Electromagnetic field effects of marine radar systems on the ship crew

2022 · Harm · Low evidence

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HarmLow evidencePaper 761

Electromagnetic pollution was measured at different points on ships using an SRM 3006 spectrum analyzer (400 MHz–6 GHz) with a triaxial antenna and compared with ICNIRP benchmarks. The study reports that radar-induced EMF generally exceeded ICNIRP limits on t…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2022

Study typeexposure_assessment

Reported directionHarm

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Electromagnetic field effects of marine radar systems on the ship crew Ünal Özdemir. Electromagnetic field effects of marine radar systems on the ship crew. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part M: Journal of Engineering for the Maritime Environment. July 2022. doi:10.1177/14750902221107733. Abstract Marine radars become the sources of electromagnetic pollution during navigation and anchor watchkeeping. In several scientific studies, it was reported that electromagnetic fields could lead to several serious diseases, especially in the nervous system. In the current study, electromagnetic pollution is measured at different points on ships of various tonnage and types to identify electromagnetic pollution induced by marine radars. During these measurements, SRM 3006 compact spectrum analyzer (Narda Safety Test Solutions GmbH, Germany) that was operated within the 400 MHz–6 GHz frequency range was employed with a triaxial antenna. Then, the measurement results were compared with the benchmark published by ICNIRP (International Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection), and electromagnetic pollution levels induced by marine radar antennas and possible negative consequences for the crew were analyzed. Conclusion The study findings revealed that the radar-induced EMF generally exceeded the ICNIRP limits in the ships. This increased the possibility of adverse health outcomes due to the exposure of the crew to magnetic field pollution for long periods of time. In future studies, it would be better to consider the problem from this perspective, especially that of the medical professional. Furthermore, future studies could conduct measurements during navigation or anchor watch to avoid external pollution in port environment to reach more accurate findings if the required financial resources could be provided. It could also be suggested that it would be beneficial to increase the sample size and develop various groups. Furthermore, since the measurements were conducted for 6 min, namely the limit specified in the ICNIRP guide, these were short-term spot measurements. However, continuous 24-h measurements over several days in a robust sample of ships would provide more realistic findings. It could be suggested that the present study findings would provide a foundation for future IMO regulations, maritime industry policy makers, WMO and related institutions. It would be a correct approach to revise the mandatory MARPOL (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) and MLC (Maritime Labor Convention) conventions for IMO member nations, and to keep the issue of electromagnetic pollution in the maritime agenda. It was estimated that the topic will raise the interest of the maritime transportation industry in the future after certain number of studies are published on the topic, which is currently quite limited. journals.sagepub.com

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeexposure_assessment

Effect directionharm

Populationship crew (occupational exposure context)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 6 min spot measurements (ICNIRP limit)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Measured electromagnetic pollution/EMF levels at different points on ships
Comparison of measured levels to ICNIRP benchmark/limits
Assessment of potential negative consequences/adverse health outcomes (discussed, not measured)

Limitations

Sample size not reported in abstract; authors suggest increasing sample size and developing groups in future work
Measurements were short-term spot measurements (6 minutes) rather than continuous long-term monitoring
Authors note potential external pollution in port environments and suggest measuring during navigation/anchor watch for more accurate findings
Health outcomes were not directly measured; adverse consequences are discussed as possible

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "exposure_assessment",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "marine radar systems",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "6 min spot measurements (ICNIRP limit)"
  },
  "population": "ship crew (occupational exposure context)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Measured electromagnetic pollution/EMF levels at different points on ships",
    "Comparison of measured levels to ICNIRP benchmark/limits",
    "Assessment of potential negative consequences/adverse health outcomes (discussed, not measured)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Electromagnetic pollution was measured at different points on ships using an SRM 3006 spectrum analyzer (400 MHz–6 GHz) with a triaxial antenna and compared with ICNIRP benchmarks. The study reports that radar-induced EMF generally exceeded ICNIRP limits on the ships, which the authors state increases the possibility of adverse health outcomes with long-term crew exposure.",
  "effect_direction": "harm",
  "limitations": [
    "Sample size not reported in abstract; authors suggest increasing sample size and developing groups in future work",
    "Measurements were short-term spot measurements (6 minutes) rather than continuous long-term monitoring",
    "Authors note potential external pollution in port environments and suggest measuring during navigation/anchor watch for more accurate findings",
    "Health outcomes were not directly measured; adverse consequences are discussed as possible"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "marine radar",
    "ship crew",
    "occupational exposure",
    "electromagnetic pollution",
    "RF exposure measurement",
    "ICNIRP limits",
    "SRM 3006",
    "400 MHz–6 GHz"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Exposure assessment of EMF levels on ships with implications for crew exposure."
    },
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.75,
      "reason": "Measurements explicitly compared against ICNIRP benchmark/limits."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1177/14750902221107733
PubMed: Not supplied

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