{ "collection": "protocols", "name": "Measurement protocols", "description": "Reproducible measurement procedures: goal, equipment, ordered steps, pitfalls, and the limits to interpret results against.", "count": 7, "dataVersion": "2026.08.1", "lastVerified": "2026-08-12", "license": { "name": "CC BY 4.0", "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" }, "records": [ { "id": "protocols:rf-room-survey", "collection": "protocols", "slug": "rf-room-survey", "name": "RF room survey", "summary": "How to measure radiofrequency exposure in a room so the result is reproducible: peak and average, at body positions, with the dominant direction identified.", "status": "verified", "lastVerified": "2026-08-12", "data": { "aliases": [ "how to measure wifi radiation", "RF survey" ], "goal": "Establish the peak and time-averaged RF power density at the positions people actually occupy, and identify the dominant source.", "quantity": "power-density", "equipment": [ "broadband-rf-meter", "directional-antenna", "spectrum-analyser" ], "steps": [ "Record the meter make, model, frequency range and last calibration date; every reading is meaningless without them.", "Note which transmitters are in the room and leave them in their normal state — do not switch things off yet.", "Set the meter to peak-hold and walk the room slowly, holding the antenna away from your body at head height.", "Record the maximum found, then take fixed readings at the pillow, the desk chair and the sofa position, 30 seconds each in peak-hold.", "Repeat those fixed readings in average mode; report both numbers, since limits are averaged and consumer discussion quotes peaks.", "Rotate slowly at the highest reading to find the direction of arrival, using a directional antenna if available, and note the bearing.", "Switch off internal transmitters one at a time (router, DECT base, cameras) and re-read to separate internal from external contributions.", "Record date, time of day, and weather; outdoor levels vary with network load and propagation." ], "pitfalls": [ "Reporting a peak-hold number as if it were an exposure level comparable to a regulatory limit — limits are time-averaged", "Holding the meter against the body, which blocks and reflects the field", "Using a meter whose lower frequency limit excludes the band you care about, and concluding there is nothing there", "Surveying once, at one time of day, and treating it as the household's exposure", "Not identifying whether the dominant source is inside the building, which determines whether shielding can help at all" ], "interpretAgainst": [ "limits:fcc-mpe-public-1500-100000", "limits:icnirp-2020-public-2-300ghz", "limits:sbm-2024-rf-no-anomaly", "limits:ch-onir-installation-mobile" ], "related": [ "emitters:wifi-router", "meters:broadband-rf-meter" ] }, "sources": [ { "id": "sbm-2024", "title": "Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines for Sleeping Areas (SBM-2024)", "publisher": "Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN)", "url": "https://buildingbiology.com/site/downloads/SBM-2024_EVALUATION_GUIDELINES_EN.pdf", "year": 2024, "kind": "ngo", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" }, { "id": "fcc-oet65", "title": "OET Bulletin 65: Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields", "publisher": "Federal Communications Commission, Office of Engineering and Technology", "url": "https://www.fcc.gov/general/oet-bulletins-line", "year": 1997, "kind": "government", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" }, { "id": "arpansa-base-stations", "title": "Mobile phone base stations and health", "publisher": "Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency", "url": "https://www.arpansa.gov.au/understanding-radiation/radiation-sources/more-radiation-sources/mobile-phone-base-stations", "kind": "government", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" } ], "links": { "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols/rf-room-survey", "html": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/rf-room-survey", "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/rf-room-survey.md", "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols" } }, { "id": "protocols:elf-magnetic-survey", "collection": "protocols", "slug": "elf-magnetic-survey", "name": "ELF magnetic field survey", "summary": "A source-finding walkthrough plus a 24-hour log, because power-frequency magnetic fields track electrical load and a spot reading answers almost nothing.", "status": "verified", "lastVerified": "2026-08-12", "data": { "aliases": [ "how to measure milligauss", "gaussmeter survey" ], "goal": "Find the source of any elevated 50/60 Hz magnetic field and quantify exposure at sleeping and working positions over a full day.", "quantity": "magnetic-flux-density", "equipment": [ "elf-gaussmeter", "data-logger" ], "steps": [ "Record meter model, axis configuration and frequency response.", "Walk the perimeter of each room with the meter at waist height, noting every local maximum and its apparent source.", "Measure at 0.3 m, 1 m and 3 m from each candidate source to confirm the inverse fall-off that identifies a compact source.", "Check the service panel, meter base, and both sides of every wall that backs onto one.", "If readings are elevated everywhere and do not fall off with distance, suspect net current on the neutral or a shared neutral, and involve an electrician.", "Log continuously for at least 24 hours at the pillow position, sampling at least once per second where