Measurements of Radiofrequency Radiation with a Body-Borne Exposimeter in Swedish Schools with Wi-Fi

Abstract

IntroductionWireless access to the Internet is now commonly used in schools. Many schools give each student their own laptop and utilize the laptops and wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) connection for educational purposes. Most children also bring their own mobile phones to school. Since children are obliged by law to attend school, a safe environment is important. Lately, it has been discussed if radiofrequency (RF) radiation can have long-term adverse effects on children’s health.MethodThis study conducted exposimetric measurements in schools to assess RF emissions in the classroom by measuring the teachers’ RF exposure in order to approximate the children’s exposure. Teachers in grades 7–12 carried a body-borne exposimeter, EME-Spy 200, in school during 1–4 days of work. The exposimeter can measure 20 different frequency bands from 87 to 5,850 MHz.ResultsEighteen teachers from seven schools participated. The mean exposure to RF radiation ranged from 1.1 to 66.1 µW/m2. The highest mean level, 396.6 µW/m2, occurred during 5 min of a lesson when the teacher let the students stream and watch YouTube videos. Maximum peaks went up to 82,857 µW/m2 from mobile phone uplink.DiscussionOur measurements are in line with recent exposure studies in schools in other countries. The exposure levels varied between the different Wi-Fi systems, and if the students were allowed to use their own smartphones on the school’s Wi-Fi network or if they were connected to GSM/3G/4G base stations outside the school. An access point over the teacher’s head gave higher exposure compared with a school with a wired Internet connection for the teacher in the classroom. All values were far below International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection’s reference values, but most mean levels measured were above the precautionary target level of 3–6 µW/m2 as proposed by the Bioinitiative Report. The length of time wireless devices are used is an essential determinant in overall exposure. Measures to minimize children’s exposure to RF radiation in school would include preferring wired connections, allowing laptops, tablets and mobile phones only in flight mode and deactivating Wi-Fi access points, when not used for learning purposes.

Measurements and Analysis of Personal Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields at Outdoor and Indoor School Buildings: A Case Study at a Spanish School

“…Finally, if we compare our results obtained in the Wi-Fi band, average exposure to Wi-Fi band around the school area and inside school buildings (20.4 μW/m² on the weekend and 13.0 μW/m² on the week, and 19.5 μW/m² on the weekend and 25.3 μW/m² on the week, respectively) with results of other studies about Wi-Fi in schools and some microenvironments [8]- [10], [12], [14], [26], [35], [41], [52], [58], [62]- [65], we can find that our results are similar to some of them (Table 1), and below that the international guidelines [43], [44].…”

Georeferencing of Personal Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields from Wi-Fi in a University Area

“…If we compare our results obtained in the Wi-Fi band with the results of the studies reviewed by Jalilian [57] and some other studies that considered measurements from Wi-Fi frequency band (Table 6), we can observe that our results are higher, except the result for Belgium which was 38.33 µW/m 2 [43]. [58] Switzerland (all environments) 1.19 Valic et al, 2015), 2015 [59] Slovenia (all environments) 4.77 Röösli et al, 2010 [6] France (all environments) 1.92 Massardier-Pilonchery et al, 2019 [60] France (all environments) 0.15 Hardell et al, 2017 [61] Sweden (School) 3.32 Roser et al, 2017 [58] Switzerland (school) 1.19 Hedendahl et al, 2017 [62] Swedish (outdoor, old town) 0.13 Gonzalez-Rubio et al, 2016 [24] Spain (outdoor) 0.53 Aminzadeh et al, 2016 [43] Belgium (office indoor, urban) 38.33 Our measurements Jordan (university area) 28.82 Furthermore, if we compare these results with those presented by Ramirez-Vazquez [20] from measurements in a Spanish town (Albacete), where the minimum value from Wi-Fi was 22.8 µW/m 2 and maximum value was 86.9 µW/m 2 , in this case, the results of our study are similar with minimum value. However, if we make a comparison with the results published by Khalid [31], who reported a maximum time-averaged intensity from a laptop of 220 µW/m 2 at a distance of 0.5 m in a laboratory in Oxfordshire, we can observe that the values of our work are smaller.…”

[Comment] Health risks from radiofrequency radiation, including 5G, should be assessed by experts with no conflicts of interest

“…2G, 3G, 4G and WiFi are also considered not to be safe, but 5G will be worse regarding harmful biological effects ( 42 , 83 , 84 ). The authors of the present article recommend an educational campaign to educate the public about the health risks of RF radiation exposure, and safe use of the technology, such as the deployment of wired internet in schools ( 85 ), as previously recommended by the European Council resolution 1815 in 2011 ( 86 ) and The EMF Scientist Appeal ( 87 ). Additionally, it is recommended that the government takes steps to markedly decrease the current exposure of the public to RF radiation, ( 88 , 89 ).…”