Occupational exposure to non-ionizing radiation and an association with heart disease: an exploratory study

Exploratory analyses for dose-related exposure to non-ionizing radiation and adverse health effects among male physical therapists were done from a mail questionnaire survey. The cohort consisted of 3004 respondents who were stratified into subgroups according to exposure across and within the various types of non-ionizing radiation energy emitted from diathermy equipment. The radiation modalities considered were ultrasound, microwave, shortwave, and infrared. An association between heart disease and exposure to shortwave radiation was the only consistently significant finding when high and low exposure groups were compared.