The International Electrotechnical Committee recently published a standard that limits the radio waves emitted by mobile phones. Limits on specific absorption rate (SAR)—the rate at which radio frequency energy is absorbed by the human body—are set by organizations like the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The new IEC standard, IEC 62209-1, addresses only measurement methods and doesn’t set SAR limits. It was developed because of the possibility that radio waves can be harmful to mobile phone users.

An existing standard, IEEE 1528, was the first to address the complex issues, instrumentation requirements and uncertainty to performing accurate SAR measurements, according to the IEEE. The old standard, however, doesn’t set specific limits for user exposure to radio waves, but helps wireless device manufacturers and regulators assess compliance with FCC and similar government agencies in other countries.

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