Abstract
BackgroundAnalysis of the association between exposure to electromagnetic fields of non-ionising radiation (EMF-NIR) and health in children and adolescents is hindered by the limited availability of data, mainly due to the difficulties on the exposure assessment. This study protocol describes the methodologies used for characterising exposure of children to EMF-NIR in the INMA (INfancia y Medio Ambiente- Environment and Childhood) Project, a prospective cohort study.Methods/DesignIndirect (proximity to emission sources, questionnaires on sources use and geospatial propagation models) and direct methods (spot and fixed longer-term measurements and personal measurements) were conducted in order to assess exposure levels of study participants aged between 7 and 18 years old. The methodology used varies depending on the frequency of the EMF-NIR and the environment (homes, schools and parks). Questionnaires assessed the use of sources contributing both to Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) and Radiofrequency (RF) exposure levels. Geospatial propagation models (NISMap) are implemented and validated for environmental outdoor sources of RFs using spot measurements. Spot and fixed longer-term ELF and RF measurements were done in the environments where children spend most of the time. Moreover, personal measurements were taken in order to assess individual exposure to RF. The exposure data are used to explore their relationships with proximity and/or use of EMF-NIR sources.DiscussionCharacterisation of the EMF-NIR exposure by this combination of methods is intended to overcome problems encountered in other research. The assessment of exposure of INMA cohort children and adolescents living in different regions of Spain to the full frequency range of EMF-NIR extends the characterisation of environmental exposures in this cohort. Together with other data obtained in the project, on socioeconomic and family characteristics and development of the children and adolescents, this will enable to evaluate the complex interaction between health outcomes in children and adolescents and the various environmental factors that surround them.
Highlights
Analysis of the association between exposure to electromagnetic fields of non-ionising radiation (EMF-NIR) and health in children and adolescents is hindered by the limited availability of data, mainly due to the difficulties on the exposure assessment
The assessment of exposure of Environment and childhood cohort (INMA) cohort children and adolescents living in different regions of Spain to the full frequency range of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)-NIR extends the characterisation of environmental exposures in this cohort
Together with other data obtained in the project, on socioeconomic and family characteristics and development of the children and adolescents, this will enable to evaluate the complex interaction between health outcomes in children and adolescents and the various environmental factors that surround them
Summary
The methodology proposed in this paper will enable the characterisation of exposure to EMF-NIR in children and adolescents, including i) ELFs and RFs by means of direct methods in around 200 participants (spot and fixed-long term measurements), ii) total RF exposure, including environmental and personal exposure, in 300 participants by means of direct methods (personal measurements) and iii) outdoor environmental RF exposure in 1900 participants by means of indirect methods (NISMap modelling). Our work will contribute to understanding the main sources of EMF-NIR exposure in children and adolescents at different ages (from 7 to 18 years old) and their contribution to exposure in daily life, since these may differ from patterns in adults [29, 53, 54] or in adolescents from other countries [30] Such information is essential to assess the relevance of each source of exposure to child development and together with other project data, on socioeconomic and family characteristics, and children’s health, will allow us to assess more comprehensively, in later stages of follow-up, the complex interaction between the children’s health and development and various environmental factors that surround them.
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