Compare our current international safety standards for mobile phone base stations with recommended guidelines for wireless safety below. Current safety limits are dangerously out of date.
August 2021 Update: On August 13, 2021, the Environmental Health Trust had a historic win challenging the FCC's failure to respond about environmental harm caused by RF.
| Year | Power Density Limit | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966 | 100,000,000 μW/m 2 | ANSI C95.1 | Based on thermal effects |
| 1992 | 10,000,000 μW/m 2 | ANSI/IEEE C95.1-1992 | Based on thermal effects, first recommended by IEEE ten years earlier in 1982. EPA calls it seriously flawed. |
| 1996 | 10,000,000 μW/m 2 5,800,000 μW/m2 | FCC | USA: 5,800 mW/m2 averaged over a 30-minute period (869 MHz), previously recommended in 1986 by NCRP; 10,000 mW/m2 for PCS frequencies(1.85-1.99 GHz) |
| 1998 | 9,000,000 μW/m 2 4,500,000 μW/m2 | ICNIRP | 9000 mW/m2 for 1800 MHz and 4,500 mW/m2 for 900 MHz. 4,500 mW/m2 is the equivalent of 61.0 V/m Prevalent standard |
The units above are provided in μW/m 2 . Check the conversion formulas if you need to convert the units to W/cm 2 or V/m.
The following precautionary guidelines are based on scientific research about biological and health effects at extremely low power densities. These are approximately 9000 times lower than international safety standards, which are based on an outdated dogma maintaining that the only harm of microwaves lies in its thermal effects. Check the Table of Effects to see the levels at which various effects have been reported.
| Year | Power Density Limit | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 1,000μW/m 2 | Salzburg Resolution | Equivalent of 1 mW/m 2 = 0.1 μW/cm 2 = 0.6 V/m ; The recommendation of Salzburg, Austria and now also organizations like BioInitiative and Next-Up. In 2008, Liechtenstein adopts the goal of 0.6 V/m, approximately 1000 μW/m 2 by 2013. Proposed Limit for Public Exposure to Mobile Phone Base Stations |
| 2011 | 170 μW/m 2 | Seletun Scientific Statement 2011 | Equivalent of 0.17 mW/m 2 |
| 2001 | 100 μW/m 2 | EU Parliament STOA 2001 | Equivalent of 100 nW/cm 2 |
| 2002 | 10 μW/m 2 | New Salzburg Precautionary Exposure Limit Outdoor | Equivalent of 10 μW/m 2 =0.06 V/m The recommendation for GSM 900/1800 mobile phone base stations updated by Salzburg Public Health; See also SBM 2008 below. Proposed Target for Personal Precaution |
| 2012 | 3-6 μW/m 2 | Bioinitiative 2012 Recommendation | Equivalent of 0.3-0.6 nW/cm 2 |
| 2002 | 1 μW/m 2 | New Salzburg Precautionary Exposure Limit Indoor | Equivalent of 1 μW/m 2 =0.02 V/m Recommendation for indoor exposures, updated by Salzburg Public Health. Burgerforum 1999 & London Resolution of 2007 agree with the New Salzburg Exposure Limit. |
Click here to see what precautions other governments are recommending for wireless safety.
| No Concern | Slight Concern | Severe concern | Extreme concern |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1μW/m 2 to 10μW/m 2 | 10μW/m 2 to 1000μW/m 2 | > 1000μW/m 2 |
The Oberfranken study evaluated medical complaints of 356 people with long-term radiation in their homes. Above 100 microW/m 2 , only 5-6% of the people did not have adverse health effects. This is a level far below current safety standards. Compare the radiation received from typical Wi-Fi routers and mobile phone base stations by applying the Inverse Square Law.
In terms of power line magnetic fields, ICNIRP regulations allow for a generous AC (alternating current) magnetic field of 100,000 mG in Europe and 83,330 mG in North America. Meanwhile, the Bioinitiative Working Group and Seletun Scientific Panel recommend exposures less than or equal to 1 milligauss, even though this, too, may turn out to be high. See factsheet on power lines.
| No Concern | Slight Concern | Severe concern | Extreme concern |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 mG to 1 mG | 1 mG to 5 mG | > 5 mG |
As a reference point, Powerwatch notes that the average level in houses in the UK is 0.5 milligauss. Nevertheless, I have definitely seen homes or apartments with higher levels than this.
| No Concern | Slight Concern | Severe concern | Extreme concern |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 to 100 mV | 100 to 1000 mV | > 1000 mV |