Exposure level from selected base station tower around Kuala Nerus: a preliminary analysis

Abstract

Health risk due to RF radiation exposure from base station tower (BST) has been debated for years leading to public concerns. Thus, this preliminary study aims to measure, evaluate and analyze the exposure level on three selected BST around Kuala Nerus. The measurement of exposure level in terms of voltage amplitude (dBmV) data were recorded using spectrum analyzer. The trend of exposure level shows that the characteristics of environment around the BST sites contribute to the variation of voltage amplitude for all study sites. Besides, the radiation exposure level of BST depends on several factors such as: the distance from the radiation sources, the height of the tower, tilt and direction of the antennas fixed on the top of the tower, the number of antennas on single tower, the type of radiation pattern, the direction of main beam of radiation, the feeding power and the operating frequency.

Keywords: base station tower; exposure level; radiofrequency; electromagnetic radiation