Safety Measurements of Electromagnetic Fields Radiated from Mobile Base Stations in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia

Mouaaz Nahas, Mohammed T. Simsim

.

DOI: 10.4236/wet.2011.24030                

Abstract

Over the last decade, detrimental effects of human exposure to electromagnetic radiations have received widespread attention. Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) in Saudi Arabia has set guidelines and launched a national project—in collaboration with academic and research institutions—to perform measurements of the “electromagnetic fields” (EMFs) radiated from base stations of the mobile phone network. In keeping with its mission to address problems of the local community, Electrical Engineering (EE) department at Umm Al-Qura University (UQU) has been commissioned to conduct this project in the western region of Saudi Arabia. The project is concerned with measuring the strength of EMFs around base stations to locate the Maximum Peak Point (MPP). The aim of measurements is to ensure the site compliance with the CITC guidelines for human exposure to Radiofrequency (RF). This paper discusses possible health consequences caused by human exposure to RF radiations. Furthermore, it sum- marizes the results from 20 selective base stations located in Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah, Taif and Yanbu. The results show that EMF levels at all surveyed sites are far below the National Guidelines for public exposure to RF and that the MPPs are found within the distance range suggested in the CITC guidelines. The paper concludes by providing some useful comments and recommendations for RF sites surveyors.

Keywords

Electromagnetic Fields, Base Station, Maximum Peak Point, Radiofrequency, Power Density, Public Limit, Occupational Limit, National Guidelines

