Assessment of the electromagnetic field exposure due to wireless communication technologies in two university campuses of medellin, Colombia

Abstract

Exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) is considered an area of significant importance in the medical and scientific community. However, the availability of exposure data for indoor and outdoor locations in universities is limited and currently inconsiderate in Latin America. The aim of this work was to evaluate the electric field levels due to mobile telecommunication technologies and Wi-Fi to which students and faculty staff from two campuses of a higher education institution are exposed. Using a portable spectrum analyzer, we carried out 516 short-term measurements in the 800–3000 MHz frequency range at both indoor and outdoor locations. These locations were chosen to cover all areas of the assessed buildings. The electric field differences between floors and buildings are discussed. Finally, we compared the electric field levels with exposure limits. The highest electric field level measured was 13.97 V/m at the 850 MHz band. However, the average electric field values were below 2 V/m. The greatest contribution to the total electric field was due to sources using the 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands (98%), while the contribution of the Wi-Fi network was low (1.0%). The results show that all the electric field levels measured were lower than the ICNIRP reference levels for radio-frequency exposure.