SPECIAL SECTION ON ANTENNA AND PROPAGATION FOR 5G AND BEYOND

Received January 11, 2020, accepted January 21, 2020, date of publication February 27, 2020, date of current version March 12, 2020.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/ACCESS.2020.2976434

Electromagnetic Radiation Due to Cellular, Wi-Fi

and Bluetooth Technologies: How Safe Are We?
1 1 1
NAREN , ANUBHAV ELHENCE , VINAY CHAMOLA ,
2
AND MOHSEN GUIZANI , (Fellow, IEEE)
1 Department of EEE, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani 333031, India
2
Department of Computer Science, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar
Corresponding author: Mohsen Guizani ([email protected])
This work was supported by the Qatar National Research Fund (a member of The Qatar Foundation) under Grant NPRP10-1205-160012.

ABSTRACT The electromagnetic radiation (EMR) emitted out of wireless communication

modules in various IoT devices (especially used for healthcare applications due to their close
proximity to the body) have been identi ed by researchers as biologically hazardous to humans
as well as other living beings. Different countries have different regulations to limit the radiation
density levels caused by these devices. The radiation absorbed by an individual depends on
various factors such as the device they use, the proximity of use, the type of antenna, the
relative orientation of the antenna on the device, and many more. Several standards exist which
have tried to quantify the radiation levels and come up with safe limits of EMR absorption to
prevent human harm. In this work, we determine the radiation concern levels in several
scenarios using a handheld radiation meter by correlating the ndings with several international
standards, which are determined based on thorough scienti c evidence. This study also
analyzes the EMR from common devices used in day to day life such as smartphones, laptops,
Wi-Fi routers, hotspots, wireless earphones, smartwatches, Bluetooth speakers and other
wireless accessories using a handheld radio frequency radiation measurement device. The
procedure followed in this paper is so detailed that it can also be utilized by the general public as
a tutorial to evaluate their own safety with respect to EMR exposure. We present a summary of
the most prominent health hazards which have been known to occur due to EMR exposure. We
also discuss some individual and collective human-centric protective and preventive measures
that can be undertaken to reduce the risk of EMR absorption. This paper analyses radiation
safety in pre-5G networks and uses the insight gained to raise valuable concerns regarding
EMR safety in the upcoming 5G networks.

INDEX TERMS EMR, wireless, safety, standards, health, protection.

I. INTRODUCTION phones [2]. Any unidenti ed or unaddressed health

The ever-increasing adoption of wireless communication has hazard due to the use of these devices or exposure to
created a very complex situation of electromagnetic radia-tion their radiation could impact the health of people globally.
(EMR) exposure. With new technologies such as 5G, the Several organizations at both national and international
number of devices will increase exponentially and operate on a levels have established guidelines for limiting EMR
broader frequency spectrum. With this upcoming tech-nology, exposure in residential as well as occupational scenarios.
the society will be more connected than ever before, and would Scienti c research on EMR exposure-related biological
witness huge economic growth. However, it is very important to effects began as early as the 1940s [3], but gained signi
identify beforehand, if any, harmful or adverse effects resulting cant pace in the early 2000s with the widespread increase
from increased exposure of human beings. of EMR exposure due to cellular communications.
Currently, there are about 15 billion wireless local area net- The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation
work (WLAN) devices ranging from Wi-Fi routers to Internet of Protection (ICNIRP) has issued regulatory limits on EMR
Things (IoT) devices [1], 9 billion mobile connections, and about exposure for the general public and workers. ICNIRP’s 1998
67% of the world population currently uses mobile guidelines have been adopted by most of the coun-tries in
the world today [4]. But these limits only take into account
The associate editor coordinating the review of this manuscript the thermal effects of EMR and dismiss evidence on the
and approving it for publication was Qammer Hussain Abbasi . biological effects of EMR exposure as unclear or
42980 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. For more information, see http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ VOLUME 8, 2020
Naren et al.: EMR Due to Cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Technologies: How Safe Are We?

FIGURE 1. Ionizing and Non-ionizing radiation sources and there frequency bands.

unsatisfactory ndings. In addition, there are several cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and IoT devices. In Section III, we
standards prescribed by medical bodies such as the Build- discuss a few important standards and guidelines for EMR
ing Biology, BioInitiative, and Austrian Medical Association exposure which have been determined by scienti c
Standards. These limits have been arrived at after extensive organizations/commissions to avoid EMR related health haz-
scienti c research of thermal, non-thermal, chronic ards in humans. In Section IV, we present our ndings on the
exposure, and biological effects carried out by health radiation levels present in common use cases of popular
experts from across the world. On comparing these limits devices. In section V, we summarize the important health
with those pre-scribed by the ICNIRP, it can be seen that hazards of EMR exposure that have been documented and
the limits pre-scribed by the medical bodies are several reported. In section VI, we describe some measures to protect
orders of magnitude lower than those prescribed by the ourselves from EMR and also discuss ways to minimize
ICNIRP. Therefore, a clear understanding of the differences ambient EMR in public places. In section VII, we recom-mend
between these limits, and an assessment of the current some proactive prevention techniques which can be
exposure levels in accordance with both kinds of exposure immediately adopted at both individual and societal levels to
limits mentioned above is the need of the hour. prevent harmful EMR exposure. In section VIII, we discuss our
In the literature, many research studies have analyzed ndings from section IV in light of sections II, III, V and VI. We
health hazards due to EMR exposure [5]. Numerous nally conclude the paper in section IX.
adverse health conditions such as cancer, infertility,
damage to the auditory system, alteration of blood cells II. PRELIMINARY BACKGROUND AND MOTIVATION
and blood ow, mental, cognitive and sleep disorders, and A. IONIZING AND NON IONIZING RADIATION
impaired childhood development have been identi ed in When referring to interaction of EMR with biological
various stud-ies. We have explored the literature in this systems, EMR is categorized into two types: ionizing and
area and presented a section describing various health non-ionizing. About 60% of the human body is water. Based
risks associated with EMR exposure. on whether the incoming radiation is high enough to break
The major contributions of this paper are highlighted the chemical bonds of water or not, it is categorized as
below. ionizing radiation (if it can break the bonds) and as non-
We analyse radiation levels of commonly used cellular, ionizing radi-ation (if it is not able to). Several classes of
Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi devices to estimate how safe they electromagnetic waves are classi ed as non-ionizing and
are to human beings in terms of radiation. ionizing radiation as depicted in Fig. 1. The frequencies we
The procedure followed in this work serves as a are interested in (radio frequencies) fall in the category of
tutorial for the general public who can arrive at a non-ionizing radiation. Some of the most common
good esti-mate of their radiation exposure with electronic/IoT devices which people use today such as
minimal technical knowledge or expertise. mobile-phones, smartphones, lap-tops, wireless speakers
We review several works which have identi ed and headphones, and smartwatches, all communicate using
vari-ous health hazards resulting from EMR radio frequencies. Broadly, they can be categorized into
exposure and presents the ndings to highlight devices which use cellular, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technology as
dangers of excessive EMR exposure. shown in Fig. 2. This kind of radi-ation has been linked with
Then, we suggest techniques for people as well various adverse health effects in human beings. The
as societies/organizations to protect themselves severity of these effects varies with the power of radiation,
from excessive EMR exposure and also presents distance of the radiation source, the kind of device, the type
ways to minimize ambient EMR levels in different of antenna used in the device, the modu-lation technique
environments like schools, hospitals, and homes. used in the communication and the duration of exposure.
The rest of this paper is organized as follows. In Section Electromagnetic radiation in the frequency range 20 KHz
II, we discuss the nature of EMR used in wireless communi- - 300 GHz is referred to as radio frequency (RF) radiation.
cation devices and the need to analyze EMR from various Most of the commonly used communication services such
common sources such as mobile phones, laptops and other as FM radio, television broadcast, satellite, cellular, Global

