Contribution to the National Study on Population Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields

The master's thesis is a collaborative endeavour with the Regional Agency for the Protection of the Environment of the region Valle d’Aosta ARPA VdA. The findings of the thesis will contribute to the national study on the population's exposure to non-ionising electromagnetic fields, the “EMF Research Activity Program”, which was initiated by the Italian Ministry of Environment. The objective is to collate, process and disseminate data to investigate the potential risks associated with exposure to EM fields. The analysis yields the formulation of exposure indexes for electromagnetic fields at extremely low frequencies (ELF) and radio frequencies (RF). The master's thesis starts with a concise overview of the ARPA. Subsequently, the thesis addresses the subject matter by returning to Maxwell's equations and providing a theoretical introduction. Subsequently to the demonstrations, it analysed the current legislation, commencing with international guidelines drafted in 1998 by ICNIRP and concluding with the extant Italian laws. Additionally, a chapter is dedicated to the examination of electromagnetic sources and the mechanisms through which these fields are generated. This encompasses both antennas, which provide services to users connected via mobile phone, and high-voltage power lines, which are designed to transmit power over long distances. At this juncture, the thesis is duly introduced and proceeds to examine the central aspects of the subject matter. The initial activity concerns the propagation of electromagnetic waves from electromagnetic sources within the RF spectrum (4G-5G, TV broadcasts and radio antennas) and their impact on the surrounding environment. The software used for cartography and geometric aspects is QGIS, while EmLAB is used for computing the FEA simulations. The objective is to select the centroids of each residential building and obtain data such as the power absorptions of the radiating systems provided by RF service providers, which are then merged into the simulation. The results are also validated experimentally through the measurement of the actual field values. Once all the data has been collated, the first exposure indicator can be created. The second part of the study focuses on the investigation of the ELF field generated by high-voltage electric power lines operating at 50 Hz. By employing experimental data obtained from Terna and integrating it with cartographic information and simulations conducted using WinEDT software, it is feasible to develop a second exposure indicator. In particular, this activity focuses on residential buildings situated within the defined range of proximity to the high-voltage power line. The resulting exposure indicators will be submitted for analysis to the ISPRA. Once all the requisite reports have been compiled, a final version of the indicators will be produced on a national scale. It is anticipated that the future will see the adoption of new technologies that will have a significant impact on the environmental and landscape setting, particularly in urban areas. The ongoing study will serve two purposes. Firstly, it will provide an assessment of the actual situation. Secondly, it will inform the adoption of low-impact technologies and strategic spatial planning, thereby achieving an optimal balance between the distribution of impactful sources and environmental protection.