Research on non-ionizing emissions in telecommunications in Peru

I.       INTRODUCTION

Over the past few years, telecommunication services in Peru have grown considerably.  According to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones—MTC) and the Organization Overseeing Private-Sector Investment in Telecommunications (Organismo Supervisor de la Inversión Privada en Telecomunicaciones—OSIPTEL), in terms of amount of infrastructure and number of beneficiaries, nationwide the principal services consist of AM-OM radio, with 644 broadcasting stations, FM radio with 1,686 broadcasting stations, television with 1,110 broadcasting stations, and mobile services with 1,556 base stations and 6,092,382 users.

This growth has triggered concern about the electromagnetic fields used for wireless transmission.  Because of this, the National Telecommunication Research and Training Institute (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Capacitación en Telecomunicaciones—INICTEL) has been conducting research on various aspects of electromagnetic non-ionizing emissions in telecommunications.

II.         NATIONAL REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

Environmental Standards for Non-Ionizing Emissions (Estándares de Calidad Ambiental para Radiaciones No Ionizantes—ECAs-RNI) [0 to 300 GHz] D.S. 010-2005-PCM adopts the Recommendations of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) for exposure of the general public.

The Maximum Permissible Limits for Telecommunication Activities (Límites Máximos Permisibles para Actividades de Telecomunicaciones—LMPs-RNI para telecomunicaciones) [9 kHz to 300 GHz] D.S. 038-2003-MTC adopts the ICNIRP Guidelines for the general public and occupational exposure in the frequency range mentioned.  ICNIRP Guidelines are provided in terms of the intensity of the electric field, intensity of the magnetic field, and power density and depend on the frequency.

Technical Standards on Radio Frequency Restrictions in Areas of Public Use

As a supplementary guideline to D.S. 038-2003-MTC, on February 28, 2005, the Technical Standards on Radio Frequency Restrictions in Areas of Public Use were published (R.M. No. 120-2005-MTC/03); they set the Reference Standards for Exposure of the General Public in Areas of Public Use, equivalent to half of the ICNIRP Guidelines for the general public and defines “Areas of Public Use” as those places where it is considered that the exposed population could be sensitive to electromagnetic fields, such as schools (preschool, primary and secondary schools), hospitals, health centers, and dispensaries.

Ordinance regulating the installation and functioning of radio frequency base stations in the district of Santiago de Surco, Ordinance No. 182-MSS

This ordinance provides the first broad approach to environmental impacts of radio stations, especially taking into account the impact of non-ionizing emissions, the impact on the landscape and urban environment, and the impact of noise and vibrations.

III.  NATIONAL PERUVIAN ASSESSMENT OF NIR OF TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES

• Narrowband measurement:  based on the use of Spectrum Analyzer from 9 kHz to 3 GHz, with three antennas: telescopic dipole from 54 to 88 MHz and from 174 to 216 MHz, log-periodic from 200 to 1000 MHz, and horn antenna from 1 to 18 GHz.

• Narrowband measurement with field intensity meter from 540 kHz to 5 MHz and loop antennas from 9 kHz to 30 MHz and frame antennas from 500 to 1500 kHz.

• Broadband measurement: based on the use of an electromagnetic field analyzer and electric field probes from 100 kHz to 3 GHz and from 300 kHz to 40 GHz and magnetic field probes from 3 kHz to 3 MHz.

 3.1        National Assessment of Main Services

Measurement of the electric field intensity of the most important services in the band from 30 MHz to 2 GHz, including FM radio services, television, trunking service, and mobile cell telephony in Lima and 6 major cities: Cuzco, Huancayo, Ica, Iquitos, Pucallpa and Trujillo, amounting to 174 points.

Charts 1 and 2 show maximum and average values (taking into consideration all stations) found in the evaluations conducted for the different telecommunication services that were evaluated.  It can be seen that the highest values for both the top level and the average pertain to radio broadcasting services.

In the case of FM radio, these maximum values are recorded at Morro Solar, with amounts over 100% of the ICNIRP limits for the public, whereas mobile communication services recorded a maximum of 1.5% of these limits.

