Human exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) due to digital technologies
(Continuation of Question 3/5)
Motivation
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and digital technologies including telecommunications systems, radiocommunication systems, radio terminals and other electrical equipment and systems contribute to electromagnetic fields in the environment.Telecommunications operators, manufacturers and governments, as well as other compliance entities have to assess (i.e. measure or calculate) and verify if the levels of electromagnetic fields emitted to the environment by ICTs and digital technologies comply with human exposure guidelines and limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).This Question will develop standards (ITU-T Recommendations) and guidelines for the protection of people exposed to EMF emitted by ICTs and digital technologies taking into consideration the existing EMF international standards and Recommendations dedicated to electrical, electronic and related technologies.These Recommendations and guidelines should provide appropriate support to countries in establishing national regulations concerning assessment, evaluation, compliance and monitoring of RF EMF.
Taking into consideration the need to assess the levels of EMFs to which employees may be exposed to EMF, this Question will develop standards, guidelines, technical papers and methodologies for compliance with exposure limits of workers to electromagnetic fields including power supplies.
The following Recommendations and Supplements, in force at the time of approval of this Question, fall under its responsibility:
- ITU-T K.52, K.61, K.70, K.83, K.90, K.91, K.100, K.113, K.121, K.122, K.145;
- K-series Supplements 1, 4, 9, 13, 14, 16, 19 and 20.
Question
The purpose of this Question is to develop international standards (ITU-T Recommendations) and guidelines concerning construction and maintenance, use of radiocommunication installations and proper use of devices and information on factors affecting exposure from devices in order to assure compliance with RF EMF limits. These Recommendations and guidelines should provide appropriate support to countries in establishing national regulations concerning assessment and compliance of RF EMF exposure.
The Question will also develop standards, technical papers and methodologies for compliance with exposure limits of general public and workers to electromagnetic fields.
To achieve this goal, this question will address measurement and numerical modelling techniques and procedures for evaluating the electromagnetic fields due to digital technologies including, but not limited to, telecommunication systems, 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 (beam-forming) antennas, MIMO and massive MIMO antennas etc.;
- Approximation associated with various algorithms for determining the 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 on the field levels that occur around transmitting antennas used for various telecommunication systems;
- Guidance based on existing specific absorption rate (SAR) measurement and calculation 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;
- Guidance on Human exposure to RF EMF in which the answers for the frequently asked questions will be provided;
- Guidance on proper, effective and simple communication of EMF to the general public;
- Guidance on the EMF exposure of the workers in the vicinity of telecommunication installations and facilities;
- Guidance concerning assessment, compliance, evaluation and monitoring of human exposure levels when a wireless installation is put into service;
- EMF exposure assessment and compliance of digital technologies, including IoT and 5G, and future evolutions such as 6G systems;
- Consideration of the exposure from non-radiocommunication EMF sources in case that may be considered as ambient sources and should be included in total exposure assessment.
Tasks
Tasks include, but are not limited to:
- Recommendations for management of human exposure to RF EMFs emitted to the environment by digital technologies taking into consideration existing international standards;
- Recommendations related to the measurement and assessment concerns related to human exposure to electromagnetic fields in order to assist developing countries;
- Recommendations and Supplements on effective and simple communication of EMF to the general public;
- Review the outcome and recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) on human exposure guidelines and limits to be published as a monograph in the Environmental Health Criteria Series;
- Assess the impact and potential changes required to the ITU-T Recommendations on RF EMF;
- Recommendations and guidelines for telecommunications operators, manufacturers and, governments, as well as to other compliance entities on the assessment (i.e. measure or calculate) and verification of the levels of electromagnetic fields emitted to the environment in compliance with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended human exposure guidelines and limits;
- Recommendations and guidelines for RF EMF exposure assessment from new and emerging technologies including IoT, 5G and future evolutions such as 6G systems as well as results of measurement, evaluation, monitoring and calculations and overview of the impact on EMF levels;
- Recommendations and guidelines for the assessment of the exposure levels from radiocommunication base stations and antennas;
- Informative documents with EMF exposure from non-radiocommunication sources simultaneously operating close to radiocommunication installations;
- Maintenance and enhancement of the existing Recommendations including ITU-T K.52, K.61, K.70, K.83, K.90, K.91, K.100, K.113, K.121, K.122 and K.145;
- Maintenance and enhancement of the existing ITU-T K-series Supplements 1, 4, 9, 13, 14, 16 and 20.
An up-to-date status of work under this Question is contained in the ITU-T SG5 work programme
(https://www.itu.int/ITU-T/workprog/wp_search.aspx?q=3/5).
Relationships
WSIS Action Lines: Sustainable Development Goals:Recommendations:
Questions:
Study Groups:
- ITU-T SGs
- ITU-R SGs, in particular taking into account the ITU-R studies on EMF measurements to assess human exposure in response to Question ITU-R 239/1
- ITU-D SGs
Standardization bodies:
- WHO
- IEC TC 106
- ICNIRP
- IEEE ICES
- CENELEC TC 106X
