RF-EMF exposure assessment with add-on uplink exposure sensor in different microenvironments in seven European countries

Van Bladel, Han; Stroobandt, Bram; Fernandes Veludo, Adriana; Deprez, Kenneth; Röösli, Martin; Tognola, Gabriella; Parazzini, Marta; Thuróczy, György; Polanska, Kinga; Politanski, Piotr; Wiart, Joe; Guxens Junyent, Mònica; Joseph, Wout

RF-EMF exposure assessment with add-on uplink exposure sensor in different microenvironments in seven European countries

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dc.contributor.author Van Bladel, Han
dc.contributor.author Stroobandt, Bram
dc.contributor.author Fernandes Veludo, Adriana
dc.contributor.author Deprez, Kenneth
dc.contributor.author Röösli, Martin
dc.contributor.author Tognola, Gabriella
dc.contributor.author Parazzini, Marta
dc.contributor.author Thuróczy, György
dc.contributor.author Polanska, Kinga
dc.contributor.author Politanski, Piotr
dc.contributor.author Wiart, Joe
dc.contributor.author Guxens Junyent, Mònica
dc.contributor.author Joseph, Wout
dc.date.accessioned 2025-05-13T06:05:37Z
dc.date.available 2025-05-13T06:05:37Z
dc.date.issued 2025
dc.description.abstract Introduction: Several devices have been developed to assess exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF). Since the existing solutions to measure the personal exposure induced by emerging 5G New Radio (NR) are expensive, complex, and bulky, a new cost efficient and low-complexity sensor is developed, that aims to measure RF-EMF exposure in different scenarios of data transmission within different areas. Methods: With this novel sensor, activity-based microenvironmental surveys were conducted across seven European countries: Belgium, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The device is attached to a smartphone to quantify the auto-induced uplink (a-UL) transmission component of the total exposure for a broadband frequency range from 100 MHz to 6000 MHz and is thus denoted as add-on sensor. In-situ measurements were performed for three usage scenarios, namely non-user (i.e., environmental exposure), maximum downlink (max DL), and maximum uplink (max UL) scenarios, in a large city, a secondary city, and three rural villages a priori selected within each country. Results: Power levels were lowest in non-user scenarios (median: -2.64 dBm or 0.54mW), increasing by a factor of 5.00 dB in maximum downlink scenarios and by a factor of 14.15 dB in maximum uplink scenarios. In the maximum uplink scenarios, the highest median a-UL power of 18.68dBm (= 73.79 mW) was recorded in The Netherlands, while the lowest median a-UL power of 4.77dBm (= 3 mW) was observed in the UK. The analysis of the measured data showed a prominent trend of a 2.72 dB lower power in the cities compared to the villages. Further comparisons were made based on microenvironment groups, where the lowest a-UL power levels (median: 12.35dBm) were measured in outdoor areas, with an increase of 1.78 dB and 1.91 dB in power was measured compared to public transport and public places, respectively. Conclusion: This study compares RF-EMF power levels between different countries, urbanization settings, and usage scenarios, which is important for future epidemiological studies.
dc.format.mimetype application/pdf
dc.identifier.citation Bladel HV, Stroobandt B, Veludo AF, Deprez K, Röösli M, Tognola G, et al. RF-EMF exposure assessment with add-on uplink exposure sensor in different microenvironments in seven European countries. Environ Int. 2025 Mar;197:109368. DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2025.109368
dc.identifier.doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2025.109368
dc.identifier.issn 0160-4120
dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10230/70359
dc.language.iso eng
dc.publisher Elsevier
dc.relation.ispartof Environ Int. 2025 Mar;197:109368
dc.relation.projectID info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/HE/101057262
dc.rights.accessRights info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.uri http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject.keyword 5G
dc.subject.keyword Mobile telecommunications
dc.subject.keyword Non-ionizing radiation
dc.subject.keyword Personal exposure measurements
dc.subject.keyword Radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF)
dc.title RF-EMF exposure assessment with add-on uplink exposure sensor in different microenvironments in seven European countries
dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.type.version info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

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Articles (Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) – Campus Mar)
Articles (Departament de Medicina i Ciències de la Vida)
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