One of the better understood biological effects of electromagnetic fields is to cause heating. It is this principal which is used to heat food in microwave ovens.
This heating effect varies with the power and the frequency of the electromagnetic energy. A commonly used measure of this heating effect is the specific absorption rate or SAR. A number of national governments and other bodies have established safe limits for exposure to various frequencies of electromagnetic energy based on SAR, in turn generally based on ICNIRP guidelines, with a view to guarding against thermal damage.
Other less well characterised effects of exposure to EMF include damage to the component of cells used to encode genetic information, DNA. The fundamental mechanisms of this interaction between biological material and EMF are not fully understood, however, the effects do not appear to occur when levels of exposure are below safe levels of exposure as currently established by the ICNIRP.
EMC Services has long followed published research into these effects and the establishment of safe levels of exposure and is uniquely placed to be able to advise on the safe implementation of such guidelines.