main_programme

Research

Project Title:
Personal Dosimetry of RF Radiation

Start Date:
October 2004

Expected Date of Completion:
April 2005

Cost:
£44,368

Principal Investigator:
Dr Simon Mann

Contact Details:
National Radiological Protection Board
Chilton
Didcot
OX11 0RQ

Expertise:
Staff from the EMF Dosimetry Group at NRPB will carry out the research. This group has many years experience, both in design and evaluation of instruments for EMF measurements, and in the use of body worn personal exposure meters (PEMs) in EMF epidemiology. In particular, the group supported the UK Childhood Cancer Study in its use of the EMDEX PEM for power frequency epidemiology and it also used the Radman and Nardalert XT PEMs in an epidemiology feasibility study of RF occupational exposure.

Approach:
The project aims to evaluate a newly developed RF personal exposure meter with respect to its use for epidemiological studies involving exposure of the general public. The evaluations of the PEM will be in terms of the following three aspects.

1) Performance as a stand-alone instrument, as derived from laboratory investigations.

2) Performance as a personal exposure meter, as derived through comparison of the logged readings with spot measurements made using a precision measurement system.

3) Ergonomic aspects, as reported from practical use of the PEM by volunteers over a period of one week.

Volunteers will carry a PEM with them, sometimes mounted on their body, over a period of one week while it logs their personal exposure. The volunteers will keep a diary of their whereabouts over the week so that the PEM data can be correlated with their location. The volunteer will finally complete a questionnaire on their perceptions of the PEM and how using/wearing it affected them.

The homes and offices of the volunteers will be visited on deployment and collection of the PEMs to make spot measurements of radio wave power densities at a selection of locations where the volunteers spend significant time, e.g. their kitchen, bedroom and desk. These spot measurements will be compared with the PEM reading when the volunteer is in the same place.
Novel Aspects:
The project will use established procedures to evaluate the PEM. Novelty is present in the development of the instrument and any proposals for how it may be used in epidemiological studies.

Importance:
Some people believe that mobile phone base stations, or other radio transmitters near to them, have affected their health and it is important to respond to such concerns scientifically. Nevertheless, there are significant challenges in assessing the exposure of individuals in the general population to radiofrequency signals, including the number and range of sources involved, and the effect of the environment on signal strengths as people move around. If a personal exposure meter could be developed and used to reliably characterise RF exposures, this might offer a way forward for scientifically credible research with base station exposures and the general public.