Spatial and temporal variability of personal environmental exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields in children in Europe

Birks, Laura Ellen; Struchen, Benjamin; Eeftens, Marloes; Wel, Luuk van; Huss, Anke; Gajšek, Peter; Kheifets, Leeka; Gallastegi, Mara; Dalmau-Bueno, Albert; Estarlich, Marisa; Fernández, Mariana F.; Meder, Inger Kristine; Ferrero, Amparo; Jiménez-Zabala, Ana; Torrent, Maties; Vrijkotte, Tanja G. M.; Cardis, Elisabeth; Olsen, Jørn; Valič, Blaž; Vermeulen, Roel; Vrijheid, Martine; Röösli, Martin; Guxens, Mònica

doi:10.1016/j.envint.2018.04.026

Cited by 66 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Published literature includes, among others, in‐situ indoor and outdoor measurements in schools and/or playgrounds with or without personal dosimeters for the evaluation of radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) and/or extremely low‐frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields [Juhász et al, ; Vermeeren et al, ; Verloock et al, , ; Liorni et al, ; Struchen et al, ; Gallastegi et al, ; Birks et al, ]. In Greece, a specific legislative framework for children's playgrounds was established in 2009 in order to ensure compliance with the established exposure limits to RF EMF and extremely low‐frequency (ELF) fields [International Commission on Non Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), ].…”

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confidence: 99%

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

Christopoulou

Karabetsos

2019

Bioelectromagnetics

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in-situ measurements of radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) and extremely low-frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields in 317 existing and under-construction children's playground facilities, in 16 municipalities all over Greece, were carried out by the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (EEAE). These measurements were conducted following legislative framework established in 2009, which requires that compliance with the established exposure limits for EMFs should be verified in playground areas. The results are presented by the value of the electric field (E) and exposure ratio (Λ) for the RF EMF, as well as the value of the electric field (E) and magnetic flux density (B) for the ELF electric and magnetic fields. Statistical analysis tools were applied on measurement data and conclusions have been made, taking into consideration: (i) environment type (urban/suburban), and (ii) vicinity to any transmitting installations. Measurement results correspond to the typical EMF background levels for each environment type. Concerning the environment type, RF EMF, and ELF electric/magnetic field measurements reveal no differentiation between urban and suburban environments. Bioelectromagnetics. 2019;40:602-605.

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confidence: 99%

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

Christopoulou

Karabetsos

2019

Bioelectromagnetics

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“…A recent study of Birks et al (21) reported results from personal RF EM environmental exposure levels in European children (Denmark, Netherland, Slovenia, Switzerland, and Spain) in the frequency range of 87.5 MHz -6 GHz. They found that the highest median exposure was outside (157.0 µW/m 2 ; approximately 0.5 V/m) and much lower at home (33.0 µW/m 2 ) or in school (35.1 µW/m 2 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Misek

Laukova

Kohan

et al. 2018

Acta Medica Martiniana

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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.

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“…We report electric field strength values (in mV/m) in the results section, since that is most commonly reported in the literature [ 2 , 7 , 17 , 18 ]. We also compared the exposures with the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) reference levels for common frequency bands [ 19 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personal Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields among Australian Adults

Zeleke

Brzozek

Bhatt

et al. 2018

IJERPH

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The measurement of personal exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) is important for epidemiological studies. RF-EMF exposure can be measured using personal exposimeters that register RF-EMFs over a wide range of frequency bands. This study aimed to measure and describe personal RF-EMF exposure levels from a wide range of frequency bands. Measurements were recorded from 63 participants over an average of 27.4 (±4.5) hours. RF-EMF exposure levels were computed for each frequency band, as well as from downlink (RF from mobile phone base station), uplink (RF from mobile phone handsets), broadcast, and Wi-Fi. Participants had a mean (±SD) age of 36.9 ± 12.5 years; 66.7% were women; and almost all (98.2%) from urban areas. A Wi-Fi router at home was reported by 61 participants (96.8%), with 38 (61.2%) having a Wi-Fi enabled smart TV. Overall, 26 (41.3%) participants had noticed the existence of a mobile phone base station in their neighborhood. On average, participants estimated the distance between the base station and their usual residence to be about 500 m. The median personal RF-EMF exposure was 208 mV/m. Downlink contributed 40.4% of the total RF-EMF exposure, followed by broadcast (22.4%), uplink (17.3%), and Wi-Fi (15.9%). RF-EMF exposure levels on weekdays were higher than weekends (p < 0.05). Downlink and broadcast are the main contributors to total RF-EMF personal exposure. Personal RF-EMF exposure levels vary according to day of the week and time of day.

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Spatial and temporal variability of personal environmental exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields in children in Europe

Cited by 66 publications

References 41 publications

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

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

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

Personal Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields among Australian Adults

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