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Article: RF hazards can kill.(Avionics)(radio frequency)
- Article from:
- Mech
- Article date:
- June 22, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 U.S. Naval Safety Center. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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If you have worked around military aviation very long, you probably have heard about HERO--hazardous electromagnetic radiation to ordnance. Stray EM can cause explosive-ignition devices to activate inadvertently, often with catastrophic consequences. But how many people know what HERP is? No, it's not some foreign disease. Most avionics technicians know that HERP is hazardous electromagnetic radiation to personnel. Because of the very nature of electromagnetic radiation, you may not know you're in danger until it's too late.
RF radiation is invisible and far-reaching. Immediate effects can be death, unconsciousness, or visible RF burns on exposed skin. However, ...