MPH PYTHON III, Руководство оператора

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36
Operational Recommendations
Subsequent to an August 1992 Congressional hearing convened by Senator Joseph Lieberman of
Connecticut on the safety of police traffic radar devices, the U.S. Congress directed the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to study the cancer incidence among law
enforcement officers who had used traffic radar devices.
In June 1995 NIOSH issued a report titled Occupational Exposure of Police Officers to
Microwave Radiation from Traffic Radar Devices describing their findings, including an exposure
assessment, an analysis of existing record sources, and a summary of their recommendations.
The report concluded that there was not a sufficient basis to identify health risks to humans,
although the possibility could not be ruled out. The following are quoted directly from the report
and are procedures that are recommended to reduce or prevent exposure to microwave energy
emitted from traffic radar devices.
The PYTHON III fully conforms to all of these guidelines.
1. Handheld devices should be equipped with a switch requiring active contact to emit radiation.
Such a switch, referred to as a dead-man switch, must be held down for the device to emit
radiation, even though the electrical power to the device is on. Adherence to this
recommendation should permit the continued use of one-piece or handheld radar units.
2. Older handheld devices that do not have a dead-man switch should not be placed with the
radiating antenna pointed toward the body, whether it is held in the hand or placed near the
officer. A holster or other similar device should be used as a temporary holder for the radar
when not in use.
3. When using two-piece radar units, the antenna should be mounted so that the radar
beam is not directed toward the vehicle occupants
. The preferred mounting location
would be outside the vehicle altogether, although this may not be practical with older units that
cannot withstand adverse weather conditions.
Other options, e.g., mounting on the
dashboard of the vehicle, are acceptable if the antenna is at all times directed away
from the operator or other vehicle occupants. However, the antenna must be
installed to provide a separation of at least 40 cm from all persons and must not be
co-located or operating in conjunction with any other transmitter or antenna.
4. Radar antennas should be tested periodically, e.g. annually, or after exceptional mechanical
trauma to the device, for radiation leakage or back scatter in a direction other than that
intended by the antenna beam pattern.
5. Each operator should receive training in the proper use of traffic radar before operating the
device. This training should include a discussion of the health risks of exposure to microwave
radiation and information on how to minimize operator exposure.