One of the major challenges of designing high performance research and medical facilities is the risk associated with economic, technological, legal, and scheduling factors. Planning for low EMI environments with feasibility studies is often overlooked leaving very little in time and budgeting.
An Ounce of Prevention
Vitatech provides feasibility studies and site selection services to assist with budgeting, planning, and basis of design preparation. Preliminary EMI studies allow clients and designers to understand potential obstacles and solutions, plan for suitable instrumentation and lab placement, and visualize costs associated with maintaining the stray magnetic field tolerances of state-of-the-art research and medical instrumentation. Our team of engineers and technicians can provide detailed analyses of building site locations which would be suitable for high performance instrumentation and medical facilities.
No matter what tool you’re using, a SEM, TEM, FIB, STEM, whatever it is, Vitatech knows how to mitigate your vital assets. We offer a full-spectrum of EMF engineering services all under one roof. From feasibility, design, fabrication, and installation, Vitatech has the in-house and field expertise to manage any size project from start to finish.
Our engineers will come to you and give you all the options. To read more about what your specific needs are, click on one of the services below. Or, call us at 1.540.286.1984, we’re happy to walk you through it.
Over the last 30 years, Vitatech Electromagnetics has provided preliminary EMI/RFI site surveys and testing at various campuses and open sites to provide prudent planning for proposed Research and Semiconductor Facilities, Hospitals, Offices and more. Green Site Planning benefits the building’s LEED requirements in efforts to provide cost-effective mitigation solutions for optimal resolution and performance of imaging tools as well as safety for human occupants. No site is too large for Green Site Planning, if the land is safe and accessible by foot for our Technicians. This service is ideal for transmission and distribution lines, power substations, railways, highways, cell towers, etc., traversing or within 1000 feet of a commercial site.
Electrified transportation—whether subways, trains, trolleys, or the advanced Transrapid TR08 MAGLEV—relies on converting electrical energy into a driving force that moves vehicles smoothly along their tracks. But as these systems consume energy, they also produce electromagnetic fields (EMFs), which spread into passenger compartments and the surrounding environment.
Why does this matter? Because not all electromagnetic energy is the same. On one end of the spectrum, ionizing radiation has enough punch to break DNA bonds, while non-ionizing radiation—like the kind emitted by MAGLEV systems—cannot. Still, even non-ionizing fields can cause biological or technological effects worth examining.
Key Insight: The FCC’s Bulletin 65 (1997) established maximum exposure limits, recognizing that even non-ionizing EMFs may pose risks if exposure is too high or prolonged.
Magnetic and electric field testing is highly encouraged for facilities within 500 feet of an existing transmission line right-of-way (ROW), power grid, switchyard or substation. Hot summer and cold winter days are the best time of the year to measure magnetic field levels due to peak load conditions, where levels can be 2 to 3 times higher than off peak load conditions
We simulate the average and peak load magnetic field conditions based on estimated or utility provided transmission line load parameters such as current loads, voltage, phase separation distances, conductor configuration and height above grade details. See some of our simulation variations below.
We have assisted with numerous preliminary site studies for proposed and existing catenary, third rail or diesel systems within university campuses and communities.
Benchmark ambient EMI levels within existing/future buildings prior to railway construction or from similar electrified train systems within the rail network. For fast-track projects, Vitatech offers simulation modeling of the future electrified or diesel rail lines.
See data collection below from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) collected at Northeastern University.
The Transrapid TR08 MAGLEV 
represents cutting-edge transportation technology, using longstator linear motors and electromagnets to achieve high-speed levitation and propulsion. While safe for passengers, its electromagnetic fields (EMFs) pose risks for sensitive research tools, medical imaging systems, diagnostic equipment and rail operators.
– Passenger Exposure: EMF levels inside cars spike during acceleration and braking but remain within international human safety limits.
– Station Platforms: ELF fields intensify near passengers’ lower extremities as trains pass or stop.
– Guideways: At-grade and elevated structures emit fields extending 20–35 meters laterally, exceeding interference thresholds for advanced research instruments.
– Switching Cabinets: Localized ELF emissions produce sinusoidal patterns tied to train speed and electrical load.
Many high-value instruments operate at thresholds far below MAGLEV emissions:
– MRI/NMR systems: Disrupted above 1–5 mG RMS.
– Electron microscopes (SEM/TEM, FIB, STEM): Sensitive to fluctuations as low as 0.1–1 mG.
– Electrophysiology instruments (EEG/ECG/EMG): Corrupted by ELF noise at ~1 mG.
– Legacy CRT monitors & analog systems: Display jitter and data loss above 10 mG.
Risk Highlight: EMFs harmless to humans can cripple multi-million-dollar research equipment.
– Reports of fatigue and lethargy linked to high DC magnetic exposure.
– Possible connection to Rouleaux Formation (red blood cell clumping)Â 
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– Degaussing treatments reduce symptoms but long-term health effects remain uncertain.
– Shielding: Implement ferromagnetic barriers around guideways near research/medical sites.
– Buffer Zones: Maintain 30–40 m separation between MAGLEV lines and sensitive facilities.
– Policy: Integrate EMF studies into infrastructure planning.
– Research: Conduct longitudinal studies on biological and technological impacts.
MAGLEV offers futuristic, sustainable transport. Yet, without careful EMF management, it risks undermining the performance of critical research and healthcare technologies. Proactive mitigation ensures progress in both transportation and science can advance together.