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the Wi-Fi antennas present in a laptop, and the Bluetooth

antenna used in a wireless earphone respectively.
A cell phone communicates wirelessly with a cellular base
station that is typically hundreds of meters away. The anten-nas
on a mobile phone are not directive, i.e, they transmit and
receive EMR roughly in all directions. Their radiation pattern is
roughly omni-directional. This enables good com-munication,
because the user does not necessarily orient the phone in the
direction of the cell tower. These antennas ensure the
propagation of the electromagnetic waves to the, enabling
communication. The omni-directional nature of these anten-nas
FIGURE 2. Most common sources of EMR exposure. can cause radiation energy to dissipate in all directions. But this
means that a mobile phone emits radiation directly into the
TABLE 1. Common wireless communication technologies. head of the user. Moreover, when the phone is sit-uated in
areas with weak reception such as the far end of its closest cell
tower or in the basement of a building, its radiation increases by
several magnitudes in order to ensure good connection with the
cellular base station.
Laptops communicate with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
technology, but Wi-Fi is used more extensively to connect to
wireless routers located nearby. Just as for mobile-phones,
the laptop antennas are designed to ensure good
connection regardless of its orientation or position in a Wi-Fi
zone. Hence, even laptop Wi-Fi antennas are roughly
omnidirec-tional in nature. Laptops are mostly used either
on the lap or on a desk. When used on the lap, severe
amounts of radiation directly enter the legs, groin and torso
region. Moreoever, since the antenna is located very close
to the body, the mag-nitude of radiation is extremely high.
When used on desks or tables, the face of the user directly
faces the antenna. Most laptops have their antennas
located at the top of the display. Laptops are used for
several hours at a time in very close proximity and hence
raise more concern than mobile phones which may be held
next to the ears for just a few minutes during a call.
In the last few years, the popularity of Bluetooth head-
Positioning System (GPS), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth all lie phones and earphones have increased drastically. Some of
in this frequency range. these earphones such as the one shown in Fig. 3(c) have the
antenna extremely close to the ear. These devices are worn by
B. MOTIVATION users almost throughout the day and kept active almost
An antenna is a transducer which converts AC. electric currents continuously. In addition to the radiation from the earphone
owing in metal conductors to radio frequency electromagnetic itself, the connected smartphone or mobile phone, kept in the
waves and vice-versa. Antennas are used in all wireless radio pocket also emits Bluetooth radiation continuously.
frequency communication devices. During transmission, AC. For a common user, it is very dif cult to measure the
electric current is supplied to the antenna’s terminals, which three-dimensional radiation pattern to estimate his own
induces the antenna to radiate EMR waves in the radio safety in regards to EMR exposure. Therefore, in this
frequency range. During reception, the antenna intercepts radio document we analyze the radiation levels from the most
waves to generate an AC. electric current at its terminals, which common sources to and scenarios of EMR exposure. We
is applied to a receiver before ampli ca-tion. In the latest then correlate our nd-ings with a few well-de ned, scienti
smartphones which are in use today, there are several cally and holistically determined safety limits.
antennas for different communication purposes such as cellular,
GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Table 1 lists the most commonly III. STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES
used wireless technologies at present and their frequency FOR ELECTRO-MAGNETIC RADIATION
ranges. Fig. 3(a) shows the usage of multiple antennas in a Ideally, it is expected that a well de ned, safe exposure limit
smartphone. Similarly Fig. 3(b), Fig. 3(c) and Fig. 3(d) show the would apply to people of all countries. But, there are striking
antennas used in the Jio-Fi 4G Hotspot, differences that arise due to thermal effects, non-thermal

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FIGURE 3. Antennas in a smartphone.

health effects, and precautionary measures considered in standards prescribed by Building Biology, Austrian Medical
determining the limits. Different countries across the world Association, and the BioInitiative take into account ther-mal,
adopt different RF EMR exposure limits based on these non-thermal, chronic exposure, and biological effects of
considerations. For example, the United States adopts limits EMR as well. In this section, we present a comprehensive
based only on thermal effects. Russia and China have taken summary of the above-mentioned guidelines and standards
non-thermal effects into account while determining their stan- in light of the requirement of this work, i.e., electromagnetic
dards. Switzerland and Italy have taken precautionary mea- radiation due to cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth technologies.
sures to account for any adverse health effects which may be
discovered in the future, and therefore adopt exposure limits A. ICNIRP
even below non-thermal effects [6]. Damage arising from only The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation
tissue heating is considered while determining thermal Protection (ICNIRP) is an international commission which
exposure limits. Such safety limits are prepared based on the specializes in non-ionizing radiation protection. The EMR
assumption that it is suf cient to consider only heating effects exposure limits of more than 50 countries in the world today [8]
while trying to minimize harm to the human body. But in the last are based on ICNIRP’s 1998 publication [9]. This document
few decades, it has been well established that biological and provides different guidelines for occupationally exposed
adverse health effects occur at radiation levels which are too individuals and members of the general public. They have
low to cause any heating, sometimes several hundred thousand prescribed two types of restrictions, namely Basic Restrictions
times lower [7]. and Reference levels. Basic Restrictions are dif-cult to
In this section, we discuss the guidelines on exposure measure, especially for people who are not experts in the eld of
limits prescribed by the ICNIRP, Building Biology, the Aus- antennas and do not have access to sophisticated experimental
trian Medical Association, and the BioInitiative. The ICNIRP setups. They require sophisticated experimental setups and
guidelines is the most widely adopted guidelines in the world costly equipment. But, Reference levels can be easily
at present, being adopted by around 50 countries. But it only measured using simple handheld RF radiation meters. Here, we
takes into account the thermal effects of EMR, while the only consider the Reference levels for general public

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TABLE 2. ICNIRP reference values for general public. nausea, dizziness while long term exposures can lead
to more serious diseases as discussed in section VI.
2) Severe Concern: The radiation values coming under
this category are tagged as unacceptable from the
point of view of building biology and they must be
addressed. These values are unnatural for human
beings. Chronic exposures to these radiation levels
can sow the seeds of future health diseases.
3) Slight Concern: This is a precautionary category
as radiation levels categorized under slight concern
can affect sensitive population like pregnant
women, small children and unhealthy people.
4) No Concern: This category ensures that the
radiation levels are safe and will not cause any
health hazard. The radiation levels in upper
range of this category signify the background
radiation level of our modern living environment
which is inevitable in the current society.
In the case of RF EMR, the quantity to be measured is power
2 2
density in the units of W =m . Power densities (in W =m ) less
than 0.1 indicate no concern, between 0.1 and 10 indicate
slight concern, 10 - 1000 indicate severe concern and values
greater than 1000 indicate extreme concern.
No concern V 1 W =m
2
Slight concern V 1 2
exposure in the frequency ranges of the wireless technologies 10 W =m
considered in this work. The Reference levels at these fre- Severe concern V 10 1000 W =m2
quencies for general public exposure are listed below, where Extreme concern V 1000 W =m2
f is the frequency of the concerned EMR source.
2
Table 2 lists the reference values (in W =m )
calculated for some wireless technologies. According to the standard, the values mentioned
above refer to peak measurements and are applicable
400-2000 MHz V f =200W =m2 to single RF sources such as GSM, UMTS, WiMAX,
2-300 GHz V 10 W =m
2 TETRA, Radio, Television, DECT cordless phone
technology and WLAN except radar signals.
The standard treats pulsed or periodic signals (such
B. BUILDING BIOLOGY STANDARD
as mobile phone technology, DECT, WLAN and digital
The Building Biology Standard [10] takes into account the broad-casting) as more critical sources and recommends
physical, chemical and biological hazards present places that they should be assessed more seriously, especially
where people work, live and sleep. It considers the in uence in the higher concern ranges. Non pulsed and non
of various factors such as different electric elds, magnetic periodic signals such as F.M, short, medium, long wave
elds, waves, radiation, indoor toxins, pollutants, fungi bac- and analog broadcasting can be addressed more
teria and allergens. Radio Frequency EMR is also included generously, especially in the lower concern ranges.
and addressed as a critical in uence in their standard. It The exposure limits prescribed by the medical
aims to enable an individual to identify, minimize and avoid associations of many other countries are based on the
all such factors in their own life without any need Building Biology Standard. For example, the guidelines
sophisticated equipment or scienti c expertise. prescribed by the Aus-trian Medical Association (AMA)
Their evaluation guidelines are intended to be used [11] suggest the same limits mentioned above as ‘Within
in areas where there is risk of repeated long term- normal limits’, ‘Slightly above normal’, ‘Far above normal’
exposure such as sleeping and resting areas. Their and ‘Very far above normal’.
guidelines are precautionary in nature and de ne four
levels of concern which are listed below. C. BIOINITIATIVE STANDARDS
1) Extreme Concern: The values categorized under The BioInitiative report [11] is the work of renowned health
extreme concern require an immediate attention and swift professionals and many scientists on the potential hazards
correction. Short term exposures to radiation under this of exposure to EMR arising from the use of wireless tech-
category will cause problems like headache, nologies. The rst edition of the BioInitiative report was

