OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate the health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) among female operators of plastic welding machines. METHODS We examined 180 female operators in shoe factories as the exposed group, and 349 female workers from nearby supermarkets as the unexposed group. RESULTS The mean radiation levels in the vicinity of the welding machines ranged from 51.3 to 368.9 V/m. The prevalence of neurovegetative symptoms increased with higher EMFs exposures (P