For as long as magnetic fields have been the subject of debate, the question whether to use exposure limits or safety distances to magnetic fields from electricity supply installations or in the workplace has also been discussed. Various authorities and institutions have presented recommendations as to which exposure limits to use. Neither the World Health Organization (WHO) nor Danish authorities recommend exposure limits out of consideration for potential long-term effects such as cancer. 

In Denmark the exposure limits prescribed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the EU are observed. They are defined on the basis of known, acute effects of relatively strong magnetic fields.

The ICNIRP
The ICNIRP is an international commission that defines exposure limits and prepares recommendations for electric and magnetic fields. In ICNIRP's opinion, there is no reason to define exposure limits due to, for example, cancer or other long-term effects of magnetic fields. Because of the acute effects on the central nervous system that very strong magnetic and electric fields may cause, the ICNIRP has, however, prepared recommended exposure limits. 

As mentioned, the purpose of the exposure limits is to protect people from effects on the central nervous system. The central nervous system is inside your head and body, so it is by no means certain that a field of, for example, 500 µT or 100 µT that may only affect the arms or the legs in itself exceeds an exposure limit. In such case, the strength of the currents caused by the field in head and body will be assessed.

Recommendation of the European Council of 12 July 1999
This recommendation aims to limit the public's exposure to electromagnetic fields (0 Hz-300 GHz). It is based on the recommended exposure limits defined by the ICNIRP. The member states are not obliged to comply with the recommendation, and it has not been passed as an act in Denmark, but the authorities use it when they need to assess whether the exposure limits have been observed. As is the case with the ICNIRP, the exposure limits for magnetic fields is 100 µT and 5 kV/m for electric fields.

EU directive on exposure limits
In 2004, the EU adopted a directive on exposure limits for occupational exposure to electric and magnetic fields. Originally, the directive was to have been implemented in EU Member State legislation by the end of April 2008. In the autumn of 2007, the European Commission proposed that the deadline be postponed to 2012. The reason for this move was that the EU directive in its current form would make it difficult to use, for example, MRI scanners in hospitals. Just as is the case with the recommendation, the directive is based on the recommended exposure limits defined by the ICNIRP. In order for the directive to come into force, the European body for electrotechnical standardisation, CENELEC, must develop a set of rules explicitly describing how the fields are to be measured and assessed.