Assessment of RF exposures from emerging wireless communication technologies in different environments.
Joseph W, Verloock L, Goeminne F, Vermeeren G, Martens L. · 2012
View Original AbstractResidential areas showed the highest wireless radiation peaks at 3.9 V/m, with older GSM networks contributing over 60% of everyday exposure.
Plain English Summary
Researchers measured radiofrequency radiation levels from cell towers and wireless technologies across 311 locations in three European countries, including homes, offices, and urban areas. They found that residential areas had the highest peak exposures at 3.9 volts per meter, with older GSM cell phone networks contributing over 60% of total exposure levels. The study provides a comprehensive baseline of how much wireless radiation people encounter in different everyday environments.
Why This Matters
This comprehensive exposure assessment across three European countries provides crucial real-world data about the wireless radiation environment we all live in. The finding that residential areas showed the highest peak exposures challenges the common assumption that urban centers would have the most intense radiation levels. What's particularly significant is that GSM networks, the older 2G technology, dominated exposure levels at over 60% of total radiation - meaning that even as we've added newer technologies like 3G, 4G, and now 5G, the legacy networks continue to be our primary source of ambient wireless exposure. The study also reveals the stark difference between rural and urban exposures, with urban environments showing median levels over eight times higher than rural areas (0.74 vs 0.09 V/m). While the measured levels remained below current safety guidelines, this research demonstrates that our daily wireless radiation exposure varies dramatically based on where we live and work, providing essential baseline data for understanding cumulative exposure effects.
Exposure Details
- Electric Field
- 0.09, 0.40, 0.46, 0.49, 0.51, 0.74, 3.9 V/m
- Source/Device
- GSM900
Study Details
The aim of this study is to investigate Assessment of RF exposures from emerging wireless communication technologies in different environments.
In situ electromagnetic (EM) radio frequency (RF) exposure to base stations of emerging wireless tec...
The maximal total field value was measured in a residential environment and equal to 3.9 V m(-1), ma...
Contributions of the emerging technologies LTE and WiMAX are on average less than 1%. The dominating outdoor source is GSM900 (95 percentile of 1.9 V m(-1)), indoor DECT dominates (95 percentile of 1.5 V m(-1)).
Show BibTeX
@article{w_2012_assessment_of_rf_exposures_1083,
author = {Joseph W and Verloock L and Goeminne F and Vermeeren G and Martens L.},
title = {Assessment of RF exposures from emerging wireless communication technologies in different environments.},
year = {2012},
url = {https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22217589/},
}