National observatory of electromagnetic fields: National telemetric network for the measurement of high- frequency electromagnetic fields in Greece

2020 · No effect · Moderate evidence

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No effectModerate evidencePaper 1611

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2020

Study typeexposure_assessment

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingModerate

Abstract

National observatory of electromagnetic fields: National telemetric network for the measurement of high- frequency electromagnetic fields in Greece Karastergios I, Gialofas A, Karabetsos E. National observatory of electromagnetic fields: National telemetric network for the measurement of high-frequency electromagnetic fields in Greece. Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2020 Feb 5. pii: ncz301. doi: 10.1093/rpd/ncz301. Abstract At the end of 2015, the operation of the National Observatory of Electromagnetic Fields (established in 2012) has started. The National Observatory of Electromagnetic Fields is a network of 500 fixed (480 broadband and 20 frequency selective) and 13 mobile (vehicle mounted frequency selective) measurement stations throughout Greece that continuously monitor the electromagnetic field levels from all kinds of antenna stations in the frequency range 100kHz-7GHz. The results of this national monitoring network, which is operated and controlled by the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (EEAE), are presented through an interactive web portal (paratiritirioemf.eeae.gr), in which data are constantly updated with the latest station measurements. This paper presents the operational aspects and the measurement results of the first 3 years of operation (2016- 2018). The measurement results revealed that all values were well below the reference levels for general public exposure, as defined by the Greek legislation. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Conclusions The scope of this study is to present the NOEF's measurement data of the broadband measurement stations for the first 3 years of its operation. The measurement sample consists of 489 annual average and maximum values from all frequency bands of the broadband monitoring stations, 100kHz-7GHz, and the three sub-bands, 925- 960 MHz, 1805-1880 MHz and 2110-2170 MHz. It is concluded that 100% of the annual average and maximum values, from all four aforementioned frequency bands, are lower than 10 V/m (equivalent to 0.2653 W/m2), which is well below the Greek reference levels for general public exposure. It should be noted that the established Greek safety limits for general public exposure in the vicinity of antenna stations are set in general to 70% of the 1999 EU Council's Recommendation and the 1998 ICNIRP guidelines for basic restrictions and reference level values and to 60% of them for stations located closer than 300 meters from the perimeter of schools, kindergartens, hospitals or eldercare facilities. The comparison of the NOEF's measurements data is performed with the 60% of the EU Recommendation reference levels in all cases, as this is the strictest Greek exposure limit. Also, 91% of the annual average values of the 100kHz-7GHz frequency band are lower than 2 V/m (or 0.0106 W/m2), while 92% of the annual average values for both 925-960 MHz-1805-1880 MHz sub-bands are below 1 V/m (or 0.00265 W/m2), and 91% of the annual average values of the 2110-2170 MHz sub-band are below 1 V/m (or 0.00265 W/m2). Regarding the annual maximum values, the statistics are similar; 80% of the annual maximum values of the 100kHz-7GHz frequency band are below 2 V/m (or 0.0106 W/m2); 83% of the annual maximum values of the 925-960 MHz frequency band are below 1 V/m (or 0.00265 W/m2); 79% of the annual maximum values of the 1805-1880 MHz frequency band are below 1 V/m (or 0.00265 W/m2); 80% of the annual maximum values of the 2110-2170 MHz frequency band are below 1 V/m (or 0.00265 W/m2). It is to be noted that, as expected, at the lower value intervals of electrical field strength, there is a higher concentration of average values than at the higher value intervals. Also, the standard deviation values of the annual average values are below 0.5 V/m for the majority of the measurement locations. This is due to the normal daily fluctuations of the telecommunication networks traffic which results to variations of the measured electromagnetic fields levels. Moreover, at locations with higher-than-normal standard deviation values, a change of the electromagnetic fields background levels has been observed within the 3-year period of the study which was verified with in situ measurements with handheld frequency selective EMF measuring equipment. It should also be mentioned that the aforementioned results show higher exposure levels when compared to the results from the international radiofrequency exposure surveys(13) that mostly concern ground-level measurements. This is expected since all the NOEF's fixed measuring stations are installed on rooftops, and so, measurement results represent 'worst-case' general public exposure conditions. Rooftop measurements are also performed by the telemetric networks mentioned in (7, 8) and Table 1. Hence, the NOEF's results are similar to those of the abovementioned telemetric networks.

