Occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields and prevention of possible adverse effects in workers: results of 20 years of research at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia

The occupational risk related to electromagnetic fields (EMF) exposure in workplaces is one of the main research fields developed in the last 20 years by the Chair of Occupational Medicine and the Chair of Hygiene of the Public Health Section of the Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia. During this period we have approached several topics in the field of exposure and prevention of EMF risk in occupational settings, including: - the occupational and environmental Extremely Low Frequency – Electromagnetic Fields (ELF-EMF) exposure and effects in different groups of workers; - the possible mechanisms of ELF-EMF effects in biological tissues; - the development of best practices to manage and prevent the EMF related occupational risk in workers according to the European Directives, with particular consideration for health surveillance of exposed workers; - the occupational risk and the health surveillance of Magnetic Resonance Imaging operators; - the epidemiology of proposed adverse long-term effects of occupational EMF exposure.