Assessment of exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields from smart utility meters in GB; part II) numerical assessment of induced SAR within the human body.
Qureshi MRA, Alfadhl Y, Chen X, Peyman A, Maslanyj M, Mann S · 2018
View Original AbstractSmart meters cause measurable energy absorption in human bodies, with children absorbing the most RF energy, especially within 15 centimeters of the device.
Plain English Summary
Researchers calculated how much radiofrequency energy from smart meters gets absorbed by human bodies. Children absorbed the most energy, especially when within 15 centimeters of 2.4 GHz meters. Though levels stayed below safety limits, the study confirms smart meters cause measurable energy absorption in tissue.
Why This Matters
This study provides crucial data on smart meter exposure that utilities and regulators often gloss over. The researchers found that children absorb significantly more RF energy than adults from smart meters, with the highest absorption at 1.87 milliwatts per kilogram. What makes this particularly concerning is that the researchers used 1 watt of power input to simulate smart meter emissions, which they acknowledge is much higher than the typical 15 milliwatt maximum. This means real-world exposures, while lower, still follow the same pattern of children being most affected. The science demonstrates that proximity matters tremendously - the closer you are to a smart meter, the more energy your body absorbs. Put simply, this validates concerns about smart meter placement near bedrooms, children's play areas, or anywhere people spend extended time within a few feet of the device.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 0.00187 W/kg
- Source/Device
- 868 and 2,450 MHz
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
Human body exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic waves emitted from smart meters was assessed using various exposure configurations.
Specific energy absorption rate distributions were determined using three anatomically realistic hum...
The highest observed whole body specific energy absorption rate value was 1.87 mW kg-1 , within the ...
Show BibTeX
@article{mra_2018_assessment_of_exposure_to_1284,
author = {Qureshi MRA and Alfadhl Y and Chen X and Peyman A and Maslanyj M and Mann S},
title = {Assessment of exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields from smart utility meters in GB; part II) numerical assessment of induced SAR within the human body.},
year = {2018},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29143352/},
}