Compact Exposimeter Device for the Characterization and Recording of Electromagnetic Fields from 78 MHz to 6 GHz with Several Narrow Bands (300 kHz).

Marco Rivera González,Isabel López,Juan Ochoa Zambrano,Nazario Félix González,Ceferino Maestú Unturbe,Andrés Miranda Martínez

doi:10.3390/s21217395

Abstract

A novel compact device with spectrum analyzer characteristics has been designed, which allows the measuring of the maximum power received in multiple narrow frequency bands of 300 kHz, recording the entire spectrum from 78 MHz to 6 GHz; the device is capable of measuring the entire communications spectrum and detecting multiple sources of electromagnetic fields using the same communications band. The proposed device permits the evaluation of the cross-talk effect that, in conventional exposimeters, generates a mistake estimation of electromagnetic fields. The device was calibrated in an anechoic chamber for far-fields and was validated against a portable spectrum analyzer in a residential area. A strong correlation between the two devices with a confidence higher than 95% was obtained; indicating that the device could be considered as an important tool for electromagnetic field studies.

Highlights

IntroductionWith the advancement of technology, the population is increasingly exposed to radiation by non-ionizing electromagnetic fields in the radio frequency range (RF-EMF), which is from 100 kHz to 300 GHz; these frequencies correspond to wireless technologies, such as
According to global statistics reported by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), carried out from 2001 to 2018, there is a constant growth in the use of wireless technologies [1], which has generated concern in society about the possible health effects associated with RF-EMF exposures [2]
The regulatory organizations limit the amount of radiated energy following the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines that only consider the so-called thermal effects using the criterion of the maximum rate of radiation and Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) as the only evaluation parameter, which consists of the measurement of the maximum RF-EMF power absorbed by living tissue [3]

Summary

Introduction

With the advancement of technology, the population is increasingly exposed to radiation by non-ionizing electromagnetic fields in the radio frequency range (RF-EMF), which is from 100 kHz to 300 GHz; these frequencies correspond to wireless technologies, such as. The regulatory organizations limit the amount of radiated energy following the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines that only consider the so-called thermal effects using the criterion of the maximum rate of radiation and Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) as the only evaluation parameter, which consists of the measurement of the maximum RF-EMF power absorbed by living tissue [3]. The BioInitiative working group, together with other researchers [8,10,12,13,14,15,16], suggest that adverse health effects are observed at low levels of exposure 0.1 μW/cm.

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Discussion

Conclusion