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released in 2007 and then updated in 2012. This report density exceeds the designated range, an attenuator DG20
includes an extensive documentation of adverse biological is used which increases the range by a factor of 100.
health effects on both general and sensitive populations To execute the process of measurement taking, the
because of exposure to EMR. Their focus is primarily on EMR source devices were placed along the length of a
chronic exposure to low frequency, extremely low frequency measuring tape. The RF Analyzer was held from its rear
and radiofrequency EMR elds. BioInitiative claims to be an end to avoid any re ections of EMR from the hand of the
independent body, comprising of medically acclaimed device holder. To accurately evaluate the radiation of the
professionals who believe that deployment of wireless tech- test device,the following procedure was followedV
nology always happens before the health risks are Step 1: The area around the test device was probed with
assessed. This report urges the necessity to reconsider the RF Analyzer approximately 50 cm from the test device to
current sit-uation regarding excessive use of wireless obtain the direction with the highest level of radiation.
communication technology. Step 2: Next, the direction of the RF Analyzer
The following is a summary of the latest BioInitiative stan- was xed at the point where the highest radiation
dards. The standard justi es the cumulative outdoor RF level was recorded, and then the analyzer was
2
EMR limit to be reduced from 1000 W =m to just a few W rotated along it’s longitudinal axis to maximize the
2
=m . Based on several studies related to health effects reading of the instru-ment. This ensured that the
caused by mobile phone and base station radiation, the antenna of the RF Analyzer was aligned with the
benchmark for ‘lowest observed effect level’ was found to be plane of polarization of the EMR source.
2
30 W =m . Considering the higher electrosensitivity of Step 3: Now, the relative orientation of the RF
children, and a safeguard for chronic and long term Analyzer and the test device was xed and then the
2 two devices were moved such that the RF Analyzer
exposures, the above mentioned value of 30 W =m is
reduced by 10 times to set the precautionary action level for was placed on the measuring tape with it’s direction
chronic exposure to pulsed RF Radiation between 3 and 6 of antenna parallel to the measuring tape, and it’s
2 base lying at on the plane of the measuring tape.
W =m . The BioInitiative report also states that this level is
not de nite, i.e., based on information from newer studies, it Step 4: For the remaining part, the test device was
may decrease or increase this level. xed at the beginning of the measuring tape in the
orientation as obtained after step 3. If they were two
IV. RESULTS devices being used in a particular scenario, the
With the advent of technology, there are more wireless same steps were per-formed to x the second device
devices today than ever before, such as LTE phones, 3G at the other end of the measuring tape.
phones, GSM and CDMA phones, wireless speakers, smart- Step 5: Finally, the relative distance between the
watches, wireless earphones, portable Wi-Fi routers, wire- RF Analyzer and the test device was varied by
less mice and keyboards, voice-controlled smart speakers shifting the RF Analyzer in xed steps along the
like Alexa, health monitoring devices, etc. In places such as measuring tape to record the power ux density
values. Let’s call this relative orientation as ‘x’ and
universities, of ces and homes, multiple devices are commu- the corresponding values of power ux density
nicating using different technologies at a given time. Note
obtained as Px . Then by changing the orientation of
that a majority of devices communicate either using Wi-Fi,
the antenna to its orthogonal directions ‘y’ and ‘z’ we
Bluetooth or cellular technology. Therefore we have inves-
tigated the power ux densities (PFD) of the EMR emitted obtained two more sets of values, Py and Pz
from speci c devices which are used very extensively in our respectively at the same positions where Px was
day to day life. recorded.
Finally, the total magnitude of the power density at each
A. METHODOLOGY
position was calculated using equation 1 where Px , Py and Pz
For our measurements, we have used the HF32D RF represent the power density levels received by the antennas
Analyzer by Gigahertz Solution which is a very easy to use oriented in the ‘x’, ‘y’ and ‘z’ orientation respectively.
RF radiation meter. This detector covers frequencies from q
800MHz to 2.7GHz and therefore can be used to measure 2 2 2
4G/LTE, UMTS/3G, GSM, GPS, Radar, WLAN (Wi-Fi), and
Pr D P x C P y C P z (1)
Bluetooth radiation densities. The device works on the An attenuator (DG20) was used with the RF
principle of Geiger counter effect by deploying three log Analyzer whenever the measured power density was
2
periodic antennas in three orthogonal directions. beyond 2000 W =m . The attenuator increases the
In order to avoid disturbances from low-frequency EMR range of the analyzer by a factor of 100.
sources, the HF32D RF Analyzer suppresses sub 800MHz For our investigation, we devised few scenarios
frequencies. The range and signal values of these devices are based on frequently encountered situations in the day
tuned to assess the EMR in accordance with the Building to day life of a normal user. The testing was done in
Biology Standards discussed in section III-B. If the power an open eld free from any sources of electromagnetic
radiation as shown in Fig 4.
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FIGURE 4. The location for testing was an open field with ambient Power
2
Flux Density less than 5 W =m .
TABLE 3. Experimental setup for cellular devices.

FIGURE 5. EMR results pertaining to cellular devices.

Biology Standards and ‘very far above normal’ according to the

B. EMR DUE TO CELLULAR DEVICES
AMA standards. The radiation is around 10,000 times higher
Table 3 shows schematics of the experimental setups than the precautionary action level recommended by the
used for analysing cellular devices. Two cases were 2
BioInitiative Guidelines (3 - 6 W =m ). But these values are
considered: Phone calls on 2G/3G/4G networks and certainly within the ICNIRP reference values for general public
data streaming on 3G/4G networks. 2
exposure which are between 9,500,000 W =m for 2G networks
1) 2G/3G/4G PHONE CALL 2
and 10,000,000 W =m for 3G and 4G networks. This implies
The power ux density getting emitted from the mobile
that phone calls performed on 2G, 3G and 4G devices are safe
device which is put on call is recorded according to the in terms of thermal effects, i.e., a user will not face any health
above procedure. All other communication channels from issues arising from tissue heating, but he/she is certainly at risk
the device such as Bluetooth, infrared, Wi-Fi and GPS of developing health issues from non-thermal, chronic exposure
were turned off. The results are plotted in Fig. 5(a). and biological effects.
In Fig. 5(a), we can see that the same smartphone emits Near the test location, it was found that the nearest 2G, 3G
most radiation on the 3G network, second highest on 2G and 4G BSs were all located on the same cell tower. Therefore,
network and least on the 4G network at almost all dis-tances. the observation of PFD levels (3G > 4G > 2G) network cannot
While performing a phone call, at a very close range, the PFD
be attributed to farther 3G/4G BSs. To be able to explain the
2
measured is 43112, 38907 and 18172 W =m on 3G, 2G and exact reason for higher EMR emission of the smartphone on 3G
4G networks respectively. The close range radi-ation in all three networks compared to 4G and 2G net-works requires thorough
2
cases is above 1,000 W =m which is classi ed as ‘extreme analysis of 2G, 3G and 4G antennas used on the smartphone,
concern’ according to the Building including their three-dimensional

