An overexposure to an electromagnetic field (EMF) is of intense concern to workers or members of the public. A doctor’s scientific and humane skills are fully required to manage these patients. This paper is intended to guide the management of these cases. It is based on previous papers and clinical experience by one of the authors as well as another review paper and case reports 1,2,3. The paper relates only to acute health effects and does not discuss cancer or other long-term effects, nor does it include ‘‘electrical hypersensitivity’’ which is associated with exposure to very low-level fields.
The paper begins by outlining some of the biophysical considerations of EMF in relation to health effects, then considers the settings in which overexposures may occur, the characterisation of the overexposure, the clinical approach to a patient, and concludes with comments on medico-legal issues and the reporting of such cases.
12 pages