User's Manual
5.3
5.1 MICROWAVE RF EMISSIONS
Traffic radar operators may have some questions about the
biological effects of exposure to the microwave energy
produced by the radar devices. According to all credible
evidence, the emission levels resulting from traffic radar
use pose no threat whatsoever, either to the radar operator
or to target vehicle occupants.
One widely recognized authority for safe limits of
nonionizing radiation exposure is the American National
Standards Institute, which recommends maximum exposure
levels for the frequencies on which Kustom traffic radar
systems operate (ANSI/IEEE C95.1-1999, "Standard for
Safety Levels With Respect to Human Exposure to Radio
Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz to 300 GHz").
These exposure levels, expressed in terms of power density,
are 10 mW/cm
2
for K-band and Ka-band radar units.
Similarly, the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA), a division of the U.S. Department
of Labor, recommends a 10 mW/cm
2
exposure limit for
both frequency bands ("Radiation Protection Guide", 29
CFR, Chapter XVII, Subpart G, Part 1910.97). This limit
is clearly accepted by most reputable scientific and medical
authorities.
Kustom radar systems utilize microwave transmitters that
produce aperture power densities, measured directly at the
face of the antenna, in the range of approximately 0.1 to 2.3
mW/cm
2
. Typical levels for the vast majority of units are
in the 0.4 to 1.0 mW/cm
2
range, which is but a small
fraction of the recognized safe limits. Bear in mind that
these are level measurements taken directly in the main
beam of the antenna, and that the power densities produced
at the sides and rear of the unit are typically at least one
hundred times lower than in the main beam.