{
  "id": "glossary:power-density-units",
  "collection": "glossary",
  "slug": "power-density-units",
  "name": "µW/m², mW/m² and mW/cm²",
  "summary": "Three units for the same RF quantity, spanning ten orders of magnitude: 1 mW/cm² = 10 W/m² = 10,000 mW/m² = 10,000,000 µW/m².",
  "status": "verified",
  "lastVerified": "2026-08-12",
  "data": {
    "definition": "Consumer RF meters report µW/m² or mW/m², ICNIRP uses W/m², and FCC rules use mW/cm². A reading of 10,000 µW/m² is 0.01 W/m², which is 0.001 mW/cm² — one ten-thousandth of the FCC's 10 mW/cm² public limit above 1.5 GHz. Failing to convert is the single most common error in EMF discussion in both directions.",
    "category": "measurement",
    "seeAlso": [
      "quantities:power-density",
      "limits:fcc-mpe-public-1500-100000"
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "nist-si",
      "title": "The International System of Units (SI), NIST Special Publication 330",
      "publisher": "National Institute of Standards and Technology",
      "url": "https://www.nist.gov/pml/special-publication-330",
      "kind": "government",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "id": "fcc-1310",
      "title": "47 CFR § 1.1310 — Radiofrequency radiation exposure limits",
      "publisher": "U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR)",
      "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/section-1.1310",
      "kind": "regulation",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    },
    {
      "id": "icnirp-2020",
      "title": "Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz)",
      "publisher": "International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection",
      "url": "https://www.icnirp.org/en/publications/article/rf-guidelines-2020.html",
      "year": 2020,
      "kind": "guideline",
      "retrieved": "2026-08-12"
    }
  ],
  "links": {
    "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/glossary/power-density-units",
    "html": "https://emfbase.com/glossary/power-density-units",
    "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/glossary/power-density-units.md",
    "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/glossary"
  }
}