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ARLB043 RF effects docket
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ARRL Bulletin 43  ARLB043
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT  April 15, 1993
To all radio amateurs

The FCC has released a Notice of Proposed Rule Making to update
guidelines and methods used for evaluating the environmental
effects of radiofrequency radiation, based on new RF exposure
standards adopted by the American National Standards Institute,
in conjunction with the Institute of Electronic and Electrical
Engineers, in 1992.

In 1985 the FCC adopted 1982 ANSI guidelines, which resulted in
some transmitting facilities being required to prepare an
Environmental Assessment if they would expose humans to RF levels
greater than those recommended by the guidelines.  Under the 1985
guidelines many low-power, intermittent, or normally inaccessible
RF facilities were excluded from the FCC's rules, including Amateur
Radio stations.

The new, 1992 ANSI guidelines in many respects are more restrictive
in the amount of RF permitted and they also extend the frequency
range under consideration from 3 kHz to 300 GHz.  The new
guidelines also specify two sets of exposure recommendations, one
for "controlled environments" (usually involving workers) and one
for "uncontrolled environments" (usually involving the general
public).

Hand-held devices are treated for the first time in the new ANSI
guidelines.  The 1982 guidelines included exclusions for devices
that did not exceed a "specific absorption rate" (SAR) or whose
input was 7 watts or less.  The 1992 guidelines also contain
low-power exclusions, but they are more stringent and could require
manufacturers to demonstrate compliance with SAR requirements.

The comment date in this docket, ET 93-62, is August 13, 1993.
The reply comment date is September 13, 1993.
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