Microwave ovens that could potentially be the source of very high RF levels, are covered by product performance standards which limit the amount of microwave leakage. There is the potential for excessive exposure to personnel operating these systems, especially in industries involved in RF heating or sealing, or from the operation of medical diathermy units. All these levels of exposure are regulated nationally and internationally. Relatively high levels of exposure to RF fields can occur to workers in the broadcasting , transport and communications industries when they work in close proximity to RF transmitting antennas and radar systems. An important subset of these workers are military personnel .
Stringent regulations controlling the civil and military use of RF fields exist in most countries.
The RF field limits are well above the levels found in the living environment . The standards are based on evaluations of biological effects that have been established to have health consequences. The objective of the International EMF Project is to determine if the biological effects reported from exposure to RF fields at low levels have any adverse health consequences. If such consequences were found, this may result in a reevaluation of the limits of human exposure. Exposure to RF fields may cause heating or induce electrical currents in body tissues.