Akimasa Hirata

Correlation of maximum temperature increase and peak SAR in the human head due to handset antennas

This paper attempts to correlate the maximum temperature increase in the head and brain with the peak specific absorption rate (SAR) value due to handset antennas. The rationale for this study is that physiological effects and damage to humans through electromagnetic-wave exposure are induced by temperature increases, while the safety standards are regulated in terms of the local peak SAR. For investigating these correlations thoroughly, the total of 660 situations is considered. The numerical results are analyzed on the basis of statistics. We find that the maximum temperature increases in the head and brain can be estimated in terms of peak SARs averaged over 1 and 10 g of tissue in these regions. These correlations are less affected by the positions, polarizations, and frequencies of a dipole antenna. Also, they are reasonably valid for different antennas and head models. Further, we discuss possible maximum temperature increases in the head and brain for the SAR values prescribed in the safety standards. They are found to be 0.31/spl deg/C and 0.13/spl deg/C for the Federal Communications Commission Standard (1.6 W/kg for 1 g of tissue), while 0.60/spl deg/C and 0.25/spl deg/C for the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection Standard (2.0 W/kg for 10 g of tissue).

Temperature increase in human eyes due to near-field and far-field exposures at 900 MHz, 1.5 GHz, and 1.9 GHz

This work investigates the effect of frequency, polarization, and angle of incidence of an electromagnetic (EM) wave on the specific absorption rate (SAR) and maximum temperature increase in the human eye at 900 MHz, 1.5 GHz, and 1.9 GHz. In particular, the temperature increase in the eye is compared for near-field and far-field exposures. The difference of a maximum temperature increase in the lens is also discussed between the head models of an adult and children. Throughout the investigations, our attention is paid to a maximum temperature increase in the lens for SAR values prescribed in safety standards. For the results of our investigation, the SAR and temperature increase in the eye are found to be largely dependent on the separation between the eye and a source, and the frequency, polarization, and angle of incidence of the EM wave. The maximum temperature increase (0.303/spl deg/C-0.349/spl deg/C) in the lens of the adult for the SAR value of 2.0 W/kg for the eye tissue (about 10 g) is marginally affected by the above-mentioned factors. No clear difference of a maximum temperature increase in the lens at the SAR limit is observed between the adult and children models.

Temperature increase in the human head due to a dipole antenna at microwave frequencies

The temperature increases in a human head due to electromagnetic (EM) wave exposure from a dipole antenna are investigated in the frequency range of 900 MHz to 2.45 GHz. The maximum temperature increases in the head and brain are compared with the values of 10/spl deg/C and 3.5/spl deg/C (found in literature pertaining to microwave-induced physiological damage). In particular, the estimation scheme for maximum temperature increases of the head and brain tissues is discussed in terms of a peak average specific absorption rate (SAR) as prescribed in safety standards. The rationale for this attempt is that maximum temperature increases and peak average SARs have not been well correlated yet. For this purpose, the SAR in the head model is initially calculated by the finite-difference time-domain method. The temperature increase in the model is then calculated by substituting the SAR into the bioheat equation. Numerical results demonstrate that the temperature increase distribution in the head is largely dependent on the frequency of EM waves. This is mainly because of the frequency dependency of the SAR distribution. Similarly, maximum temperature increases in the head and brain are significantly affected by the frequency and polarization of the EM wave. The maximum temperature increases in the head (excluding auricles) and brain are determined through linear extrapolation of the peak average SAR in these regions. According to this scheme, it is found that the peak SAR averaged over 1 g of tissue in the head should be approximately 65 W/kg to achieve the maximum temperature increase of 10/spl deg/C induced in the head excluding auricles. This corresponds to a factor of about 40 compared to the FCC standard. On the other hand, the peak SAR for 10 g of tissue should be around 40 W/kg, which implies a factor of about 20 compared to the ICNIRP standard.

Reducing the staircasing error in computational dosimetry of low-frequency electromagnetic fields

From extremely low frequencies to intermediate frequencies, the magnitude of induced electric field inside the human body is used as the metric for human protection. The induced electric field inside the body can be computed using anatomically realistic voxel models and numerical methods such as the finite-difference or finite-element methods. The computed electric field is affected by numerical errors that occur when curved boundaries with large contrasts in electrical conductivity are approximated using a staircase grid. In order to lessen the effect of the staircase approximation error, the use of the 99th percentile electric field, i.e. ignoring the highest 1% of electric field values, is recommended in the ICNIRP guidelines. However, the 99th percentile approach is not applicable to localized exposure scenarios where the majority of significant induced electric field values may be concentrated in a small volume. In this note, a method for removing the staircasing error is proposed. Unlike the 99th percentile, the proposed method is also applicable to localized exposure scenarios. The performance of the method is first verified by comparison with the analytical solution in a layered sphere. The method is then applied for six different exposure scenarios in two anatomically realistic human head models. The results show that the proposed method can provide conservative estimates for the 99th percentile electric field in both localized and uniform exposure scenarios.

