
People often ask about the possible health effects on the human body caused by exposure to microwaves in all industries, from broadcasting, to satellite communications and radar to security barriers like those offered by CIAS.
QUESTION: Are microwave detectors used to create external and internal perimeter barriers, for the purposes of security, harmful to our health?
As a manufacturer of quality microwave intrusion detectors, CIAS strongly advises 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 following authoritative bodies that have studied the effects of human exposure to radio frequencies and have published 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
50 cm from the detector
equal to 1/1,250 of the ICNIRP limit
0,0002
mW/cm2
100 cm from the detector
equal to 1/5,000 of the ICNIRP limit
0,00005
mW/cm2
200 cm from the detector
equal to 1/20,000 of the ICNIRP limit
The power density of a CIAS detector for external protection is approximately:
0,008
mW/cm2
50 cm from the detector
equal to 1/125 of the ICNIRP limit
0,002
mW/cm2
100 cm from the detector
equal to 1/500 of the ICNIRP limit
0,0005
mW/cm2
200 cm from the detector
equal to 1/2,000 of the ICNIRP limit
It is evident from the values shown above, that they are much lower (from 2 to more than 4 orders of magnitude) than those, already prudent, deemed safe by an institution as the ICNIRP group. It should be noted that the actual conditions of use of intrusion detectors never led to a continuous exposure: that is, detectors for internal protection with a regular and 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.??? Switched off – not sure what that means.
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 or for any great length of time; rather they will stay only for the time necessary to cross the protection zone (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 at a time), 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 cut if half 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.