A Survey on Electromagnetic Risk Assessment and Evaluation Mechanism for Future Wireless Communication Systems

The accurate measurement of electromagnetic exposure and its application is expected to become more and more important in future wireless communication systems, given the explosion in both the number of wireless devices and equipment radiating electromagnetic fields (EMF) and the growing concerns in the general public linked to it. Indeed, the next generation of wireless systems aims at providing a higher data rate, better quality of service, and lower latency to users by increasing the number of access points, i.e., densification, which in turn will increase EMF exposure. Similarly, the multiplication of future connected devices, e.g., Internet of things devices, will also contribute to an increase in EMF exposure. This paper provides a detailed survey relating to the potential health hazards linked with EMF exposure and the different metrics that are currently used for evaluating, limiting, and mitigating the effects of this type of exposure on the general public. This paper also reviews the possible impacts of new wireless technologies on EMF exposure and proposes some novel research directions for updating the EMF exposure evaluation framework and addressing these impacts in future wireless communication systems. For instance, the impact of mmWave or massive multiple-input multiple-output/beamforming on EMF exposure has yet to be fully understood and included in the exposure evaluation framework.