Are the towers threatening us? cellular communications? Often, as soon as a new cellular network antenna is installed nearby, the authorities immediately begin to receive complaints. Several years ago, Kiev residents bombarded the SES with letters, and in the Carpathian city of Yaremche, all the towers were turned off for this, and its residents were left without mobile communications.
This is relevant now that 3G communications in the UMTS format have become available in Ukraine, and operators are actively building new base stations. Let's figure out how cellular communications affect your health and whether you should be afraid.
How networks work
The main supervisor of communications in the GSM and UMTS standards is the GSMA association, which includes the world's largest operators and manufacturers. Here's how she explains how cellular networks work.
Operators are developing territories based on the cellular principle - when the coverage of neighboring base stations touch each other. Your mobile phone is constantly “talking” to the network and telling you which tower is closest. This way you can waste less energy during transfer. Moreover, the coverage radius of each tower greatly depends on the landscape, trees, buildings and other obstacles.
In addition, the operating range of a base station depends on the frequency at which it operates. While GSM at 900 MHz provides maximum coverage up to 35 km, UMTS operates at 2.1 GHz and has a radius of about 1.5 km. That is why 3G towers are needed several times more than 2G - on average 1.6 times.
The base station itself is a complex of several blocks. It includes a building with equipment, a tower for antennas, and the antennas themselves. The latter are usually a parallelepiped 15-30 cm wide and several meters long - this depends on the operating frequency.
About the harm from cell tower operation
Research into the biological effects of radio waves has been carried out for more than 50 years, and in the last decade alone, about €200 has been spent on them. They showed that radio waves are non-ionizing radiation, and therefore do not destroy the molecular structure of the body when passing through, if the power is less than the level set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). Mobile base stations do not exceed it.
According to the World Health Organization, over the past 30 years, more than 25 thousand articles have been published on the biological effects of non-ionizing radiation. Its experts ruled in 2004 that the evidence available today does not reveal any negative impact electromagnetic radiation on living organisms.
The main proven danger from mobile communications is the heating of the body by radio waves. Our body independently regulates its temperature and is not afraid of a little heat. If you exceed ICNIRP standards, you can literally get welded from the inside.
The absorption of radio wave energy is shown by the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) parameter, and it is indicated on the packaging of gadgets. It is determined using a mannequin in the form of a head filled with water (a person is almost 80% water). There is a SAR sensor inside, and the phone or base station being tested operates at maximum radiation power. For example, here are some phones you should keep away from your head.
What is the situation with base stations
Different countries have their own standards for maximum radiation power. In Russia and Belarus it is 10 μW/sq.cm, and in some Scandinavian countries it is 100 μW/sq.cm. In Ukraine, the State Sanitary Standards and Rules for the Protection of the Population from Electromagnetic Radiation indicate maximum level 25 µW/sq. cm.
The radiation energy from the base station decreases with distance to it. The power will drop with every meter, and already at a distance of 45 meters from the antenna it will be 10 µW/sq.cm. That is, at this distance, even if the base station “shines” directly into your window, there is no threat to health from the radiation of the base station at all.
26-09-2014Few people today may be surprised by the fact that mobile communication antennas are located literally everywhere - it is difficult to install a full-fledged base station in cities, and therefore we can see these same antennas and towers even on the roofs of residential buildings and other buildings. But the question is: how does/can this affect a person’s physical and mental health? Is cell phone radiation harmful? A lot has already been said about the dangers of using mobile devices directly, both in reviews and in articles, for example, on the website of the Communications Corporation, but few people have bothered with the issue of harm from antennas. In this article we will talk about whether this harm exists and how to deal with it.
First, let's figure out what a cell tower actually is. This is, as a rule, a complex of antennas that works both for reception and transmission, allowing our mobile phones to receive and make calls, as well as fully use all cellular communication options. In addition, there are also main transceiver antennas, they are very similar to satellite “dishes”, only they are not directed into space, but, let’s say, “look” straight ahead.
