· 6 min read
What Counts as a Safe EMF Level in a Florida Home?
FCC limits address short-term heating, not chronic bedroom exposure. Here is the benchmark we actually report against, and what each number means in practice.
Why the FCC number isn't the answer
Federal exposure limits were written to prevent tissue heating from high-power transmitters over short intervals. They were never intended as a guideline for the eight hours a night someone spends two feet from a wall full of wiring.
That gap is why building biology practitioners use the SBM-2015 evaluation guidelines, which grade readings from 'no concern' through 'extreme concern' for sleeping areas specifically.
The four numbers worth knowing
Magnetic field below 0.2 milligauss, radio frequency below 0.1 microwatts per square meter, electric field below 1 volt per meter, and dirty electricity below roughly 50 GS units per circuit.
Most Florida homes we test pass on one or two of these and fail on at least one — usually magnetic field from a wiring error, or RF from a router placed directly behind a headboard.
Context beats a single verdict
A 4 mG reading in a hallway you walk through twice a day matters far less than 1.2 mG at your pillow. Every report we deliver weighs readings by occupancy time, which is what determines actual exposure.