Measurement of equivalent power density and RF energy deposition in the immediate vicinity of a 24-GHz traffic radar antenna

In response to reports of alleged health effects associated with the use of hand-held traffic radars, e.g., testicular cancer, a study was undertaken to quantify: (1) the distribution of the electric field (E) in the immediate vicinity of the antenna aperture of a typical 24-GHz hand-held traffic radar; and (2) the relative match and the corresponding depth of penetration of the absorbed energy when the antenna aperture is positioned in contact with material having properties similar to human tissue. The former measurements are important for assessing a large number of measurements reported by others using techniques that are not expected to be reliable indicators of power density at distances small compared with the size of the radiator; the latter are important for verifying predictions that energy from the antenna at 24-GHz will be predominantly absorbed in superficial tissue, i.e., the skin. The results of the first part of the study indicate that the equivalent-plane-wave power density in the plane of the aperture of the radar antenna is approximately one-half of the corresponding values reported in the literature; the results of the second part of the study indicate that the depth of penetration into material simulating human skin is approximately 0.5 mm