Determination of EMF Pollution in the Context of Urban Health: The Case of Safranbolu

Significant developments in communication technologies are occurring day by day in the modern world. However, electromagnetic waves emitted by base stations emerging as a result of these developments and the resulting electromagnetic fields have effects on human health. International institutions are also agreeing that in case of exposure to base stations below a certain distance, human health, biotic populations, and buildings will be adversely affected. In this study, the electromagnetic field intensity in Safranbolu, a historical city in Turkey was determined and mapped on the city scale. In the context of the study, 4 base stations were considered at five different distances: 20m, 50m, 100m, 200m, and 500m. As a result of the total electromagnetic field measurements made in the frequency range of 50 MHz and 3.5 GHz, it was found that there was a decrease in the electric field at each base station inversely proportional to the distance. The study is the only one that deals with electric field pollution in Safranbolu, and it is expected that this study will create a basis for future studies in terms of measurements to be made after the arrival of the 5G application to the city.