EMF-Portal

The Research Center for Bioelectromagnetic Interaction (femu) at the University Hospital of RWTH Aachen University developed the EMF portal. It allows citizens to learn about the current scientific understanding of EMF – from static and low-frequency electric and magnetic fields to high-frequency EMF. The EMF portal is freely available online in German and English.

Employees from authorities who deal with EMF and scientists use the portal’s extensive literature collection as an important information source.

Search for scientific publications

The main feature of the portal is searching for scientific articles about electric and magnetic fields with different frequencies. Besides common search options like author, title, and year, you can also search by specific frequency ranges. To make the search results understandable for laypeople, the EMF-Portal team translates all titles into German. The team also categorizes all publications by topic, frequency range, and type of work. For some essential publications, the goals, methods, and results are summarized in German, and related articles are mentioned. You can look up technical terms in the extensive glossary.

In addition to the search and glossary, there are topic pages explaining different aspects of EMF in simple terms. Published articles on specific topics are also presented in graphics and tables.

Example image of the EMF portal

Collection of laws, ordinances, and recommendations

The portal also offers a large collection of laws, regulations, and recommendations from Germany and other countries. Review articles and summary reports from national and international expert groups help users understand each publication in the broader scientific context.

Characteristics of field sources

A separate database records everyday field sources and lists their main characteristics. You can find item like electrical (household) devices, power supply systems, transmission facilities (including for mobile and broadcast services), and various modern communication devices. The introductory texts help to understand the sometimes complex connections.

Risk perception and risk communication

Risk perception and communication related to EMF are covered in a dedicated section. Links to relevant publications are provided for each of the subtopics.