Long term variations measurement of electromagnetic field exposures in Alcalá de Henares (Spain)

•The evolution of EMF exposure for Alcalá de Henares over a 2006-2015 is presented.•Measurements take into account all the sources and their evolution in a 35 km2 area.•A statistical and spatial analysis and their variations are also analysed.•We have measured lower EMF levels where the population has remained unaltered.•New areas have demanded new resources and it has led to an increase of the EMF.

Electromagnetic radiowave exposure is a major concern in most countries due to possible adverse health effects. Over the last 10 years, many technological changes (digital television, mobile technologies, wireless networks…) have led to variations in the electromagnetic field (EMF) levels.A large number of studies devoted to the analysis of EMF levels with personal dosimeters or computer models of the exposure of mobile stations have been conducted. However, the study of the exposure values, taking into account all the existing sources, and their evolution in a wide area, using measurements, has rarely been performed.In this paper, we provide a comparison of the EMF exposure levels for the city of Alcalá de Henares (Spain) over a ten-year period using a broadband isotropic probe in the range from 100 kHz to 3 GHz. A statistical and spatial analysis of the measurements and their variations are also presented for the study of the global and local variations.The measured values in the period from 2006 to 2015 were ranging from 0.02 to 2.05 V/m. Our global results show a moderate increase from 2006 to 2010 and they are almost invariant from 2010 to 2015. Although the whole dataset does not have relevant statistical difference, we have found marked local differences. In the city areas where the population density has remained unaltered, we have measured lower exposure levels. Conversely, new urban and industrial developments have demanded new resources, which have potentially contributed to the observed increase in the measured electric field levels within these areas.

Graphical abstractDownload high-res image (281KB)Download full-size image