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.	HPS and CRCPD Proclaim 8-14 November 2009 as National Radiation Protection Professionals Week
.	November Newsletter
.	NRC Academic Program Nuclear Education Grants, FY2010, Now Accepting Applications
.	November ORS
.	November Journal
.	EPA's STAR Graduate and GRO Undergraduate Fellowship Funding Now Accepting Applications

Upcoming Events
.	2010 HPS Midyear Topical Meeting Radiation Risk Communication to the Public 24-27 January 2010 Albuquerque, NM
.	2010 HPS Professional Development School Radiation Risk Communication: Issues and Solutions 27-29 January 2010 Albuquerque, NM

08 November 2009

Answer to Question #1830 Submitted to "Ask the Experts"

Category: Pregnancy and Radiation — Power lines, magnets, computers, airport screening, cell phones

The following question was answered by an expert in the appropriate field:

My concern is with my pregnancy. I am 18 weeks along. I work in a lab, calibrating equipment from RF generators to wattmeters to spectrum analyzers to TACAN equipment. I am extremely worried about the exposure of RF or radiation to my unborn child. I was unsure of the difference between the two. I have been told at my work center that it is completely safe since normally everything is terminated. But there are times it isn't. Sometimes I work with high power, up to 2.2 kW or frequency up to 26.5 GHZ @ from -30dB to 18db. Is this under the MPEs? And even if it is terminated, what percentage is still given off? How safe is all this to my unborn child?

The radiation that you are using is not like x rays. You are working with nonionizing radiation, which has much lower frequencies and energy than x rays. Two studies or reviews published in the 1990s indicated that there is no increased risk for birth defects with these types of radiation. By the way, when the machines are turned off, there is no residual radiation. Your risk for birth defects is the same as the general population of women without any special reproductive risks. These risks are 3% for malformations and 15% for miscarriage, but your risk of miscarriage at this stage of pregnancy is extremely small. Robert L. Brent, MD, PhD

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