Evaluation of Radiofrequency and Extremely Low‐Frequency Field Levels at Children's Playground Sites in Greece From 2013 to 2018

Christopoulou, Maria; Karabetsos, Efthymios

doi:10.1002/bem.22220

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Our findings confirm the low EMF-RF exposure levels at outdoor environments and specifically at school buildings not only in Greece, but also internationally [27], [32], [52], [53], [54], [55], [56]. More specifically, the studies realized in Greece have so far shown similar results [58], [59] on the overall average value of electromagnetic radiation at children places (e.g. schools, playgrounds, etc.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

RF-EMF Exposure Assessments in Greek Schools to Support Ubiquitous IoT-Based Monitoring in Smart Cities

et al. 2023

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Everyday living environments concentrate a growing amount of wireless communications leading to increased public concern for radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) exposure. Recent technological advances are turning the focus on Internet of Things (IoT) systems that enable automated and continuous real-time EMF monitoring, facing however several challenges mainly stemming from infrastructural costs. This paper seeks to provide a comprehensive view of RF-EMF levels in Greece and evidence-based decision support for a spatially prioritized deployment of an IoT RF-EMF monitoring system. We applied the stratified sampling method to estimate Electric Field Strength (EFS) in the 27MHz-3GHz range in 661 schools. Three different residential areas were considered, i.e. urban, semi-urban and rural. Results showed that the 95% confidence interval for the EFS is (0.40, 0.44) with central value equal to the sample mean 0.42 V/m. We obtained strong evidence that the mean EFS value for all Greek schools is 0.42, which is 52 times lower than the Greek safety limit and equal to 1% of international limits. Mean EFS values of individual residential areas were also significantly below safety limits. Rural areas displayed the highest EFS peaks comprising the strongest candidate to start the deployment of an IoT RF-EMF monitoring system from.INDEX TERMS Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF), RF-EMF exposure in schools, Internet of Things, RF-EMF monitoring, smart cities.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

RF-EMF Exposure Assessments in Greek Schools to Support Ubiquitous IoT-Based Monitoring in Smart Cities

et al. 2023

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“…The rest of the studies cited in Table 6 refer to measurements that were conducted outdoors and in the vicinity of places where children tend to spend most of their time, such as schools, kindergartens, and playgrounds. Bhatt et al [3], Yener et al [5], and Gallastegi et al [4] conducted measurements in Australia, Turkey, and Spain, respectively, whereas the studies by Christopoulou and Karabetsos [10], Kiouvrekis et al [11], as well as our work, refer to playgrounds and schools in Greece. It may be verified from Table 6 that the recent work by Kiouvrekis et al [11] and the present study report greater median values of the measured E-field strength than the studies performed a few years ago [3,4,10].…”

Section: Comparisonsmentioning

confidence: 77%

“…Information about RF exposure levels in environments relevant to children, such as schools, kindergartens, and playgrounds, may be found in the literature [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], but, generally, the investigation of children's EMF exposure is somewhat limited. Outdoor and indoor environmental, as well as personal, RF exposure has been examined in places where children are mostly present.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Recently, Christopoulou and Karabetsos [10] reported the results of an experimental campaign carried out by the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (EEAE); in situ measurements of RF-EMFs and ELF electric and magnetic fields were carried out in children's playgrounds all over Greece, in urban and suburban areas. Furthermore, a statistical analysis for the RF exposure levels in Greek schools, based on pilot measurements conducted in 65 schools, was presented by Kiouvrekis et al [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessment of Radiofrequency Exposure in the Vicinity of School Environments in Crete Island, South Greece

et al. 2022

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This study aimed to estimate the radiofrequency exposure levels in the vicinity of nursery and primary schools at the northwest part of Crete island in Greece. Moreover, the compliance with the exposure limits, according to Greek legislation, was investigated. A total of 396 in situ frequency-selective and broadband measurements were conducted around 69 schools, classified in urban and suburban environments, in the range of 27–3000 MHz (subdivided in seven frequency bands). The measured value of the electric field strength (V/m) was recorded and, subsequently, the exposure ratio was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed in order to analyze and evaluate the data. In addition, a worst-case scenario was examined by considering the highest measured exposure level around each school. The statistical tests indicated that the mean and median values of the exposure ratio, even in the worst-case scenario, were found well below 1 for all frequency bands. The calculated distributions of the electric field measurements demonstrated that almost 90% of the latter were below 1 V/m, with the majority of values lying in the range of 0.5–1 V/m. The main contributors to the total exposure were the mobile communication frequencies and broadcasting, while the exposure was greater in urban than in suburban environments.

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“…The highest RF exposure in densely populated areas was 7.1% of the guideline's limits. In the Greek study [Christopoulou and Karabetsos, 2019] concerning RF exposure in playgrounds sites, the median values for the urban environment were 0.244 and 0.229 V/m in the suburban. Gajsek et al [2015] results showed that the mean value of electric field strength ranged between 0.08 V/m (urban, Austria) and 1.80 V/m (close to microcells, UK).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiofrequency Exposure Levels in Greece

Tyrakis

Theodorou

Kiouvrekis

et al. 2023

Bioelectromagnetics

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participated in a Greek National EMF research program (EDBM34) with the scope to measure and evaluate radiofrequency (RF) exposure in areas of sensitive land use. A thousand (1000) measurements were carried out at two "metropolitan locations" (Athens and Thessaloniki: 624 points) and several rest urban/rural locations (376 points). SRM 3006 spectrum analyzer manufactured by Narda Safety Test Solutions was used. The broadband mean electric field in metropolitan areas was 0.41 V/m, while in the rest of Greece was 0.36 V/m. In metropolitan areas, the predominant RF source was the TV and Radio FM signals (36.2% mean contribution to the total RF exposure level). In the rest areas, the predominant source was the systems of the meteorological and military/defensive service (31.1%). The mobile sector contributed 14.9% in metropolitan areas versus 12.2% in the rest of Greece. The predominant mobile source was 900 MHz in both cases (4.5% in metropolitan areas vs. 3.3% in the rest of Greece). The total exposure from all RF sources complied with the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) 2020 safety guidelines [ICNIRP, 2020]. The maximum exposure level was 0.129% of the limit for the metropolitan areas vs. 0.110% for the rest of Greece. Nonremarkable differences between metropolitan areas' exposure and the rest of Greece. In most cases, new 5 G antennas will be added to the existing base stations. Thus, the total exposure may be increased, leading to higher safety distances. Bioelectromagnetics. 44:17-25, 2023.

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Evaluation of Radiofrequency and Extremely Low‐Frequency Field Levels at Children's Playground Sites in Greece From 2013 to 2018

Cited by 9 publications

References 9 publications

RF-EMF Exposure Assessments in Greek Schools to Support Ubiquitous IoT-Based Monitoring in Smart Cities

RF-EMF Exposure Assessments in Greek Schools to Support Ubiquitous IoT-Based Monitoring in Smart Cities

Assessment of Radiofrequency Exposure in the Vicinity of School Environments in Crete Island, South Greece

Radiofrequency Exposure Levels in Greece

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