EMF Exposure Changes Due to the Digital Television Switchover in Thessaloniki, Greece

2017 · Benefit · Low evidence

← Research stream

BenefitLow evidencePaper 2200

Study snapshot

Publicationmanual · 2017

Study typeexposure_assessment

Reported directionBenefit

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

EMF Exposure Changes Due to the Digital Television Switchover in Thessaloniki, Greece Gkonis F, Boursianis A, Samaras T. Electromagnetic Field Exposure Changes Due to the Digital Television Switchover in Thessaloniki, Greece. Health Phys. 2017 Nov;113(5):382-386. Abstract In the present work, the changes in the exposure to electromagnetic fields due to television signals incurred by the digital switchover in Thessaloniki, Greece, are investigated. It is shown that the measured electric fields comply with ICNIRP guidelines but are higher than those in the reported literature for other countries. However, this may be attributed to the selection of measurement points. Moreover, it is shown that the median value of the power density dropped from 60 μW m during analog broadcasting to 13.3 μW m for digital television. This finding indicates that the digital switchover has resulted in reduced exposure for the population to radiofrequency fields in the UHF range. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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 directionbenefit

PopulationPopulation in Thessaloniki, Greece (environmental exposure)

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Measured electric fields from television signals in Thessaloniki complied with ICNIRP guidelines but were higher than values reported in literature for other countries (possibly due to measurement point selection). The median power density decreased from 60 μW/m² during analog broadcasting to 13.3 μW/m² for digital television, indicating reduced population exposure to RF fields in the UHF range after the switchover.

Outcomes measured

Measured electric field levels
Power density (median)
Compliance with ICNIRP guidelines
Change in exposure after digital TV switchover

Limitations

Higher measured fields than other countries may be attributable to selection of measurement points
Sample size and measurement protocol details not provided in the abstract

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "exposure_assessment",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "television broadcasting (analog vs digital)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": null
  },
  "population": "Population in Thessaloniki, Greece (environmental exposure)",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Measured electric field levels",
    "Power density (median)",
    "Compliance with ICNIRP guidelines",
    "Change in exposure after digital TV switchover"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Measured electric fields from television signals in Thessaloniki complied with ICNIRP guidelines but were higher than values reported in literature for other countries (possibly due to measurement point selection). The median power density decreased from 60 μW/m² during analog broadcasting to 13.3 μW/m² for digital television, indicating reduced population exposure to RF fields in the UHF range after the switchover.",
  "effect_direction": "benefit",
  "limitations": [
    "Higher measured fields than other countries may be attributable to selection of measurement points",
    "Sample size and measurement protocol details not provided in the abstract"
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "digital television switchover",
    "analog broadcasting",
    "digital broadcasting",
    "television signals",
    "radiofrequency",
    "UHF",
    "power density",
    "electric field",
    "ICNIRP",
    "Thessaloniki",
    "Greece"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.55,
      "reason": "Abstract explicitly reports compliance with ICNIRP guidelines."
    }
  ]
}

AI can be wrong. Always verify against the paper.

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: Not supplied
PubMed: Not supplied

Read the original paper →

Related papers

← Back to the Research Library