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REVIEW OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ASPECTS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE EXPOSURE

No Effects Found

A. Bruner · 1977

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Military study of 600 EMP workers found no health effects over 10 years, but doesn't address modern wireless exposure concerns.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

This 1977 military study examined approximately 600 workers exposed to electromagnetic pulses (EMP) at simulator facilities over several years. Comprehensive annual physical examinations and medical surveillance found no adverse health effects attributable to EMP exposure within a 10-year observation period.

Why This Matters

This study represents an important early examination of occupational EMF exposure, though it comes with significant limitations typical of 1970s research. While the finding of no adverse effects in 600 workers over 10 years provides some reassurance about acute EMP exposure, the study's brief observation period and lack of detail about specific exposure levels or health endpoints limit its relevance to today's EMF concerns. The reality is that EMP exposure from military simulators differs dramatically from the chronic, low-level exposures we face daily from cell phones, WiFi, and other wireless devices. What this means for you is that while this study suggests short-term occupational EMP exposure may not cause immediate health problems, it doesn't address the long-term effects of the constant EMF environment we now live in.

Finding

Data from both informal observations and from comprehensive annual physical examinations of approximately 600 workers exposed to various EMP's over a number of years disclosed no adverse health effects attributable to EMP exposure.

In their words

“Data from both informal observations and from comprehensive annual physical examinations of approximately 600 workers exposed to various EMP's over a number of years disclosed no adverse health effects attributable to EMP exposure.”

Figures from the Original Paper

Diagram extracted from the original research document.

diagramPage 6 - Figure 1. Advanced Airborne Command Post Undergoing Low-Level Electromagnetic Pulse Testing at Air Force Weapons Laboratory at the HDP Facility EMP Simulation Facility, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico.
p. 6 of the original PDF
Cite This Study
A. Bruner (1977). REVIEW OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ASPECTS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE EXPOSURE.
Show BibTeX
@article{review_of_occupational_safety_and_health_aspects_of_electromagnetic_pulse_exposu_g3870,
  author = {A. Bruner},
  title = {REVIEW OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ASPECTS OF ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE EXPOSURE},
  year = {1977},
  
  
}
No DOI on file for this study.

Quick Questions About This Study

No, comprehensive annual physical examinations of approximately 600 workers exposed to electromagnetic pulses at military simulator facilities revealed no adverse health effects attributable to EMP exposure over a 10-year observation period.
EMP exposure from military simulators involves brief, intense pulses very different from the continuous, lower-level radiation from cell phones, WiFi, and wireless devices that we're exposed to daily in modern life.
The study included both informal health observations and comprehensive annual physical examinations of workers, though specific details about what health parameters were measured are not provided in the available documentation.
This 1977 study examined short-term occupational exposure to specific electromagnetic pulses, while current concerns focus on long-term effects from chronic exposure to different frequencies from modern wireless technology.
Researchers concluded there was sufficient evidence from both human and animal studies to confidently dismiss fears of EMP worker exposure hazards, at least within a 10-year timeframe.