New protocol measures 5G radiation from phones and base stations

A team of Project GOLIAT researchers has developed and applied a new protocol to measure exposure to radiation from mobile phones, particularly from 5G. The researchers investigated radio frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) in three different scenarios: when the mobile device is in flight mode (non-user) and when the phone is being used intensively by downloading or uploading data. I measured the level.

This study shows that exposure to RF-EMFs from cell phone base stations increases with increasing population density. However, mobile phones transmit strongest in areas with poor network quality.

The study was conducted in Switzerland, one of the first countries in Europe to roll out 5G networks on a large scale. The results have now been published in the journal Environment Research, providing relevant data for epidemiological research, risk management, and risk communication.

To measure the RF-EMF levels emitted by devices and base stations, the research team selected two cities (Zurich and Basel) and three rural villages (Hergiswil, Willisau, and Dagmarselen). In each, different microenvironments and areas with different uses are defined, such as residential and industrial areas, schools, parks, and public transportation. The researchers measured exposure by wearing backpacks equipped with personal light meters and mobile devices with sensors and software to track the power emitted by cell phones.

In total, over 30,000 data points were analyzed. When using a mobile phone in airplane mode, the RF-EMF effects primarily originate from the mobile phone’s base station. Researchers found that exposure levels increased as population density increased. The average for rural villages was 0.17 milliwatts per square meter (mW/m2), while the urban average was 0.33 mW/m2 in Basel and 0.48 mW/m2 in Zurich.

“The highest levels were seen in urban business areas and public transport, but they were still more than 100 times below international guideline values,” said Martin Rosli, a researcher at TPH Switzerland and final author of the study. ” he said.

In the scenario where the maximum data download was triggered (the researcher’s phone was set to download large files), the radiation increased significantly to an average of 6-7 mW/m². The authors attribute some of this increase to beamforming. Beamforming is a technology associated with 5G base stations that more efficiently transmits signals to users, leading to increased levels of exposure when downloading data. Exposure was higher overall in the two cities, likely due to the higher number of 5G base stations.

Finally, the scenario in which the highest RF-EMF levels were recorded was the maximum data upload scenario, where the researcher’s mobile phone was set to always upload large files. The average exposure was approximately 16 mW/m² in urban areas and almost double (29 mW/m²) in villages.

In this scenario, the biggest source of radiation is the phones transmitting data, and the exposure was much higher in the village due to the low density of base stations, resulting in poor signal quality and devices using more power to transmit data. I decided to use it.

“It should be noted that in our study, the mobile phone was located approximately 30 cm from the measuring device, which means that our results may underestimate the actual exposure. This means that because mobile phone users hold their phones close to their bodies, their exposure to RF-EMFs can be up to 10 times higher,” says Swiss TPH. said Adriana Fernández-Verdo, researcher and lead author of the study.

“In summary, this study shows that when base station densities are low, environmental exposure is low. However, in such situations, emissions from mobile phones are orders of magnitude higher.” said Fernández Verdo. “This has the paradoxical result that in areas with low base station density, the average mobile phone user is exposed to RF-EMF.”

This is the first study of its kind to provide critical data on 5G levels in the environment and from individual mobile phones. This measurement will now be carried out twice in nine more European countries within three years to monitor potential changes in population exposure as 5G is rolled out.