Introduction: The effect of Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) produced by widely used communication devices on humans is a hotly debated subject among researchers all over the World. The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protections (ICNIRP), an international regulatory body for EMR exposure requirements, has set regulatory limits for EMR exposure for the general public and workers, considering the thermal impact of EMR for the Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum. Several other organizations and researchers argue that focusing solely on the thermal effect is insufficient, and they propose a few recommendations based on the biological effects. However, when specifying EMR exposure levels for the RF spectrum, ICNIRP does not take other factors into account. Among the many studies on EMR exposure that have been conducted around the world, one point to note is that the results of these studies are highly reliant on the geographical regions and devices used in the research. To the best of the authors' knowledge, only a small amount of research has been done in Sri Lanka on EMR exposure.

Methods and Results: In this study, we primarily concentrate on the EMR radiation generated by a few selected communication devices in our local context, such as mobile phones, laptops, Wi-Fi routers, and broadband dongles. We looked at how these devices emit radiation in common scenarios like calling and connecting to the internet. To measure the EMR radiation from the specified devices, we utilized the Narda Broadband Field Meter NBM-550 [1], which is specially developed to measure the E-Field and H-Field intensities of EMR radiation of various frequencies.

Limitations/analyses: The significant limitations in our study are that the considered devices are not in the best recommended frequency range of the probe of the Broadband Field Meter, and the probe has not been calibrated recently. Taking these limitations into account, we do a relative analysis of EMR from the selected devices operating in the same frequency without considering the absolute values.

In an indoor environment, the maximum utilization cases of the selected devices were considered, and EMR levels in close proximity to the specified devices were measured. We relatively compared EMR at the beginning of a call, during the call, and at the end of the call. In addition, we compared the EMR emitted by these devices when they connected to the internet, both uplink and downlink.

Conclusions/implications: The findings of this study will aid in the development of an understanding of the relative EMR exposure in the considered use cases. This research may be expanded to investigate the radiation from mobile phones that varies with signal strength, the radiation from mobile phones that support multiple SIM cards, and the radiation from mobile base stations with future 5G technology.

Keywords: electromagnetic radiation, radiation exposure, Sri Lankan context

References

[1] Narda Boradband Field Meter, NBM-550, Narda-STS, NSTS 0320-E0231M, [Online],
Available: https://www.narda-sts.com/en/wideband-emf/nbm-550/eID/pd/pdce/25973/pdfr/11034/