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Project NEMESIS: perception of a 50 Hz electric and magnetic field at low intensities (laboratory experiment)

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Mueller CH, Krueger H, Schierz C · 2002

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Seven out of 63 volunteers showed statistically significant ability to perceive a 50 Hz EMF, suggesting a small sensitive subgroup exists.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

This double-blind laboratory experiment tested whether people can perceive a 50 Hz electric and magnetic field at 100 V/m and 6 μT, and whether self-reported electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is related to that ability. A total of 63 volunteers, 49 with self-reported EHS and 14 controls, each judged 10 sham and 10 exposed two-minute blocks in randomized order. Seven of the 63 subjects reached a statistically significant result, but there was no relevant difference between self-reported EHS subjects and controls in perception success rate or in the number and types of symptoms reported.

Why This Matters

Researchers found that self-reported EHS was not a prerequisite for consciously perceiving weak EMF, and perceiving weak EMF was not a prerequisite for self-reported EHS. The absence of a difference in symptom types and counts between EHS and non-EHS participants was one of the notable findings.

Exposure Details

Magnetic Field
0.006 mT
Electric Field
100 V/m
Source/Device
50 Hz
Exposure Duration
2 min

Exposure Context

This study used 100 V/m for electric fields:

This study used 0.006 mT for magnetic fields:

Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.006 mTExtreme Concern - 5 mGFCC Limit - 2,000 mGEffects observed in the Extreme Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 33 times higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 50 Hz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 50 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The double blind laboratory experiment tested the hypothesis that there are subjects with the ability to perceive 50 Hz EMF at 100 V/m and 6 μT (EMF sensitive) and to investigate the prevalence of EMF sensitivity in a group consisting of subjects with or without self-reported EHS.

A total of 63 volunteers, 49 with EHS and 14 controls, took part in the EMF perception experiment, w...

Seven out of 63 subjects reached a statistically significant result which points to the existence of...

The results of the EMF perception experiment suggest that EHS is not a prerequisite for the ability to consciously perceive weak EMF and vice versa.

Cite This Study
Mueller CH, Krueger H, Schierz C (2002). Project NEMESIS: perception of a 50 Hz electric and magnetic field at low intensities (laboratory experiment) Bioelectromagnetics. 23(1):26-36, 2002.
Show BibTeX
@article{ch_2002_project_nemesis_perception_of_499,
  author = {Mueller CH and Krueger H and Schierz C},
  title = {Project NEMESIS: perception of a 50 Hz electric and magnetic field at low intensities (laboratory experiment)},
  year = {2002},
  doi = {10.1002/bem.95},
  url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bem.95},
}
DOI: 10.1002/bem.95

Cited By (42 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Seven out of 63 subjects reached a statistically significant result, pointing to a small sensitive subgroup.
There was no relevant difference between subjects with self-reported EHS and those without in terms of perception success rate.
The experiment exposed participants to a 50 Hz EMF at 100 V/m and 6 μT.
The results suggest that EHS is not a prerequisite for the ability to consciously perceive weak EMF, and vice versa.
Each participant judged 10 sham and 10 exposed two-minute blocks presented in a randomized sequence.