Page last updated: 06/01/08
Human Exposure Standards
Human exposure guidelines provide recommended limits for the public and workers that are intended to provide protection against all established health hazards.
It is important to emphasize that exposure limits are not emission limits, the former apply to locations accessible to workers or members of the general public. Thus, it is possible to achieve compliance by limiting access to areas where the exposure limits are exceeded.
The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) developed guidelines that are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
The ICNIRP guidelines were developed following reviews of the scientific literature, including thermal and non-thermal effects, and are designed to provide protection against all established health hazards.
The ICNIRP guidelines have been widely adopted in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. A similar standard developed by the IEEE International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety (ICES) has been used in the Americas. China and Russia currently use standards that are fundamentally different to ICNIRP or ICES.
IEEE Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz to 300 GHz, IEEE Std C95.1-2005
Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Time-Varying Electric, Magnetic, and Electromagnetic Fields (up to 300 GHz), International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), Health Physics 74(4):494-522, April 1998
Guidance on complying with limits for human exposure to electromagnetic fields, International Telecommunications Union
(ITU) Recommendation K.52 (12/04)
Standards and Guidelines, World Health Organization (WHO) International EMF Project