Health effects of occupational exposure to static magnetic field in a chloralkali plant

A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine if long-term exposure to static magnetic fields could be related to findings of medical examination. Health data was obtained for 20 workers who spent a major period of their working time in the magnetic field produced by direct current through large electric cells. The data was compared to that of control group of 21 workers. Intensity of magnetic flux density was measured in the Chloralkali plant and the TWA exposure to magnetic field was determined for each job classification. Maximum and minimum intensities were found to be 16.99 and 0.49 mT, respectively, which were well below the recommended level. Maximum TWA exposure to magnetic field was equal to 47.59 mT that was less than the acceptable level. The results of clinical examinations and blood tests revealed that there was no significant difference between the two groups. The only effects which were found to be related to exposure to the magnetic field were nervousness and fatigue. Studying a larger sample size may contribute to detect any health effects of occupational exposure to static magnetic field in industrial settings.