RADAR

Radar and navigational aids are fixed sources of radiofrequency radiation (RF) used to control, assist or provide information concerning traffic on land, at sea or in the air. Exposure to these sources is regulated in New Jersey under N.J.A.C. 7:28-42. This Subchapter regulates stationary sources only, therefore traffic radar systems used by police to determine the speed of vehicles, and airplane-mounted or boat-mounted navigational sources are not regulated by this Subchapter. Some examples of stationary radar and navigational aid sources include air route surveillance radars, air traffic control radars, height-finder radars, instrument landing systems, microwave landing systems, glide slope/glide path UHF transmitters nondirectional radio beacons, VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigational aids, marker beacons and radars used for weather prediction (doppler radars). Also included in this category are radars used in meteorological or research activities. The majority of the sources mentioned above are located at private airports or along the coast. The Department regulates only non-military and non-Federally owned sources.

The intensity of the radiation from these sources will depend on several factors, including the frequency of the radiation emitted, the characteristic of the source being used, the power transmitted to the source, the pulse width and repetition rate (the "on time" of the radiation over a six minute time period) and the distance from the source. Most instances of overexposure will be incurred by airport workers if they are standing near one of these sources while it is transmitting. Although unlikely, it is possible that a member of the public may be able to get close to one of these sources and be exposed to hazardous levels of RF radiation.

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Department of Environmental Protection
P. O. Box 402
Trenton, NJ 08625-0402