IEC Technical
Committee 106 (TC106) was established in 1999 to develop international
standards for the assessment of human exposure to
electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields, over the frequency
range of 0 Hz to 300 GHz. Methods of assessment include
measurement and numerical analysis. Included are basic (horizontal)
standards and product (vertical) standards for the assessment of
exposure to the fields produced by specific sources (in so far as this
task is not carried out by specific IEC product committees). TC106
does not develop mitigation methods (these are dealt with by the
relevant IEC product committees), nor does it develop safety limits.
However, TC106 standards may be used to assess compliance with the
basic restrictions and derived limits (i.e., maximum permissible
exposure and reference levels, such as incident electric and magnetic
fields, RF power density, induced and contact current) found in
international safety standards and guidelines, such as IEEE Standard
C95.1-2005 and the 1998 ICNIRP guidelines.
Representatives of the national committees of 26 countries participate
on TC106, including Mexico; 8 additional countries are observers,
including Brazil. Canada is the Secretariat, the chairman is from the
USA, the secretary and assistant secretary are from Canada and
Germany, respectively. TC106 contains the following five working
groups; WG1—standards for the measurement and calculation of electric
and magnetic fields and induced currents over the frequency range of 0
to approximately 100 kHz (horizontal standards); WG2—standards for the
characterization of electric and magnetic fields from specific devices
over the same frequency range (vertical standards); WG3 and
WG4—horizontal and vertical standards, respectively, over the
frequency range of approximately 100 kHz to 300 GHz; and WG5—generic
standards (general applications and practices) over the entire
frequency range.
Within each working group are one or more project teams, each of which
is responsible for the development of a specific standard within the
scope of the working group. WG4 project teams should be of particular
interest to CITEL members, particularly PT62209 (Human exposure
to radio frequency [RF] fields from hand-held and body-mounted
wireless communication devices – Human models, instrumentation, and
procedures; Part 1: Hand-held mobile wireless communication devices,
and Part 2: Procedure to determine the SAR for two-way radios,
wireless palmtop terminals, wireless desktop terminals, and wireless
body-mounted devices including accessories and multiple transmitters
in the frequency band 30 MHz - 6 GHz.) Part 1 was published in 2005
as an international standard (extends only to 3 GHz); Part 2 is now in
committee draft form and is expected to be published sometime during
the next two years, including the extension of Part 1 (to 6 GHz).
The work of WG4
PT62232 (Determination of RF fields in the vicinity of mobile
communication base stations for the purpose of evaluating human
exposure) should also be of interest. This draft standard
describes measurement and calculation methods used
to evaluate RF fields from mobile radio base stations (RBS) with the
objective of evaluating compliance of these installations with
appropriate international standards, guidelines, and regulations that
limit human exposure to RF fields. The current draft includes
measurement methods and analytical techniques for
assessing the RF exposure levels from a single RBS. Measurement and
computation methods for multiple RBS locations and for other RF
transmitters that may be present at the point of observation are being
considered, perhaps for inclusion as an informative annex. This
standard will enable assessments based on worst-case parameters such
as maximum radiated power during the peak of wireless transmission
activity and over an extended period of time where such maximum
conditions might occur. The objective is to provide a reliable
methodology for evaluating field strength to facilitate
comparison with relevant compliance limits, and to
provide appropriate information to communicate to the public in
order to address safety concerns about such installations.
Sections are included that address the selection of an appropriate
strategy based on the purpose of the survey (e.g., community driven,
compliance), the accuracy and availability of source data, where/when
to evaluate, and, based on the situation, whether measurements or
calculations are appropriate. Measurement methods (e.g., broadband,
narrowband) are discussed as are computational methods including
ray-tracing, the cylindrical model, and full-wave analysis, including
the applicability, strength and weaknesses of each method.
In conclusion, IEC
TC106 develops standards for assessing human exposure to electric,
magnetic and electromagnetic fields over the frequency range of 0 Hz
to 300 GHz. The standards address products not covered by other IEC
standards and generic standards that can be used for conformity
assessment with regard to the basic restrictions and derived limits of
contemporary RF safety standards, guidelines and regulations. TC106
works closely through liaisons with other international committees,
e.g., IEEE, ITU, and CENELEC, to ensure harmonization.
Detailed information about IEC TC106 can be found
at Internet site:
http://www.iec.ch/cgi-bin/procgi.pl/www/iecwww.p?wwwlang=E&wwwprog=TCboard.p&committee=SC&TC=106&submit=Submit
R. C. Petersen
Chairman
IEC TC106
Additional Information: PCC.II has a
Rapporteur Group on the Technical and Regulatory Aspects Related
to the Effects of Electromagnetic Non-Ionizing Emissions that is
considering this issue. The Rapporteur is Mr. Héctor Carril
([email protected]).
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