Author: Pascal De Giudici1, Jean-Christian Genier2, Sylvie Martin1, Jean-François Doré3, Pierre Ducimetière4, Anne-Sophie Evrard5, Thierry Letertre6, Claire Ségala7
Affiliation: <sup>1</sup> SEPIA-Santé, Baud, France.
<sup>2</sup> Simutech, Bagneux, France.
<sup>3</sup> Inserm UA8 Radiations: Défense, Santé, Environnement, Centre Léon Bérard, Lyon, France.
<sup>4</sup> Inserm - Université Paris Sud - CESP Villejuif, France.
<sup>5</sup> Univ Lyon, Univ. Gustave Eiffel, IFSTTAR, Univ. Lyon 1, Umrestte, UMR T9405, Bron, France.
<sup>6</sup> SONDRA, CentraleSupélec, Université Paris Saclay, Gif sur Yvette, France.
<sup>7</sup> SEPIA-Santé, Baud, France. Electronic address: csegala_sepia@orange.fr.
Conference/Journal: Environ Res
Date published: 2020 Nov 19
Other:
Special Notes: doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110500. , Word Count: 368
In response to the demand from a growing number of people concerned about the possible impact of RF-EMF on health, the French National Frequency Agency (ANFR) has published a standardized protocol for in-situ measurements of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF). This protocol was based on the search for the point of highest field strength and the use of spot measurement. In the framework of an epidemiological study, such spot measurements were implemented in the homes of 354 participants located in urban areas within 250 meters of a mobile-phone base station (MPBS) and in the main beam direction of the antenna. Among the participants, more than half accepted to be enrolled in a longer-term study, among whom 152 were equipped with a personal exposure meter (PEM) for 48 hours and 40 for seven continuous days. Both spot and PEM measurements quantified downlink field strengths, i.e. FM, TV3-4-5, TETRA I-II-III, 2GHz-5GHz Wi-Fi, WiMax, GSM900, GSM1800, UMTS900, UMTS 2100, LTE800, LTE1800, and LTE2600. Spot measurements showed a mean/median field strength of 0.58/0.44 V/m for total RF-EMF and 0.43/0.27 V/m from the MPBS. RF-EMF from the MPBS was the dominant source of exposure in 64% of households. Exposure to RF-EMF was influenced by the position of the windows with respect to the MPBS, in particular line-of-site visibility, the distance of the antenna and the floor of the apartment. The PEM surveys showed the measured exposure to be higher during outings than at home and during the day than at night, but there was no difference between the weekends and working days. There was a strong correlation between exposure quantified by both spot and PEM measurements, although spot measures were approximately three times higher than those by PEMs. This study is the first to assess exposure to RF-EMF of people living near a MPBS in urban areas in France. These preliminary results suggest the value of using spot measurements to estimate the impact of the evolution of the mobile-phone network and technology on the exposure of populations to RF-EMF. The low levels of RF-RMF expressed as mean values do not necessarily rule out possible health effects of this exposure.
Keywords: Electromagnetic field; Exposure assessment; Indoor measurement; Mobile-phone base station; Personal exposure meter.
PMID: 33221309 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2020.110500