Objectives
FAQtos is an initiative from INOV – INESC Inovação/Instituto Superior Técnico, aiming at providing relevant information on electromagnetic fields in mobile communications to the public in Portuguese language:
1. Basic concepts related to electromagnetic waves, exposure limits, bibliography, interesting references, etc.
2. Measurement results made by the project team in public locations in Portugal, near mobile communications base stations and sensitive locations, such as schools or hospitals.
3. Public information actions and workshops, in order to inform the population, mainly done in schools and hospitals, in cooperation with local public authorities.
The content of this website includes all activities done by the project team, an information centre, as well as a section dedicated to Prémio FAQtos (a national contest for secondary schools’ students). One should note that most of the content is not available in English, as this website is primarily directed to the Portuguese public.
One takes an engineering perspective to the exposure by electromagnetic fields, i.e., on accepts the recommendations by international recognised and accredited bodies. The information gathered here is focused in mobile communications systems, looking at both mobile phones and base stations of the variations, from 2G (GSM) to 5G (NR).
Motivation
The development of mobile communication systems has been exceptional, with mobile phones and other devices penetration surpassing 170% of the Portuguese population (end of quarter 2020, ANACOM). Hence, the need by operators to continuously increase capacity leads to a proliferation of base stations in almost every location, and especially in urban areas.
This matter has created concerns in the public about possible health hazards, as a consequence of being exposed to electromagnetic fields in any public location or when using a mobile phone. The public consciousness has been increased by the media, as their attention is many times focused on this matter.
An objective assessment requires quantifying matters and comparing to thresholds, in this case, the electromagnetic filed levels that the public is exposed to. These exposure thresholds have been recommended by international recognised health organisations, and other accredit bodies. Accordingly, this website presents measurement results performed by the project team in Portugal.
As there is active research by the FAQtos project team on this subject, it produces information documents on electromagnetic fields from mobile communications, in a clear language for the public.