RF Safe

Exposure Assessment to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields in Occupational Military Scenarios: A Review

2022 · Mixed · Low evidence

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MixedLow evidencePaper 919

Across reviewed military RF-EMF exposure scenarios, the authors report only occasional situations of overexposure, while in the majority of conditions exposure was below worker exposure limits. They note that limited studies and missing exposure assessments f…

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2022
Study typereview
Reported directionMixed
Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Exposure Assessment to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields in Occupational Military Scenarios: A Review Gallucci S, Fiocchi S, Bonato M, Chiaramello E, Tognola G, Parazzini M. Exposure Assessment to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields in Occupational Military Scenarios: A Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Jan 14;19(2):920. doi: 10.3390/ijerph19020920. Abstract Background: Radiofrequency radiations are used in most devices in current use and, consequently, the assessment of the human exposure to the radiofrequency radiations has become an issue of strong interest. Even if in the military field there is wide use of radiofrequency devices, a clear picture on the exposure assessment to the electromagnetic field of the human beings in the military scenario is still missing. Methods: a review of the scientific literature regarding the assessment of the exposure of the military personnel to the RF specific to the military environment, was performed. Results: the review has been performed grouping the scientific literature by the typology of military devices to which the military personnel can be exposed to. The military devices have been classified in four main classes, according to their intended use: communication devices, localization/surveillance devices, jammers and EM directed-energy weapons. Discussion and Conclusions: The review showed that in the exposure conditions here evaluated, there were only occasional situations of overexposure, whereas in the majority of the conditions the exposure was below the worker exposure limits. Nevertheless, the limited number of studies and the lack of exposure assessment studies for some devices prevent us to draw definitive conclusions and encourage further studies on military exposure assessment. Conclusions In conclusion, this study provides an overview of the current used military devices and of the exposure studies that have been performed to characterize the exposure environment in the military scenario with the aim to analyze the state of the art regarding the interaction between the soldier and the RF-EMFs emitted by military devices. The results include four different typologies of systems, each one for different intended use: communication, localization, jamming, and electronic weaponry. The reviewed studies about the assessment of the human exposure to the radiation emitted by the above mentioned military devices suggest that in the exposure conditions here evaluated, there were only occasional situations of overexposure, but the large number of variables involved in the description of these scenarios, the wide heterogeneity of the exposure conditions and the absence of exposure evaluation for some specific devices make further studies necessary, also considering upcoming use of other technologies, such as 5G, which will dramatically change the exposure conditions also in military environment, both in terms of the time and conditions exposure and in terms of intrinsic sources characteristics, such as the used frequency ranges. Open access paper: mdpi.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 typereview
Effect directionmixed
PopulationMilitary personnel
Sample sizeNot supplied
ExposureRF
Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Across reviewed military RF-EMF exposure scenarios, the authors report only occasional situations of overexposure, while in the majority of conditions exposure was below worker exposure limits. They note that limited studies and missing exposure assessments for some devices prevent definitive conclusions.

Outcomes measured

  • Exposure assessment relative to worker exposure limits
  • Occurrence of overexposure situations

Limitations

  • Limited number of studies available
  • Lack of exposure assessment studies for some military devices
  • Wide heterogeneity of exposure conditions and many scenario variables, limiting definitive conclusions
View raw extracted JSON
{
  "study_type": "review",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "occupational (military devices)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Military personnel",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Exposure assessment relative to worker exposure limits",
    "Occurrence of overexposure situations"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Across reviewed military RF-EMF exposure scenarios, the authors report only occasional situations of overexposure, while in the majority of conditions exposure was below worker exposure limits. They note that limited studies and missing exposure assessments for some devices prevent definitive conclusions.",
  "effect_direction": "mixed",
  "limitations": [
    "Limited number of studies available",
    "Lack of exposure assessment studies for some military devices",
    "Wide heterogeneity of exposure conditions and many scenario variables, limiting definitive conclusions"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency",
    "RF-EMF",
    "occupational exposure",
    "military",
    "exposure assessment",
    "communication devices",
    "localization/surveillance",
    "jammers",
    "directed-energy weapons",
    "worker exposure limits",
    "overexposure",
    "5G"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "occupational-exposure",
      "weight": 0.95,
      "reason": "Review focuses on RF-EMF exposure assessment for military personnel in occupational scenarios."
    },
    {
      "slug": "5g-policy",
      "weight": 0.25,
      "reason": "Mentions upcoming 5G use changing exposure conditions in military environments, but not a primary focus."
    }
  ]
}
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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: 10.3390/ijerph19020920
PubMed: Not supplied

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