{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T05:03:19Z","timestamp":1789189399147,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"21","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,10,29]],"date-time":"2022-10-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1667001600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The continuous exposure of electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation from cell phone towers may possibly have an influence on public health. Each cell phone tower is unique in terms of number of antennas and its associated attributes; thus, the radiation exposure varies from one tower to another. Hence, a standardized method for quantifying the exposure is beneficial while studying the effects of radiation on the human population residing around the cell phone towers. A mere collection of data or human samples without understanding the cell phone tower differences may show study results such as an increase or decrease in biological parameters. Those changes may not be due to the effects of EMF radiation from cell phone towers but could be due to any other cause. Therefore, a comparative study was designed with the aim of quantifying and comparing the electric field strength (EF), magnetic field strength (MF) and power density (PD) on four sides of cell phone towers with varying numbers of antennas at 50 m and 100 m. Further, an attempt was made to develop a PD-based classification for facilitating research involving human biological samples. Through convenience sampling, sixteen cell phone towers were selected. With the use of coordinates, the geographic mapping of selected towers was performed to measure the distance between the towers. Based on the number of antennas, the cell phone towers were categorized into four groups which are described as group I with 1\u20135 antennas, group II comprising of 6\u201310 antennas, group III consisting of 11\u201315 antennas and group IV comprised of towers clustered with more than 15 antennas. The study parameters, namely the EF, MF and PD, were recorded on all four sides of the cell phone towers at 50 m and 100 m. One-way ANOVA was performed to compare the study parameters among study groups and different sides using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. The mean MF in Group IV was 2221.288 \u00b1 884.885 \u03bcA\/m and 1616.913 \u00b1 745.039 \u03bcA\/m at 50 m and 100 m respectively. The mean PD in Group IV at 50 m was 0.129 \u00b1 0.094 \u03bcW\/cm2 and 0.072 \u00b1 0.061 \u03bcW\/cm2 at 100 m. There was a statistically significant (p &lt; 0.05) increase in the MF and PD at 50 m compared to 100 m among cell phone tower clusters with more than 15 antennas (Group IV). On the other hand, a non-significant increase in EF was observed at 50 m compared to 100 m in Group II and IV. The EF, MF and PD on all four sides around cell phone towers are not consistent with distance at 50 m and 100 m due to variation in the number of antennas. Accordingly, a PD-based classification was developed as low, medium and high for conducting research involving any biological sample based on quantile. The low PD corresponds to 0.001\u20130.029, medium to 0.03\u20130.099 and high to 0.1\u20130.355 (\u03bcW\/cm2). The PD-based classification is a preferred method over the sole criteria of distance for conducting human research as it measures the true effects of EMF radiation from the cell phone towers.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph192114157","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,10,30]],"date-time":"2022-10-30T04:57:34Z","timestamp":1667105854000},"page":"14157","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Comparative Analysis of Electric Field Strength, Magnetic Field Strength and Power Density around the Cell Phone Towers of Varying Characteristics with a Proposed Classification Facilitating Research on Human Population"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"19","author":[{"given":"John","family":"Baliah","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute Campus, Pondicherry 607402, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7010-1486","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Balanehru","family":"Subramanian","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Central Inter-Disciplinary Research Facility, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute Campus, Pondicherry 607402, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Livingstone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prosthodontics and Crown & Bridge, Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute Campus, Pondicherry 607402, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bushra","family":"Kanwal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Independent Researcher, Banisar, Al Baha 65511, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7364-530X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mahmud Uz","family":"Zaman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, Prince Sattam Bin Abdullaziz University, Ad Dilam Rd, Ar Rashidiyah, Al-Kharj 16245, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5969-6810","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Kumar Chandan","family":"Srivastava","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jouf University, Sakaka 72345, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Huda","family":"Abutayyem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Sciences, Center of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, College of Dentistry, Ajman University, Ajman 346, United Arab Emirates"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Khalid","family":"Al-Johani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anju P.","family":"David","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Al Jouf Specialist Dental Centre, Sakaka under Ministry of Health, Sakaka 72345, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1073-9920","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Deepti","family":"Shrivastava","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Jouf University, Sakaka 72345, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammad Khursheed","family":"Alam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Jouf University, Sakaka 72345, Saudi Arabia"},{"name":"Center for Transdisciplinary Research (CFTR), Saveetha Dental College, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai 602105, India"},{"name":"Department of Public Health, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Daffodil lnternational University, Dhaka 1341, Bangladesh"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,10,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"157","DOI":"10.1093\/bmb\/ldg030","article-title":"Electromagnetic radiation","volume":"68","author":"Anders","year":"2003","journal-title":"Br. 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