International Business College in Mitrovica (IBC-M) along with its partners involved in the INFORM project (http://www.ibcmitrovica.eu/inform/) will conduct measurements and monitor the electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation in order to raise awareness and inform citizens of Mitrovica and the region of their exposure to it.
IBC-M will provide current and reference levels of EMF and information on adverse health effects that may occur as a consequence of exposure to EMF radiation. Also, the INFORM platform shall provide basic information on EMF, the results obtained during measurements and recommendations on how to mitigate our exposure to EMF.
Our aim is to apply the scientific approach by incorporating the obtained measurements with the well-established theories, knowledge and techniques related to electromagnetic field and radiation.
Equipment
An instrument/detector that we used for measurements was produced by the Canadian company LATNEX, model HF-B3G, Triple Axis RF/High Frequency Meter and this instrument was designed to measure and monitor Radio–Frequency electromagnetic field strength.
This instrument alone comes with a Certificate of Calibration and it was inspected, tested and calibrated precisely by using the equipment which was already calibrated to standards traceable to international standards. The frequency range of this instrument is 50Mz~3.5 GHZ, meaning that it covers the mobile spectrum used in Kosovo (900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz) and it uses digital, triaxial measurement method with Isotropic directional characteristics. Triaxial EMF meters are more reliable than those with single axis because the single axis sensors in general measure only the EMF in one direction. In our case, the meter possesses three orthogonal sensors and the results are obtained from the three probes and calculated instantly by the microprocessor inside the unit.
Site description
The mobile telephony tower is located on the 7th km of Mitrovica -Prishtinë/Priština motorway (42.856509, 20.932093), left side of the road, Smrekonicë /Smrekovnica village, just across the road from Smrekonicë /Smrekovnica Detention Centre. The antennas were installed on a steel mast, approximately 15 meters high. The area around the mast was secured, protected by a 2m high fence and inaccessible for population or unauthorized personnel.
IBC-M won’t provide any Information on the mobile operator, model and manufacturer of the base station, in order to guarantee operator confidentiality.
Weather conditions
The measurements were taken on October 14th 2019, at 15.24h, the temperature was 21°C, it was sunny, sky was clear with no clouds in any direction whatsoever.
The basic climatic characteristic of the municipality of Mitrovica is a moderate-continental climate which is a transition between the Mediterranean and the continental climate. The climatic zone of Mitrovica and specifically the Ibar valley inclines towards continental air masses, meaning that this area has winters which are colder with daily mean temperatures around −5 °C. On the other hand, summers can be very warm with daily mean temperatures of around 29 °C.
Graph 1. – Mean temperatures in Mitrovica year 2013. (software used – NewLocClim).
Wind
There was no wind at all during the measurement procedure. We had an anemometer with us (wind speed and direction meter) and it showed no wind movements at time of measurements.
Winds in Mitrovica, in general, are a sporadic meteorological phenomenon. According to a meteorological data the average wind speed in Kosovo varies from is 1.3 m/s to 2.4 m/s up to random extreme wind speeds of approximately 30 m/s that may occur during the spring, but those are extremely rare.
EMF measurements
First measurement was done from a distance of 10.2m (photo 1.) and the measured value amounted to 1003.8 μW/m2 (photo 2.)
Second measurements was done from a distance of 12.8m (photo 3.) and the measured value amounted to 1257.9 μW/m2 (photo 4.)
In order to confirm the accuracy of the readings, we’ve retaken measurements from the first distance (photo 5.) and this measurement yielded similar reading, it was almost identical to the first one, 1002.3 μW/m2 (photo 6.)
Photo 1. Distance from the mast – 10.2m
Photo 2. Instrument reads 1003.8 μW/m2
Photo 3. Distance from the mast – 12.8m
Photo 4. Instrument reads 1257.9 μW/m2
Photo 5. Repeated measurement from a distance of 10.2m
Photo 6. Instrument reads 1002.3 μW/m2
Researchers took readings by approaching the mast from the South-East direction. Researchers tried to take readings from other directions too since there are three antennas on the mast providing 180 degrees signal coverage, but were unable to do so because of the private properties surrounding the mast.
Conclusion
In this short blog post, we provided an overview of a research activity conducted in order to investigate the impact of EMF on the surroundings and the living world. Most of the values we obtained during measurements were around 1000 μW/m2 which is in accordance with rules and regulations of many countries in the world, and it represents a statutory limit or a proposed limit (see table below and the values in the Power Density – μW/m2 column).
Measurements have been performed on an outdoor unit, in a half an hour operation, during which we obtained results which confirm that the EMF emitted through the antennas located on the mobile telephony tower at the location mentioned above were slightly elevated but yet again within the limits and in accordance with the recommendations of EMF exposure.
Disclaimer: The content of the blog is for informational and educational purpose only, and its intent is not to cause harm to any company or an individual but instead to provide a general guidance on matters of environmental interest. The testing was an activity conducted by the researchers engaged in the project. The equipment used for testing was a reputable one but nevertheless this is not the equipment used in official testing purposes. Public should seek official information about electromagnetic field exposure from local authorities or governmental sources. We recommend that you do not take any information held within as a definitive guide to the environmental situation or the relevant matter being discussed.
