Temporal change of outdoor RF-EMF levels in four European countries: a microenvironmental measurement study
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View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.Despite an 8-fold increase in mobile data traffic, outdoor radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) exposure levels remained stable between 2016 and 2023 in four European countries. This study measured RF-EMF in various microenvironments to track trends.
Area Of Science
- Environmental Science
- Public Health
- Telecommunications Engineering
Background
- Mobile data traffic has surged dramatically over the last two decades.
- The impact of new mobile technologies on outdoor radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) exposure is not well understood.
- Microenvironmental measurements offer a method to assess localized RF-EMF exposure trends.
Purpose Of The Study
- To investigate temporal trends in outdoor RF-EMF exposure from 2016 to 2023.
- To compare RF-EMF exposure changes across different microenvironments in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Belgium, and Spain.
- To determine if increased mobile data usage correlates with altered RF-EMF exposure levels.
Main Methods
- Utilized RF-EMF exposimeters to conduct measurements along predefined routes in four European countries.
- Collected data across multiple campaigns as part of the ACCEDERA, ETAIN, and GOLIAT projects.
- Identified and measured exposure in identical microenvironments, comparing base station, mobile phone, and total RF-EMF exposure over time.
Main Results
- No significant changes in exposure from mobile base stations (total downlink exposure) were observed between 2016 and 2023.
- Median mobile base station exposure values across all countries and years ranged from 0.11 mW/m² (Switzerland, 2023) to 0.62 mW/m² (Netherlands, 2018).
- No consistent trends in RF-EMF exposure were identified within individual microenvironments across the studied countries.
Conclusions
- Outdoor RF-EMF exposure levels in microenvironments did not change significantly between 2016 and 2023.
- This stability in exposure occurred despite an approximate eightfold increase in mobile data traffic in Western Europe.
- The findings suggest that technological advancements and increased data usage have not led to higher ambient RF-EMF levels in the measured outdoor microenvironments.
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