Longitudinal study of exposure to radio frequencies at population scale

Authors: Yanis Boussad, Xi (Leslie) Chen, Arnaud Legout, Augustin Chaintreau, Walid Dabbous

Year: 2022

Category: Epidemiology

Journal: Environment International

Institution: Environment International

DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2022.107144

URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412022000708

Abstract

Overview

Evaluating exposure to radio frequencies (RF) at a population scale is crucial for conducting reliable epidemiological studies on the potential health impacts of RF radiations. Despite numerous studies, real exposure levels often remain misunderstood due to the small sample sizes generally used.

Findings

The largest crowd-based measurement of RF exposure from cellular antennas, Wi-Fi access points, and Bluetooth devices was reported, covering 254,410 unique users across 13 countries from January 2017 to December 2020.
Methods included smartphone measurements via the ElectroSmart Android app. A significant finding was that the total RF exposure increased by 2.3 times over the four-year period, with Wi-Fi being the predominant source.
Exposure was predominantly higher at home, with personal Wi-Fi routers and Bluetooth devices accounting for over 50% of total exposure for half of the study subjects.
Cellular exposure levels were significantly lower than regulated limits and did not correlate with national regulation policies.

Conclusion

This study highlighted the effectiveness of using crowd-sourced data for large-scale and long-term assessments of RF exposure. The data collected also allows for cross-population and environmental analyses, essential for understanding public health impacts.

A future exploration into the impact of 5G deployment on population exposure was suggested, particularly considering its distinct technology aspects like small cells and beamforming, which could alter exposure patterns.

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