Hygienic Assessment of Population Health Effects of Cellular Base Stations: A Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: A cellular base station is a sophisticated object, a source of radio and industrial frequency electromagnetic fields and of noise pollution. Cell sites generate a complex, time-varying, modulated multi-frequency signal of low intensity, yet having local gradients. The World Health Organization has introduced the notion of electromagnetic pollution of environment, the main source of which is a mobile phone base station. It is the fastest-growing anthropotechnogenic environmental impact since the 1950s. Objective: To analyze the impact of mobile phone base stations on the health of population using data of domestic and foreign literary sources. Materials and methods: A literature search was conducted for the years 2008 to 2022 on human health effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation from cellular base stations using the relevant keywords in the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Medline, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Global Health, CyberLeninka, RSCI, and other databases. The initial sample included 50 articles, of which 15 were excluded after primary screening. Experimental studies on animals were not eligible for inclusion. Results: The review of 35 full-text publications on the topic revealed a sufficient amount of evidence of adverse health effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, including the radio frequency sickness, cancer, changes in biochemical parameters, DNA damage, etc. Currently, there is an urgent need to resolve the problem of the so-called electrosmog. Conclusion: In order to prevent the diseases associated with the use of novel technologies, it is important to apply a preventive approach by limiting the exposure of groups at risk, such as children, adolescents, patients with chronic diseases etc., to sources of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields.