Measuring and Analyzing Electromagnetic Field Exposure Levels throughout the UMass Campus to Construct a Heat Map Using an Arduino-Based Device

Presenter

Aiden Lee Gaither

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Steven D. Brewer, Department of Biology, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board C27, Poster Showcase Room (163), Row 3 (C21-C30) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Particularly in the past 20 years, human exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) has increased dramatically. The source of these EMFs are attributed to the expanding proliferation of manmade sources such as computers, smartphones, cell towers, and powerlines. The implications of this increased exposure is currently unclear, although there is mounting evidence that chronic EMF exposure can be a health concern, possibly leading to a wide variety of diseases and complications such as cancer. In this project, a simple and cost effective device was built to measure EMF levels throughout UMass campus. It consists of three analog sensors oriented in three dimensions, with the sensors being powered and the data being processed primarily by an Arduino Uno R3 microcontroller. Measuring common frequencies ranging from extremely low frequencies (ELFs) to low level radio frequencies (RFs), from 60Hz to 3.6GHz, that would be typically experienced by someone on campus. This EMF measurement data is combined with GPS location tracking to create a heat map of campus, showing what areas had the highest exposure levels and what frequencies were most present. I identified the sources of emission associated with the areas with the highest and lowest exposure levels, as well as their frequency range, after the heat map was constructed. These results can effectively educate the public about their general exposure levels and bring awareness to the potential dangers of chronic EMF exposure.

Keywords

environmental pollution, radiofrequency, electromagnetic fields, chronic exposure, arduino

Research Area

Public Health and Epidemiology

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