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Radio Frequency

Outdoor radiofrequency radiation levels in the West Bank-Palestine.

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Lahham A, Hammash A. · 2012

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This study found average RF exposure of 0.37 μW/cm² in urban areas, with FM radio contributing more than cell towers.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers measured radiofrequency radiation from cell towers, radio, and TV stations across 65 locations in Palestine. FM radio stations produced the highest exposure levels at 62% of total radiation. All measurements remained well below international safety limits, providing important baseline data for urban RF exposure.

Why This Matters

This environmental monitoring study provides valuable real-world data on radiofrequency exposure levels that people actually encounter in their daily lives. What's particularly interesting is that FM radio stations, not cell towers, were the dominant source of RF exposure in these urban areas. The measured levels averaged 0.37 μW/cm², which is significantly lower than what you'd experience holding a cell phone to your head (which can exceed 1,000 μW/cm² locally). However, this study only measured compliance with safety guidelines, not biological effects. The reality is that safety guidelines are based on heating effects and don't account for the growing body of research showing biological impacts at much lower exposure levels. While these environmental levels may seem reassuring, they represent continuous, chronic exposure that we're only beginning to understand the long-term implications of.

Exposure Details

Power Density
0.000148,0.000089, 0.000007, 0.00386, 0.00037 µW/m²
Source/Device
75 MHz to 3 GHz

Exposure Context

This study used 0.000148,0.000089, 0.000007, 0.00386, 0.00037 µW/m² for radio frequency:

Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.

Where This Falls on the Concern Scale

Study Exposure Level in ContextStudy Exposure Level in ContextThis study: 0.000148,0.000089, 0.000007, 0.00386, 0.00037 µW/m²Extreme Concern - 1,000 uW/m2FCC Limit - 10M uW/m2Effects observed in the No Concern rangeFCC limit is 1,428,571,428,571x higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 75 MHz - 3 GHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 75 MHz - 3 GHzPower lines50/60 HzCell phones~1 GHzWiFi2.4 GHz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

This work presents the results of exposure levels to radio frequency (RF) emission from different sources in the environment of the West Bank-Palestine.

These RF emitters include FM and TV broadcasting stations and mobile phone base stations. Power dens...

The average value of power density resulted from FM radio broadcasting in all investigated locations...

Cite This Study
Lahham A, Hammash A. (2012). Outdoor radiofrequency radiation levels in the West Bank-Palestine. Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 149(4):399-402, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{a_2012_outdoor_radiofrequency_radiation_levels_1127,
  author = {Lahham A and Hammash A.},
  title = {Outdoor radiofrequency radiation levels in the West Bank-Palestine.},
  year = {2012},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21835841/},
}
PubMed: 21835841

Cited By (10 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

A 2012 Palestinian study found FM radio waves contributed 62% of total radiofrequency exposure in urban areas, but all measured levels stayed well below international safety guidelines. The research provides baseline data rather than evidence of health effects.
This study measured cell tower radiation across 65 locations and found levels well below safety limits, contributing 35% of total RF exposure. The measurements remained within international guidelines, though long-term health effects require further research.
Research in Palestine measured radiation from radio and TV stations across multiple locations. While FM radio produced the highest exposure levels at 62% of total radiation, all measurements stayed well below international safety standards.
This study found maximum total RF exposure of 3.86 μW/cm² across all measured locations, with an exposure quotient of 0.02. This represents just 2% of international safety limits, indicating compliance with protection guidelines.
Palestinian researchers found average total RF exposure of 0.37 μW/cm² from all sources combined. FM radio contributed most at 62%, mobile towers 35%, and TV broadcasting just 3% of total environmental radiation exposure.