NTL Record

Title Guidance on the prevention and mitigation of environmental, health and safety impacts of electromagnetic fields and radiation for electric transit systems
Record ID 37851
Personal Name
Creator
Brecher, Aviva
Source 34p. in various pagings
Corporate Creator John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (U.S.)
Publisher United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Transit Administration
Publication Date 20080102
Language English
Abstract The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Office of Planning and Environment (TPE) tasked the Volpe Center to develop guidance for transit planners, in order to address persisting public health and safety concerns with prolonged EMF environmental exposures from all sources, including transit. The guidance provides technology and operational options to prevent and mitigate EMF/EMR public exposures from electric transit systems traction power supply (TPS) infrastructure, vehicles and operations, and from emerging Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) for communication, navigation and control. Current efforts to expand energy efficient electric transit in US cities, and environmental streamlining offer opportunities to design and site the traction power supply substations (TPSS) that power the third rail or the Overhead Catenary System (OCS) so as to minimize public exposures. Similarly, the electric power and propulsion equipment on-board transit vehicles can be designed to prevent or mitigate passengers and workers EMF exposures, so to ensure their health and safety. The Guidance discusses the transit sources of EMF/EMR, and data for commonly encountered environmental levels of electric and magnetic fields for light and heavy rail urban transit. Transit EMF emissions and exposures are compared with other common environmental exposures, and to existing national and international environmental safety and health EMF/EMR standards and regulations protecting the public and sensitive population segments. Modeling, measurement, and design tools, as well as Best Practices for transit power supply infrastructure, facilities and operations related to EMF/EMR prevention, mitigation and compliance assurance are discussed and referenced in the Guidance.
Rosap ID dot:9117
Rosap URL https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/9117
TRT Terms Electromagnetic fields; Environmental impacts; Health hazards; Safety; Prevention; Hazard mitigation; Radiation hazards; Public transit; Rail transit facilities
General Subjects Federal Transit Administration (FTA); Electric transit; Light rail vehicles (LRV); Heavy rail; Transmission and Distribution (T&D); Power lines; Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF); Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR); Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC); Electromagnetic Interference (EMI); Traction Power substation (TPSS); Transit power supply (TPS); Overhead catenary system (OCS); World Health Organization (WHO) standards; IEEE/ICES standards
Classification NTL - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT - Air Quality;
NTL - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT - Environment Impacts;
NTL - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT - Rail Energy and Environment;
NTL - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT - ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT
Geographical
Coverage
United States
Availability Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Technical Reference Center
Resource type Tech Report
URL https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/37000/37800/37851/EMF_Guidance.pdf
Format PDF
Database NTL Digital Repository