EMC for Product Designers 3Ed - WILLIAMS 2001EMC for Product Designers 11 Chapter 1 Introduction 1.1 What is EMC? Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is a serious and increasing form of environmental pollution. Its effects range from minor annoyances due to crackles on broadcast reception, to potentially fatal accidents due to corruption of safety-critical control systems. Various forms of EMI may cause electrical and electronic malfunctions, can prevent the proper use of the radio frequency spectrum, can ignite flammable or other hazardous atmospheres, and may even have a direct effect on human tissue. As electronic systems penetrate more deeply into all aspects of society, so both the potential for interference effects and the potential for serious EMI-induced incidents will increase. Some reported examples of electromag……