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radiation patterns, and antenna con gurations which The area served by each BS in 5G networks is very small and
are beyond the scope of this work. is commonly called a small cell. The shorter millimeter waves
At about 50cm away from the phone, the radiation level would also not be able to penetrate building walls effectively.
2 Therefore, the 5G architecture will separate indoor and out-door
drops below 1,000 W =m which comes in the next category
of ‘severe concern’ and ‘far above normal’. Therefore the networks, which means there will be separate access nodes for
use of wired handsfree earphones/headphones is indoor users. 5G BSs will also be installed on street light poles
recommended which generally have a standard length of meaning that people will be extremely close to the BS
1.2m, and by keeping the phone at about 1 m from the user, antennas, whether they are indoors or outdoors. In addition, 5G
a good level of safety can be achieved. will also employ relay nodes that amplify the wireless signals
from the BSs before they reach the device. The high data rate
2) 3G/4G DATA STREAMING
requirement of 5G, which is around 1000 times more than 4G,
The mobile device used for this setup was Samsung
is expected to be solved by the use of massive-MIMO, which
Galaxy M30. To ensure continuous data transmission
incorporates a large number of antennas. Thus, 5G networks
from the cell tower to the smartphone, a long HD
contain Macrocells, microcells, relays, street light access points
video was streamed on the phone. The measured
and separate indoor nodes, which operate simultaneously all
power ux density values are plotted in Fig. 5(b).
the time.
From Fig. 5(b), it is evident that the PFD of a 4G network is
lesser than 3G networks at all distances during data trans-fers. Due to the extremely high density of BSs, street light
At very close distances the radiation reaches 38798 and 29682 access points, separate indoor BSs, relays and Massive
2 MIMO technology employed in 5G, a person will be exposed
W =m for 3G and 4G networks respectively which is a situation
to very high levels of PFDs, whether he is indoors or
of ‘extreme concern’ or ‘very far above normal’ according to
Building Biology standards. At a distance of approximately 50
outdoors, or whether or not he is using any wireless devices
cm, the radiation in both cases drops down to about 1,000 W in close proximity. In other words, it may be suspected that
2 even the ambient PFD which a person is exposed to in most
=m which is categorized as a situation of ‘severe concern’ or
situations throughout the day may fall under the category of
‘far above normal’. Smartphones are extensively used to stream
‘Severe Concern’ according to the Building Biology
videos and therefore it is rec-ommended to keep the phone at
Standard, ‘Far above normal’ according to the AMA
least 50 cm away on a table to ensure that the user is exposed
2
standards, and may be higher than the precautionary action
to a PFD less than 1,000 W =m . Therefore, 4G networks must level recommended by the BioInitiative Guidelines. If 5G
be preferred to 3G networks for data consumption. The networks are deployed without careful analysis of expected
scenario of 3G/4G Data streaming is similar to the situation of exposure levels, almost all people in the area of coverage
2G/3G/4G since all the measured PFDs are well within the
may be exposed to danger-ous levels of PFD, the outcomes
range of ICNIRP reference values for general public exposure,
of which, in the near future, may turn out to be calamitous.
but pose seri-ous health risks when seen in accordance with the
Building Biology, AMA and BioInitiative standards.
Currently, South Korea, United Kingdom, Germany, and
the United States are at the forefront of 5G network deploy-
ment, with several companies already providing 5G services
3) 5G AND BEYOND in these countries [12]. It is strongly suggested that a study
The testing of all the devices in this work has been carried out similar to the one in this paper be conducted in these coun-
in India, where 5G networks are projected to be deployed by the tries, by correlating the ndings with the standards mentioned
year 2021. Therefore, measuring PFD levels for devices
in section III in order to get a consistent view of radiation
communicating on 5G networks could not be included in this
exposure in 5G networks as compared to previous genera-
work. 5G is set to use frequencies between 30 GHz and 100
tions. This would provide much-needed insight and caution
GHz and would have a bandwidth of 60 GHz, which is much
higher than all previous generations. Owing to the increased to all countries that are yet to adopt 5G.
frequency, the wavelengths in 5G communications will be in the
C. EMR DUE TO Wi-Fi DEVICES
order of few millimeters. Shorter wavelengths travel shorter
distances; therefore, 5G networks will be much denser Table 4 shows schematics of the experimental setups used for
compared to existing networks. This necessitates that more analysing Wi-Fi use cases. Three cases were considered: Lap-
base stations be placed at much closer distances in order to tops/Smartphones connected to Wi-FI routers, Wi-Fi Mobile
achieve good coverage. In 3G cellular networks, the density of adhoc networks, and portable Wi-Fi hotspots/routers.
2
BSs is about 4-5 BSs=km , and the area served by each BS is
1) LAPTOP AND SMARTPHONE
large and therefore called a macrocell. In the case of 4G (LTE)
CONNECTED TO Wi-Fi ROUTER
2
networks, the BS density is about 8-10 BSs=km , the coverage The laptop used for this setup was Lenovo Z51-70 which was
of each BS is lesser and referred to as a micro-cell. However, in put on airplane mode with only Wi-Fi turned on. The laptop was
the case of 5G networks, the BS density is expected to be connected to the Wi-Fi Router operating at 2.4 GHz. The
2
increased to about 40-50 BSs=km due to the high propagation devices were kept facing each other as shown in Table 4. The
loss of millimeter wave technology. power ux density readings are plotted in Fig. 6(a).

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TABLE 4. Experimental setup for Wi-Fi devices.

Comparing the scenario of a laptop and a smartphone

connected to a Wi-Fi router, it can be inferred from Fig. 6(a),
that the effect of the router on the PFD dominates until a
distance of about 1.7m from the router. Just next to the router
2
the PFD is about 60,000 W =m and drops below 100 at 1.7m
from it. So, it advisable to always stay 1.7m away from any Wi-
Fi router, whether you are using a lap-top or a smartphone. Up
to a distance of about 100 cm, the effect of the smartphone or
laptop on the PFD dominates. The PFD measured at close
2 2
proximity of the smartphone is 5123 W =m and 12886 W =m
in the case of a laptop, which is more than 2 times greater than
the latter. The reason for this is attributed to PCIe antennas
used in the laptop which are designed for better connectivity in
terms of range and data speeds. Therefore, smartphones
should always be preferred in use cases where a laptop is not
absolutely necessary. The PFD in both cases drops below 1000
2
W =m at a distance of approximately 50 cm. Although this PFD
still falls in the category of ‘severe concern’ or ‘far above
normal’ according to the AMA standards and is not to be
considered safe, it is still better than the category of ‘Extreme FIGURE 6. EMR results pertaining to Wi-Fi devices.
concern’ or ‘very far above normal’. Thus, it is better to keep
laptops on a table and operate them from an arm’s distance or on a table while watching lengthy videos. Keeping a laptop on
keep the smartphone the lap or keeping a smartphone connected to the router in the

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pocket for long durations would result in dangerous TABLE 5. Experimental setup for bluetooth speaker.

amounts of radiation directly entering the body.

2) MOBILE AD-HOC NETWORK

Two smartphones (Samsung Galaxy M30 and Redmi
Note 5) were connected using Wi-Fi Direct technology to
form a mobile Ad-hoc Network and a large le was
transferred between them. The power ux density
readings along their line of sight are plotted in Fig. 6(b).
A hotspot is created between two devices and is meant to
handle several connections at a time, which explains why the
2
PFD on the side of a sender (11819 W =m ) is 5 times higher
2
than that of the receiver (2223 W =m ) at a very close range as
shown in Fig. 6(b). At a distance of about 1 m from both the
2
devices, the PFD drops below 10 W =m which is a situation of
‘slight concern’ or ‘slightly above normal’.

3) PORTABLE Wi-Fi ROUTER

Nowadays, portable Wi-Fi routers/hotspots which work on
the 4G network are very popular due to their portability,
ease of use with almost no setup time. In our measurement,
we used the portable Wi-Fi hotspot to measure the power ux
density emitted from the device upto 3 m in the direction of
maximum radiation. The readings are plotted in Fig. 6(c).
Although these devices are very easy to use and portable,
2
they emit a high amount of radiation 92237 W =m at very
close distances. This is because portable Wi-Fi routers are
FIGURE 7. EMR results pertaining to Bluetooth speaker.
connected to the 4G network and simultaneously function as
Wi-Fi routers capable of handling multiple connections at a
time. This is the highest reading we recorded among the In Fig. 7, it can be seen that the highest reading just next
devices considered in this paper and falls in the category of 2 2
to the Bluetooth speaker is 487 W =m and just 152 W =m
‘extreme concern’ or ‘very far above normal’. The PFD 2
2 near the smartphone. The PFD drops below 10 W =m at
drops below 1000 W =m at about 75 cm and below 10 W about 50 cm from the smartphone and 25 cm from the
2 speaker which is a scenario of ‘slight concern’ or ‘slightly
=m at 200 cm. By keeping the device about 200 cm or 2 m
away from the user, one can attain a situation of ‘slight above normal’. Therefore it is recommended to keep the
smartphone at least 50 cm away, and the speaker at least
concern’ or ‘slightly above normal’. From all the cases
25 cm away from the user while playing the music.
mentioned above, the lowest radiation observed while
accessing the internet is in the case of a smartphone 2) BLUETOOTH EARPHONE
connected to a Wi-Fi router followed by a laptop connected
Wireless earphones are very quickly replacing wired earphones
to the Wi-Fi router. It should also be noted that accessing
due to ease of use. A subject was chosen to wear Bluetooth
the internet via Wi-Fi routers involves less radiation in
general than accessing the internet via cellular networks. earphones connected wirelessly to a smartphone (Samsung
galaxy M30) kept in his trouser’s right pocket. A long audio le
In terms of health risks, it can be concluded that Wi-
was played to ensure continuous communi-cation between the
Fi technologies also pose serious health risks in terms
of chronic exposure, non-thermal, and biological devices. We measured power ux density in different areas
effects of EMR but will not lead to any tissue heating around the body as shown in Fig. 8.
or health risks arising from tissue heating. 3) SMARTWATCH CONNECTED WITH PHONE
Many people these days are using smartwatches to track their
D. EMR DUE TO BLUETOOTH DEVICES
health and routine. Therefore it becomes very important to
1) BLUETOOTH SPEAKERS WITH AUDIO STREAM study whether the radiation coming from the usage of
Table 5 shows the schematic of the experimental setup smartwatch is adversely affecting users health or not. The
used for analysing a Bluetooth speaker. A Bluetooth subject was made to wear a smartwatch on his right hand which
speaker was connected to a smartphone via Bluetooth was connected to smartphone (Samsung Galaxy M30) via
wireless technology kept 3m away from the speaker. The Bluetooth, and the smartphone was kept in the subject’s right
power ux density between the two devices was trouser pocket. The power ux density was measured in different
measured and the results are plotted in Fig. 7. areas around the body as shown in Fig. 9.