Mainline antennas pose a very low risk to human health, unless, of course, you are in close proximity to them. One way or another, the signal directed from these antennas is quite powerful, because it has to go all the way to the neighboring tower, and the towers are located at relatively long distances.
However, antennas, whose role is to support the possibility of communication between mobile phones. As a rule, these antennas have a rectangular form factor and 3-4 antennas can be concentrated on one tower - usually one for each telecom operator, although there are situations when all antennas belong to one operator. Typically, antennas are located at the corners of buildings to make the signal easier to “catch”.
Probably, having learned a little above that such antennas can cause significant harm to health, you will be surprised when we say that living in houses on the roofs of which they are located is not very dangerous. Why? Yes, because the power of the antennas is directed not downwards, but to the sides. It turns out that residents of the building on which the antenna complex is located are exposed to much less risk than residents of neighboring buildings. That is, if the tower is above your head, don’t worry about it and other organs, but if you observe the antennas from the window of your place of work or, even worse, your residence, things are bad. In this case, it’s worth at least rearranging it so that harmful radiation can penetrate into your room, but not into the place where you have been for a long time. If we are talking about your place of work, rearrange your computer desk; if you are talking about your apartment, under no circumstances place your bed in the affected area! Mobile networks never sleep.
By the way, if you have now turned your head and encountered what is called face-to-face with a mobile communication antenna, don’t get upset, we haven’t said everything yet. Now we're going to add some honey to the ointment. If there is a cell phone tower near you, it means that its effect not only on you, but also on your mobile device very strong, which means that the receiver of your mobile device operates at minimum speed. What are we talking about? Moreover, the increased harm from the station will be compensated by the reduced harm from the mobile phone receiver.
What is actually more dangerous? Damage to the mobile receiver or antenna? It’s hard to say, but for the most part, it’s still a telephone, because it’s simply closer than an antenna, and besides, many people today are served by unlimited tariffs, they communicate a lot, which means the phone is not just close, but critically close. So, it turns out that the more antennas on roofs, the better? To some extent, yes.
By the way, modern mobile phones have initially weaker receivers than the first dialers. At the dawn of mobile communications, the coverage area was so-so, so manufacturers had to make phone receivers very powerful. Now everything is quite good with the coating, which means users can be saved.
In addition, today they try to place towers in such a way as not to harm the health of people living nearby; there are even standards for the placement procedure and are controlled by law. However, does everyone follow them? There is one fairly well-known case when an operator installed a mobile communications tower and the residents of one of the houses immediately began to have problems with sleep and mental state. Many lawsuits were filed, but the case was eventually won - the tower was moved, and the residents began to feel better. What is this? The power of self-hypnosis - did people see the tower and were simply afraid of harm to their health, or was it the unscrupulous behavior of such operators as Beeline, Megafon and MTS? It’s difficult to say, of course.
In any case, cell phone towers on rooftops aren't such a big deal when there are Wi-Fi routers all around us, microwaves and other equipment useful for life, but harmful to health. Perhaps each device individually will not cause significant harm to a person, but when everything works together... Of course, it is very important to remember the basic rules of self-defense and not to forget sometimes, especially in good weather, to go into nature, preferably further into the forest, where the harmful influences of modernity will definitely not reach you. It’s amazing how refreshed you can come back after literally a day spent in the forest!
100 TV - Are cellular antennas dangerous?
Are cell phone antennas dangerous?
Residents of houses where mobile communication base stations are installed complain that the radiation emanating from the antennas has a bad effect on their health. Children and the elderly suffer the most.
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When reinstalling mobile phone towers in more distant places, no noticeable effect will be observed, since electromagnetic fields exist wherever there are mobile phones. The level of exposure to these fields is approximately the same at a distance of 2 meters from the phone and 150 meters from the antenna. However, if there is a tower directly opposite the window of a residential building and radiation directed towards it, the load on the body further increases.
