{
  "id": "emitters:corded-power-tool",
  "collection": "emitters",
  "slug": "corded-power-tool",
  "name": "Corded power tool (drill, circular saw)",
  "summary": "The highest hand-held power-frequency fields measured in a household set: circular saws reached 1,000 mG (100 µT) at 15 cm and 300 mG (30 µT) at 30 cm, with drills roughly five times lower.",
  "status": "verified",
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-12",
  "data": {
    "aliases": [
      "power drill EMF",
      "circular saw EMF",
      "power tool EMF"
    ],
    "category": "elf-magnetic",
    "environment": [
      "home",
      "workplace"
    ],
    "bands": [
      {
        "label": "Power frequency",
        "minHz": 50,
        "maxHz": 60
      }
    ],
    "dutyCycle": "Seconds to minutes per cut or hole; total daily exposure is short for occasional use and substantial for trade use.",
    "distanceProfile": [
      {
        "meters": 0.15,
        "value": {
          "quantity": "magnetic-flux-density",
          "unit": "mG",
          "value": 50,
          "max": 1000,
          "basis": "measured",
          "note": "Measured range at 15 cm in the EPA's 1992 survey of 60 Hz appliances, across power saws (50–1,000 mG / 5–100 µT) and drills (100–200 mG / 10–20 µT).",
          "sourceIds": [
            "nrc-1997-appliance-fields",
            "epa-1992-appliance-fields"
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "meters": 0.3,
        "value": {
          "quantity": "magnetic-flux-density",
          "unit": "mG",
          "value": 9,
          "max": 300,
          "basis": "measured",
          "note": "Measured range at 30 cm across saws (9–300 mG / 0.9–30 µT) and drills (20–40 mG / 2–4 µT).",
          "sourceIds": [
            "nrc-1997-appliance-fields",
            "epa-1992-appliance-fields"
          ]
        }
      }
    ],
    "mitigations": [
      {
        "action": "For trade-frequency use, treat this as an occupational exposure and compare against the occupational reference level rather than a public one.",
        "effect": "ICNIRP sets a separate, higher occupational reference level for an informed and supervised workforce; the public value does not apply to a working day.",
        "sourceIds": [
          "icnirp-2010"
        ]
      },
      {
        "action": "Hold the tool by the handle as designed rather than bracing a hand or forearm over the motor housing.",
        "effect": "The motor is the source; a few centimetres of separation from the housing changes the reading substantially."
      }
    ],
    "measureWith": [
      "elf-gaussmeter"
    ],
    "related": [
      "emitters:household-background-magnetic",
      "limits:icnirp-2010-occupational-magnetic-50-60"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "nrc-1997-appliance-fields",
      "title": "Possible Health Effects of Exposure to Residential Electric and Magnetic Fields, Table 2-3: magnetic-field strengths of common household appliances",
      "publisher": "National Research Council (US), National Academies Press",
      "url": "https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK232734/table/ttt00003/",
      "year": 1997,
      "kind": "peer-reviewed",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "id": "epa-1992-appliance-fields",
      "title": "EMF in Your Environment: Magnetic Field Measurements of Everyday Electrical Devices (EPA 402-R-92-008)",
      "publisher": "U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air",
      "url": "https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPURL.cgi?Dockey=000005EP.TXT",
      "year": 1992,
      "kind": "government",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    }
  ],
  "links": {
    "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/emitters/corded-power-tool",
    "html": "https://emfbase.com/emitters/corded-power-tool",
    "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/emitters/corded-power-tool.md",
    "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/emitters"
  }
}