Electromagnetic field exposure assessment in Europe radiofrequency fields (10 MHz–6 GHz)

Abstract

Average levels of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of the general public in Europe are difficult to summarize, as exposure levels have been reported differently in those studies in which they have been measured, and a large proportion of reported measurements were very low, sometimes falling below detection limits of the equipment used. The goal of this paper is to present an overview of the scientific literature on RF EMF exposure in Europe and to characterize exposure within the European population. A comparative analysis of the results of spot or long-term RF EMF measurements in the EU indicated that mean electric field strengths were between 0.08 V/m and 1.8 V/m. The overwhelming majority of measured mean electric field strengths were <1 V/m. It is estimated that <1% were above 6 V/m and <0.1% were above 20 V/m. No exposure levels exceeding European Council recommendations were identified in these surveys. Most population exposures from signals of radio and television broadcast towers were observed to be weak because these transmitters are usually far away from exposed individuals and are spatially sparsely distributed. On the other hand, the contribution made to RF exposure from wireless telecommunications technology is continuously increasing and its contribution was above 60% of the total exposure. According to the European exposure assessment studies identified, three population exposure categories (intermittent variable partial body exposure, intermittent variable low-level whole-body (WB) exposure and continuous low-level WB exposure) were recognized by the authors as informative for possible future risk assessment.

Assessment of personal exposure from radiofrequency-electromagnetic fields in Australia and Belgium using on-body calibrated exposimeters

“…These studies used a single exposimeter worn by human subjects to measure whole body RF-EMF exposure, but the exposimeters were not calibrated on body. In fact the use of a single exposimeter, may result in measurement uncertainties, particularly those related to the body shielding effects, residual calibration, and the frequency response of the measurement device (Bolte et al, 2011;Gajšek et al, 2015;Iskra et al, 2011;Mann, 2010;Neubauer et al, 2010). Iskra et al (2011) suggested that the use of two exposimeters placed on different locations on the body may minimize the measurement uncertainties.…”

“…Studies investigating personal exposure levels from various far-field RF-EMF sources have been mainly conducted in European countries (Bolte & Eikelboom, 2012;Frei et al, 2009;Gajšek et al, 2015;Sagar et al, 2016;Urbinello et al, 2014b;2014c;Vermeeren et al, 2013). There is a paucity of similar comparable data from elsewhere, including Australia.…”

Measuring personal exposure from 900MHz mobile phone base stations in Australia and Belgium using a novel personal distributed exposimeter

“…The uncertainties can reach up to 25-30 dB (Bolte et al, 2011;Iskra et al, 2011;Neubauer et al, 2010) and include shielding effects of the human body, the multidirectional nature of the incident RF-EMFs, residual calibration, the frequency response of the exposimeter, and the inability to detect signals below the lower detection limits, etc. (Bolte et al, 2011;Gajšek et al, 2015;Iskra et al, 2011 ;Mann, 2010;Neubauer et al, 2010). Measurement uncertainties in personal exposimetry could be reduced by employing on-body calibrated exposimeters (Thielens et al, 2015a).…”

“…Several European studies indicate that mobile phone base stations are a major source of whole body exposure to RF-EMF (Bolte and Eikelboom, 2012;Frei et al, 2009;Gajšek et al, 2015;Urbinello et al, 2014b;2014c;Vermeeren et al, 2013). More specifically, mobile phone base stations are a dominant exposure source to the whole body in urban outdoor environments and on public transport Urbinello et al, 2014aUrbinello et al, , 2014b.…”

The Age-Dependence of Personal Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields of Wireless Communications in Indoor Environments

“…There are different methods of exposure assessment used for RF-EMF, mainly based on: 1) Spot or long-term measurements; 2) Personal exposimetry and 3) Characterization of exposure based on activities and sources [8]. Since personal exposure levels in everyday life depends from personal lifestyle including time spent in specific environment and individual behavior such as usage of wireless-enabled devices, for determination of personal exposure pattern the use of Personal Exposure Meters (PEMs) are recommended [9].…”