Personal radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure of adolescents in the Greater London area and the association with restrictions on permitted use of mobile communication technologies at school and at home

Abstract

Personal radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure of adolescents in the Greater London area and the association with restrictions on permitted use of mobile communication technologies at school and at home Claudia Schmutz, Alexandra Bürgler, Narain Ashta, Jana Soenksen, Yasmin Bou Karim, Chen Shen, Rachel B. Smith, Rosemary H. Jenkins, Michael O. Mireku, Julian Mutz, Mikaël J.A. Maes, Rosi Hirst, Irene Chang, Charlotte Fleming, Aamirah Mussa, Daphna Kesary, Darren Addison, Myron Maslanyj, Mireille B. Toledano, Martin Röösli, Marloes Eeftens. Personal radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure of adolescents in the Greater London area and the association with restrictions on permitted use of mobile communication technologies at school and at home. Environmental Research. 2022. 113252. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2022.113252. Abstract Personal measurements of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) have been used in several studies to characterise personal exposure in daily life, but such data are limitedly available for adolescents, and not yet for the United Kingdom (UK). In this study, we aimed to characterise personal exposure to RF-EMF in adolescents and to study the association between exposure and rules applied at school and at home to restrict wireless communication use, likely implemented to reduce other effects of mobile technology (e.g. distraction). We measured exposure to RF-EMF for 16 common frequency bands (87.5 MHz–3.5 GHz), using portable measurement devices (ExpoM-RF), in a subsample of adolescents participating in the cohort Study of Cognition, Adolescents and Mobile Phones (SCAMP) from Greater London (UK) (n = 188). School and home rules were assessed by questionnaire and concerned the school's availability of WiFi and mobile phone policy, and parental restrictions on permitted mobile phone use. Adolescents recorded their activities in real time using a diary app on a study smartphone, while characterizing their personal RF-EMF exposure in daily life, during different activities and times of the day. Data analysis was done for 148 adolescents from 29 schools who recorded RF- EMF data for a median duration of 47 h. The majority (74%) of adolescents spent part of their time at school during the measurement period. Median total RF-EMF exposure was 40 μW/m2 at home, 94 μW/m2 at school, and 100 μW/m2 overall. In general, restrictions at school or at home made little difference for adolescents’ measured exposure to RF-EMF, except for uplink exposure from mobile phones while at school, which was found to be significantly lower for adolescents attending schools not permitting phone use at all, compared to adolescents attending schools allowing mobile phone use during breaks. This difference was not statistically significant for total personal exposure. Total exposure to RF-EMF in adolescents living in Greater London tended to be higher compared to exposure levels reported in other European countries. This study suggests that school policies and parental restrictions are not associated with a lower RF-EMF exposure in adolescents. sciencedirect.com

AI evidence extraction

Main findings

Personal RF-EMF was measured across 16 frequency bands (87.5 MHz–3.5 GHz) using ExpoM-RF. Among 148 adolescents with usable data (median 47 h), median total exposure was 40 μW/m² at home, 94 μW/m² at school, and 100 μW/m² overall. Restrictions at school or at home made little difference for measured exposure, except that uplink exposure at school was significantly lower in schools not permitting phone use at all versus schools allowing phone use during breaks; this was not statistically significant for total exposure.

Outcomes measured

• Personal RF-EMF exposure (μW/m²) overall and by microenvironment (home, school)
• Association between RF-EMF exposure and school rules (WiFi availability, mobile phone policy)
• Association between RF-EMF exposure and parental restrictions on mobile phone use
• Uplink exposure from mobile phones while at school

Limitations

• Final analysis used 148 adolescents (from 188 measured) with usable RF-EMF data; reasons for exclusion not described in abstract
• Rules/policies and parental restrictions were assessed by questionnaire (self-report)
• Observational design; associations may be confounded
• Majority but not all participants spent time at school during measurement period (74%)

Suggested hubs

• school-wi-fi (0.9)
  Assessed school WiFi availability and mobile phone policy in relation to adolescents' measured RF-EMF exposure.

{
    "study_type": "exposure_assessment",
    "exposure": {
        "band": "RF",
        "source": "mobile phone, wi-fi, other (16 common frequency bands measured)",
        "frequency_mhz": null,
        "sar_wkg": null,
        "duration": "median 47 h personal measurements"
    },
    "population": "Adolescents in Greater London (UK) participating in SCAMP cohort (subsample)",
    "sample_size": 188,
    "outcomes": [
        "Personal RF-EMF exposure (μW/m²) overall and by microenvironment (home, school)",
        "Association between RF-EMF exposure and school rules (WiFi availability, mobile phone policy)",
        "Association between RF-EMF exposure and parental restrictions on mobile phone use",
        "Uplink exposure from mobile phones while at school"
    ],
    "main_findings": "Personal RF-EMF was measured across 16 frequency bands (87.5 MHz–3.5 GHz) using ExpoM-RF. Among 148 adolescents with usable data (median 47 h), median total exposure was 40 μW/m² at home, 94 μW/m² at school, and 100 μW/m² overall. Restrictions at school or at home made little difference for measured exposure, except that uplink exposure at school was significantly lower in schools not permitting phone use at all versus schools allowing phone use during breaks; this was not statistically significant for total exposure.",
    "effect_direction": "no_effect",
    "limitations": [
        "Final analysis used 148 adolescents (from 188 measured) with usable RF-EMF data; reasons for exclusion not described in abstract",
        "Rules/policies and parental restrictions were assessed by questionnaire (self-report)",
        "Observational design; associations may be confounded",
        "Majority but not all participants spent time at school during measurement period (74%)"
    ],
    "evidence_strength": "moderate",
    "confidence": 0.7399999999999999911182158029987476766109466552734375,
    "peer_reviewed_likely": "yes",
    "keywords": [
        "RF-EMF",
        "adolescents",
        "personal exposure",
        "ExpoM-RF",
        "SCAMP",
        "Greater London",
        "school policy",
        "mobile phone restrictions",
        "WiFi",
        "uplink exposure",
        "87.5 MHz–3.5 GHz"
    ],
    "suggested_hubs": [
        {
            "slug": "school-wi-fi",
            "weight": 0.90000000000000002220446049250313080847263336181640625,
            "reason": "Assessed school WiFi availability and mobile phone policy in relation to adolescents' measured RF-EMF exposure."
        }
    ]
}

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