Health of passengers and local residents

In 2003, RATP set up a task force to study high-frequency electromagnetic fields and their effects on health, working in conjunction with the Agence Nationale des Fréquences (ANFR).

The high-frequency measurements taken in real conditions yielded electromagnetic field values lower than the reference thresholds.
Some low-frequency electromagnetic field measurements, meanwhile, have prompted the implementation of specific preventive measures.

Be careful in areas with poor reception
A mobile phone automatically adjusts its transmission power in order to maintain constant transmission quality. Between its minimum and maximum levels, a telephone’s transmission power can rise 1000 fold.
So, in areas with poor reception (inside a vehicle, for example, or in an area with poor network coverage), your telephone increases its power and thus your exposure level. Check the signal strength indicator on your phone and where possible only use your phone in areas with optimum reception.

Avoid making phone calls whilst moving around
When you travel around, your mobile phone communicates with a series of different base stations. Each time it has to search for a new base station, your telephone’s transmission power may increase to its maximum level.

Keep your phone at a distance
By keeping your telephone away from vulnerable areas of your body, you can considerably reduce your level of exposure. Vulnerable areas may be specific to certain categories of people: for example, the genitals for adolescents, and the peri-umbilical area for pregnant women. You can use a hands-free kit with an earpiece to limit your head’s exposure to electromagnetic fields.