Assessment of electromagnetic radiation for second and third generation frequency spectrum on human body

Abstract

The rapid diffusion of wireless communication systems such as mobile phones has caused an increased concern for the potential effects on human health deriving from exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by antennas and base stations of these systems. A number of studies have been conducted on the topic of electromagnetic field effects over human body. All earlier studies were centered on the second generation (2G) global system for mobile communication (GSM). Now, third generation (3G) mobiles and towers have been launched in the market, therefore, it is high time to calculate the radiation effect of increased frequency of 3G system over human body. In this paper, the specific absorption rate (SAR) value for skin (dry and wet) tissues of human body have been evaluated at 900, 1800 and 2140 MHz frequency bands. The first two frequencies represent the second generation (2G) and the third frequency represents the third generation (3G), respectively. The skin exposure due to base transceiver station (BTS) is calculated through SAR up to a distance of 3.5 mm inside skin for these frequencies. It has been found that values of SAR for electromagnetic radiation due to 2G and 3G frequency spectrums are very highly distributed near the source of radiation (BTS) and SAR have more effect on skin as one moves towards higher frequency band.