Quantities & units
The physical quantities used in EMF work, their units, exact conversion factors, and the formulas relating them.
Millivolts induced on a person by nearby power-frequency electric fields, measured against a ground reference; the metric building biologists use to judge bedroom wiring.
Volts per metre, reported both for power-frequency electric fields near wiring and for radiofrequency fields near transmitters.
Cycles per second, the axis that determines which limit applies, which meter can see the signal, and which shielding works.
The quantity an ELF gaussmeter reports, expressed in milligauss or microtesla, used to assess wiring, transformers and power lines. 1 µT = 10 mG.
Radiofrequency energy flow per unit area — µW/m² on consumer RF meters, mW/cm² in FCC rules, W/m² in ICNIRP guidelines. 1 mW/cm² = 10 W/m² = 10,000,000 µW/m².
Decibels of field reduction provided by a material. Every 10 dB is a factor of 10 in power density: 30 dB removes 99.9%, 10 dB removes 90%.
Watts of RF power absorbed per kilogram of tissue — the dosimetric quantity behind phone compliance testing, limited to 1.6 W/kg over 1 g in the U.S. and 2 W/kg over 10 g under ICNIRP.
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