Human Exposure to RF

Electromagnetic Fields:
Policies of the U.S. Federal
Communications Commission

Robert F. Cleveland, Jr., Ph.D.

Office of Engineering and Technology
U.S. Federal Communications Commission
Washington, DC, USA

Workshop on Mobile Telephony and Health

Tokyo, Japan
15 November 2006
U.S. FEDERAL
COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION

9 FCC licenses or authorizes

telecommunications
services in the United
States including
radio/television
broadcast stations,
wireless base stations,
satellite communications,
amateur radio, etc.
 Review of FCC RF
exposure guidelines and
regulations
 FCC RF exposure
guidelines apply to all
FCC-regulated sources

general public/consumers

& workers
Evaluation of compliance &
controlling exposure required
for:
¾ FIXED ANTENNAS
¾ MOBILE DEVICES (e.g., vehicle mounted)
¾ PORTABLE DEVICES (cell phones)
Wireless base stations
Base stations on rooftops
Transmitter
sites with
multiple
antennas
Radio and
television
broadcast
antennas
Satellite communications antennas
near buildings
 Workers
exposed on
towers
 Cell
phones &
two-way
radios
FCC Web Site for RF Safety:
www.fcc.gov/oet/rfsafety
9 Frequently asked questions
9 Publications, bulletins
9 Legal documents
9 Links to other Web sites
 Joint FDA/FCC Web site on
mobile phone safety
URL: www.fcc.gov/cellphones or www.fda.gov/cellphones
 Federal Local and State
Communications Government
FCC guide Commission Advisory
Committee

to help local
government
A Local Government Official’s Guide to
officials Transmitting Antenna RF Emission Safety:
Rules, Procedures, and Practical Guidance

concerned
about RF
exposure

June 2, 2000
Present FCC guidelines for
human exposure to RF energy
adopted in 1996
 FCC exposure limits based on
NCRP and 1991 IEEE guidelines

¾ NATIONAL COUNCIL ON RADIATION

PROTECTION AND MEASUREMENTS (NCRP)
A non-profit corporation chartered by U.S. Congress
to develop information and recommendations on
radiation protection
¾ INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS
ENGINEERS (IEEE)
An international non-profit technical and professional
society for engineers and scientists
FCC consults with US Government
health/safety agencies regarding RF
exposure issues

EPA: Environmental Protection Agency

FDA: Food and Drug Administration
NIOSH: National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health
OSHA: Occupational Safety and Health
Administration

* RF Inter-agency working group established in

1995 for coordination and consultation
regarding RF exposure issues
 Summary of FCC basic restrictions

FCC Limits for Specific Absorption Rate

SAR (rate of energy absorption)
Occupational / Controlled General Public /
Exposure Uncontrolled Exposure
(100 kHz - 6 GHz) (100 kHz - 6 GHz)

0.4 W/kg whole-body 0.08 W/kg whole-body

8 W/kg partial-body 1.6 W/kg partial-body

SAR → MPE (reference levels)

Basic restrictions for SAR

used to derive limits for
Maximum Permissible
Exposure (MPE) in terms of
power density and field
strength
 FCC guidelines: two exposure
tiers for Maximum Permissible
Exposure (“MPE”)

¾ “Occupational/Controlled” exposure
(workers)

¾ “General Population/Uncontrolled”
exposure (public/consumers)
 Figure 1. FCC Limits for Maximum Permissible Exposure (MPE)
Plane-wave Equivalent Power Density
1,000

Occupational/Controlled Exposure
General Population/Uncontrolled Exposure
100
Power Density (mW/cm2)

10
5

0.2
0.1
0.03 0.3 3 30 300 3,000 30,000 300,000

1.34 1,500 100,000

Frequency (MHz)
Mobile and Portable Device
Compliance Responsibility of
OET Lab
FCC POLICY ON EVALUATION OF
PORTABLE DEVICES
¾ FCC limit for hand-held devices
such as mobile phones is SAR level of
1.6 watts per kilogram (1.6 W/kg) avg
over 1 gm

¾ Based on 1991 IEEE and NCRP

recommended limit)
Procedures for Evaluating
Compliance for Portable RF Devices
Such as Cellular Telephones

¾FCC uses IEEE standard as basis for protocol

for evaluating exposure from cell phones
¾ IEEE standard harmonized with other
standards (IEC standard)
¾ FCC also issued - Supplement C to OET
Bulletin 65 - guidelines on compliance evaluation
 Federal Communications Commission
Office of Engineering & Technology

FCC Supplement C
to Bulletin 65 Evaluating Compliance with FCC
Guidelines for Human Exposure to
incorporates IEEE Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields

