Abstract |
The Mt. Elden fire lookout tower, operated by the U.S. Forest Service, is situated amidst 52 antennas of various types, some of which are used for communications and broadcasting purposes. The associated transmitters operate at frequencies ranging from 57 MHz to 6.8 GHz. Because of the proximity of the tower to so many antennas, the Forest Service became concerned over the possibility of high-level radiofrequency (RF) radiation levels which might be present in the cab of the lookout tower and the RF exposure which would result when the tower was occupied by Forest Service personnel during the fire season. At the request of the Forest Service, EPA made broadband and narrowband field strength measurements at the Mt. Elden facility. The results of the study indicate that whole-body exposure levels in the cab of the tower and in the living quarters at the base of the tower are typically less than 50 uW/cm2 which is substantially lower than the limits (1000 uW/cm2). |