Children and the elderly are the most vulnerable to the negative effects of electromagnetic radiation.
The experts conducted the following experiment: when they held a mobile phone to a person’s ear, they measured the bioelectrical activity of the subject’s brain. The brain did not react to the switched-off mobile phone - however, the switched-on phone instantly increased the excitability of the brain and set it the rhythm in which electromagnetic radiation operates. In this regard, experts issued a conclusion in which they correlated the presence of high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, sleep disorders, headaches and dizziness with the presence of electromagnetic fields around people.
Dangerous or not so dangerous?
According to experts, properly installed mobile relay antennas are safe because their power does not exceed several tens of watts, while television towers have much higher radiation. Experts say the problem is not with the transmitters cellular signal, but in too frequent and intensive use of mobile phones. The relay stations themselves do not pose a threat if their level of electromagnetic radiation is the maximum permissible.
Constant abuse of mobile phones significantly increases the dose of electromagnetic radiation.
In addition, each mobile communications relay antenna is required to have its own sanitary passport for a period of five years, drawn up by the sanitary-epidemiological service institution. The distance from the antenna to residential premises is not defined by law, but the signal emitted by the transmitter in any case should not exceed the established standards. You can check the level of its electromagnetic radiation with the help of the city sanitary and epidemiological station or representatives of the operating company that installed the antenna.
Member of the Moscow City Duma Commission on Urban Development, State Property and Land Use, “Communist Party of the Russian Federation” faction:
“Today’s conversation about cell towers is not the first within the walls of the capital’s parliament. Number of citizen complaints related to illegal installation of stations wireless communication literally a stone's throw from schools, hospitals, kindergartens, almost under the windows of residential buildings, it is constantly growing. Muscovites draw attention to the fact that there is virtually no regulation regulating their installation and based on scientifically proven negative factors of the impact of electromagnetic pollution on human health. Moreover, the lack of modern systematic approach in this matter there is a field for corruption. This problem is relevant not only for Moscow, and it’s time to restore order in this area.”
Representatives of the scientific community who took part in the round table were unanimous: citizens’ concerns about the influence of the electromagnetic field of base stations on their health, and especially on the health of children, have good grounds.
Chairman of the Russian National Committee for Protection against Ionizing Radiation, member of the scientific advisory committee of the International Electromagnetic Project of the World Health Organization Oleg Grigoriev :
“Scientifically verified data available to the RNSII allow us to reasonably expect special consequences from constant irradiation with an electromagnetic field. At the same time, the greatest concern among doctors is the increase in diseases of the nervous, immune and endocrine systems. In this regard, many countries around the world are already introducing restrictions related to the effects of radiation on the population. The placement of stations near children's institutions is especially strictly regulated. In France, this is completely prohibited by law.”
Deputy Chairman of the Scientific Council on Radiobiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yuri Grigoriev :
“The fact that radio radiation itself is dangerous is an axiom that is not questioned in the scientific community. In Russia, the standards adopted back in 1984 apply. At one time they were considered one of the most advanced in the world, but today we are already somewhere “in the middle of the list”. The lack of strict regulatory rules and standards is the first reason for the current “freedom”. The next point is the lack of rules that regulate the installation location of these towers near schools and preschool institutions. Meanwhile, WHO emphasizes that children have a “unique vulnerability” to electromagnetic radiation.”
There are already about 10 thousand base stations in Moscow, and their number increases by several hundred every year. At the same time, it is no secret to anyone that some of the transmitting radio equipment in the city is actually installed illegally. To prevent this, Rospotrebnadzor for the city of Moscow has already developed a draft of a new edition of the decree of the Moscow Government, adopted back in 2005, “On measures to ensure legality in the placement and operation of transmitting radio equipment in the city of Moscow.” As reported by the head of the department for supervision of municipal facilities and the human environment of Rospotrebnadzor for the city of Moscow Alexey Khudoborodov, in the near future the document is being prepared for consideration by the Moscow Government.
