Speaker
Description
The introduction of new communication technologies may alter the ambient RF-EMF exposure, highlighting the need for in-depth temporal ambient RF-EMF characterisation. Thus, this study aims to characterise the temporal RF-EMF evolution in Switzerland using microenvironmental and long-term measurements during the rollout out of 5G. The data collection was done with ExpoM-RF4 from Fields at Work GmbH, which records the electric field strength in V/m from 80 MHz to 6 GHz. Microenvironmental measurements were conducted from July 2021 to May 2022 (baseline) and from July 2023 to May 2024 (follow-up) with the same researcher carrying ExpoM-RF4 in the same 150 outdoor areas, 91 public spaces, and 101 public transport journeys. Long-term measurements were conducted continuously with five ExpoM-RF4 placed on rooftops or at the windowsills to assess the daily and monthly RF-EMF variations. RF-EMF levels increased from 0.16 V/m to 0.17 V/m in outdoor areas and from 0.20 V/m to 0.24 V/m in public transport between 2021/22 and 2023/24. The continuous measurements indicated that RF-EMF levels were highest in the evening (21-22 pm), reflecting the increased demand of wireless data traffic before going to sleep. Monitoring the ambient EMF levels remains necessary to keep track of the exposure changes along with the introduction of new communication technologies and to provide information to the population about their ambient EMF exposure.
