Influence of Electromagnetic Shield on the High Frequency Electromagnetic Field Penetration through the Building Material

This paper studies how to protect people against electromagnetic radiation inside a building. Widespread usage of the mobile communication led to building of more and more new GSM base-station antennas. These antennas are often placed in the areas with high population density. These antennas emit electromagnetic radiation in standard mobile operator frequencies, i.e. 0.9, 1.8 and 2.1 GHz. Many studies have shown potential biological and thermal effects of GSM electromagnetic fields, therefore people are concerned about their health. Electromagnetic wave does not penetrate the wall of the building as a whole. A small part of the wave is reflected and a small part is absorbed by the building material. In this paper the penetration of electromagnetic waves through the commercially available building materials is measured with specific focus on frequencies of 0.9, 1.8, and 2.1 GHz. Next, the surface of the chosen building material was coated with a magnetic conductive paint in order to improve the shielding effect of the building material. The results of experiment show how the electromagnetic shield reduces the penetration of electromagnetic waves through the building wall.