Effect of elevation on cumulative radiofrequency exposure from multiple communication towers.

A densely populated place like a public university needs good internet and communication connectivity for effective academic work. As such, University campuses in Ghana are inundated with communication antennas. This study investigated how radiofrequency (RF) power density levels are affected by the elevations of different floors of high-rise buildings of a public university. A spectrum analyser coupled to a log-periodic antenna was used. The RF power density decreased from the ground floor to the third floor and only increased to maximum levels on the fourth floor. The variation across different floors indicates the influence of elevation on the measured EMF levels. The 900 MHz band produced the highest power density of 1.16E-03 W/m2 on the last (fourth) floor, suggesting that communication applications in the 900 MHz band are the most used by the university community.