Electromagnetic fields and their potential impact

This is the warning from Amanda Jeffs, director of Operations at C-Intech, a specialist in EMF/RF mitigation in Canada, who considers some of the main methods used to mitigate such interference, and advises that – to be most effective – such measures need to be considered at an early design stage.

In recent years, information technology has significantly contributed to the efficient running of medical facilities; from quick medical results to accurate record keeping and enhanced communication among medical professionals, information technology has continuously benefitted the medical community. However, the efficiency gained through these advancements could be critically jeopardised by interference caused by the presence of internally, as well as externally generated, electromagnetic fields. Imagine a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine producing distorted images, the breathing rate of a ventilator suddenly changing, a robot delivery medicine abruptly stopping, or precious patient data being lost; these are just a few of the frightening scenarios that could occur due to intrusive magnetic fields in a hospital environment.

Electronic energy is not only an integral part of everyday life, but in large medical facilities electricity is essential for the operation of highly advanced equipment, and indeed keeps people alive. As a result, main electrical rooms, electrical closets, and feeders, are omnipresent on virtually every floor in any hospital or medical facility. However, wherever there is electricity flowing, there is also a magnetic field alongside it. Power frequency magnetic fields easily pass through all building materials, diminishing in strength only with distance. Not only do they exist within buildings, they also exist outdoors. Transmission lines, with their associated magnetic fields, run alongside streets, and sometimes directly through large developments.