Health Hazard Evaluation Report: HETA-92-0224-2379: Norfolk Police Department; Norfolk, Virginia

Details

• Personal Author:
  Malkin, Robert ; Moss, C. Eugene
• Corporate Authors:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Description:
  In response to a request from traffic officers at the Norfolk Police Department (SIC-9221), Norfolk, Virginia a study was begun of possible hazards resulting from the use of police traffic radar devices. Concern was voiced over the exposure to levels of microwave radiation from the devices which could result in an increased risk of cancer. At the time of the study this department used both the handheld units and the car mounted units. The positions in which the radar units were used by officers in patrol cars and motorcycle officers were investigated. Motorcycle officers often rested the gun either on or between their legs. A case of brain cancer and a case of penile cancer, and a possible third case of cancer were reported in officers in this department who had used radar at some time during their police career. The levels of microwave radiation produced by the devices was below the applicable occupational exposure criteria. the authors conclude that measured levels of microwave radiation did not exceed applicable occupational exposure criteria. The authors recommends that increased training in the use of the devices and an understanding of their potential hazards are important to reducing exposures during use.
• Subjects:
  Law Enforcement Neoplasms Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Radiation Safety
• Keywords:
  Cancer Cancer-rates Electromagnetic Fields EMF Hazard-Unconfirmed HETA-92-0224-2379 Law-enforcement-workers Microwave-radiation Microwave Radiation NIOSH-Author NIOSH-Health-Hazard-Evaluation NIOSH-Technical-Assistance-Report Nonionizing-radiation Occupational-exposure OSHA Region 3 Police Protection Radiation-exposure Radiation-hazards Traffic Radar Guns

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• Series:
  Health Hazard Evaluation Reports (HHE)
• Subseries:
  Health Evaluation and Technical Assistance (HETA)
• DOI:
  https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHHETA9202242379
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Field Study
• Place as Subject:
  Virginia ; OSHA Region 3
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  18 pdf pages
• Contributor:
  Kadamani, Salaam ; Smith, Jeffrey
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00219675
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB94-183456
• Citation:
  Cincinnati, Ohio: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, HETA 92-0224-2379, 1994 Jan ; :1-27
• Editor(s):
  Mitchell, Kathy
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1994
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• NAICS and SIC Codes:
  9221 - Police protection - (SIC)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:92cc6f7f0dd77ca3ce3c868f09e142f2f6deaacb9bb388e1856285c4291a38fa3d47ada2fcdd70d58589477816be6dcde744b7fc50e152e93e6235036dae1a53
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/171379/cdc_171379_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 190.84 KB ]