1. ^aARIAS umwelt.forschung.beratung, Langmauerweg 12, Bern CH-3011, Switzerland
2. ^bAir Quality Agency Basel, Rheinstrasse 44, Liestal CH-4410, Switzerland
3. ^cFederal Office for the Environment, FOEN, Bern CH-3003, Switzerland
4. ^dDepartment of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Finkenhubelweg 11, Bern CH-3012, Switzerland

Correspondence: Dr Martin Röösli, Institut für Sozialund Präventivmedizin, Finkenhubelweg 11, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland. Tel.: +41 031 631 3867; Fax: +41 031 631 3520; E-mail: Roeoesli@ispm.unibe.ch

Received 23 October 2006; Accepted 5 March 2007; Published online 4 April 2007.

Abstract

We developed a geospatial model that calculates ambient high-frequency electromagnetic field (HF-EMF) strengths of stationary transmission installations such as mobile phone base stations and broadcast transmitters with high spatial resolution in the order of 1 m. The model considers the location and transmission patterns of the transmitters, the three-dimensional topography, and shielding effects by buildings. The aim of the present study was to assess the suitability of the model for exposure monitoring and for epidemiological research. We modeled time-averaged HF-EMF strengths for an urban area in the city of Basel as well as for a rural area (Bubendorf). To compare modeling with measurements, we selected 20 outdoor measurement sites in Basel and 18 sites in Bubendorf. We calculated Pearson's correlation coefficients between modeling and measurements. Chance-corrected agreement was evaluated by weighted Cohen's statistics for three exposure categories. Correlation between measurements and modeling of the total HF-EMF strength was 0.67 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.33–0.86) in the city of Basel and 0.77 (95% CI: 0.46–0.91) in the rural area. In both regions, coefficients between measurements and modeling were 0.63 and 0.77 for the total HF-EMF strengths and for all mobile phone frequency bands. First evaluation of our geospatial model yielded substantial agreement between modeling and measurements. However, before the model can be applied for future epidemiologic research, additional validation studies focusing on indoor values are needed to improve model validity.