3.2 Evaluation of the AM-OM Sound Radio Broadcasting

INICTEL, at the request of the MTC, has measured OM radio stations in Lima and Cuzco. Charts 3 and 4 show the electric field and the magnetic field versus distance, respectively. It can be noted that, in both cases, at 2 meters, the population limits are surpassed and at up to 20 meters values are relatively high. The evaluation has been conducted in terms of the ICNIRP population limits because the workers involved in providing station maintenance have not benefited from any induction talks about electromagnetic fields and their impacts on health.

3.3  Evaluation of Mobile Communications Nationwide

Up to 2004, INICTEL has conducted measurements in 140 base stations of the three mobile operators providing this service in our country, amounting to 380 measurement points for mobile services in the bands of 800 MHz and 1900 MHz and, in 2005, a measurement campaign took place in the 40 base stations in Lima.  The results that were obtained point out the following:

The level measured in places accessible to the public in narrow band amounts to 1.8% for the total maximum and the one pertaining to mobile communications is 0.1% of the ICNIRP public limits.

The maximum levels found in places accessible to the public are not found under the base station tower but rather at distances fluctuating between 50 and 150 meters from the base of the tower.

The typical variation of the levels at short distances up to 20 meters is indicated in Chart 5, whereas the variation at greater distances is indicated in Chart 6.

Even in the measurements made in places close to the base stations, the amounts provided by the FM radio stations are much higher than those produced by the base stations themselves.

Likewise, using the list of equipment approved by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the list of mobile phones used in Peru, amounting to 367, and using the information from international websites such as http://www.sarvalues.com and http://www.mnfai.org, among others, it was possible to obtain the specific absorption rate (SAR) for the mobile phones used in Peru and the exposure coefficient was calculated for a total of 205 mobile phones.  The maximum level evaluated for mobile phones used in Peru is 79%.

It is worth emphasizing that, to establish a link in the majority of cases, only a very small part of the maximum is required because mobile phones are designed to work with the minimum power needed to reach the mobile network.

IV.        CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

•       ICNIRP Guidelines for exposure to non-ionizing emissions are accepted by WHO, ILO and ITU and have been adopted by Peru as its maximum permissible limits (límites máximos permisibles—LMP) for telecommunication activities.

•       On the basis of the national assessment, it was found that the large majority of the values that were measured complied with the ICNIRP Guidelines for exposure of the general public.  Of a total of 174 measurement points, only 9 points at the Morro Solar exceeded the LMP (5.2%).

•       The values for the maximum electric field of mobile services are very low, on the order of 1.5% of the ICNIRP Guidelines.  These values are much lower than the maximum values found for radio broadcasting services and are consistent with those measured worldwide, as in Belgium, Spain, and England.

•       Even for points close to the base stations, FM radio contributes the most to the electromagnetic field.

•       The measurements of sound radio broadcasting stations in OM yield relatively high values for exposure of workers for points up to 10 meters from the antenna.  Nevertheless, this situation can be reversed by converting this exposure in the field of labor, training workers in the subject of electromagnetic fields and their impacts on health, and planning a follow-up on their health (for example, annual medical checkup).

•       In the light of current knowledge, the risk assessment of the base stations of mobile communications, taking into account the research of the impacts conducted by the WHO’s International EFM Project and the measurements made by various countries worldwide, indicates that risk is insignificant; nevertheless, regarding mobile phones, it is necessary to conduct a very careful follow-up of studies that are being conducted worldwide, especially those being made in the framework of the International EFM Project, and to apply precautionary policies.

•       As a rule, the problem of non-ionizing emissions from telecommunications in Peru is basically a problem of risk perception; therefore to cope with the social alarm raised by this issue, it is recommended that a mass campaign on NIR be conducted to prevent the spreading of false perceptions of risk and to implement precautionary policies that are consistent with the likelihood and magnitude of potential damage.

•       Finally, it is recommended that a cross-disciplinary group of experts in NIR be established to issue reliable viewpoints and advise the general public and the government.

Víctor Cruz Ornetta
Advisor, International Electromagnetic Fields Project
INICTEL