Municipal deputy of the Council of Deputies of the Moskvorechye-Saburovo municipal district Vladimir Kuimov drew the attention of the audience to the fact that dual-use towers in the city are appearing instead of the usual outdoor lighting lamps that local residents are asking for.
“It is simply impossible to understand on the basis of what documents they appear: correspondence with various services and departments drags on for many months,” noted Vladimir Kuimov.
Separately, the round table participants touched upon the topic of placing base stations in close proximity to schools. The problem is that if educational institutions install signal jammers for the exam period cell phones, electromagnetic radiation indicators will go beyond all reasonable standards.
As a result of the round table, a resolution was adopted expressing the need to develop and implement a legally defined algorithm for the placement of base stations, which would exclude the possibility of functioning of those that are already installed with violations. According to the discussion participants, it is necessary to fix the minimum distance from stations to residential and other socially significant objects of at least 500 meters. A proposal has also been made to significantly increase the amount of fines for unauthorized installation of stations (currently it is only 20 thousand rubles) and to vest regulatory authorities with powers in relation to offenders.
There is no clear answer to this question yet.
1. formal approach from the position of physics
If you believe the requirements of SaNPiN 2.1.8/2.2.4 in residential areas and public recreation areas in the range of 0.3-300 GHz ( GSM standard 900,1800,1900 MHz, as well as radio relay lines fall into this range), no more than 10 µW/sq.cm or 0.1 W per square meter is permissible. Having searched the Internet for antennas for cellular operators, the first product I came across was KATHREIN, offering basic antennas for working in cellular networks of the NMT 450, AMPS, GSM 900, GSM 1800, CDMA, PCS and DECT standards. According to the manufacturer, the groups of panel antennas Eurocell Panel with a maximum input power from 350 to 500 W, Eurocell F-Panel from 200 to 400 W and Eurocell A-Panel from 300 to 500 W are in greatest demand among cellular operators. Thus, we can assume that the operators of our cellular networks use antennas with an input power of up to 500 W in the vicinity and outside of populated areas, and on the roofs of houses, probably with a lower power, perhaps just a minimum of 60 W.
Let's calculate the safe distance for an antenna with an input power of 500 W: the power radiated by the antenna will be close to the input (the antenna is tuned and the feeder length is minimal). Since the electromagnetic energy flux density falls in inverse proportion to the square of the distance, then the permissible energy density is 0.1 W/sq. m will be equal to the square root of 500/0.1 at a distance, and this is calculated to be about 70 meters. In the case of 60 W radiation, the square root of 60/0.1 gives about 24 meters. Thus, if in the worst case, the windows of the house look at the antenna directed at you, the electromagnetic waves will be attenuated 2.5 times when passing through the glass and tens of times through the walls. Taking into account the glass and the transmitter power of 500 W, the distance will be 28 meters. We can safely say V himself In the worst case, if from the window you see a cellular operator’s antenna directed at you and at the same level with you, the safe distance will be more than 28 meters from your window to the base antenna. The location of the antenna on the roof of the house practically does not radiate electromagnetic waves into the building due to the shape of the radiation pattern. In addition, practical measurements on the upper floors of the building confirmed this fact.
The above approximate calculations and assumptions do not claim to be true and give a rough and very exaggerated estimate. One thing is certain: the harm from using a cell phone during a conversation is tens of times higher than from the antennas of cell towers.
2. biological approach
This area has been little studied or perhaps hidden; some independent researchers note the negative impact of electromagnetic waves from various information transmission networks, including from cell towers. According to some authors, diverse information flows of electromagnetic waves surround the surrounding space and living organisms, influencing cells, genes and slowly but surely knocking down the programs laid down by nature.
The influence is manifested in various diseases, deterioration of immunity, fatigue, etc.
It is obvious that electromagnetic waves from mobile communications have a negative effect on humans, but it is difficult to say to what extent, and there are much more dangerous factors.