Reducing Exposure to Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields from Wireless Networking with Portable Computers

Abstract

The relevance of this study is determined by the rapid development in the portable computer and wireless data transmission technologies. Modern working and living environments have become abundant in radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. This article investigates the effectiveness of intervention measures to reduce laptop computer user’s exposure to the radiofrequency electromagnetic field from wireless networking. Different exposure reduction solutions using 2G, 3G, 4G wireless network modems are studied. Intervention measures include: 1) selecting an area with better wireless network reception and 2) placing the network modem away from the user at different distances. The results show the greatest reduction in exposure when the wireless modem was placed outside the workplace, away from the line of sight. The reception quality also played a determining role in the output power of the computer’s wireless modem. Therefore, the highest exposure levels were detected while the wireless modem was closest to the user’s body and under the poorest network reception conditions.