Applications

People are exposed to NIR in naturally occurring situations, for example to the magnetic field of the earth and to radiation from the sun. Within the last century individual’s NIR exposure has increased through the use of a wide array of technological applications that utilise NIR, such as electric appliances and communication devices.

Protection recommendations of ICNIRP are primarily expressed through its exposure guidelines related to a specific frequency or wavelength band independent of the source. How these recommendations translate for some common NIR applications is given here.