A radiation survey in an area suspected to be contaminated with a magnetic field from underground transmission cables

This work presents a detailed study of the underground transmission cables at 231 locations within Riyadh in order to detect and identify the source of the magnetic field in very low frequencies ELF that might be present. The magnetic field was measured parallel to the path of the cable once and orthogonal with them. The aim is to explain how it affects to the nearby houses. The magnetic field is measured in the summer and spring season. Handheld triaxial EMF magnetic field metre (TM-192, Tenmars Electronics) has been used for magnetic field measurement. The measurement of magnetic field has been carried out at a distance of one metre above the ground. It was found that the magnetic field fall within a range of 1.3-197 mG with an overall mean value of 54.7±42.2 mG. The results show that the mean values of the magnetic field in this study was far below the allowable limit set by international agencies. The results of this study have concluded without doubt that the underground transmission cables constitute a source of exposure to the magnetic field, which means that the presence of net current caused the pollution. Therefore, the study recommends the importance of issuing a legislation to make the magnetic field around the underground transmission cables non-existent.