Electromagnetic environmental compatibility (also called electromagnetic compatibility with the environment, EMCE) determines whether the emissions of electromagnetic fields (EMF) are compatible with the environment and people.
In order to ensure the safety of devices, prevent possible damage to health and comply with valid limit values, technical devices are subjected to EMCE tests. At cetecom advanced, these measurements are carried out in our own certified laboratories according to national and international standards.
In particular, the establishment of mobile communication raises the question of how exposure to high-frequency electromagnetic fields (HF-EMF) affects people. In order to check the development of emissions and comply with defined EMCE limit values, a metrological determination through EMCE tests is essential. In view of the progressive development and spread of wireless technologies, monitoring the emissions that affect people is becoming increasingly important. This is particularly true with regard to the almost nationwide expansion of mobile networks to include LTE, the widespread introduction of 5G and the increase in body-worn transmitters.
The main effects can be summarized as follows: Based on the definition of electric field strength, forces are exerted on charges wherever an electric field can be detected. What is crucial for the area of EMCE is whether there are also effects on the body tissue
The heat input from the electromagnetic fields in the tissue takes place by means of dielectric heating. The polarized (water) molecules in the cells are rotated at the frequency of the applied field and their friction against one another creates heat. The thermal limit values relevant for an EMCE measurement always refer to this cell heating. The heat input into biological tissue depends on numerous factors:
A distinction must be made here between non-thermal effects that occur at higher radiation intensities (although relevant heating has been prevented by cooling) and those that occur at low radiation intensities and do not cause any relevant temperature increases. Non-thermal effects do not occur in the entire high frequency range, but only at specific resonance frequencies.
In general, low-frequency electric fields hardly penetrate a conductive body, but end up as a result of the influence on its surface, for example on the surface of the human body, plants or buildings. Field strengths from around 1 kV/m can be perceived by sensitive people as a harmless tingling or vibration of the hair, but in the body the field strength remains well below the threshold of 2 V/m, above which damage to health can occur. Low-frequency magnetic fields, on the other hand, penetrate buildings and the body. High-frequency electric fields generate a displacement current that penetrates the body and flows as a conduction current through the blood vessels and bloodstreams, primarily in the upper layers of the skin.
We use our certified testing procedures to determine the electromagnetic environmental compatibility of devices. Our EMCE tests ensure that people and systems are not exposed to risks in electrical, magnetic and electromagnetic fields. This applies to the following areas:
As part of an EMCE measurement, we cover frequency ranges between 0 Hz and 6 GHz, and in individual cases also higher frequencies. We record and evaluate frequencies up to 250 MHz for magnetic fields. We check the following systems and devices, among others:
