RF Safe

Radiofrequency Exposure Levels in Greece

Bioelectromagnetics · 2023 · No effect · Moderate evidence

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No effectModerate evidencePaper 555

In a Greek national program measuring RF exposure (27–3000 MHz) at 1000 points, broadband mean electric field was 0.41 V/m in metropolitan areas (Athens/Thessaloniki) and 0.36 V/m in other urban/rural locations. Predominant contributors differed by area (TV/F…

Study snapshot

PublicationBioelectromagnetics · 2023
Study typeexposure_assessment
Reported directionNo effect
Evidence ratingModerate

Abstract

Radiofrequency Exposure Levels in Greece Tyrakis C, Theodorou K, Kiouvrekis Y, Alexias A, Kappas C. Radiofrequency Exposure Levels in Greece. Bioelectromagnetics. 2023 Feb 14. doi: 10.1002/bem.22434. Abstract Medical Physics Department (Medical School, University of Thessaly) participated in a Greek National EMF research program (EDBM34) with the scope to measure and evaluate radiofrequency (RF) exposure (27-3000 MHz) in areas of sensitive land use. A thousand (1000) measurements were carried out at two "metropolitan locations" (Athens and Thessaloniki: 624 points) and several rest urban/rural locations (376 points). SRM 3006 spectrum analyzer manufactured by Narda Safety Test Solutions was used. The broadband mean electric field in metropolitan areas was 0.41 V/m, while in the rest of Greece was 0.36 V/m. In metropolitan areas, the predominant RF source was the TV and Radio FM signals (36.2% mean contribution to the total RF exposure level). In the rest areas, the predominant source was the systems of the meteorological and military/defensive service (31.1%). The mobile sector contributed 14.9% in metropolitan areas versus 12.2% in the rest of Greece. The predominant mobile source was 900 MHz in both cases (4.5% in metropolitan areas vs. 3.3% in the rest of Greece). The total exposure from all RF sources complied with the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) 2020 safety guidelines [ICNIRP, 2020]. The maximum exposure level was 0.129% of the limit for the metropolitan areas vs. 0.110% for the rest of Greece. Nonremarkable differences between metropolitan areas' exposure and the rest of Greece. In most cases, new 5 G antennas will be added to the existing base stations. Thus, the total exposure may be increased, leading to higher safety distances. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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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 directionno_effect
PopulationNot supplied
Sample size1000
ExposureRF
Evidence strengthModerateConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

In a Greek national program measuring RF exposure (27–3000 MHz) at 1000 points, broadband mean electric field was 0.41 V/m in metropolitan areas (Athens/Thessaloniki) and 0.36 V/m in other urban/rural locations. Predominant contributors differed by area (TV/FM in metropolitan areas; meteorological and military/defensive systems elsewhere), while the mobile sector contributed 14.9% vs 12.2% respectively; total exposure complied with ICNIRP 2020 guidelines, with maximum levels reported as 0.129% and 0.110% of the limit.

Outcomes measured

  • Broadband mean electric field (V/m)
  • Source contributions to total RF exposure (%)
  • Compliance with ICNIRP 2020 safety guidelines
  • Maximum exposure as % of ICNIRP limit

Limitations

  • No health outcomes assessed (exposure measurement study only)
  • Measurement duration/timing and temporal variability not described in the abstract
  • Details on selection of “sensitive land use” sites and sampling strategy not provided in the abstract
  • Exposure metrics limited to electric field levels and relative source contributions (no SAR or personal exposure measures reported)
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "exposure_assessment",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "environmental measurements in sensitive land use areas (multiple sources including TV/FM, meteorological/military, mobile/base stations)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": null,
  "sample_size": 1000,
  "outcomes": [
    "Broadband mean electric field (V/m)",
    "Source contributions to total RF exposure (%)",
    "Compliance with ICNIRP 2020 safety guidelines",
    "Maximum exposure as % of ICNIRP limit"
  ],
  "main_findings": "In a Greek national program measuring RF exposure (27–3000 MHz) at 1000 points, broadband mean electric field was 0.41 V/m in metropolitan areas (Athens/Thessaloniki) and 0.36 V/m in other urban/rural locations. Predominant contributors differed by area (TV/FM in metropolitan areas; meteorological and military/defensive systems elsewhere), while the mobile sector contributed 14.9% vs 12.2% respectively; total exposure complied with ICNIRP 2020 guidelines, with maximum levels reported as 0.129% and 0.110% of the limit.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "No health outcomes assessed (exposure measurement study only)",
    "Measurement duration/timing and temporal variability not described in the abstract",
    "Details on selection of “sensitive land use” sites and sampling strategy not provided in the abstract",
    "Exposure metrics limited to electric field levels and relative source contributions (no SAR or personal exposure measures reported)"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "moderate",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency",
    "RF exposure",
    "27-3000 MHz",
    "electric field",
    "Greece",
    "Athens",
    "Thessaloniki",
    "spectrum analyzer",
    "SRM 3006",
    "ICNIRP 2020",
    "5G",
    "base stations",
    "sensitive land use"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.86,
      "reason": "Explicit assessment of compliance with ICNIRP 2020 safety guidelines."
    },
    {
      "slug": "5g-policy",
      "weight": 0.55,
      "reason": "Discusses addition of new 5G antennas to existing base stations and potential exposure increases/safety distances."
    }
  ]
}
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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: 10.1002/bem.22434
PubMed: 36786436

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