Microwave & Health
R.F. Radiation exposure due to microwave intruder detector
Recently there has been more interest in the possible health effects on the human body caused by exposure to microwaves in all industries, from broadcasting, to satellite communications and radar.
The common question today is whether the microwave detectors that are used to create external and internal perimeter barriers, for the purposes of security, are more or less harmful to our health.
As a manufacturer of quality microwave intrusion detectors, CIAS strongly insists on the fact that there are no adverse effects on the health of the human body due to proximity to such equipment. This assertion is supported by the most authoritative sources who have studied the effects of human exposure to radio frequencies and officially have published the exposure limits beyond which there are possible negative effects on the health of the human body.
One world-wide institution, ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) is, as far as protection from NIR (Non-Ionizing Radiation), the non-governmental organization formally recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the European Union (EU). In particular, recognition by WHO gives worldwide credibility for this institution, who publish a limit, which takes into account appropriate safety factors, for the continuous exposure of the population to a power density of 1 mW/cm2
The Power density of a CIAS detector for indoor protection is approximately:
| 0,0008 | mW/cm2 | at 50 cm from detector | equal to 1/1.250 of ICNIRP limit |
| 0,0002 | mW/cm2 | at 100 cm from detector | equal to 1/5.000 of ICNIRP limit |
| 0,00005 | mW/cm2 | at 200 cm from detector | equal to 1/20.000 of ICNIRP limit |
The Power density of a CIAS detector for external protection is approximately:
| 0,008 | mW/cm2 | at 50 cm from detector | equal to 1/125 of ICNIRP limit |
| 0,002 | mW/cm2 | at 100 cm from detector | equal to 1/500 of ICNIRP limit |
| 0,0005 | mW/cm2 | at 200 cm from detector | equal to 1/2.000 of ICNIRP limit |
It is evident from the values shown, that they are much lower (from 2 to more than 4 orders of magnitude) than those, already prudent, deemed safe by an institution as authoritative ICNIRP. It should be added that the actual conditions of use of intrusion detectors never lead to a continuous exposure: detectors for internal protection that provide for the permanent presence of people, for a period of several hours in the same environment, can be completely switched off and therefore radiate nothing at all.
In outdoor environments, however, there is no need to turn off the detectors, since people are not expected to stay in the detection path permanently, only for the time necessary to cross the protection (a few seconds). Furthermore, the distance from the source of electromagnetic energy is generally much higher than 2 metres. Just 10 meters away from the source of electromagnetic energy, the power density of a CIAS barrier is less than 0.00002 mW/cm2; that is 50,000 times lower than the limit set by the WHO. Therefore, considering the duration of exposure (a few seconds ), the level of exposure is completely insignificant.
In any case, it should be considered that these measurements, referring to power density, are calculated on the exact TX-RX line. Moving even just 5 ° from the latter, the power is halved and then rapidly decreases to much lower values.
In view of all these considerations, we can say that there are no health problems when in "contact" with the microwaves from CIAS intrusion detectors.