# Are smart meters dangerous?

> Peak bursts are high but duty cycle is under 1%, so time-averaged exposure is far below limits. Room layout and the utility's own filings are the practical levers.

- Canonical URL: https://emfbase.com/questions/are-smart-meters-dangerous
- Collection: Direct answers
- Record id: `questions:are-smart-meters-dangerous`
- Status: verified
- Last verified: 2026-08-12
- JSON: https://emfbase.com/api/questions/are-smart-meters-dangerous
- Also known as: smart meter radiation danger, smart meter opt out

## Key values

- **Topic:** devices

## Question

Do smart meters emit dangerous levels of radiation?

## Answer

Mesh smart meters transmit short bursts at up to 1 W in the 900 MHz band, so a peak-hold meter held next to one can read high while the time-averaged exposure that limits are written against is low, because the duty cycle is typically well under 1%. Measured and calculated exposures at normal distances are far below FCC limits, and no health authority has found harm at these levels. If it concerns you, the effective steps are practical rather than technical: find out what is on the other side of the meter wall, move sleeping positions away from it, ask the utility for the meter's FCC ID and duty-cycle filing, and check whether an opt-out or wired-read option exists in your jurisdiction.

## Related records

- [Smart electricity meter (RF mesh)](https://emfbase.com/emitters/smart-meter): Mesh smart meters transmit in short bursts at up to 1 W EIRP in the 900 MHz band, so peak readings at 1 m are high while time-averaged exposure is low because the duty cycle is well under 1%.
- [Duty cycle](https://emfbase.com/glossary/duty-cycle): The fraction of time a transmitter is actually radiating — the reason a peak reading and a time-averaged exposure can differ by a factor of a hundred or more.
- [Averaging time](https://emfbase.com/glossary/averaging-time): Regulatory limits apply to an average: 30 minutes for the general public under FCC and ICNIRP rules, 6 minutes for occupational exposure.

## Sources

- `fcc-part15` U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR). *47 CFR Part 15 — Radio Frequency Devices (unlicensed transmitter power limits)*. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/part-15 — regulation, link checked 2026-08-12
- `fcc-1310` U.S. Government Publishing Office (eCFR). *47 CFR § 1.1310 — Radiofrequency radiation exposure limits*. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/section-1.1310 — regulation, link checked 2026-08-12
- `fcc-eas` Federal Communications Commission. *Equipment Authorization Search (FCC ID lookup, includes SAR test reports)*. https://www.fcc.gov/oet/ea/fccid — government, link checked 2026-08-12

Data licence: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Dataset version 2026.08.1. Retrieved from EMFBase, https://emfbase.com.

This record is reference data, not medical or legal advice. Regulatory limits, scientific guidelines and precautionary values are labelled separately and answer different questions.