What typical levels of power frequency electric fields are people exposed to at home?
Electric fields in the home come largely from appliances and wiring inside the home. The typical background range expected in UK homes is 1–20 volts per metre (V m-1) and this may increase to a few hundred volts per metre close to domestic appliances and power cables. These levels are small fractions of guideline levels. Sources of electric field outside the home are relatively unimportant inside homes because buildings provide strong screening. Electric fields are readily perturbed by conducting objects and this also causes levels to vary in homes.