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exposure and biological effects in the head, shoulder and

pocket regions but is safe from any thermal effects of EMR
exposure. In the case of a Bluetooth smartwatch, the
radiation in the pocket region as well as near the
2
smartwatch is about 1000 W =m (see Fig. 9) which can be
considered a case of ‘Extreme concern’ and or ‘Very far
above normal’. Therefore, it is expected that a person may
develop health issues arising from non-thermal, chronic
exposure and biological effects only in the pocket and wrist
regions. The observed radiation levels indicate that a user is
not in any risk of health issues arising from thermal effects.

E. COLLECTIVE EXPOSURE
In most practical situations, there are several wireless devices
functioning simultaneously in the vicinity of a person, which
makes it becomes important to understand the collective radi-
ation exposure due to all these devices. Here, we consider the
case where a person is being exposed to EMR from Wi-Fi,
Cellular and Bluetooth devices, namely, a laptop, smartphone,
Wi-Fi router, smartwatch, Bluetooth earphones, and a Bluetooth
speaker. We have considered these devices to ensure the best
FIGURE 8. EMR readings on different parts of the body while wearing
2 balance between worst-case exposure and the most probable
bluetooth earphones (in W =m ).
set of devices that a person may use. In all practical situations,
ambient EMR is always present. Therefore, our readings were
taken in a practical test location where there was an ambient
2
EMR of 5 W =m .
For our measurements, we consider a test subject using his
laptop kept on a desk, wearing a Bluetooth smartwatch on his
left hand, and neck-band type Bluetooth earphones around his
neck and also holding a smartphone to his right ear. The laptop
is connected to a Wi-Fi router kept 50 cm away on the same
table. The Bluetooth earphones are connected to the
smartphone and playing music. The smartphone is put on call
over the 4G network. A Bluetooth speaker is also kept on the
same desk, which is connected to the laptop. Fig. 10 shows the
test subject and the placement of various devices near him, and
Fig. 11 the measured PFDs at several points near the test
subject. At each test point, the orientation of the RF analyzer
was adjusted to ensure the maximum reading.
As can be seen in Fig. 11, the measured PFD exceeded
2
10,000 W =m in all points except the leg region where a PFD
2
of 500 W =m was recorded. This implies that the EMR in the
leg region comes under the category of ‘severe Concern’ or ‘far
FIGURE 9. EMR readings on different parts of the body while wearing a above normal,’ while all other points showed a PFD of more
2 2
smartwatch (in W =m ). than 10,000 W =m and thus come under the category of
‘extreme concern’ or ‘very far above normal.’ A PFD of 133,400
Based on the values of PFD shown in Fig. 8, it can be 2
observed that the use of Bluetooth earphones heav-ily impacts W =m near the Wi-Fi router, was the highest reading recorded
2 in our test scenario, indicating that of all the devices, the Wi-Fi
the head region with PFDs in the range of 4000 - 8000 W =m router was the most contributing factor to the cumulative
which comes under the category of ‘extreme concern’ or ‘very exposure. Therefore, it is highly recommended to avoid keeping
far above normal’. In the region of the pocket where a Wi-Fi router on the table. Due to the proximity of the mobile
2 phone, the region near the right ear is exposed to PFD of 36;
smartphone is kept, the PFD is 850 W =m which is a situation
2 2
of ‘severe concern’ or ‘far above normal’. In the remaining 700 W =m . A PFD of 33; 600 W =m recorded near the left
regions, the PFD is not as signi cant. Thus, it can be said using arm can be attributed to the Wi-Fi router, smartwatch and
Bluetooth earphones puts a person at risk of developing health laptop together. The PFD recorded near the chest, torso and
issues related to non-thermal, chronic groin region: 12300; 5700

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in the groin region in a cumulative exposure scenario is sev-

eral times higher than the case considered in section IV-
D.2, and IV-D.3, where a smartphone was kept in the
pocket while being connected via Bluetooth to wireless
earphones and smartphones respectively. A PFD of 13; 200
2
W =m was recorded near the keyboard of the laptop. This
high reading is attributed to the laptop’s Wi-Fi antennas,
which are located on top of the screen. Thus, a wired
connection to the router should always be preferred to Wi-
Fi. Based on the above discussion, it can be concluded that
keeping many wireless devices in close proximity is
extremely dangerous in terms of non-thermal, chronic
exposure and biological health effects but will not lead to
any thermal effects since all measurements are within the
ICNIRP reference values for general public exposure.

V. HEALTH RISKS AND HAZARDS OF EMR EXPOSURE

From released reports and published articles it is evident that
there is a strong correlation between distance from cell towers
and variety of EMR related health complaints. People who lived
in the vicinity of cell towers or base stations reported health
issues such as insomnia, fatigue, headaches and nau-sea.
Some of these people were even diagnosed with seri-ous
health diseases such as leukemia, Alzheimer’s, Autism, ASD,
neuro-psychiatric issues, brain tumors and breast can-cer.
BioInitiative report has compiled more than 1800 sci-enti c
FIGURE 10. Placement of different devices in a collective exposure research articles which report serious impact on human and
2
scenario (in W =m ). animal bodies like abnormal gene transcriptions, genotoxicity,
DNA damage, chromatin condensation, loss of DNA repair
capacity, reduction in free-radical scavengers, neurotoxicity,
decreased sperm morphology and impaired development of
brain and cranial bone. In this section we have summarized the
adverse health effects of EMR exposure.

A. CANCER
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), an
independently nanced organisation classi ed Radio-frequency
RF EMR under Group 2B carcinogen which means that there is
a possibility that RF may be carcinogenic to humans [13].
However, Hardell and Carlberg [14] claim that there is clear
evidence of cancer from long term, low level exposure to
pulsating and non-ionizing EMR. Their ndings warrant IARC to
put RF EMR in Group 1: known carcinogen. Another study by
The National Toxicology Program (NTP) conducted studies to
evaluate potential health hazards and the risk of cancer from
RF Radiation. Mice and rats were used as test subjects and
were tested on exposure to RF Radiation in the 2G and 3G
spectrums (700 - 2700 MHz). This study reported clear
evidence of tumor in the hearts, brains and adrenal glands of
male rats [15].
Although, not many biophysical mechanisms have been
FIGURE 11. EMR readings at different points of in a collective exposure
proposed regarding how RF Radiation leads to tumor causing
2
scenario (in W =m ).
effects, the thermal exposure limits are set solely based on one
observed phenomenon which is the amount of power absorbed
2 per mass of tissue or in other words, how much the tissue is
and 8700 W =m respectively are all in the category of
‘extreme concern’ or ‘very far above normal.’ The exposure getting heated. The thermal limits are speci ed

