Dosimetry of electromagnetic field exposure of an active armlet and its electromagnetic interference to the cardiac pacemakers using adult, child and infant models.

Electromagnetic biology and medicine · 2016 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 4801

Simulations using adult, child, and infant models indicated the studied active RFID armlet would not produce EMF exposure exceeding safety limits. The calculated pacemaker interference (conducted voltage) was highly dependent on the distance between the RFID …

Study snapshot

PublicationElectromagnetic biology and medicine · 2016

Study typeengineering

Reported directionMixed

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Wearable devices have been popularly used with people from different age groups. As a consequence, the concerns of their electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure to the human body and their electromagnetic interference (EMI) to the implanted medical devices have attracted many studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the human exposure to the EMF of an active radiofrequency identification (RFID) armlet as well as its EMI to the cardiac pacemaker (CP). Different human models from various age groups were applied to assess the result variability. The scalar potential finite element method was utilized in the simulation. Local EMF exposure and the exposure to the central nerve system tissues were evaluated using different metrics. EMI to the CP was assessed in terms of the conducted voltage to the CP. The results from all the models revealed that the studied RFID armlet would not produce the EMF exposure exceeding the safety limits. The calculated interference voltage was highly dependent on the distance between the RFID armlet and the CP (i.e. the physical dimension of the individual model). The results proposed to evaluate the appropriateness of the current EMI measurement protocol for this kind of devices used by the infants.

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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 typeengineering

Effect directionmixed

PopulationAdult, child and infant human models; cardiac pacemaker (implanted device) considered for EMI assessment

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Local EMF exposure (dosimetry)
Central nervous system tissue exposure metrics
Electromagnetic interference (EMI) to cardiac pacemaker assessed as conducted voltage
Comparison to safety limits
Dependence of interference voltage on distance between armlet and pacemaker
Appropriateness of current EMI measurement protocol for infants

Limitations

Simulation study (scalar potential finite element method) rather than measurements in humans
Specific device studied (active RFID armlet); generalizability to other wearables not stated
Frequency and detailed exposure parameters not reported in the abstract
Safety limits referenced but not specified in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "engineering",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "RFID armlet (wearable)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Adult, child and infant human models; cardiac pacemaker (implanted device) considered for EMI assessment",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Local EMF exposure (dosimetry)",
    "Central nervous system tissue exposure metrics",
    "Electromagnetic interference (EMI) to cardiac pacemaker assessed as conducted voltage",
    "Comparison to safety limits",
    "Dependence of interference voltage on distance between armlet and pacemaker",
    "Appropriateness of current EMI measurement protocol for infants"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Simulations using adult, child, and infant models indicated the studied active RFID armlet would not produce EMF exposure exceeding safety limits. The calculated pacemaker interference (conducted voltage) was highly dependent on the distance between the RFID armlet and the cardiac pacemaker, which varies with model physical dimensions.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Simulation study (scalar potential finite element method) rather than measurements in humans",
    "Specific device studied (active RFID armlet); generalizability to other wearables not stated",
    "Frequency and detailed exposure parameters not reported in the abstract",
    "Safety limits referenced but not specified in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "wearable devices",
    "RFID",
    "radiofrequency identification",
    "dosimetry",
    "electromagnetic field exposure",
    "electromagnetic interference",
    "cardiac pacemaker",
    "finite element method",
    "adult model",
    "child model",
    "infant model"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "medical-implants-pacemakers",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Assesses electromagnetic interference to cardiac pacemakers from a wearable RFID armlet."
    },
    {
      "slug": "wearables",
      "weight": 0.75,
      "reason": "Focuses on EMF exposure from an active RFID armlet wearable across age-group models."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.3109/15368378.2014.999373
PubMed: 25568953

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