Numerical analysis for infant’s unintentional exposure to 3.5 GHz plane wave radiofrequency electromagnetic fields by field test of fifth generation wireless technologies

In this study, the plane wave exposure of an infant to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields of 3.5 GHz was numerically analyzed to investigate the unintentional electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure of fifth generation (5G) signals during field test. The dosimetric influence of age-dependent dielectric properties and the influence of an adult body were evaluated using an infant model of 12 month old and an adult female model. The results demonstrated that the whole body-averaged specific absorption rate (WBASAR) was not significantly affected by age-dependent dielectric properties and the influence of the adult body did not enhance WBASAR. Taking the magnitude of the in situ E field strength into consideration, realistic WBASAR was far below the basic restriction. Age-dependent dielectric properties could significantly change the tissue specified specific absorption rate (TSSAR) of internal organs. However, the variation was not significant because the absolute values were marginal. Among the factors that influenced TSSAR variation, change in dielectric properties demonstrated a close correlation. In general, at 3.5 GHz, the infant did not absorb more power than the case of EMF exposure to third generation (3G) and fourth generation (4G) signals. The work was helpful for network operators and device manufactures to estimate the potential exposure risk during the field test, especially for the infant.