Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are classically radiant energies consisting of electromagnetic waves, which are synchronized oscillations of electric and magnetic fields that propagate at the speed of light through a vacuum. Electromagnetic waves can be characterized by either the frequency or wavelength of their oscillations to form the electromagnetic spectrum, which includes, in order of increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength: extremely low frequency (ELF), very low frequency (VLF), radio waves, microwaves, millimeter waves, infrared radiation, visible light (the only part of the spectrum clearly visible to the human eye), ultraviolet radiation, X-rays and gamma rays. Biological interaction has been shown to occur in all areas of this broad spectrum of frequencies.

The International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF) is organized to primarily focus on the non-ionizing portions of the Electromagnetic Spectrum, that is sub-Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) radiation up to visible light. The Radiofrequency and Infrared portions of the EMF Spectrum into the Terahertz range deserve great attention presently, as transmissions of these frequencies to support 5G and 6G technologies are rapidly escalating due to increased use of devices such as cellular or mobile phones, Wi-fi, antennas and the Internet of Things.