Dosimetry of Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields in Daily Life and Medical Applications

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are present everywhere in our environment but are usually invisible to the human eye. EMF for example generated by mobile phones and 50Hz power lines, can cause electric fields, currents and tissue heating in the human body. In the past, exposure limits were developed to avoid adverse health effects. These limits were derived from dose assessments using simple models which for example approximate the human by homogeneous spheroids. Nowadays, state-of-the-art electromagnetic models enable to predict and visualize the propagation of electromagnetic waves in the human anatomy. These models can provide detailed information on the exposure of the general public in daily life situations and those of patients and staff in medical applications such as hyperthermia treatments of cancer and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). In this thesis, a comprehensive assessment of the exposure to different EMF sources is provided for both children and adults. An evaluation is made how the guidelines, based on simple models, translate to the dose in complex anatomies in various population groups. Further, it is demonstrated that validated electromagnetic models can be used for the benefit of medical applications, by providing the medical staff a clear picture of the actual applied dose in patients and by efficient virtual prototyping of improved medical devices.

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