Protocol for personal RF-EMF exposure measurement studies in 5th generation telecommunication networks

Autor: Arno Thielens, Wout Joseph, Luc Martens, Maarten Velghe, Sam Aerts
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Technology and Engineering
Radio Waves
Computer science
Health
Toxicology and Mutagenesis
Population
Personal measurements
02 engineering and technology
010501 environmental sciences
01 natural sciences
Computer Communication Networks
lcsh:RC963-969
Base station
Electromagnetic Fields
020210 optoelectronics & photonics
Proximity sensor
0202 electrical engineering
electronic engineering
information engineering
Humans
Wireless
education
Protocol (object-oriented programming)
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
education.field_of_study
business.industry
lcsh:Public aspects of medicine
Methodology
Public Health
Environmental and Occupational Health
lcsh:RA1-1270
Computers
Handheld
lcsh:Industrial medicine. Industrial hygiene
Telecommunications
business
Mobile device
5G
RF-EMF exposure
Environmental Monitoring
Data transmission
Zdroj: Environmental Health, Vol 20, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2021)
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Environmental Health
ISSN: 1476-069X
DOI: 10.1186/s12940-021-00719-w
Popis: Background The general population is exposed to Radio-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields (RF-EMFs) used by telecommunication networks. Previous studies developed methods to assess this exposure. These methods will be inadequate to accurately assess exposure in 5G technologies or other wireless technologies using adaptive antennas. This is due to the fact that 5G NR (new radio) base stations will focus actively on connected users, resulting in a high spatio-temporal variations in the RF-EMFs. This increases the measurement uncertainty in personal measurements of RF-EMF exposure. Furthermore, a user’s exposure from base stations will be dependent on the amount of data usage, adding a new component to the auto-induced exposure, which is often omitted in current studies. Goals The objective of this paper is to develop a general study protocol for future personal RF-EMF exposure research adapted to 5G technologies. This protocol will include the assessment of auto-induced exposure of both a user’s own devices and the networks’ base stations. Method This study draws from lessons learned from previous RF-EMF exposure research and current knowledge on 5G technologies, including studies simulating 5G NR base stations and measurements around 5G NR test sites. Results To account for auto-induced exposure, an activity-based approach is introduced. In survey studies, an RF-EMF sensor is fixed on the participants’ mobile device(s). Based on the measured power density, GPS data and movement and proximity sensors, different activities can be clustered and the exposure during each activity is evaluated. In microenvironmental measurements, a trained researcher performs measurements in predefined microenvironments with a mobile device equipped with the RF-EMF sensor. The mobile device is programmed to repeat a sequence of data transmission scenarios (different amounts of uplink and downlink data transmissions). Based on simulations, the amount of exposure induced in the body when the user device is at a certain location relative to the body, can be evaluated. Conclusion Our protocol addresses the main challenges to personal exposure measurement introduced by 5G NR. A systematic method to evaluate a user’s auto-induced exposure is introduced.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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