Motivation

The World Health Organization International EMF project has established a framework for establishing health based standards and has developed a Model Legislation about EMF that provides the legal framework for implementing protection programs against non-ionizing radiation. An important aspect of this Model Legislation is that it is based on international standards that limit EMF exposure of people (such as ICNIRP guidelines) and on international standards addressing the emission of EMF (such as IEC and IEEE standards and ITU Recommendations).

Mobile and radio telecommunication systems are contributing to electromagnetic fields in the environment. Therefore telecommunication operators, manufacturers, government agencies and other entities have to assess (i.e. measure or calculate) the levels of electromagnetic fields emitted to the environment by telecommunication systems and radio terminals and to check if cumulative exposure comply with the applicable national or international EMF legislation (ICNIRP guidelines, IEEE standards).

Question 3/5 considerations will cover guidelines for the protection of people exposed to EMF emitted by wireless telecommunication equipment based on the existing international standards and Recommendations dedicated to electrical, electronic and related technologies, such as those developed by the IEC, IEEE or ITU. These guidelines should provide appropriate support countries in establishing national regulations concerning EMF effects.

The following Recommendations, in force at the time of approval of this Question, fall under its responsibility:

• K.52, K.61 and K.70.

Question

This question has to provide a high level framework for managing the human exposure to EMFs (regulatory practices) emitted by the telecommunication equipment and guidelines for the assessment of human exposure based on the existing standards and recommendations.

To achieve this goal, this question will address measuring techniques, procedures and numerical modeling for evaluating the electromagnetic field due to telecommunication systems and radio terminals.

Study items to be considered include, but are not limited to:

• Site measurements in the real environment of the multiple sources operating on different frequencies and different transmitting antennas
• Use and modelling of different transmitting antennas: broadband antennas, multi-band antennas, antenna systems, smart antennas etc.;
• Approximation associated to various algorithms for validity of electromagnetic field predictions;
• Procedures and guidance on numerical modelling of the electromagnetic fields in the areas around telecommunication transmitting antennas: accuracy, uncertainty, reflections, influence of the human body etc
• Guidance of the field levels that are around transmitting antennas used four various telecommunication systems.
• Guidance based on existing SAR measuring and calculating procedures, techniques and protocols for evaluating the electromagnetic field due to radiocommunication equipment
• Work concerning guidance on the selection of spatial averaging method based on the results of measurements

Tasks

Tasks include, but are not limited to:

• Recommendation for management of human exposure to EMFs emitted to the environment by telecommunication equipment based on existing international standards.
• Activities specified in WTSA-08 Resolution 72 in order to assist developing countries in human exposure assessment.

Maintenance and enhancement of the existing Recommendations K.52, K.61 and K.70. An up-to-date status of work under this Question is contained in the SG 5 Work Program (use URL as shown in the table below).

Relationships

Recommendations:

• K-series

Questions:

• 11/5

Study Groups:

• ITU-R SG 6

Standardization bodies:

• WHO, IEC TC 106, ICNIRP, IEEE ICES, CENELEC TC 106X