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	European Information Technology Observatory (ETO), “Press Release,” 2010. http://www.eito.com/reposi/PressReleases/eito-pr-20100811.pdf
[2]	International Telecommunication Union (ITU), “ITU Mexican Market Overview,” 2010. http://www.itu.int/plenipotentiary/2010/newsroom/backgrounders/mexican-market.html
[3]	J. F. Viel, S. Clerc, C. Barrera, R. Rymzhanova, M. Moissonnier, M. Hours and E. Cardis, “Residential Exposure to Radiofrequency Fields from Mobile Phone Base Stations, and Broadcast Transmitters: A Population-Based Survey with Personal Meter,” 2009. http://oem.bmj.com/content/66/8/550.full
[4]	World Health Organization (WHO) Media Center, “Electromagnetic Fields and Public Health: Base Stations and Wireless Technologies,” 2006. http://www.mobilemastinfo.com/2006-2008/who-factsheet-electromagnetic-fields-and-public-health-base-stations-and-wireless-technologies.html
[5]	Communication and Information Technology Commission (CITC), “ICT Indicators in K.S.A (1st Half-2010) Mobile Telecommunications Market,” 2010. http://www.citc.gov.sa/NR/rdonlyres/547B2AB2-0738-4B05-ADFC-9CAB5FEAEF68/0/ICTIndicatorsinKSA_FirstHalf_2010_English.pdf
[6]	Mobily, “Annual Report—2008,” 2008. http://www.mobily.com.sa/pv_obj_cache/pv_obj_id_5F4AF59AA6CDBE2E5B99423E379DCF013AC23100/filename/Mobily%20Annual%20Report%202008.pdf
[7]	A. M. Martinez-Gonzalez, A. Fernandez-Pascual, E. de los Reyes, W. Van Loock, C. Gabriel and D. Sanchez- Hernandez, “Practical Procedure for Verification of Compliance of Digital Mobile Radio Base Stations to Limitations of Exposure of the General Public to Electromagnetic Fields,” IEE Proceedings on Microwaves, Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 149, 2002, pp. 218-228. doi:10.1049/ip-map:20020569
[8]	A. Ahlbom, A. Green, L. Kheifets, D. Savitz, and A. Swerdlow, “Epidemiology of Health Effects of Radiofrequency Exposure,” Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 112, No. 17, 2004, pp. 1741-1754. doi:10.1289/ehp.7306
[9]	U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), “Radiation- Emitting Products: Reducing Exposure: Hands-Free Kits and Other Accessories,” 2009. http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/ Radiation EmittingProductsandProcedures/ HomeBusinessandEntertainment/CellPhones/ ucm116293.htm
[10]	P. A. Valberg1, T. E. Deventer and M. H. Repacholi, “Workgroup Report: Base Stations and Wireless Networks—Radiofrequency (RF) Exposures and Health Con- sequences,” Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 115, No. 3, 2007, pp. 416-424. http://ehp03.niehs.nih.gov/article/fetchArticle.action?articleURI=info:doi/10.1289/ehp.9633
[11]	International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), “Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Time-Varying Electric, Magnetic, and Electromagnetic Fields (up to 300 GHz),” Health Physics, Vol. 74, No. 4, 1998, pp. 494-522. doi:10.1097/HP.0b013e3181f06c86
[12]	IEEE International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety, “IEEE Standard for Safety Levels with Respect to Human Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields, 3 kHz to 300GHz,” (IEEE C95.1-2005) 2006. http://rfsafetysolutions.com/PDF%20Files/C95.1-2005_CoverPage.pdf
[13]	CITC, “National Guidelines for Human Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields,” 2009. http://citc.gov.sa/English/RulesandSystems/RegulatoryDocuments/Electro-magneticfields/Documents/TA%20113%20E%20-%20National%20Guidelines%20for%20Human%20Exposure%20to%20Radiofrequency%20Electromagnetic%20Fields.pdf
[14]	M. O. Hasna, “Research in Undergraduate Education at Qatar University: EE Department Experience,” 37th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Milwaukee, 10-13 October 2007, S4B-13 - S4B-16.
[15]	A. K. Al-Tamimi, and F. A. Al Mazrouei, “Safety Management of RF Radiation Sources in the United Arab Emirates,” Practice Periodical of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste Management, Vol. 11, No. 3, 2007, pp. 184-190. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)1090-025X(2007)11:3(184)
[16]	N. D. Volkow, D. Tomasi, G. J. Wang, P. Vaska, J. S. Fowler, F. Telang, D. Alexoff, J. Logan and C. Wong, “Effects of Cell Phone Radiofrequency Signal Exposure on Brain Glucose Metabolism,” Journal of American Medical Association, Vol. 305 , No. 8, 2011, pp. 808-813. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.186
[17]	World Health Organization (WHO) Media Center, “Electromagnetic Fields and Public Health: Mobile Phones,” 2011. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs193/en/
[18]	L. Verschaeve, “Review of RFR-Genotoxicity Studies,” 2010 Asia-Pacific Symposium on Electromagnetic Com- patibility (APEMC), Beijing, 12-16 April 2010, pp. 9-12.
[19]	V. Garaj-Vrhovac, A. Fucic and D. Horvat, “The Correlation between the Frequency of Micronuclei and Specific Chromosome Aberrations in Human Lymphocytes Exposed to Microwave Radiation in Vitro,” Mutation Research, Vol. 281, No. 3, 1992, pp. 181-186. doi:10.1093/mutage/geh042
[20]	L. Verschaeve, “Genetic Effects of Radiofrequency Radiation (RFR),” Toxicology and Applied Pharmacolog, Vol. 207, No. 2, 2005, pp. 336-341. doi:10.1016/j.taap.2005.03.028
[21]	P. Heikkinen, “Studies on Cancer-Related Effects of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields,” Ph.D. Thesis, Kuopio University, Finland, 2006.
[22]	S. E. Chia, H. P. Chia and J.S . Tan, “Prevalence of Headache among Handheld Cellular Telephone Users in Singapore: A Community Study,” Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 108, No. 11, 2000, pp.1059-1062. doi:10.1289/ehp.001081059
[23]	G. Oftedal, J. Wilen, M. Sandstrom and K. H. Mild, “Symptoms Experienced in Connection with Mobile Phone Use,” Occupational Medicine, Vol. 50, No. 4, 2000, pp.237-245. doi:10.1093/occmed/50.4.237
[24]	M. Hietanen, A. M. H?m?l?inen and T. Husman, “Hypersensitivity Symptoms Associated with Exposure to Cellular Telephones: No Causal Link,” Bioelectromagnetics, Vol. 23, No. 4, 2002, pp. 264-270.
[25]	M. Koivisto, C. Haarala, C. M. Krause, A. Revonsuo, M. Laine and H. H?m?l?inen, “GSM Phone Signal Does not Produce Subjective Symptoms,” Bioelectromagnetics, Vol. 22, No. 3, 2001, pp. 212-215. doi:10.1002/bem.41
[26]	CITC and King Saud University, “Measurement Procedures for Electromagnetic Radiations from Wireless Base Stations,” Technical Report, 2008
[27]	IEEE, “IEEE Code of Ethics”, 2011. https://www.ieee.org/about/corporate/governance/p7-8.html
[28]	Electrical Engineering Department at UQU, “Electrical Engineering (EE) Program Outcomes,” 2010. http://uqu.edu.sa/engineering-architecture-en/en/167029