The effect of frequency and grounding on whole-body absorption of humans in E-polarized radiofrequency fields

✍ Scribed by Dr. Douglas A. Hill

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 821 KB
• Volume: 5
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0197-8462
• DOI: 10.1002/bem.2250050203

✦ Synopsis

The radiofrequency absorption rates of five male human volunteers have been measured from 3 to 41 MHz. The subjects were exposed at about 10 pW/cm2 inside a very large transverse electromagnetic (TEM) cell and never absorbed more than 1 W. Both the EKH and EHK orientations were employed under both free-space and grounded conditions. Absorption rates for the EKH orientation exceed those of the EHK orientation by 40% in free space, but only by 6% when grounded. The absorption rates for the grounded men vary with frequency, f, as f'.9 from 3 to 25 MHz and then level off at the peak. The freespace absorption rates vary as f'.' from 3 to 18 MHz and as f2.9 from 18 to 41 MHz. The average measured absorption rates at 10 MHz exceed the average of the standard model calculations by a factor of three (for free space) or four (grounded). The average man, when exposed grounded in an EKH orientation to the maximum permitted exposure levels under ANSI standard C95.1-1982, will absorb 0.58 f 0.14 Wlkg over most of the 3 to 41-MHz frequency range. This slightly exceeds the whole-body maximum of 0.40 W/kg underlying the standard.