the instrument allows.", "Report the mean, the night-time mean and the 95th percentile, not just the maximum." ], "pitfalls": [ "Spot-reading at one time of day, when line and household loading vary by several times", "Using a single-axis meter and rotating it inconsistently", "Assuming shielding is the fix; magnetic fields pass through nearly all common materials", "Missing a wiring fault, which is the one cause that raises the whole building and cannot be solved with distance", "Using a 50/60 Hz-only meter near inverters, EV chargers or induction hobs, where the energy is in the kilohertz range" ], "interpretAgainst": [ "limits:sbm-2024-magnetic-bands", "limits:who-elf-leukaemia-association", "limits:icnirp-2010-public-magnetic-50-60", "limits:ch-onir-power-lines" ], "related": [ "emitters:electrical-service-panel", "meters:elf-gaussmeter" ] }, "sources": [ { "id": "sbm-2024", "title": "Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines for Sleeping Areas (SBM-2024)", "publisher": "Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN)", "url": "https://buildingbiology.com/site/downloads/SBM-2024_EVALUATION_GUIDELINES_EN.pdf", "year": 2024, "kind": "ngo", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" }, { "id": "niehs-emf", "title": "Electric and Magnetic Fields", "publisher": "National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences", "url": "https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/emf", "kind": "government", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" }, { "id": "who-elf", "title": "Electromagnetic fields and public health: exposure to extremely low frequency fields", "publisher": "World Health Organization", "url": "https://www.who.int/teams/environment-climate-change-and-health/radiation-and-health/non-ionizing/exposure", "year": 2007, "kind": "government", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" } ], "links": { "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols/elf-magnetic-survey", "html": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/elf-magnetic-survey", "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/elf-magnetic-survey.md", "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols" } }, { "id": "protocols:body-voltage-survey", "collection": "protocols", "slug": "body-voltage-survey", "name": "Body-voltage measurement", "summary": "The building-biology method for grading a sleeping area's AC electric field: a high-impedance millivoltmeter, a hand electrode, and a documented ground reference.", "status": "verified", "lastVerified": "2026-08-12", "data": { "aliases": [ "how to measure body voltage" ], "goal": "Quantify capacitive coupling from building wiring to a person at the sleeping position, and identify which circuits and devices contribute.", "quantity": "body-voltage", "equipment": [ "body-voltage-kit", "ac-electric-field-meter" ], "steps": [ "Establish and document the ground reference: protective earth at a socket, or a dedicated ground rod. Readings are not comparable across different references.", "Lie or sit in the normal sleeping position, holding the hand electrode, with the meter on AC millivolts.", "Record the baseline with the room in its normal night-time state.", "Unplug items one at a time — bedside lamp, charger, extension lead — recording the reading after each.", "Switch off individual circuits at the consumer unit, recording after each, to attribute the remainder to specific circuits.", "Repeat after any mitigation (demand switch, shielded cable, shielding paint) using the identical reference and posture.", "Report the ground reference, posture and circuit states alongside every number." ], "pitfalls": [ "Comparing a reading against someone else's number when the ground reference differs", "Assuming a low body voltage means low magnetic field exposure — the two are independent", "Grounding a shielding surface incorrectly and creating a larger field than before", "Working inside a consumer unit without a qualified electrician" ], "interpretAgainst": [ "limits:sbm-2024-electric-bands" ], "related": [ "emitters:bedroom-wiring-electric-field", "shielding:demand-switch" ] }, "sources": [ { "id": "sbm-2024", "title": "Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines for Sleeping Areas (SBM-2024)", "publisher": "Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN)", "url": "https://buildingbiology.com/site/downloads/SBM-2024_EVALUATION_GUIDELINES_EN.pdf", "year": 2024, "kind": "ngo", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" } ], "links": { "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols/body-voltage-survey", "html": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/body-voltage-survey", "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/body-voltage-survey.md", "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols" } }, { "id": "protocols:sleeping-area-assessment", "collection": "protocols", "slug": "sleeping-area-assessment", "name": "Sleeping-area assessment (full four-quantity survey)", "summary": "The combined survey building-biology practice applies to a bedroom: RF power density, AC magnetic field, AC electric field and body voltage, each graded against its own band.", "status": "verified", "lastVerified": "2026-08-12", "data": { "aliases": [ "bedroom EMF survey", "sleeping area survey" ], "goal": "Produce a single defensible picture of a sleeping area across all four exposure quantities, with mitigation ordered by measured contribution.", "quantity": "power-density", "equipment": [ "broadband-rf-meter", "elf-gaussmeter", "ac-electric-field-meter", "body-voltage-kit", "data-logger" ], "steps": [ "Run the RF room survey, the ELF magnetic survey and the body-voltage measurement in that order, at the pillow position.", "Grade each result against the corresponding SBM-2024 band, and separately against the applicable regulatory limit, and report both.", "Rank the four quantities by how far each sits into its own precautionary band — this ranking, not intuition, determines what to fix first.", "Apply one mitigation at a time and re-measure only the affected quantity before proceeding.", "Re-run the full survey after all mitigations and archive both datasets with dates." ], "pitfalls": [ "Buying shielding before measuring, which is the most common and most expensive mistake", "Fixing the most-discussed source rather than the largest measured one", "Treating SBM precautionary bands as legal limits, or regulatory limits as safety targets — they answer different questions", "Changing several things at once, leaving no way to attribute the improvement" ], "interpretAgainst": [ "limits:sbm-2024-rf-no-anomaly", "limits:sbm-2024-magnetic-bands", "limits:sbm-2024-electric-bands", "limits:europaem-2016-wifi-night" ], "related": [ "organizations:ibn", "protocols:rf-room-survey" ] }, "sources": [ { "id": "sbm-2024", "title": "Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines for Sleeping Areas (SBM-2024)", "publisher": "Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN)", "url": "https://buildingbiology.com/site/downloads/SBM-2024_EVALUATION_GUIDELINES_EN.pdf", "year": 2024, "kind": "ngo", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" }, { "id": "europaem-2016", "title": "EUROPAEM EMF Guideline 2016 for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of EMF-related health problems", "publisher": "European Academy for Environmental Medicine", "url": "https://europaem.eu/en/library/blog-en/97-europaem-emf-guideline-2016", "year": 2016, "kind": "ngo", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" } ], "links": { "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols/sleeping-area-assessment", "html": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/sleeping-area-assessment", "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/sleeping-area-assessment.md", "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols" } }, { "id": "protocols:shielding-verification", "collection": "protocols", "slug": "shielding-verification", "name": "Shielding verification", "summary": "How to prove a shielding measure worked: identical instrument, position and source conditions before and after, reported in dB as well as in absolute units.", "status": "verified", "lastVerified": "2026-08-12", "data": { "aliases": [ "test shielding effectiveness" ], "goal": "Quantify the actual installed attenuation of a shielding measure, rather than relying on the datasheet figure.", "quantity": "attenuation", "equipment": [ "broadband-rf-meter", "spectrum-analyser", "directional-antenna" ], "steps": [ "Before installation, record fixed-position readings in both peak and average mode, with the dominant source direction noted.", "Where possible use a stable reference source rather than ambient network traffic, whose level changes minute to minute.", "Install the measure, then repeat the readings at the identical positions with identical meter settings.", "Express the result as a ratio and in dB: 10 · log₁₀(S_before / S_after).", "Check the perimeter, seams, window reveals and any penetration for leakage, which usually dominates the result.", "Confirm no new problem was created: re-measure the AC electric field if a conductive surface was installed." ], "pitfalls": [ "Using ambient cellular traffic as the reference, so the before/after difference is mostly network load variation", "Expecting the datasheet dB figure; installed performance is routinely 10–20 dB worse", "Ignoring reflection: enclosing a transmitter can raise levels inside the enclosure", "Leaving a conductive surface ungrounded and increasing the low-frequency electric field" ], "interpretAgainst": [ "quantities:shielding-attenuation" ], "related": [ "shielding:paint", "shielding:window-film" ] }, "sources": [ { "id": "sbm-2024", "title": "Building Biology Evaluation Guidelines for Sleeping Areas (SBM-2024)", "publisher": "Institut für Baubiologie + Nachhaltigkeit (IBN)", "url": "https://buildingbiology.com/site/downloads/SBM-2024_EVALUATION_GUIDELINES_EN.pdf", "year": 2024, "kind": "ngo", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" } ], "links": { "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols/shielding-verification", "html": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/shielding-verification", "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/shielding-verification.md", "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols" } }, { "id": "protocols:sar-lookup", "collection": "protocols", "slug": "sar-lookup", "name": "Looking up a phone's SAR from the primary record", "summary": "How to get the tested SAR for a specific handset from the FCC equipment authorization database using the device's FCC ID, instead of relying on third-party lists.", "status": "verified", "lastVerified": "2026-08-12", "data": { "aliases": [ "how to find phone SAR", "FCC ID lookup" ], "goal": "Retrieve the authoritative, model-specific SAR values for a device and interpret them against the correct limit.", "quantity": "specific-absorption-rate", "equipment": [], "steps": [ "Find the FCC ID: in device settings under regulatory or legal information, or printed on the device or its SIM tray.", "Search the FCC Equipment Authorization System by that ID and open the RF Exposure exhibits for the grant.", "Read the reported head SAR, body-worn SAR and, where present, simultaneous-transmission SAR, each with its test separation distance.", "Compare against the correct limit: 1.6 W/kg over 1 g in the U.S., 2 W/kg over 10 g under ICNIRP — the two are not interchangeable.", "Note the body-worn test separation distance; the reported value applies at that distance, not at zero.", "For a European 10 g figure, search the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection SAR database, which publishes the manufacturers' declarations per model; a selection is mirrored in this dataset's device SAR records." ], "pitfalls": [ "Comparing a U.S. 1 g SAR with a European 10 g SAR and concluding one phone is safer", "Treating SAR as a measure of everyday exposure; it is measured at maximum transmit power, which is rare in normal use", "Using aggregator sites whose values are stale or attached to the wrong hardware revision" ], "interpretAgainst": [ "limits:fcc-sar-partial-body", "limits:icnirp-2020-sar-local" ], "related": [ "emitters:smartphone", "questions:what-is-sar-and-does-a-low-sar-phone-matter" ] }, "sources": [ { "id": "fcc-eas", "title": "Equipment Authorization Search (FCC ID lookup, includes SAR test reports)", "publisher": "Federal Communications Commission", "url": "https://www.fcc.gov/oet/ea/fccid", "kind": "government", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" }, { "id": "fcc-2-1093", "title": "47 CFR § 2.1093 — Radiofrequency radiation exposure evaluation: portable devices", "publisher": "U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR)", "url": "https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/section-2.1093", "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" }, { "id": "bfs-sar-database", "title": "SAR search — declared SAR values of mobile phones", "publisher": "Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (German Federal Office for Radiation Protection)", "url": "https://www.bfs.de/EN/service/sar-suche/sar_suche_node.html", "kind": "government", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" } ], "links": { "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols/sar-lookup", "html": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/sar-lookup", "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/sar-lookup.md", "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols" } }, { "id": "protocols:tower-lookup", "collection": "protocols", "slug": "tower-lookup", "name": "Identifying a nearby tower from public records", "summary": "How to establish what is actually on a mast — height, azimuth, licensee — from the FCC Antenna Structure Registration and licence databases before estimating exposure.", "status": "verified", "lastVerified": "2026-08-12", "data": { "aliases": [ "find cell tower near me", "ASR lookup" ], "goal": "Replace assumptions about a nearby structure with its registered parameters, which change any exposure estimate by orders of magnitude.", "quantity": "power-density", "equipment": [ "broadband-rf-meter", "directional-antenna" ], "steps": [ "Search the FCC Antenna Structure Registration database by location to find registered structures and their coordinates and heights.", "Cross-reference the licence records for the structure to identify licensees, services and authorised parameters.", "Compute the geometry: horizontal distance, height difference, and the elevation angle from the dwelling to the antenna.", "Compare that angle with typical sector downtilt to judge whether the dwelling is in the main beam, a sidelobe, or below the pattern.", "Measure indoors and outdoors with a directional antenna to confirm the bearing matches the structure before attributing any reading to it." ], "pitfalls": [ "Assuming the closest structure is the dominant source; a farther tower on boresight often is", "Ignoring that structures below the registration height threshold, and many rooftop and small-cell installations, do not appear in ASR at all", "Estimating from EIRP alone without antenna pattern, which overstates ground-level exposure at the tower base substantially" ], "interpretAgainst": [ "limits:fcc-mpe-public-300-1500", "limits:ch-onir-installation-mobile" ], "related": [ "emitters:macro-cell-tower", "questions:how-far-should-i-live-from-a-cell-tower" ] }, "sources": [ { "id": "fcc-asr", "title": "Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) public access database downloads", "publisher": "Federal Communications Commission", "url": "https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/data/public-access-files-database-downloads", "kind": "government", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" }, { "id": "fcc-oet65", "title": "OET Bulletin 65: Evaluating Compliance with FCC Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields", "publisher": "Federal Communications Commission, Office of Engineering and Technology", "url": "https://www.fcc.gov/general/oet-bulletins-line", "year": 1997, "kind": "government", "retrieved": "2026-08-12" } ], "links": { "self": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols/tower-lookup", "html": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/tower-lookup", "markdown": "https://emfbase.com/protocols/tower-lookup.md", "collection": "https://emfbase.com/api/protocols" } } ] }