A statistical analysis for RF-EMF exposure levels in sensitive land use: A novel study in Greek primary and secondary education schools

Abstract

Background: The increasing popularity of mobile phones and the expansion of network infrastructure in Greece have given rise to public concerns about potential adverse health effects on sensitive groups, such as children, from long-term radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) exposure. According to Greek law the RF limit values for sensitive land use (schools, hospitals, etc) have been set to 60% of those recommended by EU standard and 70% for the general population. Aims: The objective of this study is to estimate mean RF-EMF exposure levels of Greek primary and secondary edu-cation schools located in urban environments. Methods: In selecting the minimum sample size we observed that the variance of the random variable was unknown, as there has been no similar previous study in Greece with schools as the target population. For this reason, a pilot study was conducted in 65 schools in order to estimate the standard deviation of the population and use that value to calculate the minimum sample size. Using a random machine num-ber generator contracted in R based on pseudo-random number algorithms, we obtained a sample of 492 schools in order to estimate the mean value for RF-EMF radiation sources in the 27 MHz-3GHz range in schools within urban environments in Greece. Results: We have performed the appropriate hypothesis test to get that there is sufficient evidence at the α = 0.05 level to conclude that the mean value for RF-EMF radiation sources in the 27 MHz-3GHz range, in schools within urban environments in Greece, is equal to 0.42 V/m, also a 95% confidence interval for the mean value is (0.4024, 0.4395)] with central value equal to the sample mean 0.4209. Conclusion: In conclusion, the exposure level in the locations tested are both below 60% of the highest limit set by ICNIRP (International Commision on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) regarding sensitive land use. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.