1528 Std protocol

Additional Information for Evaluating Compliance of

Mobile and Portable Devices with FCC Limits for
Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Emissions

Supplement C
(Edition 01-01)
to
OET Bulletin 65
(Edition 97-01)
IEEE 1528
Standard
Example SAR Measurement Systems
FCC/IEEE test positions for SAR
measurement
RE

touch → RE LE LE

M M LE

RE

RE LE LE
← tilt
M M 15o
LE
(Source: based on IEEE SCC-34/SC-2, P1528
Draft)
 FCC environmental rules and
regulations in Title 47 of US Code
of Federal Regulations (CFR)
¾ Several environmental issues covered
¾ RF exposure rules:
o Main section: Section 1.1307(b)
o MPE limits: Section 1.1310
o Part 2: mobile/portable device rules
ƒ 2.1091 & 2.1093
o Misc. sections: 15.247, 95.603, etc.
 FCC requirements for RF
safety compliance
9 All transmitting facilities and devices must
comply with RF exposure regulations
9 Routine evaluation for compliance only
required for transmitters that have greatest
potential for exposure over FCC guidelines
9 Other transmitters and devices are
“categorically excluded” from performing
routine evaluations
9 but both public & workers must be protected
Guidance on Federal Communications Commission
Office of Engineering & Technology

evaluating
compliance:
Evaluating Compliance with FCC
FCC OET Guidelines for Human Exposure to
Bulletin 65 Radiofrequency Electromagnetic
Fields

OET Bulletin 65
Edition 97-01

August 1997
Current FCC Notice of Proposed
Rule Making (NPRM) on RF policies
& procedures
 FCC Notice of Proposed
Rule Making (NPRM)

¾ ET Docket 03-137 (FCC 03-132)

¾ NPRM released June 2003
¾ Proposals related to procedures for
evaluating RF compliance
¾ Comments filed available at www.fcc.gov
¾ Not proposal to change exposure limits at
this time
¾ No proposal in NPRM to change
actual limits used for SAR or MPE
¾ NPRM proposals concern
procedures & issues related to RF
compliance
¾ Several proposals for both fixed
antennas and device evaluation
 Major proposals in FCC NPRM
¾ Modify categorical exclusion policies

¾ Revise policies on SAR evaluation of low power devices

¾ Define policies on SAR evaluation of modular transmitters
¾ Application of “occupational/controlled” MPE limits
¾ Labeling requirements for devices
¾ Allow compliance based on whole-body SAR evaluation
¾ Define spatial averaging for field measurements
¾ Procedures for evaluating SAR from medical implants
¾ Other proposals & discussion
Example of one proposal:
define how apply FCC
occupational/controlled
exposure limits
9 NPRM Proposal: add language to
47 CFR 1.1310 reminding licensees &
applicants of obligation to consider
exposure of workers as well as general
public

NPRM identifies new IEEE

C95.7 document as good
source of information for
developing RF compliance
program for workers
 New IEEE
C95.7
Recommended
Practice
 IEEE Recommended Practice for RF
Safety Programs

„ OBJECTIVE: to provide guidance for

implementation of RF safety programs
(RFSP) whenever exposures have the
potential to exceed a defined “action
level” or exposure limit.
IEEE Recommended Practice for RF
Safety Programs

Training is one of most

important parts of an RF
Safety Program (RFSP)
FCC proposals concerning evaluation
of compliance of portable devices

¾ Revise policies on SAR evaluation of

certain low power devices
¾Define policies on SAR evaluation of
modular transmitters
¾ Define labeling requirements for devices
¾ Define procedures for evaluating SAR
from medical implants
Final Order in Docket 03-137:
early to middle 2007
 International Committee on
Electromagnetic Safety

Recent Standards &

Recommendations:
• IEEE C95.1-2005, IEEE Standard for Safety
Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio
Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz to 300
GHz. (Replaces IEEE C95.1-1991)
• IEEE C95.7-2005, IEEE Recommended Practice
for Radio Frequency Safety Programs, 3 kHz to
300 GHz.
New IEEE
exposure
standard
Any FCC action to adopt new
IEEE or ICNIRP exposure
standards would require a new
“Notice of Proposed Rule
Making” (NPRM)
Revision Input from US Consider other
of IEEE Federal health/safety standards
standard agencies (ICNIRP, etc)

Future FCC proposals for changes

in RF exposure guidelines

Issue Notice of Proposed Rule Making

Public Comment

Final adoption of ORDER by Commission

Thank you for your attention.
Any questions?