ITU standards and guidelines
Overview of the ITU
ITU (International Telecommunication Union) is the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies – ICTs. For nearly 150 years, ITU has coordinated the shared global use of the radio spectrum, promoted international cooperation in assigning satellite orbits, worked to improve communication infrastructure in the developing world, and established the worldwide standards that foster seamless interconnection of a vast range of communications systems. From broadband networks to new-generation wireless technologies, aeronautical and maritime navigation, radio astronomy, satellite-based meteorology and converging fixed-mobile phone, Internet and broadcasting technologies, ITU is committed to connecting the world.
The Plenipotentiary Conference which is the top policy-making body of the ITU approved Resolution 176 Human exposure to and measurement of electromagnetic fields (Busan, 2014).
Within the Telecommunication Standardization Sector (ITU-T) of ITU, ITU-T Study Group 5 (SG5) is the lead study group on ICT environmental aspects of electromagnetic phenomena and climate change.
SG5's Working Party 2 studies EMF issues under Question 7/5: "Human exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) due to radio systems and mobile equipment". The resulting international standards (ITU-T Recommendations) provide high-level frameworks for the management of human exposure to EMFs emitted by telecommunication equipment (best practice regulatory guidelines), and also offer guidelines for the assessment of human exposure based on existing ITU-T Recommendations and standards produced by other standards development organizations (SDOs).
To achieve these goals, Question 7/5 looks at measuring techniques, procedures and numerical models for evaluating the electromagnetic fields stemming from telecommunication systems and radio terminals.
Recommendation ITU-T K.52 - "Guidance on complying with limits for human exposure to electromagnetic fields"
Find supporting ammendments and software here.
Recommendation ITU-T K.61 - "Guidance on measurement and numerical prediction of electromagnetic fields for compliance with human exposure limits for telecommunication installations"
Recommendation ITU-T K.70 - "Mitigation techniques to limit human exposure to EMFs in the vicinity of radiocommunication stations"
Find supporting ammendments and software here.
EMF Estimator is a software application that implements the methodology described in ITU-T K.70 to calculate the cumulative radio frequency exposure levels in the vicinity of transmitting antennas.
Recommendation ITU-T K.83 - "Monitoring of electromagnetic field levels"
Find supporting errata here.
Recommendation ITU-T K.90 - "Evaluation techniques and working procedures for compliance with exposure limits of network operator personnel to power-frequency electromagnetic fields"
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Recommendation ITU-T K.91 - "Guidance for assessment, evaluation and monitoring of human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields"
Find supporting software here.
Recommendation ITU-R BS.1698 - "Evaluating fields from terrestrial broadcasting transmitting systems operating in any frequency band for assessing exposure to non-ionizing radiation"
Report ITU-D Question 23/1 - "Strategies and policies concerning human exposure to Electromagnetic fields"
ITU-R Handbook - "Spectrum Monitoring"