THE RATIONALE FOR THE 1979 RADIOFREQUENCY PROTECTION GUIDE (RFPG) "SAFETY LEVEL WITH RESPECT TO HUMAN EXPOSURE TO RADIOFREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS (300KHz - 100GHz)"
Authors not listed · 1980
Early 1980 safety standards for 300 kHz-100 GHz radiofrequency exposure still influence today's wireless device regulations.
Plain English Summary
This 1980 technical report examined safety levels for human exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields across the 300 kHz to 100 GHz spectrum, contributing to the development of ANSI C95.1 protection standards. The document represents early foundational work by the Radiofrequency Protection Group (RFPG) to establish exposure guidelines for RF radiation. This research helped shape the safety standards that govern everything from cell phones to broadcast towers today.
Why This Matters
This 1980 report represents a pivotal moment in EMF safety standards development, when scientists first attempted to define 'safe' exposure levels across the entire radiofrequency spectrum. The science demonstrates that these early guidelines, developed with limited biological research, continue to influence current FCC and FDA exposure limits decades later. What's particularly significant is the 300 kHz to 100 GHz range studied, which encompasses virtually all modern wireless technologies from AM radio to 5G networks. The reality is that these foundational safety assumptions were made when our understanding of non-thermal biological effects was minimal, yet they remain largely unchanged despite thousands of subsequent studies showing biological impacts at levels well below current limits.
Exposure Details
- SAR
- 4 W/kg
- Power Density
- 100 mW/cm2
- Exposure Duration
- 0.1 hour as the significant period of time over which exposures would be averaged
Exposure Context
This study used 100 mW/cm2 for radio frequency:
- 10,000Mx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 166.7Mx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
This study used 4 W/kg for SAR (device absorption):
- 10x above the Building Biology guideline of 0.4 W/kg
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 establish safety guidelines for human exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields based on biological effects data and to develop a rational basis for revising the ANSI C95.1 standard for radiofrequency radiation protection.
The study involved reviewing several hundred reports in the biomedical literature selected and revie...
The data base upon which MPLs are elaborated is considerably broader than that of the 1974 guide. Po...
The 1979 RFPG is an extension of its 1974 predecessor with several notable refinements. The guide is based on recommendations of maximum permissible limits (MPL's) of field strength, as indexed by equivalent plane wave power densities of incident fields, but these limits are predicated on the frequency-dependent macroscopic energy-absorbing properties of humans. The data base upon which MPLs are elaborated is considerably broader than that of the 1974 guide. The committee assumed frequency insensitivity and assumed that the independent and constant quantity should be the whole body average SAR. The subcommittee retained 0.1 hour as the significant period of time over which exposures would be averaged. The exclusion clause allows power density (and field strength) to be exceeded if the rate of energy absorption in the human body does not exceed a certain fraction (1/4th) of that allowed for a worst case plane wave exposure condition.
Show BibTeX
@article{the_rationale_for_the_1979_radiofrequency_protection_guide_rfpg_safety_level_wit_g6391,
author = {Unknown},
title = {THE RATIONALE FOR THE 1979 RADIOFREQUENCY PROTECTION GUIDE (RFPG) "SAFETY LEVEL WITH RESPECT TO HUMAN EXPOSURE TO RADIOFREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS (300KHz - 100GHz)"},
year = {1980},
}