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Article: Electromagnetic radiation and health risks: cell phones and microwave radiation in New Zealand.
- Article from:
- Journal of Environmental Health
- Article date:
- July 1, 1996
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1996 National Environmental Health Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Background
Electric fields arise from electric charges at rest, while magnetic fields arise from charges in motion. Acceleration and deceleration of electric charges gives rise to electromagnetic radiation.
This radiation takes the form of waves of electric and magnetic energy that move out in space, traveling at the speed of light. Although their speed through space is fixed, these waves vary in frequency.
Radiation is classified according to its frequency, and the different classes may be arranged along a continuum, called the electromagnetic spectrum. At one end of this spectrum is high frequency radiation such as x-rays, cosmic rays and nuclear ...