# Personal Exposure to Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Fields among Australian Adults
## 3 Results
### RF-EMF Exposure Levels  
On average, 9764 (range: 7236-13,536) single measurements per participant were recorded over an average measurement time of 27.4 \(\pm\) 4.5 h (range: 20.1-37.6). Participants carried the ExpoM-RF including time spent inside and outside the home, both during day- and night-time. Measurements for 45 (71.4%) participants were performed over weekdays and on weekends for the remaining 18 (28.6%). Table 2 presents the summary statistics (mean, median, 25 th, 75 th, and 99 th percentiles) of personal RF-EMF exposures for each frequency band. The three highest personal RF-EMF exposures and their contributing sources were: GSM 1800 MHz DL (29 mV/m); GSM 900 MHz UL (24 mV/m); and DVB-T (24 mV/m). The median personal RF-EMF exposure of all participants was total 208 mV/m, downlink 87 mV/m, uplink 37 mV/m, broadcast 48 mV/m, and Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz 23 mV/m (Table 2). The overall percentage contribution of RF-EMF sources of exposure to the total RF-EMF is presented in Figure 2. Downlink was the largest contributor to total RF-EMF exposure (40.4%) followed by broadcast (22.3%), uplink (17.4%), and Wi-Fi (15.9%). Overall, median RF-EMF exposure levels were in order of less than one-percent of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guideline limits for the general population. The median total RF-EMF exposure was higher on weekdays than weekends (233 vs. 162 mV/m; \(p\) = 0.003). Similarly, median RF-EMF exposures from downlink (93 vs. 56 mV/m; \(p\) = 0.025), uplink (50 vs. 28 mV/m; \(p\) = 0.006), and broadcast (50 vs. 33 mV/m; \(p\) = 0.002) were significantly higher during weekdays compared to that of weekends (Figure 3). Although the RF-EMF exposure from Wi-Fi was higher on weekdays compared with that for weekends, this difference was not significantly significant (\(p\) = 0.194). Comparing the medians for each of the time slots in the day demonstrated that exposures from downlink, uplink, as well as total RF-EMF showed an increasing trend in the first three time slots (from 00:00-06:00, 06:00-12:00, and 12:00-18:00) and then decreased in the evening (18:00-00:00). Subsequently, the median RF-EMF exposures levels from downlink and uplink sources were higher than that of night-time (\(p\) < 0.0001). No such trend was observed for Wi-Fi or broadcasting (Figure 4). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c} \hline
**Frequency Bands** & **Mean** & **Median** & **25 th, 75 th, 99 th** & **Percent of Median** \\  & & & **Percentiles** & **Total RF-EMF (\%)** \\ \hline FM Radio & 23.1 & 18 & 15, 26, 110 & 8.4 \\ DVB-T (TV) & 29.0 & 24 & 14, 40, 91 & 11.2 \\ LTE 800 MHz DL & 6.7 & 6 & 5, 7, 22 & 2.8 \\ LTE 800 MHz UL & 6.2 & 5 & 4, 6, 18 & 2.3 \\ GSM 900 MHz DL & 28.4 & 22 & 15, 33, 147 & 10.2 \\ GSM 900 MHz UL & 26.0 & 24 & 12, 35, 72 & 11.2 \\ GSM 1800 MHz DL & 32.5 & 29 & 18, 41, 104 & 13.5 \\ GSM 1800 MHz UL & 4.1 & 3 & 2, 5,13 & 1.4 \\ DECT & 9.2 & 8 & 5, 12, 35 & 3.7 \\ UMTS 2100 MHz DL & 18.9 & 16 & 9, 23, 83 & 7.4 \\ UMTS 2100 MHz UL & 2.4 & 2 & 1, 3, 10 & 0.9 \\ ISM 2.4 GHz (WLAN) & 37.1 & 23 & 15, 35, 62 & 10.7 \\ LTE 2600 MHz DL & 7.7 & 5 & 3, 11, 40 & 2.3 \\ LTE 2600 MHz UL & 1.7 & 2 & 1, 2, 10 & 0.9 \\ WiMax 3.5 GHz & 1.4 & 1 & 1, 1, 2 & 0.5 \\ ISM 5.8 GHz & 5.6 & 3 & 1, 7, 38 & 1.4 \\ Total a & 233.3 & 215 & 158, 262, 720 & 100.0 \\ \hline \end{tabular}  
* Sum of all enlisted frequency bands. Abbreviations: DECT, Digital-Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications; DL, downlink; DVB-T, Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial; FM, Frequency Modulation; GSM, Global System for Mobile Communications; ISM, Industrial, Scientific and Medical; LTE, Long-Term Evolution; RF- EMF, radiofrequency-electromagnetic field; UL, uplink; UMTS, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System; WiMAX, Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access.  
\end{table} 
Table 2: Average personal exposure levels of all participants (\(n\) = 63) across different radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) frequency bands (mV/m).