Radiation Protection Dosimetry Advance Access originally published online on July 7, 2009
Radiation Protection Dosimetry 2009 135(4):256-260; doi:10.1093/rpd/ncp115
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Measurement and analysis of radiofrequency radiations from some mobile phone base stations in Ghana
1 Radiation Protection Institute, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, PO Box LG 80, Legon, Accra, Ghana
2 Graduate School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana
* Corresponding author: joekamoako{at}yahoo.co.uk
Received December 3, 2008, amended June 1, 2009, accepted June 13, 2009
A survey of the radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation at public access points in the vicinity of 50 cellular phone base stations has been carried out. The primary objective was to measure and analyse the electromagnetic field strength levels emitted by antennae installed and operated by the Ghana Telecommunications Company. On all the sites measurements were made using a hand-held spectrum analyser to determine the electric field level with the 900 and 1800 MHz frequency bands. The results indicated that power densities at public access points varied from as low as 0.01 µW m–2 to as high as 10 µW m–2 for the frequency of 900 MHz. At a transmission frequency of 1800 MHz, the variation of power densities is from 0.01 to 100 µW m–2. The results were found to be in compliant with the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiological Protection guidance level but were 20 times higher than the results generally obtained for such a practice elsewhere. There is therefore a need to re-assess the situation to ensure reduction in the present level as an increase in mobile phone usage is envisaged within the next few years.