Spot measurements of intermediate frequency electric fields in the vicinity of compact fluorescent lamps

Starting in 2009, certain types of incandescent light bulbs will be withdrawn from the market in the European Union and elsewhere. However, compact fluorescent lamps that are among the candidates to replace them produce intermediate frequency electric fields (EFs) much higher than any other device or appliance previously available to the general public. Measurement results of these EFs showed that the maximum recorded EF strength in the 1.2-100 kHz frequency range in close proximity to the lamps was > 42 V m(-1) for all tested lamps. In nine cases, the field strength exceeded 87 V m(-1) and the highest measured value was 216 V m(-1).