Compliance Assessment of the Epithelial or Absorbed Power Density Below 10 GHz Using SAR Measurement Systems

Theodoros Samaras, Andreas Christ, and Niels Kuster, Bioelectromagnetics, September 2021, Volume 42, Issue 6, Pages 484–490, online 15 June 2021; https://doi.org/10.1002/bem.22355

The introduction of new dosimetric quantities, in particular, epithelial or absorbed power density for frequencies above 6 GHz, in exposure guidelines and safety standards requires the development of new experimental assessment procedures for compliance testing. In this study, we propose to approximate the peak spatial-average absorbed power density (psS_ab) using the same measured data and algorithms that are used for determining the peak spatial-average specific absorption rate (psSAR), which is currently limited to frequencies up to 10 GHz. The uncertainty component for the transformation of psSAR to psS_ab was evaluated as less than 0.55 dB (13.5%). The approach is easy to implement and allows determination of compliance with the basic restrictions of the latest safety guidelines. In the next project, we will expand dosimetric probes, phantoms, and procedures for frequencies above 10 GHz.

The scientific and technical impact of the study can be summarized as:

• The latest safety standards have been adapted for compliance testing of handheld wireless devices 
• Rapid and reliable methods for assessment of new dosimetric quantities introduced by the latest exposure guidelines/standards are proposed
• Measurement protocols for exposure compliance have been expanded to the millimeter wave frequency range

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