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Updated: May 25, 2026

Effective Analysis of Human Exposure Conditions with Body-worn Dosimeters in the 2.4 GHz Band
Published on: May 2, 2018
Personal radio frequency electromagnetic field exposure among Swiss adolescents in the 5G era
Hamed Jalilian1, Valentin Jaki Waibl1, Irina Wipf1
1Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Allschwil, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Introduction:
The rapid expansion of wireless technologies, including 5G, has introduced complex radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) exposure patterns, yet real-world data on personal exposure in adolescents remain limited. This study, conducted within the HERMES3 (Health Effects Related to Mobile Phone Use in Adolescents) cohort, aims to characterize personal RF-EMF exposure among Swiss adolescents.
Methods:
A subsample of 143 adolescents participated in a personal measurement study between June 2023 and January 2025. Participants carried a personal exposimeter (ExpoM-RF4) for ca. 72-hours, to collect Geographic Positioning System coordinates and exposure data from 35 frequency bands. During this period, participants were asked to fill-out an electronic activity diary. Following data quality control, frequency bands were categorized by source and analyzed descriptively.
Results:
Mean and median daily total RF-EMF levels of 0.09 mW/m2 and 0.06 mW/m2, respectively, were measured. WiFi/Bluetooth contributed most to total exposure (35 %), followed by broadcast (31 %), uplink (19 %), downlink (10 %), time division duplex (4 %), and Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (0.7 %). Across environments, average RF-EMF exposure was highest in transport systems (0.47 mW/m2) and lowest at school (0.08 mW/m2) and home (0.07 mW/m2).
Conclusion:
Despite widespread 5G deployment, overall personal exposure among adolescents remains similar to pre-5G levels, with variations mainly reflecting user behavior and network density. However, this should not be interpreted as a direct causal estimate of the independent effect of 5G deployment. Personal measurements underestimate exposure contributions from sources emitting close to body.
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