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Review
. 2025 Aug 7;25(15):4866.
doi: 10.3390/s25154866.

Instruments and Measurement Techniques to Assess Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields

Phoka C Rathebe  1 , Mota Kholopo  1
Affiliations
Review

Instruments and Measurement Techniques to Assess Extremely Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields

Phoka C Rathebe et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive evaluation and selection framework for extremely low-frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) measurement instruments. Recognizing the diversity of application environments and technical constraints, the framework addresses the challenges of selecting appropriate tools for specific scenarios. It integrates a structured, quantitative approach through a weighted scoring matrix that evaluates instrumentation across six criteria: monitoring duration, sensitivity, environmental adaptability, biological/regulatory relevance, usability, and cost. Complementing this is a logic-based flowchart that visually guides decision-making based on user-defined operational needs. The framework is applied to a realistic occupational case study, demonstrating its effectiveness in producing evidence-based, scenario-sensitive instrument recommendations. This method provides stakeholders with a transparent and adaptable tool for ELF-EMF device selection.

Keywords: ELF-EMFs; SQUID; exposure assessment; health and safety standards; instrumentation; long-term measurements; short-term monitoring.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the review of the methodology and instrument comparison framework.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Logic-based decision tree for ELF-EMF instrumentation selection.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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