Exposure of South Korean Population to 5G Mobile Phone Networks (3.4-3.8 GHz)

Bioelectromagnetics · 2021 · No effect · Low evidence

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No effectLow evidencePaper 1146

Field measurements in South Korea found that 5G emissions contributed about 15% of total telecommunications emissions. Highest levels were observed near 5G antennas; reported maxima (e.g., up to 130 mV/m in some measurements and 12–21 V/m at 15 m from an ante…

Study snapshot

PublicationBioelectromagnetics · 2021

Study typeexposure_assessment

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Exposure of South Korean Population to 5G Mobile Phone Networks (3.4-3.8 GHz) Brahim Selmaoui, Paul Mazet, Pierre-Baptiste Petit, Kihwea Kim, Donggeun Choi, René de Seze. Exposure of South Korean Population to 5G Mobile Phone Networks (3.4-3.8 GHz). Bioelectromagnetics. 2021 May 16. doi: 10.1002/bem.22345. Abstract As industrialized countries race to install and deploy 5G networks, some countries have taken the lead and already have operational 5G networks in place. South Korea is among these. In this study, we measured exposure to electromagnetic fields in South Korea to evaluate the relative contribution of 5G as compared with other frequencies such as 2G, 3G, and 4G. Results show that the emission of 5G contributes about 15% to total telecommunications emissions. The highest levels were observed in the vicinity of 5G antennas and remain below the limits set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Excerpts The measurements were carried out at the end of November 2019 in collaboration with the Korean institute in charge of telecommunications regulation—the National Radio Research Agency (NRRA)—6 months after the network was opened to public customers. This collaboration provided early insight into the organization of the 5G service, distinctions between the antennas of the various Korean operators, and information on the distribution of antennas in the country.... The average levels of 5G TDD LB varied with both the type of environment and the area and ranged from 20 to 560 mV/m with the ExpoM-RF dosimeter and from 20 to 70 mV/m with the EME Spy 200 dosimeter.... The maximum recorded EMF for 5G was 130 mV/m.... It appears that the contribution of 5G-NR to the overall EMF exposure is small in comparison with other frequencies. Indeed, the measurements carried out in Seoul and in different geographical areas of Naju showed that this contribution is less than 15% of the total exposure in rural and urban zones, and results were similar outside the city. The 5G exposure during the urban trip (the trip inside the city) contributed about 15% of the total exposure. Our results show that 5G exposure levels were under the exposure limit set by the ICNIRP [International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection [ICNIRP], 1998, 2020]. Indeed, for 5G, the threshold is 39 V/m at 700 MHz and 61 V/m at 3.5 and 26 GHz. Our data show that the maximum exposure measured on the rooftop in the vicinity of the base station was still below the threshold exposure limit set by ICNIRP, and at moving positions in the nearby street, it was far below this level (below 0.08 V/m). Our study is in line with other reports [Agence National des Fréquences [ANFR], 2020] that were published online.... Measurements over 24 h at a fixed point showed that the EMF emission from the base station is usually stable over time, at around 5 mV/m, except during rush hours, which are concentrated in the morning (around 8–9 am), where exposure increases up to 130 mV/m, and in the evening (around 6–8 pm), which shows only a two- fold increase compared to the median day and nighttime levels.... Measurements with a field meter in the vicinity of the 5G-NR base station were found to be 12 V/m (15 m from the antenna) with its baseline power. This value increased to 21 V/m when the antenna was at its maximum power at the same distance.... In our study, the results with the two different dosimeters, ExpoM-RF and EME Spy 200, present some variability. This is mainly attributed to the different sensitivity thresholds of each device when the ambient exposure is close to the measurement threshold. However, at significant exposure levels, the measured values converge.... This study, in line with other reports [ANFR, 2020; Ofcom report, 2021; Telstra report, 2021] published online, is a preliminary study because EMF measurements were carried out only 6 months after the opening of the network to the Korean public. It is likely that the 5G network was not being used to its maximum and the number of subscribers was relatively low, due to the tendency of young people to use Wi-Fi spots for free. It is necessary to continue conducting EMF measurements to monitor the overall trends in the long term. Nevertheless, it appears from this study that exposure levels from 5G were in a low range. Moreover, the fact that the radio signal beam mainly focuses on the end-users will contribute to reducing exposure in unnecessary areas. This work is part of a measurement campaign in South Korea, whose final report was published in 2019 [French Expertise Report, 2019].

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 directionno_effect

PopulationSouth Korean population (environmental measurements in Seoul and Naju; urban/rural zones)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · 3500 MHz · Measurements carried out end of November 2019; includes 24 h fixed-point measurements and mobile/area measurements

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Outcomes measured

Measured RF-EMF levels from 5G NR (3.4–3.8 GHz) in mV/m and V/m
Relative contribution of 5G emissions to total telecommunications emissions compared with 2G/3G/4G
Comparison of measured levels to ICNIRP exposure limits

Limitations

Described as a preliminary study conducted ~6 months after network opening; network likely not used at maximum and subscriber numbers relatively low
Variability between two dosimeters attributed to different sensitivity thresholds when ambient exposure is close to measurement threshold
No sample size reported in provided text

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "exposure_assessment",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "base station",
    "frequency_mhz": 3500,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "Measurements carried out end of November 2019; includes 24 h fixed-point measurements and mobile/area measurements"
  },
  "population": "South Korean population (environmental measurements in Seoul and Naju; urban/rural zones)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Measured RF-EMF levels from 5G NR (3.4–3.8 GHz) in mV/m and V/m",
    "Relative contribution of 5G emissions to total telecommunications emissions compared with 2G/3G/4G",
    "Comparison of measured levels to ICNIRP exposure limits"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Field measurements in South Korea found that 5G emissions contributed about 15% of total telecommunications emissions. Highest levels were observed near 5G antennas; reported maxima (e.g., up to 130 mV/m in some measurements and 12–21 V/m at 15 m from an antenna depending on power) remained below ICNIRP limits for 3.5 GHz.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Described as a preliminary study conducted ~6 months after network opening; network likely not used at maximum and subscriber numbers relatively low",
    "Variability between two dosimeters attributed to different sensitivity thresholds when ambient exposure is close to measurement threshold",
    "No sample size reported in provided text"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "5G",
    "South Korea",
    "RF-EMF",
    "3.4-3.8 GHz",
    "3.5 GHz",
    "base station",
    "environmental measurements",
    "dosimeter",
    "ExpoM-RF",
    "EME Spy 200",
    "ICNIRP",
    "exposure contribution",
    "2G",
    "3G",
    "4G"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "5g-policy",
      "weight": 0.78,
      "reason": "Measures population/environmental exposure from operational 5G networks and compares to limits."
    },
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.72,
      "reason": "Findings explicitly benchmarked against ICNIRP exposure limits (1998, 2020)."
    }
  ]
}

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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.22345
PubMed: 33998007

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