Is it safe to be exposed to SHF or EHF for a very long time?

[Miss Amy]

Is it safe to be exposed to SHF or EHF for a very long time? Like, hypothetically, there was an ear device in my ear that operated in the SHF or EHF frequency band. Would it be safe for me to use it for a long time especially since they're microwave bands(?). Are microwave bands bad for you? I read that they're within 30MHz to 300GHz, which includes VHF and UHF as well. It shouldn't be too bad, could it?

Also, between the two bands, how often is SHF and EHF used in a civilian area (including suburban, city, and airport)?

Can they also pass through some flesh and bone without disappearing completely?

Thanks in advance.

 

[berkeman]

Like, hypothetically, there was an ear device in my ear that operated in the SHF or EHF frequency band.

Why would you have an RF transmitter in your ear?

 

[sophiecentaur]

Why would you have an RF transmitter in your ear?

Ha Ha. You couldn't hear yourself think!
I thought all the hoo haah about personal radio sources was put to bed some while ago. A 100mW transmitter couldn't work continuously for long in a hand held device. One hour's exposure to the heating effect would give just 0.367kJ. Putting a wooden pad over your cheek would cause a bigger temperature rise than from the phone.
I suspect that much of the 'injury' that people complain about is due to physics rubbing against the skin.

 

[essenmein]

I thought the issue with radiation was more to do with the frequency that the little photons wiggle with when they hit something, if they are wiggling fast enough then they tend to knock the wee electrons off of their mommy atoms and then bad things happen? I don't think you want too many of those nasty photons. Basically once you go above the higher end of the UV spectrum is where those problems start, microwave off course doesn't even make it into the visible spectrum.

Or, you get hit with lots and lots of lower wiggle rate photons, that can also cause problems, but those are problems that generally come with being "cooked" regardless of the heat source, and you need a lot of power for that because water takes many joules to change temperature.

 

[russ_watters]

Why would you have an RF transmitter in your ear?

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/plantronics-m95-bluetooth-headset-black/5709005.p?skuId=5709005&ref=212&loc=1&extStoreId=448&gclsrc=aw.ds&ds_rl=1255843&ds_rl=1260579&ds_rl=1266837&ref=212&loc=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAwc7jBRD8ARIsAKSUBHKRqjVvUOm1QMfRA6Y-j8HVMl5dnV0SFOEhnZ1X0hWJ1Nwp_vQbbH8aAkDVEALw_wcB

...or is that an "in" vs "on" objection?

 

[davenn]

frequency that the little photons wiggle with when

photons don't wriggle

 

[essenmein]

photons don't wriggle

I mean how can they, they have no time.

 

[davenn]

Is it safe to be exposed to SHF or EHF for a very long time?

depends on the power level and your definition of "a long time"
and since you have told us nothing about this RF source, its pretty difficult for anyone to give you a decent answer

 

[davenn]

I mean how can they, they have no time.

Sorry, but that response, as with your previous post doesn't make much sense

 

[essenmein]

Sorry, but that response, as with your previous post doesn't make much sense

Photons travel at the speed of light, therefore experience zero time over their journey, however long or far it is from our perspective.

Then the issue with electromagnetic radiation causing problems in humans is generally due to the secondary ionizing aspect, which only happens at a sufficiently high energy level, or wavelength, or frequency (wiggle rate), you don't need many of these high energy photons to start causing problems, or its direct heating where you need a lot of power (lots of photons).

 

[davenn]

Photons travel at the speed of light, therefore experience zero time over their journey, however long or far it is from our perspective.

that's basically true, but don't forget, photons are not little bullets zipping along at high speed, they are quantum packets of energy

But it is not relevant to the topic of the thread

Then the issue with electromagnetic radiation causing problems in humans is generally due to the secondary ionizing aspect, which only happens at a sufficiently high energy level, or wavelength,

this is true but again, not relevant to the topic that stated SHF to EHF

(wiggle rate),

PLEASE stop using that termDave

 

[essenmein]

this is true but again, not relevant to the topic that stated SHF to EHF

I thought the question was re human harm due to long term exposure to SHF or EHF, my point was meant to be, neither are short enough wavelength (or enough energy, I shan't mention their wiggle) to fall into the ionizing radiation category, therefore my understanding is that any harm can only come from direct heating, which requires power.

 

[davenn]

therefore my understanding is that any harm can only come from direct heating, which requires power.

correct, which is why I stated that to the OP in a previous post

 

[Drakkith]

Is it safe to be exposed to SHF or EHF for a very long time? Like, hypothetically, there was an ear device in my ear that operated in the SHF or EHF frequency band. Would it be safe for me to use it for a long time especially since they're microwave bands(?). Are microwave bands bad for you? I read that they're within 30MHz to 300GHz, which includes VHF and UHF as well. It shouldn't be too bad, could it?

The consensus of the professional scientific and medical communities is that low intensity radio/microwave radiation poses no known danger to human health. As far as I'm aware, the rates of cancer and other diseases that could be linked to non-ionizing radiation have not increased significantly even though the use of transmitters (cells phones, wifi, cell towers, etc) has increased a thousand-fold or more in the last few decades.

That's about as close to a "no, there's no danger" as you can get in medicine.

Can they also pass through some flesh and bone without disappearing completely?

Yes they can.

 

[The Electrician]

Also, between the two bands, how often is SHF and EHF used in a civilian area (including suburban, city, and airport)?
.

We can expect 60 GHz RF to become more common in our everyday environment:

https://www.electronicdesign.com/in...m=email&elq2=41719d4ae3ad4ac4896eac3f28271358