Measurement of the electric field of mobile telephone base station antennas in Riobamba (Ecuador), to determine the specific absorption rate (SAR) in the human body

Abstract

Exposure to electromagnetic and radio frequency fields generated by communication technologies such as mobile phones has raised concerns about electromagnetic pollution and its possible health effects. The objective of the study was to measure the electric field coming from cell phone base station antennas and determine through simulation in virtual anatomical models the maximum and average SAR in the whole body and in 10 g in different parts of the human body. The measurements were carried out with a selective non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation meter at 10 sites in the city of Riobamba, Ecuador. The highest maximum and average SAR for whole body was 3.045x10−7 and 3.923 x10−8 W/kg, respectively. While, at 10 g, the maximum SAR reached up to 8.52x10−9 W/kg in arms and the average SAR 2.13x10−9 W/kg in legs. All results are well below the limits established by the ICNIRP, suggesting a low risk of exposure. This work provides valuable information on the levels of exposure to electric fields from mobile telephone base stations and the results collected in this research could serve as a reference for future research, since the sampling method used could be reproduced to study the temporal variation of electric field levels in the city and conduct more comprehensive studies of SAR distribution in the human body.