Residential exposure to radiofrequency fields from mobile phone base stations, and broadcast transmitters: a population-based survey with personal meter
VIEL ; CLERC ; BARRERA ; RYMZHANOVA ; MOISSONNIER ; HOURS ; CARDIS
Type de document
ARTICLE A COMITE DE LECTURE REPERTORIE DANS BDI (ACL)
Langue
anglais
Auteur
VIEL ; CLERC ; BARRERA ; RYMZHANOVA ; MOISSONNIER ; HOURS ; CARDIS
Résumé / Abstract
Objectives: Both the public perceptions, and most published epidemiologic studies, rely on the assumption that the distance of a particular residence from a base station or a broadcast transmitter is an appropriate surrogate for exposure to radiofrequency fields, although complex propagation characteristics affect the beams from antennas. The main goal of this study was to characterise the distribution of residential exposure from antennas using personal exposure meters.Results: Much of the time, the recorded field strength was below the detection level (0.05 V/m), the FM band standing apart with a proportion above the detection threshold of 12.3%. The maximum electric field strength was always lower than 1.5 V/m. Exposure to GSM and DCS waves peaked around 280 m and 1000 m from the antennas. A downward trend was found within a 10 km range for FM. Conversely, UMTS, TV 3, and TV 4&5 signals did not vary with distance. Conclusions: Despite numerous limiting factors entailing a high variability in radiofrequency exposure assessment, but owing to a sound statistical technique, we found that exposures from GSM and DCS base stations increase with distance in the near source zone, to a maximum where the main beam intersects the ground. We believe these results will contribute to the ongoing public debate over the location of base stations and their associated emissions.
Source
Occupational and Environmental Medicine, num. vol66, n8, p550-556 p.
Editeur
BMJ
