A Review of United States Microwave Exposure Criteria
Vernon E. Rose, Charles H. Powell, Marshall E. LaNier, Jon R. Swanson
A review of microwave exposure criteria used in the United States in the past 10 years indicates a general acceptance of a power density exposure level of 10 mw/cm2.
Plain English Summary
Early standards treated 10 mw/cm2 as a maximum permissible level that should not be exceeded and considered only power density. Later standards introduced time-weighted exposure concepts allowing levels above 10 mw/cm2 for limited durations. The 1966 USASI standard set a protection guide at 10 mw/cm2 averaged over 0.1 hour and used an energy density of 1 mwh/cm2 for shorter periods.
Why This Matters
The 1957 Tri-Service Conference chose 10 mw/cm2 for all frequencies because sufficient data did not exist to set frequency-specific limits. Bell Telephone Laboratories categorized exposures above 10 mw/cm2 as potentially hazardous, between 1 and 10 mw/cm2 as safe only for incidental exposure, and below 1 mw/cm2 as safe for indefinite exposure.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 10 mw/cm2
Exposure Context
This study used 10 mw/cm2 for radio frequency:
- 1,000Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 16.7Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Show BibTeX
@article{a_review_of_united_states_microwave_exposure_criteria_g4074,
author = {Vernon E. Rose and Charles H. Powell and Marshall E. LaNier and Jon R. Swanson},
title = {A Review of United States Microwave Exposure Criteria},
year = {n.d.},
}