[sci.electronics] RF exposure question.

stigall@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (john stigall) (04/23/91)

With all the recent talk about RF exposure, does anyone have a feel for
how much RF is too much for long term exposure at 525 MHz? What I have
been working on is consulting for a family that lives under a channel 23
T.V. station. Measured signal strength is +50 to +60 dBmv (+60 is 1 volt)
in and around the house and property. This was measured using a folded
dipole cut to frequency, on a Wavetek SAM I meter.

Thanks.

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gary@ke4zv.UUCP (Gary Coffman) (05/08/91)

In article <1991Apr22.175309.8199@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu> stigall@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (john stigall) writes:
>
>With all the recent talk about RF exposure, does anyone have a feel for
>how much RF is too much for long term exposure at 525 MHz? What I have
>been working on is consulting for a family that lives under a channel 23
>T.V. station. Measured signal strength is +50 to +60 dBmv (+60 is 1 volt)
>in and around the house and property. This was measured using a folded
>dipole cut to frequency, on a Wavetek SAM I meter.

The OSHA limit is 10 mw/cm^2 and the new ANSI limit is expected to be
1 mw/cm^2. The .0003 mw/cm^2 levels you are measuring are well within 
both limits.

In the past, the primary concern has been with RF heating effects in
human tissue, especially the lens of the eye. The levels you are seeing
are completely safe in that respect. Current concerns about long term
exposure to low level RF fields center on the possible genetic effects
caused by the electric field potential across the cell nucleus. These
concerns deal chiefly with very low frequency fields such as the 60
cycle AC power grid. The levels you are measuring are well below the
expected AC field strengths found in typical homes.

Gary KE4ZV