{
  "id": "emitters:fluorescent-lighting",
  "collection": "emitters",
  "slug": "fluorescent-lighting",
  "name": "Fluorescent tube lighting",
  "summary": "Ballast-driven tubes measured 20–100 mG (2–10 µT) at 15 cm, falling to at most 30 mG (3 µT) at 30 cm — relevant because the fitting is often directly above a desk or bed rather than at arm's length.",
  "status": "verified",
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-12",
  "data": {
    "aliases": [
      "fluorescent tube EMF",
      "strip light EMF",
      "CFL EMF"
    ],
    "category": "elf-magnetic",
    "environment": [
      "home",
      "workplace",
      "school"
    ],
    "bands": [
      {
        "label": "Power frequency",
        "minHz": 50,
        "maxHz": 60
      },
      {
        "label": "Electronic ballast switching",
        "minHz": 20000,
        "maxHz": 60000
      }
    ],
    "dutyCycle": "Continuous while lit; magnetic ballasts hum at the power frequency, electronic ballasts add a switching frequency in the tens of kilohertz.",
    "distanceProfile": [
      {
        "meters": 0.15,
        "value": {
          "quantity": "magnetic-flux-density",
          "unit": "mG",
          "value": 20,
          "max": 100,
          "basis": "measured",
          "note": "Measured range at 15 cm from the fitting (2–10 µT) in the EPA's 1992 survey of 60 Hz appliances, dominated by the ballast rather than the tube.",
          "sourceIds": [
            "nrc-1997-appliance-fields",
            "epa-1992-appliance-fields"
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "meters": 0.3,
        "value": {
          "quantity": "magnetic-flux-density",
          "unit": "mG",
          "value": 0,
          "max": 30,
          "basis": "measured",
          "note": "The strongest fitting measured 30 mG (3 µT) at 30 cm; the weakest was indistinguishable from background.",
          "sourceIds": [
            "nrc-1997-appliance-fields",
            "epa-1992-appliance-fields"
          ]
        }
      }
    ],
    "mitigations": [
      {
        "action": "Mount the fitting at ceiling height rather than in a desk or under-cabinet lamp within 30 cm of the head.",
        "effect": "Normal ceiling separation puts the ballast beyond the distance at which it is distinguishable from background."
      },
      {
        "action": "Measure with an instrument rated above 2 kHz if the fitting uses an electronic ballast.",
        "effect": "A power-frequency gaussmeter reads near zero at the ballast's switching frequency, producing a false negative."
      }
    ],
    "measureWith": [
      "elf-gaussmeter",
      "intermediate-frequency-meter"
    ],
    "related": [
      "emitters:led-lighting",
      "emitters:household-background-magnetic"
    ]
  },
  "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/fluorescent-lighting",
    "html": "https://emfbase.com/emitters/fluorescent-lighting",
    "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/emitters/fluorescent-lighting.md",
    "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/emitters"
  }
}