Corded power tool (drill, circular saw)
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.
elf magnetichomeworkplace
Last verified 12 August 2026.
Also searched as: power drill EMF, circular saw EMF, power tool EMF
- Category
- elf magnetic
- Emission bands
- Power frequency
- Environments
- home, workplace
- Duty cycle
- Seconds to minutes per cut or hole; total daily exposure is short for occasional use and substantial for trade use.
Field strength by distance
- 15 cm
- 50–1,000 mGMeasured range — 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).sources: nrc-1997-appliance-fields, epa-1992-appliance-fields
- 30 cm
- 9–300 mGMeasured range — Measured range at 30 cm across saws (9–300 mG / 0.9–30 µT) and drills (20–40 mG / 2–4 µT).sources: nrc-1997-appliance-fields, epa-1992-appliance-fields
Mitigations, most effective first
- For trade-frequency use, treat this as an occupational exposure and compare against the occupational reference level rather than a public one.
- ICNIRP sets a separate, higher occupational reference level for an informed and supervised workforce; the public value does not apply to a working day.
- Hold the tool by the handle as designed rather than bracing a hand or forearm over the motor housing.
- The motor is the source; a few centimetres of separation from the housing changes the reading substantially.
Measure with
- ELF gaussmeter (power-frequency magnetic field)
Related records
- Household background magnetic field (50/60 Hz)
Away from appliances, homes typically sit below a few milligauss; the WHO's epidemiological association with childhood leukaemia begins at a daily average of 3–4 mG (0.3–0.4 µT).
Sources & emitters
- ICNIRP 2010 occupational magnetic field reference level at 50/60 Hz
1000 µT (10,000 mG) for workers — five times the public reference level, on the basis that an occupational population is informed, trained and supervised. It does not apply to the public or to a home.
Exposure limits
Sources
- nrc-1997-appliance-fields Possible Health Effects of Exposure to Residential Electric and Magnetic Fields, Table 2-3: magnetic-field strengths of common household appliances — National Research Council (US), National Academies Press, 1997. peer-reviewed, link checked 2026-08-12.
- epa-1992-appliance-fields EMF in Your Environment: Magnetic Field Measurements of Everyday Electrical Devices (EPA 402-R-92-008) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, 1992. government, link checked 2026-08-12.
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