An investigation on residential exposure to electromagnetic field from cellular mobile base station antennas

The increasing number of antennas on the cellular base station towers led to growth of public concern related to human exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) and various health effects. The study investigated the levels of electromagnetic radiation emitted from cellular base stations in Kolhapur, a district located in west Maharashtra. The paper focused on human exposure to electromagnetic radiation from base station antennas in residential areas. Various exposure situations were considered such as hall, kitchen, bedroom, and terrace, where electromagnetic field exposure was measured in terms of power density and electric field. The average height of the antenna tower was around 150 feet and average numbers of antennas on the base station towers were around 16. Results were tabulated in terms of power density and electric field. The measured values of power density were well below the maximum permissible exposure levels. The electromagnetic field exposure was maximum at terrace, medium at hall and bedrooms and low at kitchens. The residential exposure varies from 45.92 to 13860 µw/ m2. The maximum value of residential exposure was 2797 µw/ m2.