Assessment of Background Radiation Around Telecommunication Masts of the Major Network Service Providers in Kaduna South, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

This work assessed the electromagnetic radiation from telecommunication masts of major service providers (AIRTEL, ETISALAT, GLO, and MTN) around residential areas in Kaduna South, Nigeria. The Radio Frequency Electromagnetic Force (RF EMF) strength meter of serial number (480836) and a measuring tape were used to obtain readings away from the masts. The electric field strengths E, magnetic field strengths H, and power densities were measured at 0 m, 100 m, 200 m, 300 m, 400 m, and 500 m away from the mast base in V/m, A/m, and W/m2, respectively. The power densities measured were: 0.000091 W/m2 for Airtel, 0.000195 W/m2 for Etisalat, 0.000488 W/m2 for GLO, and 0.421352 W/m2 for MTN. These readings were compared with the standard valve (4.5 W/m2) recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the 6.05 W/m2 recommended by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) for exposure limits of radio frequency waves and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and were discovered to be below the recommended values. The radiological health effects, absorbed radiation dose rates, the annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE), and the excess lifetime cancer risks (ELCR) were evaluated. The values of absorbed dose rates were 0.000091 Gys-1 for Airtel, 0.000195333 Gys-1 for Etisalat, 0.000488333 Gys-1 for GLO, and 0.421352 Gys-1 for MTN, which were observed to be far lower than the world permissible value of 0.02472 Gys-1, except that of MTN, which is higher than the permissible value. However, the estimated annual effective dose equivalents (AEDE) were found to be higher than the ICNIRP permissible limits of 1.00 mSvy-1 for the public, which implies that the base stations do pose radiological risks in the long term. Also, the excess lifetime cancer risk for the stations’ users was all above the 0.29 × 10-3 per Sievert world recommended value by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiations, UNSCEAR (2018), and Audu et al., (2019). This, therefore, suggests there is a high probability of the base station workers and residents within 500 m of the base mast to develop radiation-related illnesses over a long time. Regular radiological monitoring of all the base stations is recommended.