{
  "id": "emitters:vacuum-cleaner",
  "collection": "emitters",
  "slug": "vacuum-cleaner",
  "name": "Vacuum cleaner",
  "summary": "A high-current motor at floor level and at arm's length: 100–700 mG (10–70 µT) at 15 cm and 20–200 mG (2–20 µT) at 30 cm, with no unit in the measured set falling to background at 30 cm.",
  "status": "verified",
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-12",
  "data": {
    "aliases": [
      "hoover EMF",
      "vacuum EMF"
    ],
    "category": "elf-magnetic",
    "environment": [
      "home",
      "workplace"
    ],
    "bands": [
      {
        "label": "Power frequency",
        "minHz": 50,
        "maxHz": 60
      }
    ],
    "dutyCycle": "Continuous while running, typically under an hour per session.",
    "distanceProfile": [
      {
        "meters": 0.15,
        "value": {
          "quantity": "magnetic-flux-density",
          "unit": "mG",
          "value": 100,
          "max": 700,
          "basis": "measured",
          "note": "Measured range at 15 cm from the body of the machine (10–70 µT), from the EPA's 1992 survey of 60 Hz appliances — a class range, not a figure for any particular modern unit.",
          "sourceIds": [
            "nrc-1997-appliance-fields",
            "epa-1992-appliance-fields"
          ]
        }
      },
      {
        "meters": 0.3,
        "value": {
          "quantity": "magnetic-flux-density",
          "unit": "mG",
          "value": 20,
          "max": 200,
          "basis": "measured",
          "note": "Measured range at 30 cm (2–20 µT). Unlike most appliances, the weakest unit measured was still well above background at this distance.",
          "sourceIds": [
            "nrc-1997-appliance-fields",
            "epa-1992-appliance-fields"
          ]
        }
      }
    ],
    "mitigations": [
      {
        "action": "Use the full length of the wand and hose rather than working close to the motor housing.",
        "effect": "The field falls off steeply: 30 cm of extra separation cut the measured range by roughly a factor of five."
      },
      {
        "action": "Keep a canister or upright machine's motor away from the torso of whoever is pushing it.",
        "effect": "Exposure tracks the distance to the motor, not to the nozzle."
      }
    ],
    "measureWith": [
      "elf-gaussmeter"
    ],
    "related": [
      "emitters:household-background-magnetic",
      "limits:sbm-2024-magnetic-bands"
    ]
  },
  "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/vacuum-cleaner",
    "html": "https://emfbase.com/emitters/vacuum-cleaner",
    "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/emitters/vacuum-cleaner.md",
    "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/emitters"
  }
}