Studying biomedical issues of high-frequency radiation

STORIES about potential health risks from (and occasionally about medical a pplications of) electromagnetic (EM) fields can be found everywhere from te chnical journals to supermarket tabloids. In the 1970s and 1980s, microwave radar and communication antennas received a lot of alarming press and more recently, the EM fields from cellular telephones have come under heavy scr utiny. This primer is intended to provide a basic framework for tackling bi oelectromagnetic issues. It is by no means an all-encompassing study of the biomedical effects of EM radiation, but is meant to include only those ide as which may one day be useful for performing quick calculations of EM radi ation and safety. The interested reader can, of course, consult the referen ces for additional details or data as there is no shortage of specialized m aterial (see, for example, references 2 and 3).