Comparing Standards for general public RF exposure levels

(900 and 1800 MHz are the two main existing UK mobile phone bands)

Prepared by Alasdair Philips, Technical Director, Powerwatch, June 2000

Multiple signals should be added together, as the square root of the sum of squares of the individual signals.

Figures in bold in the table below are the main units given in the guidance.

‘Near-field’ levels next to a working mobile phone handset vary enormously depending on the antenna design

but can often exceed the electric field and power density levels set in the general exposure standards 

 

General Public Levels

Frequency
MHz

E field
V/m

Power
W/m2

Power
m W/cm2

NRPB, 1993
(Current UK Investigation Levels)

900
1800

112
194

33
100

3300
10000

FCC OET65:1997-01 (USA)
based on ANSI/IEEE C95.1-1992

900
1800

47
61

6
10

600
1000

Canadian Safety Code 6
(SC6) 1993

900
1800

47
61

6
10

600
1000

ICNIRP, 1998 (recognised by WHO)
CENELEC, 1995 (EU)

900
1800

41
58

4.5
9

450
900

Australia 1988 (under review)

900 / 1800

27

2

200

Two USA research bases (1995)

30 - 100000

19

1

100

Poland (non-stationary people)
(stationary people)

300 - 300000

19
6

1
0.1

100
10

Russia 1988 (general public)

300 - 300000

6

0.1

10

Italy, Decree 381 (1999)

30 - 30000

6

0.1

10

Toronto Health Board
2000, proposal based on SC6/100

900
1800

5
6

0.06
0.1

6
10

Swiss Ordinance ORNI ( for base
stations ) From 1st.Feb.2000

900
1800

4
6

not
specified

not
specified

EU & UK EMC Regulations equipment
suscept test level (domestic & comm.)

30 - 2000

3

not
specified

not
specified

Typical max in public areas near base station masts (can be much higher)

900 & 1800

2

0.01

1

City of Salzburg, Austria, 1998

300 - 300000

0.62

0.001

0.1

Dr Cherry (NZ) proposal for now

300 - 300000

0.28

0.0002

0.02

Average US (EPA 1980)----->
City Dweller max (FCC 1999)----->

approx
30 - 300000

< 0.13
< 2

< 0.00005
< 0.01

< 0.005
< 1

Broadband ‘natural’ background

300 - 3000

< 0.00003

< 0.00000001

< 0.000001

** Typical, close to handset antenna

900 & 1800

50 - 300

2 - 50

200 - 5000