Road User Exposure from ITS-5.9 GHz Vehicular Connectivity

Abstract

This study addressed an important but not yet thoroughly investigated topic regarding human exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) generated by vehicular connectivity. In particular, the study assessed, by means of computational dosimetry, the RF-EMF exposure in road users near a car equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication antennas. The exposure scenario consisted of a 3D numerical model of a car with two V2V antennas, each fed with 1 W, operating at 5.9 GHz and an adult human model to simulate the road user near the car. The RF-EMF dose absorbed by the human model was calculated as the specific absorption rate (SAR), that is, the RF-EMF power absorbed per unit of mass. The highest SAR was observed in the skin of the head (34.7 mW/kg) and in the eyes (15 mW/kg); the SAR at the torso (including the genitals) and limbs was negligible or much lower than in the head and eyes. The SAR over the whole body was 0.19 mW/kg. The SAR was always well below the limits of human exposure in the 100 kHz–6 GHz band established by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). The proposed approach can be generalized to assess RF-EMF exposure in different conditions by varying the montage/number of V2V antennas and considering human models of different ages.

Assessment of Children’s Exposure to Intelligent Transport System 5.9 GHz Vehicular Connectivity Using Numerical Dosimetry

“…As evidenced in a recent survey on wireless technologies used in connected vehicles [13], research on the assessment of exposure due to V2X and automotive sensing is scarce. There exist only a few articles that addressed this topic [14][15][16]. Specifically, Tognola et al [14] assessed the RF-EMF dose absorbed by an adult passenger inside a car equipped with V2V antennas operating at the ITS-5.9 GHz band, whereas Benini et al [15] investigated the exposure outside the car in an adult pedestrian standing near a car equipped with the same V2V technology.…”

“…There exist only a few articles that addressed this topic [14][15][16]. Specifically, Tognola et al [14] assessed the RF-EMF dose absorbed by an adult passenger inside a car equipped with V2V antennas operating at the ITS-5.9 GHz band, whereas Benini et al [15] investigated the exposure outside the car in an adult pedestrian standing near a car equipped with the same V2V technology. In both studies [14,15], it was evidenced that the dose absorbed by the body was always below the basic restriction limits of 0.08 W/kg over the whole body, 2 W/kg in 10 g of tissues in the head and torso region, and 4 W/kg in 10 g of tissues in the limb region as recommended by the ICNIRP [17] and IEEE [18] guidelines for exposure in the 100 kHz-6 GHz range.…”

“…Thus, the objective of this study is to evaluate the RF-EMF exposure in children standing near a car equipped with V2V communication technology operating at the ITS-5.9 GHz band through an electromagnetic computational technique. In our previous study [15], we focused on the variability of exposure levels as a function of the distance and position of an adult pedestrian near the car. In the current study, we focused on another aspect, i.e., on the assessment of the exposure as a function of body size and age.…”

“…In the current study, we focused on another aspect, i.e., on the assessment of the exposure as a function of body size and age. This study builds upon the knowledge acquired in [15] for what concerns the identification of the distance and position near the car that corresponded to the worst-case exposure.…”

“…To discover whether and how the RF-EMF exposure in children varied in age and body size, four different numerical anatomical models of children of different sizes, ages, and both genders were used. Furthermore, the exposure level calculated here for the child models was then compared to that one found in similar exposure conditions in the adult model analyzed in [15].…”