Radiation Characteristics of Traffic Radar Systems
Norbert N. Hankin · 1976
This 1976 study documented traffic radar radiation characteristics, highlighting an overlooked source of occupational EMF exposure for police officers.
Plain English Summary
This 1976 technical report by N. Hankin examined the radiation characteristics of traffic radar systems used by law enforcement. The study focused on measuring and documenting the electromagnetic field emissions from police radar equipment. This research provided early documentation of radar exposure levels that officers and the public encounter from speed detection devices.
Why This Matters
This technical documentation from 1976 represents some of the earliest systematic analysis of traffic radar emissions, long before widespread concern about EMF health effects emerged. Traffic radar systems typically operate in the X-band (8-12 GHz) and K-band (18-27 GHz) frequencies, producing focused microwave beams that can expose police officers to significant radiation levels during routine use. What makes this particularly relevant today is that police officers often operate handheld radar guns for hours daily, creating occupational exposure scenarios that weren't fully understood in the 1970s. The reality is that traffic radar represents one of the most direct, high-intensity EMF exposures that both law enforcement and drivers routinely encounter, yet it receives far less attention than cell phones despite potentially higher power densities at close range.
Finding
Traffic radars, typified by the systems studied, are low power devices, incapable of producing environmental levels of microwave radiation greater than 10-2 W/m? (1 uW/cm2) at distances where persons would normally be exposed during use of such systems.
In their words
“Traffic radars, typified by the systems studied, are low power devices, incapable of producing environmental levels of microwave radiation greater than 10-2 W/m? (1 uW/cm2) at distances where persons would normally be exposed during use of such systems.”
Figures from the Original Paper
Diagrams extracted from the original research document.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 3.6 mW/cm2
Exposure Context
This study used 3.6 mW/cm2 for radio frequency:
- 360Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 6Mx 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
Study Details
To evaluate the radiation characteristics of traffic radar systems and determine the maximum power density levels that could be produced by these systems at various distances from the antenna.
Measurements were performed on the MR7 Moving Radar (Kustom Signals, Inc., Chanute, Kansas). Determi...
The maximum power density produced by typical traffic radars is 36 wW/m2 (3.6 mW/cm2) and occurs at ...
Traffic radars, typified by the systems studied, are low power devices, incapable of producing environmental levels of microwave radiation greater than 10-2 W/m? (1 uW/cm2) at distances where persons would normally be exposed during use of such systems. The maximum power density produced is 36 wW/m2 (3.6 mW/cm2) and occurs at distances 9 cm (3.6 inches) or less from the antenna. Environmental levels of microwave radiation produced by traffic radars to which most persons may be exposed are too low to be a health or environmental concern.
Show BibTeX
@article{radiation_characteristics_of_traffic_radar_systems_g3640,
author = {Norbert N. Hankin},
title = {Radiation Characteristics of Traffic Radar Systems},
year = {1976},
}