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PIERS Online
Vol. 3
No. 2
2007
pp: 149-153Radiofrequency Exposure and Human HealthJoe A. Elder, Chung-Kwang Chou, and J. J. Morrissey doi:10.2529/PIERS060906133215 Downloads: 1153 Abstract:Research on the biological and health effects of radiofrequency (RF) fields has been conducted for more than 50 years and the RF database available in the 1990's proved adequate for the development of the human exposure limits recommended in 1998 by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) [1]. The ICNIRP guidelines are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and have been adopted by more than 35 countries. The database that led to the development of the ICNIRP guidelines has grown, with about 500 studies at mobile phone frequencies including many modulated signals. The WHO database [2] has more than 1500 original, peer-reviewed papers useful for public health risk assessment of RF exposure. The database provides even stronger evidence today that RF exposures within ICNIRP limits associated with mobile telephony pose no known health risks and warrant no special precautions for any segments of the population. WHO has stated that scientific knowledge on electromagnetic fields including RF fields is now more extensive than for most chemicals [3]. Expert scientific organizations, international organizations and government agencies that have reviewed the available database since the publication of the ICNIRP guidelines include the UK Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (Stewart Report) (2000); German Commission on Radiological Protection (2001); Australian Communications Authority (2003); French Environmental Health and Safety Agency (2003); Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (2003), Health Council of the Netherlands (2004); UK Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation (2004), UK National Radiological Protection Board (2004); US Food and Drug Administration (2005); and the World Health Organization (2005, 2006). All of these reviews have consistently concluded that there is no credible or convincing evidence that RF exposure within ICNIRP limits causes adverse human health effects. This paper describes a) the extensive database on the biological and health effects of exposure to RF energy, b) the ICNIRP RF safety guidelines, and c) recent conclusions of national and international expert groups that have evaluated the scientific and medical evidence on the potential health effects of RF exposure.References:1. ICNIRP. International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, "Guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields (up to 300GHz)," Health Physics, Vol. 74, No. 4, 494-522, 1998. 2. WHO database: http://www.who.int/peh-emf/en/. 3. World Health Organization, Conclusions from Scientific Research, http://www.who.int/peh-emf/about/WhatisEMF/en/index1.html. 4. Lahkola, A., K. Tokola, and A. Auvinen, "Meta-analysis of mobile phone use and intracranial tumors," Scand J Work Environ Health, Vol. 32, 171-177, 2006. 5. Heynick, L. N., S. A. Johnston, and P. A. Mason, "Radio frequency electromagnetic fields: Cancer, mutagenesis, and genotoxicity," Bioelectromagnetics, S74-S100, 2003. Supplement 6 6. Elder, J. A., "Survival and cancer in laboratory mammals exposed to radiofrequency energy," Bioelectromagnetics, S101-S106, 2003. Supplement 6 7. Dasenbrock, C., "Animal carcinogenicity studies on radiofrequency fields related to mobile phones and base stations," Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Vol. 207, 342-346, 2005. 8. "Reviews of the effects of RF fields on various aspects of human health," Bioelectromagnetics, S1-S213, 2003. Supplement 6 9. IEEE C95.1-2005, "IEEE standard for safety levels with respect to human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields, 3kHz to 300GHz," IEEE, 237. 3 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5997, USA 10. World Health Organization, Children and Mobile Phones: Clarification Statement, 2005. http://www.who.int/peh-emf/meetings/ottawa june05/en/index4.html. 11. Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP), Mobile Phones and Health, Chairman Sir William Stewart, National Radiological Protection Board, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0RQ, United Kingdom, April, 2000. 12. German Commission on Radiological Protection (SSK), Limit values and Precautionary Measures to Protect the Public against Electromagnetic Fields, September, 2001. 13. French Environmental Health and Safety Agency (AFSSE), Statement on Mobile Phones and Health, Ref. 1/2002, April 16, 2003. 14. Australian Communications Authority (ACA). Consumer Fact Sheet. Electromagnetic Radiation and 3G Mobile Phones, December 22, 2003. 15. Advisory Group on Non-Ionising Radiation (AGNIR), "Health effects from radiofrequency electromagnetic fields," Report of an Independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation, Vol. 14, No. 2, National Radiological Protection Board, 2003. 16. Health Council of the Netherlands (HCN), Electromagnetic Fields: Annual Update 2003, Electromagnetic Fields Committee, Health Council of the Netherlands, The Hague, Publication 2004/01, January 15, 2004. 17. National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), Mobile Phones and Health 2004, Vol. 15, No. 5, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0RQ, United Kingdom, 2004. 18. Food and Drug Administration (U.S. FDA), FDA Cell Phone Facts: Consumer Information on Wireless Phones http://www.fda.gov/cellphones/, January 13, 2005. 19. European Cancer Prevention Organization (ECPO), Cell Phones and Cancer, ECP Consensus EMF 2005. http://www.ecpo.org/. |
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