Since I know nothing about this subject, I decided to come to because it’s probably best if it’s explained that way.
How do these radios hurt people? Have people been hurt before?
In: 4
There have been some studies that show that ham radio operators get certain types of cancers at a higher rate than non-operators. The 3 types of cancer that seem to be in an elevated rate are leukemia, multiple myeloma, and lymphoma.
There seems to be some evidence that it might be caused by either the equipment in their homes not being shielded enough, leading to higher exposure to radio waves. Or, that many times the antenna they have are not high enough off the ground. In comparison to like a radio station’s transmitter.
The research, however, was not a big enough pool to point to ham radio as being the definite source. Since ham radio operators are a minority of the total population, the study participant pools were smaller.
In one study:
>Dr. Samuel Milham Jr. of the Washington Department of Social and Health Services studied the deaths of 2,485 Washington and California ham operators between 1979 and 1984.
He reported in the American Journal of Epidemiology that 29 leukemia deaths would be expected in a group of people that size, but he found 36 deaths. Statistically, he expected to find 72 lymphatic and blood-forming organ cancers, but found 89. And he expected to find 67.6 deaths from prostate cancer, but found 78.
So as you can see it’s just a small uptick because the number of operators were small.
I am sure people have been hurt putting up ham radio antennas or working on the radio itself when they don’t know what they are doing.
Seriously though, there has been recent discussion of possible tissue damage from electromagnetic radiation. RF energy is really all over though so unless you’re sensitive to that I wouldn’t worry about it.
I have suspected that HAM radio use disrupts something in your brain to make you more susceptible to conspiracy theories.
I’m a bit late to the party. But I am an amateur radio operator, and I can answer your question.
“HAM” is an acronym for *High Frequency Amateur Radio.* Though in common usage, HAM Radio refers to the hobby in general.
Studies about the effects of electromagnetic field strength on human health are inconclusive. By far the greatest hazard from radio communications is from RF burns, which are a type of electrical burn.
It’s a bit complex, but radio antennas work because they are designed to be electrically resonant for a specific range of transmission/reception frequencies. When RF energy is sent to an antenna, current flows easily at centre of the antenna, but has nowhere to go near the ends. This causes large voltages to form near the tips of the antenna (some antennas have 2 or more exposed elements). The more power a transmitter sends to an antenna, the higher these voltages become.
When person touches (or comes very close to) the end of an antenna with with sufficient voltage, electricity will arc into their flesh and cause a burn. What’s more, the energy radiated from an antenna can induce electrical currents in nearby metal objects. If these objects are also resonant, and close enough to the source of the RF energy, they too can produce enough voltage to cause an RF burn, even though such objects are not directly connected to the radio system.
Low powered VHF/UHF ( 50MHz-~450MHz, 0-10 Watts) radios present the least risk. However even at low power (less than 100 Watts) the antennas of HF radios (1,800KHz – 50MHz) can generate RF burns. Even very low powered HF radios (less than 5 Watts) can generate enough voltage at the end of the antenna to produce a “tickle” when touched. When HF stations get up into the Kilo-Watt range, antenna voltages can become lethal.
This is why amateur radio operators must pass knowledge tests to earn a license that authorizes them to operate such equipment.
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