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such that any RF radiation above these limits starts to which are externally non-existent. Such people generally
heat the body and shows observable effects like report poor quality of sleep, and several dif culties through-
disturbance of blood ow and metabolism. Nonetheless, out their daily life. In the worst cases, even suicides have
few studies have reported that even at radiation levels been reported. In light of EMR, it is relevant to note that the
below the accepted limit (and legally de ned) for human number of tinnitus cases reported since the last few
exposure there are signs of tumor-promoting effects [14]. decades has increased several folds [27]. Studies have
shown the evidence that the main cause for such an
B. PREGNANCY AND INFERTILITY increase can be attributed to the widespread and long-term
A strong correlation between male infertility and EMR from usage of cellular phones, particularly in those cases where
mobile phones has been asserted by several researchers one ear is much dominantly used over the other [28].
[16]. A case study [17] was conducted on male wistar albino Another phenomenon to be aware of is RF Hearing
rats who were exposed for 14 days, 15 minutes each day to which was con rmed to exist as early as 1960s. Although
high EMR. The radiation had impacted their testicular RF energy is electromagnetic in nature, some of it is
architecture and enzyme activity. It was shown that EMR converted into acoustic energy both within and outside
from mobile phones induces an oxidative stress in testicular the cochlea and is perceived as a sound centered at
tissues and ultimately results in decrease of semen quality about 5 KHz. The exact frequency may vary depending
and lower sperm motility. The severity of oxidative stress on the dimensions of the subject’s head [29].
depends on usage patterns of the mobile phone owner [17]. Dabholkar et al. [30] reviewed several long term case
In a 2017 study to evaluate the effect of 4G-LTE EMR on studies and concluded that long term intensive use of
sperm formation in male rats, it was concluded that longer mobile phones does lead to hearing losses. Prolonged use
durations of exposure results in decreased spermatogenesis (> 1 year) of mobile and cellular technology may decrease
[18]. Incidents have been reported where telecom workers who the abil-ity of a person to hear high-frequency sounds. The
were accidentally exposed to high EMR doses developed skin person is also more likely to develop acoustic neuroma, in
burns and injury to heat-sensitive tissues such as the lens of the which non-cancerous tissue develops on a nerve which
eyes, the testicles and the brain, leading respectively to links the inner ear with the brain. In advanced stages of
cataract, male infertility and seizures [19] [21]. acoustic neu-roma, pressure is exerted on the brain which
The carcinogenic nature of EMR which results in mutation may result in dangerous neurological effects including
of sperm cells as well as testicular cancer has also been vertigo, confusion, unsteadiness, facial numbness and
reported [22]. Thus, the probability that future genera-tions headaches. But casual or infrequent usage does not lead to
will inherit unhealthy or low-immunity genes is also any immediately recogniz-able adverse effects or any signi
increased. In a case study which involved exposing cant damage to the auditory system.
pregnant rats to EMR during different stages of pregnancy,
uterine con-gestions, dead and reabsorbed fetuses, D. EFFECTS ON CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT
hemorrhage, unequal and asymmetrical distribution of fetus Statistics show that in recent years, more children have
implantation sites, malformation, hematoma, short tails and begun using cellphones or smartphones compared to the
growth restrictions were observed [23]. elder gen-eration. In addition, it is observed that the average
According to [24], children whose mothers used cell age at which children nowadays begin using smartphones is
phones during pregnancy had 25% more emotional also signi cantly lesser than before. Therefore it is expected
problems, 35% more hyperactivity, 49% more conduct that this population will absorb signi cantly more EMR
problems and 34% more peer problems. radiation throughout their lifetime. The existing public safety
limits for EMR exposure are not acceptably protective of
C. AUDITORY SYSTEM DAMAGE public health, especially the young population including
When a mobile device is actively connected with the cellular babies, neonate, fetus and embryo. EMR exposure to
network, all the components of the auditory system including pregnant women have detrimental consequences on the
the skin, external, middle and inner ear, cochlear nerve and the future health of the child. The time a foteus spends in the
temporal lobe surface absorb RF energy. Moreover, it is known mother’s womb is a critical time of devleopment because
that the outer hair cells in the cochlea are highly sen-sitive to a the health problems that are once laid down in the cells or in
wide variety of exogenous and endogenous agents which epigenetic changes in the genome have life-long
include externally applied electric and magnetic elds consequences on the health of that individual [31]
[25]. EMR is damaging to unprotected or externally exposed The young population are more vulnerable to EMR exposure
biological tissue such as the outer hair cells in the cochlea. because of their smaller body mass and rapid phys-ical
People who have an overactive cortical stress network in development, both of which magnify the impact of EMR on
the brain are more vulnerable to tinnitus [26]. body. The differences in bone density and the amount of uid in
A common disease or effect is Tinnitus, which is in most a child’s brain compared to an adult’s brain allow children to
cases a neurological disorder. A person suffering from tin- absorb greater quantities of RF energy deeper into their brains
nitus perceives high-frequency ringing among other sounds than adults [32]. It is known in the eld of

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medicine that the brain tissue in children shows more elec- numbness, headache, nausea, memory loss,
trical conductivity when compared with adults. This allows dizziness, altered re exes, depression and many other
for more EMR penetration in proportion to the dimensions of severe brain and cog-nition related health problems
the head. Effects on the nervous system which is still in such as paralysis, stroke and psychosis [38], [39].
developmental stages are also causes of concern. While
anatomical development of the nervous system in children is VI. PROTECTIVE MEASURES AND
AMBIENT EMR MINIMIZATION
nished, EMR could still hamper the functional development
Based on the discussion in section V, it becomes very clear
which generally progresses into adulthood [33].
that the people exposed to EMR must adopt some preven-
E. BLOOD RELATED DISORDERS tive measures to limit their exposure to harmful RF EMR. In
Exposure to even very low intensity EMR can affect the many situations such as those discussed in Section IV, we
blood-brain barrier by increasing it’s permeability. Blood- are exposed to EMR almost daily for prolonged periods of
brain barrier prevents the ow of toxins into sensi-tive brain time. While it may not be possible to entirely eliminate such
tissues and when it’s permeability increases due to exposure, such as in workplaces, some protective
exposure from EMR it no longer provides the protective measures could be taken by people to reduce the amount of
barrier. Salford et al. [34] conducted a study and found that EMR they absorb and thereby reduce the damage done to
just single two hour exposure to EMR from cell phone their bodies. In this section we present some techniques
results in an increased leakage of blood-brain barrier, and which are either based on externally attenuating the EMR
50 days of such exposure can lead to neuronal damage. before it hits the body and some techniques based on
The EMR level as low as 0.001 W/kg can affect the blood- monitoring and deploying the EMR sources effectively and
brain bar-rier and this limit is about 1000 times lower than ef ciently so as to minimize the ambient EMR levels. The
the FCC (1.6 W/kg) and ICNIRP (2 W/kg) limits allowed. techniques based on external attenuation have to practised
Research is required to investigate the damage done by on an individual level, while the ambient EMR minimization
EMR exposure on other barriers like the blood-placenta techniques can be practised on government and society
barrier (that protects the developing fetus), the blood-testes levels only.
barrier (that protects developing sperm), the blood-ocular
barrier (that protects the eyes) and the blood-gut barrier A. PROTECTIVE MEASURES
(that protects proper digestion and nutrition). 1) EMR ABSORBING CLOTHES
As a result of the research in the past decade suggesting
F. DNA DAMAGE the dangers of EMR on the human body, a variety of EMR
DNA molecules in our body directly interact with EMR. The absorbing clothing solutions began surfacing the market.
double helical structure of DNA causes it to act like a fractal Such clothing options incorporate surface-metallized ber
antenna [35]. The characteristic of a fractal antenna is that it woven fabric in their apparels. Metals like copper, silver or
interacts with wide range of frequencies. Therefore, the aluminium are chemically deposited on ordinary knitting
struc-ture of DNA makes it vulnerable to damage from EMR fabrics to obtain surface-metallized ber knitted fabric. Such
exposure over the entire range of non-ionizing frequencies metals are known to attenuate EMR by scattering incident
i.e. from extremely low frequency range (300 Hz to 3 kHz) to radiation [40]. While many manufacturers do claim a speci c
radio frequency range (3 kHz to 300 GHz). This interaction EMR absorbing ef cacy in decibels over a certain frequency
of DNA and EMR generates free radicals, produces stress range, it cannot be said for sure whether the attenuation
proteins and causes gene mutations. Human DNA and rating claimed by such clothes was obtained through well-
stems cells are permanently damaged by EMR exposure as designed tests. Such clothes are generally bi-layered,
they do not have the ability to adapt to chronic exposures of where the rst layer re ects some of the incident EMR and
EMR and thus DNA repair is not possible [36]. the second (inner) layer absorbs the radiation which passed
through the rst layer [41]. The higher the decibel value,
G. EFFECTS ON MENTAL AND COGNITIVE HEALTH greater is the shielding capability. Most of the materials
Many neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s disease, have a character-istic range of frequencies which they
Alzheimer’s disease and motor neuron disease are found to absorb. For example, a product that has an effect of 30 dB
be caused and triggered by EMR exposure [37]. EMR at 1 to 5 GHz would mean that the product blocks 99.9% of
damages the neurons of the brain, reduces the neuronal radiation in the wave-length range of 1 to 5 GHz, which
reactivity, prolongs their refractory period and increases the includes most of the RF EMR encountered commonly: cell
neural membrane conductivity. All such diseases mentioned phones, Wi-Fi routers and bluetooth devices.
above involve death of speci c neurons and therefore are Metals are the best solution to re ect EMR. Hence, such
called neurodegenerative diseases. clothing generally has metallic strands or metal silk bers
As mentioned in the introduction of this section, people embedded within them which re ect incident EMR away
living in vicinity of cell towers and base stations are prone to from the wearer’s body. Metal silk bers are also blended
develop many neuropsychiatric problems like tremors, with regular fabrics to obtain specially designed electro-
magnetic shielding fabrics which are used to make different
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clothing products such as curtains and blankets. Chemical

deposition processes are also used to form a conductive metal
plating on top of regular fabric. In any of the above mentioned
varieties of EMR protective clothing, the shielding capability
increases with the amount of metal used in the product.
Pregnant women, young infants and children, are espe-
cially recommended to wear radiation protective clothing
due to their higher vulnerability to radiation absorption and
damage. Workers who are exposed to abnormally high
levels of EMR, such as cell tower repairmen need specially
designed EMR re ective and protective clothing designed
speci cally for their occupation.

