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Audit of Mobile Phone Base Stations |
Purpose
1. This information sheet provides details, background and registration information on the Radiocommunications Agency's audit programme of mobile phone base stations.
Who we are
2. The Radiocommunications Agency (RA) is responsible for the management of the civil radio spectrum. As part of that function we help prevent interference to radio services and we also measure radio emissions.
3. The Agency has a highly devolved structure. Of its 600 staff, over a third are based outside London. A major location is the monitoring station at Baldock in Hertfordshire which is home to the Agency's mobile measurement teams. The two mobile teams are accredited to United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) standards. The Agency's organisational structure covers the whole of the UK. Its well trained and equipped radio engineers use their radio and local geographical knowledge to deal with all sorts of radio issues from business radio to domestic radio use.
The Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP)
4. The IEGMP, also known as the Stewart Group because it was chaired by Sir William Stewart, was established in April 1999 to examine the possible effects of mobile phones, base stations and transmitters on health. The Stewart Group's report said that there was no evidence to conclude that there was any risk to public health from mobile phone base station emissions, as exposures were expected to be a small fraction of the guidelines. Nevertheless, the report said that as part of its recommended precautionary approach there should be an independent audit of base stations. In response to the report's recommendation the Government asked the RA to implement a national measurement programme to ensure that emissions from base stations do not exceed guidelines. The aim of the audits is to ensure that emissions from mobile telephone base stations are below the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guideline levels.
5. Reflecting public concern, the focus of the initial 2001 audit was schools with base stations on their premises. An audit of 100 such sites showed that emission levels were all considerably below the ICNIRP guidelines, in fact the highest recorded was only 1/279 of the ICNIRP maximum guideline reference level for public exposure. All the results can be found on the RA website or alternatively from:
Neil Marr
9R/4D
Radiocommunications
Agency
Wyndham House
189 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SX
Tel: 020 7211 0461
E-mail: rfaudit@ra.gsi.gov.uk
6. The RA will be carrying out a number of further audit programmes on sites where the location of mobile phone base stations causes concern to the public. The audits will normally be carried out by local RA technical staff.
7. The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) provides general advice on the health aspects of exposure to radio waves and carries out assessments of enviromental radio waves signals on a commercial basis. It can be contacted at:
National Radiological
Protection Board
Chilton
Didcot
Oxfordshire
OX11
0RQ
Tel: 01235 822742
E-mail: information@nrpb.org.uk
Website: www.nrpb.org.uk
How will the survey sites be chosen?
8. Each year's audit will focus on sites located in a specific environment. Details of the current audit as well as the results of previous audits can be found on the RA website under Mobile Phone Base Station Audit.
Scope of survey
9. RA engineers will measure the frequency and the power density of transmissions. Results will be referenced to, and presented alongside, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) recommended investigation levels.
Measurement considerations
10. The amount of radio energy radiated from the antenna main beam within the boundary of the site will be dictated by the radio power fed to the antenna, the antenna elevation and its radiation pattern, which together dictate where the main beam hits the ground. The main beam would expect to reach ground level typically between 50 to 300 metres from the foot of the mast.
Will the survey itself disrupt the site?
11. No. The survey will be fitted in around the typical day so that there will be minimal disruption. Deployment of vehicles and equipment will be carefully considered as the safety of staff and members of the public and our own engineers is of vital importance to us. All visits will be undertaken in very close consultation with the manager of the site. A survey is likely to last a day.
The results
12. The manager of the site will be provided with the results for the site in the form of a report. All results will also be posted on the RA website at.
Conclusion
13. This information sheet has been produced by the Radiocommunications Agency. Further information on the RA's audit, including a question and answer page, has been put on the RA website. Enquiries can be e-mailed to the RA at: rfaudit@ra.gsi.gov.uk If you are unable to e-mail your enquiry, please contact the RA Enquiry Point on: 020 7211 0211.
Radiocommunications Agency Information and Library Service
14. RA information sheets are available (free of charge) from:
The Information
and Library Service
Radiocommunications
Agency
Wyndham House
189 Marsh Wall
London
E14 9SX
Tel: 020 7211 0502/0505
Fax:
020 7211 0507
E-mail: library@ra.gsi.gov.uk
A full list of current information documents, application forms and publications is contained in information sheet RA 0.
The Agency's Regional Offices are listed on information sheet RA 206 available from the RA Library.
RA 377 (Rev 2)
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