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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

PopulationGeneral public exposure (environmental monitoring; rooftop and other fixed/mobile stations) in Greece

Sample size489

ExposureRF · continuous monitoring; results reported for 2016–2018 (first 3 years)

Evidence strengthModerateConfidence: 78% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

A national telemetric network in Greece (500 fixed and 13 mobile stations) monitored 100 kHz–7 GHz EMF levels. For 2016–2018, 100% of annual average and maximum values (100 kHz–7 GHz and sub-bands 925–960, 1805–1880, 2110–2170 MHz) were reported as <10 V/m (0.2653 W/m²), stated to be well below Greek general public reference levels; most annual averages were <2 V/m for the full band and <1 V/m for the listed sub-bands.

Outcomes measured

Measured electric field strength (V/m) annual average and annual maximum values
Power density (W/m²) equivalents
Compliance with Greek reference levels for general public exposure (based on EU Council Recommendation 1999 and ICNIRP 1998; 60%/70% limits)

Limitations

Health outcomes were not assessed; this is an exposure monitoring/compliance report.
Measurements are described as 'worst-case' general public exposure conditions because fixed stations are installed on rooftops, limiting comparability to ground-level surveys.
Comparison is made to reference levels; details on measurement uncertainty/calibration and site selection criteria are not provided in the abstract.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "exposure_assessment",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "antenna stations (telecommunications)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "continuous monitoring; results reported for 2016–2018 (first 3 years)"
  },
  "population": "General public exposure (environmental monitoring; rooftop and other fixed/mobile stations) in Greece",
  "sample_size": 489,
  "outcomes": [
    "Measured electric field strength (V/m) annual average and annual maximum values",
    "Power density (W/m²) equivalents",
    "Compliance with Greek reference levels for general public exposure (based on EU Council Recommendation 1999 and ICNIRP 1998; 60%/70% limits)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "A national telemetric network in Greece (500 fixed and 13 mobile stations) monitored 100 kHz–7 GHz EMF levels. For 2016–2018, 100% of annual average and maximum values (100 kHz–7 GHz and sub-bands 925–960, 1805–1880, 2110–2170 MHz) were reported as <10 V/m (0.2653 W/m²), stated to be well below Greek general public reference levels; most annual averages were <2 V/m for the full band and <1 V/m for the listed sub-bands.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Health outcomes were not assessed; this is an exposure monitoring/compliance report.",
    "Measurements are described as 'worst-case' general public exposure conditions because fixed stations are installed on rooftops, limiting comparability to ground-level surveys.",
    "Comparison is made to reference levels; details on measurement uncertainty/calibration and site selection criteria are not provided in the abstract."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "moderate",
  "confidence": 0.78,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "National Observatory of Electromagnetic Fields (NOEF)",
    "telemetric monitoring network",
    "RF exposure",
    "environmental measurements",
    "Greece",
    "100 kHz–7 GHz",
    "rooftop measurements",
    "ICNIRP 1998",
    "EU Council Recommendation 1999",
    "reference levels",
    "V/m",
    "power density"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.72,
      "reason": "Explicit comparison to ICNIRP 1998 guidelines and EU Council Recommendation 1999-derived reference levels."
    },
    {
      "slug": "school-wi-fi",
      "weight": 0.35,
      "reason": "Greek limits described as stricter (60%) near schools/kindergartens/hospitals; paper discusses compliance framework around such sites (not Wi‑Fi specifically)."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1093/rpd/ncz301
PubMed: Not supplied

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