2) EMR ABSORBING/REFLECTING PAINTS

Many households are located very close to cell towers which
have multiple antennas operating on them. The wall facing in
the direction of the tower is most exposed to RF EMR. If it is
unprotected, i.e, it does not have any absorptive/re ective
coating, the people living in such homes are more prone to
develop EMR related health issues as discussed in Section V.
One very effective way to prevent high levels of EMR from
penetrating the home is to use EMR absorbing/re ecting paints
which are specially designed to absorb, re ect or scat-ter EMR
in the RF frequency range as is emitted by the cell towers.It is
desired to achieve high levels of attenuation across a wide
frequency range.
Materials which have numerically equal values of per-mittivity
and permeability and high loss tangents are more suited to be
used in making EMR absorbing paints. The former
characteristic guarantees good impedance mathch-ing with the
air and thus enable incident signals to enter the surface without
any re ection. The latter characteristic enables the material to
attenuate the EMR rapidly before it enters the home. By using
FIGURE 12. Performance of EMR absorbing paints [42].
such materials the re ection is also minimized. So, people
standing outside the homes are also protected from high power best protection, on-site testing can be done to accurately
EMR re ected from the walls of the homes. The power radiated determine the frequency at which there is maximum
from cell towers at certain frequencies may be much higher radiation and also the minimum attenuation required to
than others. EMR absorbing paints can address this problem as ensure that the residents are protected from any harmful
well because the frequency range at which maximum effects. The customers can pass on these speci cations
attenuation is achieved can be set by varying the thickness of to the manufac-turer who can then adjust the chemical
the paint applied on the wall. Choosing a thickness to match composition and also suggest the thickness required
complex permittivity and permeability can result in a according to the customers’ needs. This would ensure
considerable increase in the absorption bandwidth both at maximum protection at minimum expenditure.
normal and oblique incidence of EMR. For example Folgueras 3) AEROGEL
et al. [42] have prepared two varieties of paints to absorb EMR. Aerogels are a class of high performance EM radiation
Both their formu-lation have a polyuerthane matrix. Carbonyl absorbing materials designed by tting several nanosheets of
iron powder (10% w/w) and polyaniline (10% w/w) are the graphene into three-dimensional structures [43]. Their
chemicals dispersed in the matrices of the two formulations excel-lent absorption characteristics is due to their high
respectively by mechanical agitation. The attenuation plots of surface area and dielectric loss [44]. The re ection loss (RL)
these paints are shown in Fig. 12 (a) and (b) respectively. The of a material is a characteristic of the input impedance Zin,
paint of Fig 12 (a) achieves attenuation of 8 dB (84.1%) at 10 and output impedance Zo. RL and Zin are evaluated as
GHz and the paint of Fig 12 (b) achieves attenuation of 4 dB followsV
Z
(60.1%) at 12 GHz. Such paints could be used to shield the in C Z0
RL(dB) D 20logZin Z0 (2)

EMR coming from 5G towers which are much higher than any 2fd
RF communication used till date. To ensure the r
Z p
tanh j (3)
in
D Z0
c
"r r

r "r
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TABLE 6. Comparison of different aerogels.

cigarette lters. Their composite aerogel showed a minimum

RL of 30.53 dB with a bandwidth of 4.1 Ghz. On coating
with polypyrrole, a conducting material, the new composite
showed minimum RL of 45.12 dB. Similarly, Xie et al.
[47] prepared a self-assembled ultralight 3D polypyrrole
(3D-PPy) aerogel, a composite which can reach an
effec-tive Electro-Magnetic bandwidth of 6.2 GHz with
mini-mum RL of 25 dB. Wu et al. [48] prepared a
spongelike self-assembled ultralight aerogel which
showed a minimum RL of 54.44 dB with a bandwidth of
6.76 GHz. The above mentioned aerogels and their
absorption characteristics are summarized in Table 6.

B. AMBIENT EMR MINIMIZATION

1) OPTIMAL MOBILE NETWORK DEPLOYMENT
With ever-growing consumer demands for telecommunication
FIGURE 13. RL vs frequency of 3D-PPy aerogel (thickness varying from
1.5 to 5.0mm). [47]. services and the deployment of 5G technology soon to come,
many new base stations will have to be deployed over the
already existing 2G/3G and 4G network. Therefore, it becomes
In the above equations, Zo is the impedance of the, " r is very important to achieve optimal deployment of cellular Base
stations or wireless access points in order to minimize radiation
the complex permittivity, r is the relative complex permit-
levels. Compared to most optimiza-tion solutions in research
tivity, f is the frequency, d is the material thickness, and c is
[49] [52], which have considered deployment cost, coverage
the speed of light. According to fundamental mechanism of
level and base station capacity in the objective function,
electromagnetic absorption, the most effective absorption
Salcedo-Sanz et al. [53] have consid-ered an additional
would take place when the impedance matching conditions
criterion, electromagnetic pollution. They have proposed a
between the material and the free space is achieved [45].
Plots of re ection loss (RL) vs frequency such as in Fig. 13 solution called Grouping Coral Reefs Opti-mization (GCRO) and
are prepared for various thicknesses of the aerogel material. demonstrated its effectiveness when applied to a Mobile
Such plots may be used to choose the best material for an Network Deplyment Problem (MNDP). Deruyck et al. [54] have
applica-tion considering into account the most prominent presented a tool which achieves different levels of optimization
frequency of radiation and the thickness of absorbing for power consumption and human exposure in LTE networks.
material permis-sible. The frequency at which highest RL Plets et al. [55] have developed a gentic optimization algorithm
occurs varies with the thickness of the aerogel as can be for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) which optimizes the
seen in Fig. 13. As the thickness of the aerogel pellet is Exposure Index (EI) [56] taking into account all sources of
varied, new phase matching conditions have to be exposure such as uplink, downlink and the uplink of other users,
established in order to maintain the RL [46]. realistic duty cycles while simultaneously ensuring Quality of
Wang et al. [43] have prepared ultralight and mechanically Service (QoS) to all users.
strong 3D composite graphene aerogels with the use of waste

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 Naren et al.: EMR Due to Cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Technologies: How Safe Are We?

Chiaraviglio et al. [57] have proposed important of children below the age of 12 should be
guidelines to be followed during deployment of 5G base particularly safeguarded from EMR as they are
stations in order to achieve EMR-aware 5G networks. These more prone to EMR related health issues.
guidelines include modelling of 5G radio technologies which 2) In hospitals and medical institutions, it is espe-cially
helps to select the proper con guration of the installed important to implement guidelines regarding EMR
equipment for each considered site, modelling of the safety as hospitals cater to very sensitive population
generated EMR levels over the territory which allows for a such as pregnant women, newborn babies, and
ne-grained antenna site characterization based on the unhealthy people. Hospitals should not adopt full Wi-
knowledge of the radiation pattern and the emitted power of Fi coverage technology. Preferably they should give
each antenna in the site, integration of current and future ethernet ports to all the doctors and hospital wards.
EMF limits, modelling of the set of candidate sites based on Government should lay guidelines to not allow deploy-
idealized distributions and operator-based constraints, ment of Base Station or Cell tower in near vicinity of
modelling of 5G traf c demands and QoS based on spatial hospitals. Units for sensitive population like ICU,
and temporal uctuations that can characterize the radiated CCU, NICU and operation theaters should avoid all
power demand and modelling of 5G network topologies. sorts of devices which use wireless communication
such as wireless incubators and remotely operated
2) ELECTROMAGNETIC POLLUTION MONITORING instruments. Only those sources of EMR should be
USING WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS used which are meant for medical purposes. Pregnant
With new base stations being installed on daily basis, moni- women should be educated to avoid prolonged use of
toring EMR pollution on a real-time basis becomes essential mobile devices, laptops and other wireless devices.
to detect and locate potentially dangerous EMR levels and 3) In educational institutions, there is a trend to shift to
notify corresponding authorities to ensure safety of nearby modern technology like wireless projectors in smart
people. In this regard, Nouh et al. [58] have proposed an classrooms, campus wide Wi-Fi access, use of digital
EMR pollution monitoring system using a Wireless Sen-sor notebooks, etc. As we have mentioned in section V,
Network (WSN) based framework. Their system uses a children are very sensitive to EMR and health issues
genetic algorithm on EMR data acquired from WSN nodes like autism and impaired mental development are
do detect and report any EMR limit violations. The WSN becoming very common among young population.
nodes are deployed uniformly over an area and are Schools where children spend almost 8 to 10 hours
equipped with sensors to detect EMR in the frequencies need to minimize the ambient EMR levels inside the
which are most prevalent. classroom by using EMR absorbing paints and
window lms. School authorities should give spe-cial
VII. PROACTIVE PREVENTIVE TECHNIQUES rules and guidelines for high population density zones
Certain simple steps can be taken by any individual to avoid such as classrooms and school buses, which get
EMR exposure. Spreading awareness about dangers and really high EMR levels due to everyone using wireless
health hazards of EMR in schools, hospitals and other areas devices simultaneously. If all classrooms can-not be
having sensitive population such as pregnant women, small made to comply with EMR safety standards, schools
children and old people, and giving them simple sug- should construct special classrooms to main-tain ‘no
gestions based on their surroundings, can help lot of wireless’ condition, and allow students to opt for it
citizens avoid EMR related health issues without spending who believe their academic, social or behavioural
resources on integrating and deploying EMR attenuating progress is being hindered by EMR related health
technology. We have listed few such proactive and common issues.
sense mea-sures to minimize unnecessary and needless
EMR expo-sures keeping in mind various environments and
operating conditions: VIII. DISCUSSIONS
1) In residential places such as homes, at study table and Currently employed public exposure limits do not provide
other places where people sit for long periods to use suf cient protection to people both in terms of long-term and
internet, we can have ethernet cable to avoid getting short-term exposure. The exposure limits speci ed by
exposed to 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi signal. Many switches to ICNIRP take into account only the thermal effects and not
control the power to Wi-Fi router can be installed the non-thermal biological effects in determining their limits.
throughout the house to readily switch off the Wi-Fi The ICNIRP safe exposure limits for general public for the
wireless technologies discussed in this paper are between
radiation when not in use. The windows can be covered
2 2
with transparent EMR absorbing/re ecting thin lm and 4,000,000 W =m to 10,000,000 W =m which is several
outer walls can be painted with EMR absorbing paints. orders of magnitude higher than the limits prescribed by the
Use of landlines for long talks should be pre-ferred over Building Biology, AMA and the BioInitiavtive standards.
mobile phones and cordless phones. Rooms While exposure levels within the limits prescribed by
ICNIRP only guarantee safety from the thermal effects of
EMR

