Electromagnetic Frequency Pollution in Malawi: A Case of Electric Field and Magnetic Flux Density Pollution in Southern Africa

In this study, electric field and magnetic flux density pollution levels were measured in
southern Africa, a case of Blantyre City in Malawi, between 2020 and 2021. Sixty short-term measurements were performed using Trifield Electro Magnetic Frequency meter model TF2 in 30 different
locations. Five high-population-dense sampling points were selected from school campuses, hospitals,
industrial areas, markets, residential areas, and within the commercial and business center (CBC)
of Blantyre. Electric field and magnetic flux density pollution monitoring was conducted between
10:00–12:00 h and 17:00–19:00 h for short-range analysis. Short-range results show that the maximum
measured electric field pollution were 249.24 mV/m and 207.85 mV/m between 10:00–12:00 and
17:00–19:00 respectively, which are below the public limits of 4200.00 mV/m for public exposure.
Similarly, maximum short-range results for magnetic flux density were 0.073 G and 0.057 G between
10:00–12:00 and 17:00–19:00 respectively which are below the public limits of 2 G for public exposure.
Both measured electric and magnetic flux density were compared with the International Commission
on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), World health organization (WHO), and Institute
of electrical and electronics engineers (IEEE). It was determined that all measured values for both
electric and magnetic flux density were smaller than set limits for non-ionizing radiation for both
public and occupation health. More importantly, these background measurements establish a baseline
for future changes to be compared against public safety.