The analysis of electromagnetic pollution in densely populations in the city of İstanbul

Incorporation of high technology in various facets of daily life is on the rise, therefore, there is a parallel increase in the need for appropriate resources. Electromagnetic resources are one such example that supports a wide spectrum including the infrastructure of daily communication webs to that of energy needed in daily modern life. Today presence of numerous electromagnetic sources spread amongst residential areas has become a modern life reality. Although this fact is an inevitable must that meets a need to support the flow if daily operations, it also raises several health concerns because electromagnetic fields are known to be in a dynamic interaction with their environment depending on their intensity. As long as the intensity of an electromagnetic field remains under the recommended levels declared by international safety agencies, they are not sensed by people and hence they do not form a threat to the general public health. However, constant and prolonged exposure to electromagnetic fields do increase the risk factors for various health problems. Several studies have been undertaken in metropolitan city of Istanbul to determine the electromagnetic pollution levels, but in general these studies remained at local scale and so far there has been no report on the intensity of the potential electromagnetically polluted areas. This study aims to establish a map of the city precisely in heavy-use areas while monitoring changes in electromagnetic pollution levels depending on the intencity of the electromagnetic field formed.