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TABLE 7. Recommendations for using cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth devices.

exposure, there are numerous scienti c studies, suggesting the body and must be avoided. While it may take very long
that even non-thermal effects pose a signi cant threat. for the exposure levels of these devices to be corrected, the
These non-thermal effects are observed at several orders of users can take some steps to minimize the risk of using
magni-tude of radiation lower than those of thermal effects. these devices. A summary of the recommendations
Along with the thermal and non-thermal effects, several regarding usage of these devices is given in Table 7.
other factors such as frequency, duration of exposure, pulse There are wired solutions in each of these use cases
shaping, power level also contribute to health risks of EMR. which can be adopted to greatly minimize EMR exposure.
It has already been several years since the wireless- Using handsfree earphones to make phone-calls, using LAN
technologies have been deployed, meaning that the cables instead of Wi-Fi, wired earphones, switching off Wi-
public has already been exposed to a lot of harmful EMR Fi routers when not in use, maintaining a good distance
without their knowledge. It may be anticipated that this from the wireless devices, are some of the measures to
section of the population will suffer from many of the minimize exposure. A two-fold approach can be followed to
health hazards discussed in section V. If corrections are mini-mize harm from EMR pollution. Firstly, measures can
not made now, especially when the number of wireless be taken to protect people from the already existing high
devices are growing exponentially which leads to an lev-els of EMR. Second, proactive prevention techniques
exponential increase in public EMR exposure, the current can be adopted in environments such as households,
and future public will be at even greater risks of both schools and hospitals to greatly minimize EMR exposure.
known and unknown health hazards. In particular, These have been explained in detail in Section VI and VII of
women, children and fetus are hypersensitive to EMR this paper.
and special care must be taken to protect these groups
from both short and long term exposure. Both individuals and governments must be aware of the fact
Smartphones, laptops, Wi-Fi routers, Wi-Fi Hotspots and that the current population has already been exposed to
Bluetooth devices such as speakers, earphones and smart- dangerous levels of radiation and the resulting adverse health
watches are the most common sources of exposure today. effects may surface in people at any time. In this regard, proper
These devices are used extensively in very close proximity. planning and execution, both on governmental and individual
Based on the discussion in section IV, it is clear that usage of levels is required to properly handle a breakout of EMR related
mobile phones for calling or data streaming, using laptops and health issues in large numbers of people in all areas of the
smartphones on Wi-Fi networks, using 4G wireless hotspots are world. Speci cally, it must be noted that the radiation in 5G
especially dangerous. Exposure to radiation from one or two networks is suspected to increase by several folds. It will not
devices, such as a smartwatch on the wrist and a connected only affect regions near cell towers and 5G devices but all
smartphone may result in high radiation levels only near the indoor and outdoor environments in the region of coverage.
hand and pocket region, a cumulative and simulta-neous Thus, almost all people in the area of coverage of 5G networks
exposure to several sources of EMR, such as laptop, may be exposed to dangerous levels of EMR. Without thorough
smartphone, Wi-Fi router, Bluetooth earphones, smartwatch research and well-designed safety measures in place, wide-
and speaker leads to dangerous levels of EMR all throughout spread deployment of 5G networks could prove to be
dangerous.
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IX. CONCLUSION [11] Guideline of the Austrian Medical Association for the Diagnosis
People should be made aware that the EMR from using day to and Treatment of EMF-Related Health Problems and Illnesses
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and smartphones are unsafe when compared with radiations
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limits determined by medical bodies. According to the current Possi-bly Carcinogenic to Humans. [Online]. Available:
medical literature, various adverse health effects from exposure https://www.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr208_E.pdf
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This research was made possible by NPRP10-1205- era of 4G-LTE,’’ BioMed Res. Int., vol. 2018, pp. 1 8, 2018.
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160012 grant from the Qatar National Research Fund (a
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M.Sc. degree (Hons.) in physics with the Birla
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Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani. He has
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lent electromagnetic absorption,’’ J. Mater. Chem. A, vol. 3, no. 27, B.E. degree in electronics and instrumentation
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Del Ser, ‘‘A discrete particle swarm optimization algorithm for mobile network Science, Pilani. He was a part of the Japan-Asia
deployment problems,’’ in Proc. IEEE 17th Int. Workshop Com-put. Aided Youth Exchange Program in science and was
Model. Design Commun. Links Netw. (CAMAD), Sep. 2012,
awarded an International Linkage Degree from
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works. He was a recipient of KVPY scholarship granted by the Department of
Robotic Systems 5. Tokyo, Japan: Springer, 2002, pp. 299 308.
[Online]. Available: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978- Science and Technology, Government of India, and Sakura Science
4-431-65941-9_30 Scholarship granted by the Japanese Science and Technology Agency.

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 Naren et al.: EMR Due to Cellular, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Technologies: How Safe Are We?

VINAY CHAMOLA received the B.E. degree in MOHSEN GUIZANI (Fellow, IEEE) received the
electrical and electronics engineering and the B.S. (Hons.) and M.S. degrees in electrical
master’s degree in communication engineering engineering and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in
from the Birla Institute of Technology and Sci-ence, computer engineering from Syracuse University,
Pilani, India, in 2010 and 2013, respectively, and Syracuse, NY, USA, in 1984, 1986, 1987, and
the Ph.D. degree in electrical and computer 1990, respectively. He served in different
engineering from the National University of Sin- academic and administrative positions at the
gapore, Singapore, in 2016. In 2015, he was a University of Idaho, Western Michigan University,
Visiting Researcher with the Autonomous Net- University of West Florida, University of Missouri-
works Research Group, University of Southern Kansas City, University of Colorado-Boulder, and
California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. He is currently an Assistant Pro- Syra-
fessor with the Department of Electrical and Electronics cuse University. He is currently a Professor with the Computer Science and
Engineering, BITS-Pilani, Pilani Campus. His research interests Engineering Department, Qatar University, Qatar. He is the author of nine
include green commu-nications and networking, 5G network books and more than 600 publications in refereed journals and conferences.
management, the Internet of Things, and blockchain. His research interests include wireless communications and mobile com-
puting, computer networks, mobile cloud computing, security, and smart grid.
He is a Senior Member of ACM. He served as a member, Chair, and General
Chair of a number of international conferences. Throughout his career, he
received three teaching awards and four research awards. He also received
the 2017 IEEE Communications Society WTC Recognition Award and the
2018 Ad-Hoc Technical Committee Recognition Award for his contribution to
outstanding research in wireless communications and ad-hoc sensor
networks. He was the Chair of the IEEE Communications Society Wireless
Technical Committee and the Chair of the TAOS Technical Committee. He
served as the IEEE Computer Society Distinguished Speaker and is currently
the IEEE ComSoc Distinguished Lecturer. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief
of the IEEE Network Magazine, serves on the editorial boards of several
international technical journals, and the Founder and the Editor-in-Chief of
Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing journal (Wiley). He guest
edited a number of special issues in IEEE journals and magazines.

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