Limit Values

The German Electromagnetic Field Ordinance, which is based on the Federal Pollution Control Act (26th BImSchV), entered into force in 1997 and was amended in August 2013. It was enacted to protect the public against health effects from electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields, taking into account guidelines developed by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and recommendations of the German Commission on Radiological Protection (SSK).

The basis of these guidelines and recommendations takes into account all known health-relevant biological effects, which are scientifically proven to be causally related to exposures to such fields. The limit values for electromagnetic fields specified in the ordinance apply to fixed high frequency installations, such as cell phone base stations with 10 Watt equivalent isotropically radiated power (EIRP) or more. Depending on site configuration, installations with less than 10 Watt EIRP have to meet the limits of the Ordinance as well.