Measurement of Low-level radiofrequency electromagnetic fields in the human environment

Abstract

In recent years there has been an increase in development of electromagnetic (EM) technology in the telecommunication industry, resulting in an increase in human non-ionizing exposure. This fact has initiated a number of scientific studies on possible health effects of EM fields on human organism. Totally four representative microenvironments were investigated for RF EM fields distribution, namely: city center, residential area, rural area, and extra-village area. Each microenvironment was measured 20 times in accordance with the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines. The extra-village measurements were taken as the base values that reflect the E-field intensities with the lowest amplitudes. The statistical analysis revealed notable statistical significance (p < 0.001) in almost all measured frequency bands except the Wi-Fi where the p-values were less than 0.05 for the city center and residential area but not significant for rural area. The highest total E-field intensity was measured in the residential area (approximately 1.85 V/m). All measured values were below the legal limits of the Slovak Republic and ICNIRP safety guidelines. However, the ICNIRP safety limits were written in 1998 considering only the thermal effects of RF radiation. They were updated in 2009 without any changes in the limits and still recommend 27.5 – 61 V/m (2 – 10 W/m2) for the RF frequency band of 400–2,000 MHz. The BioInitiative Report of 2012 established the scientific benchmark for possible health risks as 30–60 μW/m2 (approximately 0.1 – 0.15 V/m). Thus, all measured values were above the scientifically derived limits.

Monitoring of Data Transmission and Changes in Values of Electromagnetic Field in Living Environment

“…It is most likely that an excessive exposure to mobile devices working at 4G or 5G networks becomes more dangerous for the biological system. Study group Misek et al [23] described the measurement of RF EMF in the living environment. They found that, the distribution of E EMF in the city center was 0.16±0.02 V/m for 3G, 0.048±0.005 V/m for 4G and 9.81±3.66 * 10 -3 V/m for WiFi.…”

Biological Effects of a Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Field on Yeast Cells of the Genus Saccharomyces Cerevisiae

“…The effects include an increased risk of cancer, cellular stress, increased levels of harmful free radicals, genetic damage, structural and functional changes in the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and a negative impact on human well-being (8). The study by points the need to monitor each new base transceiver station which is a source of low energy but permanent whole-body exposure (9). Blank and Goodman (2009) argue that EMF has the ability to act on human cells and DNA and the cells respond by a stress response (11).…”

Electromagnetic Fields as a Health Risk Factor

“…It can be mentioned that all of the indicated studies in our survey, where intensities of electric field were measured, did not exceed the allowed ICNIRP limits. However, according to limits given by the BioInitiative Report they were exceeded in some of our studies [22,29]. According to the limits set by the BioInitiative Report [38], intensities of electric field above 0.1 -0.15 V/m for the frequency range 400 - 2000 MHz are considered as a risky value, whereas for ICNIRP it was 58.354 V/m (limits of ICNIRP are valid for Slovakia, too).…”