Electromagnetic field exposure assessment in Europe radiofrequency fields (10 MHz-6 GHz).

Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2015 · No effect · Low evidence

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No effectLow evidencePaper 4585

Study snapshot

PublicationJournal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology · 2015

Study typereview

Reported directionNo effect

Evidence ratingLow

Abstract

Average levels of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) of the general public in Europe are difficult to summarize, as exposure levels have been reported differently in those studies in which they have been measured, and a large proportion of reported measurements were very low, sometimes falling below detection limits of the equipment used. The goal of this paper is to present an overview of the scientific literature on RF EMF exposure in Europe and to characterize exposure within the European population. A comparative analysis of the results of spot or long-term RF EMF measurements in the EU indicated that mean electric field strengths were between 0.08 V/m and 1.8 V/m. The overwhelming majority of measured mean electric field strengths were <1 V/m. It is estimated that <1% were above 6 V/m and <0.1% were above 20 V/m. No exposure levels exceeding European Council recommendations were identified in these surveys. Most population exposures from signals of radio and television broadcast towers were observed to be weak because these transmitters are usually far away from exposed individuals and are spatially sparsely distributed. On the other hand, the contribution made to RF exposure from wireless telecommunications technology is continuously increasing and its contribution was above 60% of the total exposure. According to the European exposure assessment studies identified, three population exposure categories (intermittent variable partial body exposure, intermittent variable low-level whole-body (WB) exposure and continuous low-level WB exposure) were recognized by the authors as informative for possible future risk assessment.

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 directionno_effect

PopulationGeneral public in Europe

Sample sizeNot supplied

ExposureRF · spot or long-term measurements (as reported in included studies)

Evidence strengthLowConfidence: 74% · Peer reviewed: yes

Main findings

Across EU spot or long-term RF EMF measurement studies, mean electric field strengths were reported between 0.08 V/m and 1.8 V/m, with the majority of measured mean values <1 V/m. The authors estimated <1% of measurements were above 6 V/m and <0.1% above 20 V/m, and no exposure levels exceeding European Council recommendations were identified in the surveys. Broadcast tower contributions were generally weak, while wireless telecommunications contributed an increasing share and was reported as >60% of total exposure.

Outcomes measured

Electric field strength (V/m)
Proportion of measurements above 6 V/m and 20 V/m
Comparison with European Council recommendations
Relative contribution of broadcast vs wireless telecommunications to total exposure
Exposure category characterization (partial-body vs whole-body; intermittent vs continuous)

Limitations

Exposure levels were reported differently across studies, making summaries difficult.
A large proportion of measurements were very low and sometimes below equipment detection limits.

View raw extracted JSON

{
  "study_type": "review",
  "exposure": {
    "band": "RF",
    "source": "general public (multiple sources including broadcast towers and wireless telecommunications)",
    "frequency_mhz": null,
    "sar_wkg": null,
    "duration": "spot or long-term measurements (as reported in included studies)"
  },
  "population": "General public in Europe",
  "sample_size": null,
  "outcomes": [
    "Electric field strength (V/m)",
    "Proportion of measurements above 6 V/m and 20 V/m",
    "Comparison with European Council recommendations",
    "Relative contribution of broadcast vs wireless telecommunications to total exposure",
    "Exposure category characterization (partial-body vs whole-body; intermittent vs continuous)"
  ],
  "main_findings": "Across EU spot or long-term RF EMF measurement studies, mean electric field strengths were reported between 0.08 V/m and 1.8 V/m, with the majority of measured mean values <1 V/m. The authors estimated <1% of measurements were above 6 V/m and <0.1% above 20 V/m, and no exposure levels exceeding European Council recommendations were identified in the surveys. Broadcast tower contributions were generally weak, while wireless telecommunications contributed an increasing share and was reported as >60% of total exposure.",
  "effect_direction": "no_effect",
  "limitations": [
    "Exposure levels were reported differently across studies, making summaries difficult.",
    "A large proportion of measurements were very low and sometimes below equipment detection limits."
  ],
  "evidence_strength": "low",
  "confidence": 0.74,
  "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
  "keywords": [
    "radiofrequency",
    "RF EMF",
    "exposure assessment",
    "Europe",
    "general public",
    "electric field strength",
    "V/m",
    "broadcast towers",
    "wireless telecommunications",
    "European Council recommendations",
    "whole-body exposure"
  ],
  "suggested_hubs": [
    {
      "slug": "who-icnirp",
      "weight": 0.55,
      "reason": "Assesses population RF exposure levels in relation to European Council recommendations."
    }
  ]
}

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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: 10.1038/jes.2013.40
PubMed: 23942394

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