Australian ARPANSA has released a consultation draft of the new safety standard for exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields

1 September, 2020.

ARPANSA has released a consultation draft of the new safety standard for exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic energy – also known as radio waves.

The new safety standard will replace ARPANSA’s existing standard for radio waves: Radiation Protection Standard for Maximum Exposure Levels to Radiofrequency Fields - 3 kHz to 300 GHz (2002).

The standard is based on guidelines published by the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and supported by the World Health Organization.

ICNIRP released new guidelines for radiofrequency radiation protection in March 2020.

In line with the ICNIRP guidelines, the exposure limits set in the draft ARPANSA safety standard are similar to those in the 2002 standard, with some refinements. These refinements take into account current scientific knowledge of how radio waves are absorbed within the body.

The draft safety standard is applicable to all sources of radio waves including the 5G mobile network and future telecommunications.

The consultation will be open from 31 August until 30 September 2020.

URL: https://www.arpansa.gov.au/news/new-draft-safety-standard-radio-wave-exposure