Assessment of exposure to RF EMF from smart meters in GB; part II) numerical assessment of SAR within human body

2017 · No effect · Low evidence

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No effectLow evidencePaper 2215

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2017

Study typeexposure_assessment

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Assessment of exposure to RF EMF from smart meters in GB; part II) numerical assessment of SAR within human body Qureshi MRA, Alfadhl Y, Chen X, Peyman A, Maslanyj M, Mann S. Assessment of exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields from smart utility meters in GB; part II) numerical assessment of induced SAR within the human body. Bioelectromagnetics. 2017 Nov 16. Abstract Human body exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic waves emitted from smart meters was assessed using various exposure configurations. Specific energy absorption rate distributions were determined using three anatomically realistic human models. Each model was assigned with age- and frequency-dependent dielectric properties representing a collection of age groups. Generalized exposure conditions involving standing and sleeping postures were assessed for a home area network operating at 868 and 2,450 MHz. The smart meter antenna was fed with 1 W power input which is an overestimation of what real devices typically emit (15 mW max limit). The highest observed whole body specific energy absorption rate value was 1.87 mW kg-1, within the child model at a distance of 15 cm from a 2,450 MHz device. The higher values were attributed to differences in dimension and dielectric properties within the model. Specific absorption rate (SAR) values were also estimated based on power density levels derived from electric field strength measurements made at various distances from smart meter devices. All the calculated SAR values were found to be very small in comparison to International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection limits for public exposure. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Also see: Health Experts Caution About Smart Meters

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeexposure_assessment

Effect directionno_effect

PopulationNot supplied

Sample size3

ExposureRF

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Numerical simulations using three anatomically realistic human models assessed SAR for home area network smart meter exposures at 868 and 2,450 MHz under standing and sleeping configurations. With a 1 W antenna feed (noted as an overestimate vs a 15 mW max limit), the highest whole-body SAR reported was 1.87 mW/kg in the child model at 15 cm from a 2,450 MHz device; calculated SAR values were described as very small compared with ICNIRP public exposure limits.

Outcomes measured

Specific absorption rate (SAR) distributions
Whole-body SAR
Comparison to ICNIRP public exposure limits

Limitations

Antenna feed power set to 1 W, stated to be an overestimation relative to typical smart meter emissions (15 mW max limit)
Numerical modeling study; results depend on model assumptions (anatomical models, dielectric properties, exposure configurations)
Only three human models were used

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "exposure_assessment",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "smart meter",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": 3,
  "outcomes": [
    "Specific absorption rate (SAR) distributions",
    "Whole-body SAR",
    "Comparison to ICNIRP public exposure limits"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Numerical simulations using three anatomically realistic human models assessed SAR for home area network smart meter exposures at 868 and 2,450 MHz under standing and sleeping configurations. With a 1 W antenna feed (noted as an overestimate vs a 15 mW max limit), the highest whole-body SAR reported was 1.87 mW/kg in the child model at 15 cm from a 2,450 MHz device; calculated SAR values were described as very small compared with ICNIRP public exposure limits.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Antenna feed power set to 1 W, stated to be an overestimation relative to typical smart meter emissions (15 mW max limit)",
    "Numerical modeling study; results depend on model assumptions (anatomical models, dielectric properties, exposure configurations)",
    "Only three human models were used"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "smart meters",
    "radiofrequency electromagnetic fields",
    "RF EMF",
    "SAR",
    "whole-body SAR",
    "home area network",
    "868 MHz",
    "2450 MHz",
    "ICNIRP",
    "numerical assessment",
    "human models"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "smart-meters",
      "weight": 0.95,
      "reason": "Study assesses RF EMF exposure and SAR from smart utility meters."
    }
  ]
}

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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: Not supplied
PubMed: Not supplied

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