STUDY OF VARIATIONS OF RADIOFREQUENCY POWER DENSITY FROM MOBILE PHONE BASE STATIONS WITH DISTANCE.
Ayinmode BO, Farai IP. · 2013
View Original AbstractCell tower radiation peaked at 2,972 µW/m² within 200 meters, staying below safety limits but representing measurable environmental RF exposure.
Plain English Summary
Researchers measured radiofrequency radiation levels at various distances from cell phone towers in Nigeria using calibrated equipment. They found the highest radiation levels occurred at 50-200 meters from the towers, with maximum readings of 2,972 µW/m². All measured levels were below international safety guidelines, suggesting people living near these towers face relatively low RF exposure.
Why This Matters
This field measurement study provides valuable real-world data on RF exposure levels around cell towers, addressing a common public concern. The maximum power density of 2,972 µW/m² is roughly 300 times lower than current international limits (which allow up to 900,000 µW/m² for GSM frequencies). However, these measurements represent only a snapshot in time and don't account for cumulative exposure or the growing body of research suggesting biological effects may occur well below current safety standards. What this means for you: while living near cell towers may not expose you to extremely high RF levels, the science continues to evolve on what constitutes truly safe exposure levels for long-term health.
Exposure Details
- Power Density
- 0.000032391. 0.0002972 µW/m²
- Source/Device
- GSM 1800
Exposure Context
This study used 0.000032391. 0.0002972 µW/m² for radio frequency:
- 3.2Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.1 μW/m²
- 54x above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 0.0006 μW/cm²
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 Details
The variations of radiofrequency (RF) radiation power density with distance around some mobile phone base stations (BTSs), in ten randomly selected locations in Ibadan, western Nigeria, were studied
Measurements were made with a calibrated hand-held spectrum analyser. The maximum Global System of M...
This study shows that the maximum carrier signal power density and the total maximum power density f...
The result of this study demonstrates that exposure of people to RF radiation from phone BTSs in Ibadan city is far less than the recommended limits by International scientific bodies.
Show BibTeX
@article{bo_2013_study_of_variations_of_832,
author = {Ayinmode BO and Farai IP.},
title = {STUDY OF VARIATIONS OF RADIOFREQUENCY POWER DENSITY FROM MOBILE PHONE BASE STATIONS WITH DISTANCE.},
year = {2013},
url = {https://academic.oup.com/rpd/article-abstract/156/4/424/1620197},
}