What is it?
Radio-frequency radiation consists of non-ionising electromagnetic waves used to transmit information wirelessly: mobile telephony, Wi-Fi networks, Bluetooth, DECT, TETRA, broadcasting and other telecommunication systems.
Unlike 50 Hz AC electric and magnetic fields, it operates in much higher frequency bands and propagates as electromagnetic waves.
It is one of the physical factors covered by the SBM-2024. Assessing it means establishing the strength and origin of the emissions present in an indoor space and how they interact with the other factors assessed.
Where can it be found?
Radio-frequency radiation can originate outside or inside the building. The main outdoor sources include mobile phone base stations, telecommunication links, broadcasting and other wireless infrastructure.
Indoors, the most common are Wi-Fi routers, DECT cordless phones, Bluetooth devices, home automation systems, repeaters, IoT equipment and other connected devices.
The strength received depends on the distance from the source, the orientation of the building, the presence of obstacles, the construction materials and the layout of the rooms. That is why the same home can show significant differences from one room to another.
How is it assessed?
What the inspection looks at
The technical inspection identifies possible emitting sources and the features of the building that shape the emissions received.
What is recorded for each measurement
Equipment, quantity, unit, location, date, measurement conditions and duration, together with the relevant limitations and the interpretation criterion applied.
How this factor is measured
Measurements are taken with specialist professional instruments for radio-frequency radiation, analysing the different telecommunication bands present and the levels at the points where people spend long periods.
The assessment may include distinguishing between indoor and outdoor sources, analysis by frequency band and an evaluation of how the building envelope behaves in relation to the emissions received.
In assessments intended as expert evidence, calibrated instruments are used to ensure the reliability and traceability of the measurements.
Criteria
Results are interpreted in accordance with the SBM-2024, which sets guidance values for high-frequency electromagnetic waves in spaces used for sleeping and for long periods of occupancy.
Interpretation considers the strength of the emissions, the origin of the sources, the intended use of the room and all the environmental factors present. Rather than a single value, the aim is to understand how the space behaves as a whole.
This guide does not publish values or thresholds. Technical criteria, legal limits and recommendations are different things and are not presented as equivalent.
Improvement measures
Work always begins by understanding and, where possible, reducing the source, before acting on the path or on the space. Measures are prioritised by expected effect, feasibility and proportionality, and no products are recommended by default.
The action taken depends on the origin of the emissions detected. Options that may be considered include:
- Optimising the use of wireless technologies.
- Rearranging emitting equipment.
- Changing certain settings.
- Improving where devices are located.
- Using shielding solutions where they are technically justified.
Each recommendation is adapted to the characteristics of the building and to the results obtained, avoiding general solutions applied without a prior assessment.
How Cemprotecta helps
This factor is not assessed on its own. It is measured as part of an assessment that treats the space as a system, because its sources may be inside or outside the building and what reaches each room depends on how the building is constructed.
What an assessment gives you is knowing what is there, where it is and what can be done about it, with an ordered sequence of measures rather than a list of problems.
- Inspection of the space and of accessible installations.
- Measurement in the rooms where people spend most time.
- Combined interpretation with the other factors assessed.
- A report with measures ranked by their expected effect on exposure.
Request an assessment
If this factor concerns you in your home or workplace, tell us about your case. The prior inspection will determine whether it is worth measuring and what else should be assessed alongside it.