6,486 Studies Reviewed. 85.2% of Original Studies Found Biological Effects. The Evidence is Clear.
Shield Your Body
Radio Frequency

Residential characteristics and radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposures from bedroom measurements in Germany.

Bioeffects Seen

Breckenkamp J, Blettner M, Schüz J, Bornkessel C, Schmiedel S, Schlehofer B, Berg-Beckhoff G. · 2012

View Original Abstract
Share:

Bedroom RF-EMF levels in German households were very low and far below safety limits, with cordless phones and wireless LAN/Bluetooth contributing about 82% of total exposure.

Plain English Summary

Summary written for general audiences

Researchers measured RF-EMF exposure in the bedrooms of 1,348 households in Germany using Antennessa(®) EME Spy 120 dosimeters, with 280 measures available for each frequency band per household. Exposure levels were very low and far below the ICNIRP's exposure reference levels. Cordless phones (DECT standard) and wireless LAN/Bluetooth were the major sources, contributing about 82% of total exposure.

Why This Matters

The study assessed exposure across multiple radioservices, including FM radio, analogue TV and DVB-T, TETRA, GSM900 downlink, GSM1800 downlink, UMTS downlink, DECT, and wireless LAN and Bluetooth. Exposure was often below the detection limit of the dosimeter, which was set at an electrical field strength of 0.05 V/m. Total exposure varied depending on whether measurements took place in urban or rural areas and on the floor of the building.

Exposure Details

Power Density
0.00000205 mW/cm²
Electric Field
0.05 V/m
Source/Device
GSM900, GSM1800

Exposure Context

This study used 0.00000205 mW/cm² 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: 0.00000205 mW/cm²Extreme Concern - 1,000 µW/m²FCC Limit - 10M µW/m²Effects observed in the Severe Concern range (Building Biology)FCC limit is 487,805 times higher than this level
A logarithmic frequency spectrum from 10 Hz to 100 GHz showing where this study's 900 MHz exposure sits relative to common EMF sources.Where This Frequency Sits on the EMF SpectrumELFVLFLF / MFHF / VHFUHFSHFmm10 Hz100 GHzThis study: 900 MHzPower lines50/60 Hz5G mm28 GHzLogarithmic scale

Study Details

The objectives of this study were to assess total exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) in bedrooms and the contribution of different radioservices (FM radio, analogue TV and DVB-T, TETRA, GSM900 downlink, GSM1800 downlink, UMTS downlink, DECT, and wireless LAN and blue tooth) to the total exposure. Additional aims were to describe the proportion of measuring values above the detection limit of the dosimeters and to characterize the differences in exposure patterns associated with self-reported residential characteristics.

Exposure to RF sources in bedrooms was measured using Antennessa(®) EME Spy 120 dosimeters in 1,348 ...

Exposure to RF-EMF is ubiquitous, but exposure levels are-if at all measurable-very low and far belo...

Cite This Study
Breckenkamp J, Blettner M, Schüz J, Bornkessel C, Schmiedel S, Schlehofer B, Berg-Beckhoff G. (2012). Residential characteristics and radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposures from bedroom measurements in Germany. Radiat Environ Biophys. 51(1):85-92, 2012.
Show BibTeX
@article{j_2012_residential_characteristics_and_radiofrequency_876,
  author = {Breckenkamp J and Blettner M and Schüz J and Bornkessel C and Schmiedel S and Schlehofer B and Berg-Beckhoff G.},
  title = {Residential characteristics and radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposures from bedroom measurements in Germany.},
  year = {2012},
  
  url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21964673/},
}
PubMed: 21964673

Cited By (28 papers)

Quick Questions About This Study

Exposure in bedrooms was measured using Antennessa(®) EME Spy 120 dosimeters in 1,348 households in Germany, with 280 measures available for each frequency band per household.
Exposure levels were very low and far below the ICNIRP's exposure reference levels.
Cordless phones (DECT standard) and wireless LAN/Bluetooth were the major sources, contributing about 82% of total exposure.
Total exposure varied depending on urban versus rural areas and the floor of the building where measurement took place.
Exposure was often below the detection limit of the dosimeter, set at an electrical field strength of 0.05 V/m.