The investigation of the effects of electromagnetic fields on equipment and facilities, as well as human beings, is the subject of the EMEC working group within Müller-BBM. The investigation and processing of ever-smaller structures in the semiconductor industry, biochemistry and materials sciences (nanotechnology) require facilities and equipment that place extremely high demands on the environment in which they are used. In addition to being sensitive to various types of vibrations (air-borne sound, structure-borne sound and vibrations), such equipment is often highly sensitive to electromagnetic fields. Slowly varying magnetic fields frequently play a special role in this regard. Such fields can be radiated in the vicinity of railway facilities and high-tension transmission lines, but they can also arise from other electrical equipment and the building's own electrical facilities.
 
The evaluation of the health risks resulting from electromagnetic fields was formerly one of the domains of 'building biologists' who offered their services, sometimes using very simple measurement techniques, under the catch-word 'electrosmog'. However, with the passage in late1996 of the 26th Ordinance of the German Federal Immission Control Act (Bundesimmissionsschutzgesetz) relating to electromagnetic fields, statutory regulation has been imposed in this area. Compliance with appropriate limits can now be properly verified in case of doubt. For new construction of high-tension transmission lines, suitable measurement reports must always be submitted to the responsible environmental authority. A Health and Safety Council ordinance relating to electromagnetic radiation limits for workplaces is presently being drawn up.