RF Safe

Measurement and risk perception of non-ionizing radiation from base transceiver stations in Dhaka City of Bangladesh

2023 · Unclear · Low evidence

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UnclearLow evidencePaper 401

Measurements from 361 publicly accessible locations in Dhaka City found that average electric field exceeded the 1800 MHz threshold values 36.84%, 33.5%, and 7.5% of the time compared with thresholds of China, India, and Japan, respectively. Average electroma…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2023
Study typeexposure_assessment
Reported directionUnclear
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Measurement and risk perception of non-ionizing radiation from base transceiver stations in Dhaka City of Bangladesh Islam MS, Pal A, Noor MS, Sazzad IU. Measurement and risk perception of non-ionizing radiation from base transceiver stations in Dhaka City of Bangladesh. Environ Monit Assess. 2023 Sep 12;195(10):1190. doi: 10.1007/s10661-023-11812-7. Abstract Multiple harmful health effects can have on the population from non-ionizing radiation (NIR) sources. To date, there has been no extensive data collection about NIR emitted from base transceiver stations in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. This study aims to remedy that by collecting data and comparing the processed data to the international standards, International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines, and standards of other countries. For this, measurement data were collected from 361 different publicly accessible locations in Dhaka City applying a convenience sampling approach. The measured average electric field exceeded the 1800 MHz threshold values of 36.84, 33.5, and 7.5% of the time compared with the thresholds of China, India, and Japan, respectively, followed by the measured average electromagnetic field values, which were 57, 52, and 29%, respectively. No exceedance was seen for radiofrequency power flux for the investigated countries. Approximately 35% of the calculated average specific energy absorption rate values exceeded the ICNIRP recommended public exposure limit of 0.08 W/kg. Based on this data, it is suggested that detailed NIR exposure regulations need to be created and proper oversight and enforcement over operators are required to avoid potential health effects. Open access paper: link.springer.com

Machine Enhanced Logic

AI evidence extraction

Structured fields below were generated from the paper’s abstract and metadata to make the evidence easier to inspect. Automated extraction may be incomplete or incorrect; verify important details against the original paper.

Study typeexposure_assessment
Effect directionunclear
PopulationPublicly accessible locations in Dhaka City, Bangladesh
Sample size361
ExposureRF · 1800 MHz · 0.08 W/kg
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Measurements from 361 publicly accessible locations in Dhaka City found that average electric field exceeded the 1800 MHz threshold values 36.84%, 33.5%, and 7.5% of the time compared with thresholds of China, India, and Japan, respectively. Average electromagnetic field values exceeded corresponding thresholds 57%, 52%, and 29% of the time, while no exceedance was seen for radiofrequency power flux for the investigated countries. Approximately 35% of calculated average SAR values exceeded the ICNIRP recommended public exposure limit of 0.08 W/kg.

Outcomes measured

  • Electric field (average) exceedance vs thresholds (China, India, Japan)
  • Electromagnetic field (average) exceedance vs thresholds (China, India, Japan)
  • Radiofrequency power flux exceedance vs thresholds (investigated countries)
  • Specific energy absorption rate (SAR) exceedance vs ICNIRP public exposure limit (0.08 W/kg)
  • Risk perception (mentioned in title; details not provided in abstract)

Limitations

  • Convenience sampling approach
  • Abstract does not report details of risk perception methods or results
  • Health effects are discussed as potential; no health outcomes are measured in the abstract
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "exposure_assessment",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "base transceiver stations",
    "frequency_mhz": 1800,
    "sar_wkg": 0.08,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Publicly accessible locations in Dhaka City, Bangladesh",
  "sample_size": 361,
  "outcomes": [
    "Electric field (average) exceedance vs thresholds (China, India, Japan)",
    "Electromagnetic field (average) exceedance vs thresholds (China, India, Japan)",
    "Radiofrequency power flux exceedance vs thresholds (investigated countries)",
    "Specific energy absorption rate (SAR) exceedance vs ICNIRP public exposure limit (0.08 W/kg)",
    "Risk perception (mentioned in title; details not provided in abstract)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Measurements from 361 publicly accessible locations in Dhaka City found that average electric field exceeded the 1800 MHz threshold values 36.84%, 33.5%, and 7.5% of the time compared with thresholds of China, India, and Japan, respectively. Average electromagnetic field values exceeded corresponding thresholds 57%, 52%, and 29% of the time, while no exceedance was seen for radiofrequency power flux for the investigated countries. Approximately 35% of calculated average SAR values exceeded the ICNIRP recommended public exposure limit of 0.08 W/kg.",
  "effect_direction": "unclear",
  "limitations": [
    "Convenience sampling approach",
    "Abstract does not report details of risk perception methods or results",
    "Health effects are discussed as potential; no health outcomes are measured in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "non-ionizing radiation",
    "RF exposure",
    "base transceiver stations",
    "Dhaka",
    "Bangladesh",
    "ICNIRP",
    "electric field",
    "electromagnetic field",
    "power flux",
    "SAR",
    "public exposure limits",
    "regulation"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.9,
      "reason": "Compares measurements to ICNIRP guidelines and uses ICNIRP public SAR limit (0.08 W/kg)."
    },
    {
      "slug": "5g-policy",
      "weight": 0.25,
      "reason": "Discusses need for exposure regulations/oversight for base station emissions (policy-relevant), though 5G is not explicitly mentioned."
    }
  ]
}
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AI-extracted fields are generated from the abstract and metadata and may be incomplete or incorrect. This material is for informational purposes and is not medical advice.

Identifiers and source

DOI: 10.1007/s10661-023-11812-7
PubMed: Not supplied

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