | Value | Type | Method | Mass | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| electric field strength | 300 V/m | mean | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 1,000 V/m | peak value | calculated | - | around the head |
| electric field strength | 50 V/m | maximum | calculated | - | around the body |
After initiation of the electric field, the subject developed somatic reactions such as temporal pain, headache, muscle twitching and skipped heartbeats with a significant difference to sham exposure conditions. In the second experiment, the test person reported significantly more intense symptoms during exposure to a pulsed field in comparison to the sham exposure, while the symptoms during exposure to a continuous field did not differ significantly from the sham exposure. However, the third experiment showed that the subject was not able to percept the electric field consciously.
The authors conclude that they demonstrated the neurological syndrome "electromagnetic hypersensitivity" in the examined subject.
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