Currents and electric fields induced in the human body when the arms are raised

The current induced in the human body when exposed to an incident electromagnetic field with the electric vector parallel to the length of the body and the magnetic field perpendicular to the chest was determined in an earlier study with the arms in close contact with the body. The analysis is now extended to the case when both alms are raised by an arbitrary angle. Formulas are derived for the current in the arms and the body when the latter is far from the earth, when it is barefoot on wet earth, and when it is standing on the earth with rubber-soled shoes. The current in the arms is shown to consist of two parts, that induced by the component of the incident electric field parallel to the arms and that generated in them by their connection to the body. The current in the body is significantly increased as the arms are raised. (C) 1997 American Institute of Physics.