An empirical time-intensity relationship for thermal bioelectromagnetic effects.

Published experimental data for three thermal/harmful bioelectromagnetic effects (lethality, cataractogenesis, and threshold pain sensation) are examined in an effort to develop a generally consistent empirical expression relating the time of irradiation necessary to induce an effect to the intensity of the radiation. A critical organ is assigned to each effect and the SAR's in these organs are estimated, when necessary, from the incident power density. It is found that all the data can be satisfactorily described by a single power function expression which gives the exposure duration as a function of the SAR in the critical organ and an experiment-specific constant.