GREEK LEGISLATION

(LAW 3431/2006 )

At first, the exposure limits for the protection of the general population from the operation of antennas installed in the land were established with a common ministerial decision (C.M.D.) of the ministers of (1) Development, (2) Environment Planning and Public Works, (3) Health and Welfare, and (4) Transportation and Communications.

The decision adopted at large the recommendation of the European Council. Nevertheless, in the article 6 'Emissions Study', paragraph 5, it is stated that: "The study must prove that there are no areas around the antenna that are freely accessible by the general population, in which the exposure limits exceed the 80% of the levels determined above." This requirement, in fact, establishes reference levels (if this is meant by 'exposure limits'), which are lower than those of the Council’s recommendation. A problem which arises is the lack of definition of the physical quantities, to which this restriction applies. Given that the equivalent power density of a plane wave is proportional to the square of the effective electric field strength, it must be assumed that the restriction refers to the magnitude of the electric field, because this is the worst case scenario. Consequently, the reference levels for the equivalent power density of a plane wave, are set to the 69% of the values shown in the last column of the following table.

But, owing to the law 3431/2006 and according to the article 31 'Adjustments of antenna's installation', paragraph 9, the exposure limits are determined at "70% of the levels, specified in articles 2-4 of the common ministerial decision with number 53571/3839/6.9.2000.

Moreover, in the paragraph 10 of the above article, it is stated that: "In the case of antenna's installation in distance thus far 300 meters from the perimeter of buildings of day nurseries, schools, eldern houses and hospitals, the exposure limits for the protection of the general population must not exceed the 60% of the levels determined from the recommendation of the European Council".

According to the above mentioned, for the measurements taken place before 3-2-2006, the reference levels for the equivalent power density of a plane wave are set to 64% of the levels determined from the recommendation of the European Council, while after 3-2-2006 the reference levels are set to 60% of the above levels.

  With respect to the values of the above table, the following are in use:

• The value of f is as specified in the frequencies' column.

• For frequecies between 100kHz and 10GHz, the values of S_eq, E², H² και B² should be expressed as mean values for each time interval, which lasts six minutes (6min).

• For frequencies above 10GHz, the values of S_eq, E², H² και B² should be expressed as mean values for each time interval, which lasts 68/f^1.05 minutes (f in GHz).

• For frequencies between 100kHz and 10MHz, the reference peak values are derived by multiplying the corresponding rms values by 10^α, where α=0.665*log(f/10⁵)+0.176, (f in Hz). For frequencies between 10MHz and 300GHz the reference peak values are derived by multiplying the corresponding rms values by 32. For frequencies above 10MHz it is suggested that the mean value of S_eq in the whole width of the pulse should not exceed the 1000fold of the reference levels, or the field strength should not exceed the 32fold of the reference levels for the field strength.