A STUDY OF FEDERAL MICROWAVE STANDARDS Leonard David PRC Energy Analysis Company - McLean, Virginia A study has been made to identify the present and future federal regulatory processes which may impact the permissible levels of microwave radiation emitted by the SPS Microwave Power Transmission System (MPTS). The historical development and promulgation of U.S. occupational and public microwave "standards" is traced, evolving from reported bioeffects among military personnel operating radar equipment during World War II. Included is an overview of the philosophical variances between Eastern and Western countries which have resulted in world-wide permissible exposures to microwaves that differ by four orders of magnitude. For the United States, and a majority of Western countries, the concept of risk/benefit criterion has been accepted, involving use of an adequate safety margin below a known threshold of hazard. Soviet and most East European microwave standards on the other hand, are based on a "no- effect" philosophy—all deviations from normal are hazardous. Yet to be determined, however, are definitions of what connotes a "hazard" or "adequate" safety margin in terms of microwave exposure. Agencies currently with microwave regulatory responsibilities are: the FDA for protecting the public from potential health hazards of electronic products that emit radiation; the OSHA for regulating radiation levels in the workplace; and the EPA which develops federal guidance concerning radiation levels in the environment, including public exposure. The intrinsic nature of SPS and its MPTS cuts across numerous agency jurisdictions and regulatory authorities. At this time no single interface is available for SPS development, implementation, and commercialization regarding production of rf energy by the SPS MPTS. However, the recently formed Federal Council on Radiation Policy, chaired by the Administrator of EPA, could ostensibly untangle agency jurisdictional overlap and the various regulations which will effect the SPS MPTS. The Council will involve 12 federal agencies, providing a forum for creating radiation policy, both ionizing and nonionizing, including the review of radiation monitoring and protection responsibilities of government agencies. A trend toward stricter controls on activities perceived harmful to public health is observed, as in interest in improving the federal regulatory process. A possible convergence of microwave standards worldwide is characterized by a lowering of Western exposure levels while Eastern countries consider standard relaxation. Particularly relevant to SPS is the initiation of longterm, low-level microwave exposure programs. Coupled with new developments in instrumentation and dosimetry, the results from chronic exposure programs and population exposure studies could be expecte d within the next five to ten years. Noted is the increasing public concern that rf energy is yet another hazardous environmental agent. In the absence of definitive scientific data on electromagnetic bioeffects, both thermal and non-thermal, public apprehension can be expected to grow. The entire federal regulatory process is presently under review, aimed at streamlining and improving the system. In particular, a bill (S.1938) is now before the Senate calling for effective coordination among the various federal agencies involved in radiation protection. Central to the bill is establishment of a Federal Council on Radiation Protection, with the Administrator of EPA as chairman.
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