Correlation between maximum temperature increase and peak SAR with different average schemes and masses

This paper investigates the correlation between maximum temperature increases and peak spatial-average specific absorption rates (SARs), calculated by different average schemes and masses. For evaluating the effect of mass on the correlation properly, a three-dimensional Greens function is presented. From our computational investigation, no best average mass for peak spatial-average SAR exist from the aspect of the correlation with maximum temperature increase. This is attributed to the frequency dependent penetration depth of EM waves. Maximum temperature increase in the head including the pinna is reasonably correlated with peak spatial-average SARs for most average schemes and masses considered in this paper. Maximum temperature increase in the head only (excluding the pinna) is reasonably correlated with peak 10-g SARs for the average schemes considered in this paper. The rationale for this result is explained using the Greens function. The point to be stressed here is that the slope correlating them is largely dependent on the average scheme and mass. Additionally, good agreement is observed in the slopes obtained by using two head models, which have been developed at Osaka University and Nagoya Institute of Technology. However, weak correlation is observed for the brain, which is caused by the difference of the positions where peak SAR and maximum temperature increase appear. The 95th percentile values of the slope correlating maximum temperature increases in the head or brain and peak spatial-average SAR are quantified for different average schemes and masses

Evaluation of SAR in a human body model due to wireless power transmission in the 10 MHz band

This study discusses a computational method for calculating the specific absorption rate (SAR) due to a wireless power transmission system in the 10 MHz frequency band. A two-step quasi-static method comprised of the method of moments and the scalar potential finite-difference method are proposed. The applicability of the quasi-static approximation for localized exposure in this frequency band is discussed by comparing the SAR in a lossy dielectric cylinder computed with a full-wave electromagnetic analysis and the quasi-static approximation. From the computational results, the input impedance of the resonant coils was affected by the existence of the cylinder. On the other hand, the magnetic field distribution in free space and considering the cylinder and an impedance matching circuit were in good agreement; the maximum difference in the amplitude of the magnetic field was 4.8%. For a cylinder-coil distance of 10 mm, the difference between the peak 10 g averaged SAR in the cylinder computed with the full-wave electromagnetic method and our quasi-static method was 7.8%. These results suggest that the quasi-static approach is applicable for conducting the dosimetry of wireless power transmission in the 10 MHz band. With our two-step quasi-static method, the SAR in the anatomically based model was computed for different exposure scenarios. From those computations, the allowable input power satisfying the limit of a peak 10 g averaged SAR of 2.0 W kg(-1) was 830 W in the worst case exposure scenario with a coil positioned at a distance of 30 mm from the chest.

ON AVERAGING MASS OF SAR CORRELATING WITH TEMPERATURE ELEVATION DUE TO A DIPOLE ANTENNA

This study investigated the relationship between temper- ature elevation and spatial-average SAR (specific absorption rate) in a head model of a Japanese male due to a dipole antenna. The frequen- cies considered are in the range between 800 MHz and 3 GHz, which are used in wireless communications. Our attention focuses on the average mass of SAR which maximizes the correlation with local temperature elevation. Computational results suggested that an appropriate av- eraging mass of SAR did not exist over wide frequencies, which was attributed to the frequency-dependent penetration depth of electro- magnetic waves. For most cases considered in this study the SAR averaging over 10 g was better than that for 1-g from the standpoint of correlating the temperature elevation. The dominant factor influenc- ing this averaging mass is the thermal diffusion length which largely depends on the blood perfusion rate. Additionally, the heat evolved in the pinna played an important role in the correlation between spatial- average SAR and temperature elevation.

Dosimetry in models of child and adult for low-frequency electric field

Induced electric field and current density in a childs body exposed to a 60-Hz electric field are calculated and compared with those for an adults body. Because of the different proportions of the child body relative to these of the adult body, differences in the induced electric field and current density values in various organs are observed. These results are interpreted in terms of international guideline limits, and hypotheses regarding plausible interactions.

Intercomparison of whole-body averaged SAR in European and Japanese voxel phantoms.

This paper provides an intercomparison of the HPA male and female models, NORMAN and NAOMI with the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) male and female models, TARO and HANAKO. The calculations of the whole-body SAR in these four phantoms were performed at the HPA, at NICT and at the Nagoya Institute of Technology (NIT). These were for a plane wave with a vertically aligned electric field incident upon the front of the body from 30 MHz to 3 GHz for isolated conditions. As well as investigating the general differences through this frequency range, particular emphasis was placed on the assumptions of how dielectric properties are assigned to tissues (particularly skin and fat) and the consequence of using different algorithms for calculating SAR at the higher frequencies.

FDTD analysis of human body-core temperature elevation due to RF far-field energy prescribed in the ICNIRP guidelines.

This study investigated the relationship between the specific absorption rate and temperature elevation in an anatomically-based model named NORMAN for exposure to radio-frequency far fields in the ICNIRP guidelines (1998 Health Phys. 74 494-522). The finite-difference time-domain method is used for analyzing the electromagnetic absorption and temperature elevation in NORMAN. In order to consider the variability of human thermoregulation, parameters for sweating are derived and incorporated into a conventional sweating formula. First, we investigated the effect of blood temperature variation modeling on body-core temperature. The computational results show that the modeling of blood temperature variation was the dominant factor influencing the body-core temperature. This is because the temperature in the inner tissues is elevated via the circulation of blood whose temperature was elevated due to EM absorption. Even at different frequencies, the body-core temperature elevation at an identical whole-body average specific absorption rate (SAR) was almost the same, suggesting the effectiveness of the whole-body average SAR as a measure in the ICNIRP guidelines. Next, we discussed the effect of sweating on the temperature elevation and thermal time constant of blood. The variability of temperature elevation caused by the sweating rate was found to be 30%. The blood temperature elevation at the basic restriction in the ICNIRP guidelines of 0.4 W kg(-1) is 0.25 degrees C even for a low sweating rate. The thermal time constant of blood temperature elevation was 23 min and 52 min for a man with a lower and a higher sweating rate, respectively, which is longer than the average time of the SAR in the ICNIRP guidelines. Thus, the whole-body average SAR required for blood temperature elevation of 1 degrees C was 4.5 W kg(-1) in the model of a human with the lower sweating coefficients for 60 min exposure. From a comparison of this value with the basic restriction in the ICNIRP guidelines of 0.4 W kg(-1), the safety factor was 11.