Electromagnetic exposure safety assessment of electromagnetic security gates: a review

In this review, electromagnetic security gates include walk-through metal detectors (WTMDs), electronic article surveillance (EAS) systems, radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems, and millimeter-wave (MMW) security screening systems. These technologies are widely used in public-security screening, theft prevention, access control, and industrial inspection, making electromagnetic-exposure safety a public-health concern. This review traces their technological development, summarizes operating principles and emission characteristics, and examines potential biological effects of electromagnetic-field exposure. It also reviews exposure-assessment methods and applies an adapted evidence-appraisal framework to synthesize experimental, numerical, and epidemiological evidence, evaluate interactions with active medical devices and passive metallic implants, and assess evidence strength and limitations. Particular attention is given to potentially susceptible populations and frequency-specific exposure metrics. Major evidence gaps and future research priorities are identified.