WHO Factsheet on base stations and wireless technologies
The WHO has published a number of factsheets on electromagnetic fields (EMF) and public health, including one on mobile phones and their base stations and one on electromagnetic hypersensitivity (where people report a variety of symptoms that they attribute to EMF exposure).
A factsheet on base stations and wireless technologies was published in May 2006. It includes a review of health concerns, protection standards and public perception of risk. The conclusion states:
“Considering the very low exposure levels and research results collected to date, there is no convincing scientific evidence that the weak RF signals from base stations and wireless networks cause adverse health effects.”
All EMF factsheets are available on the WHO website.
European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR)
SCENIHR published an updated opinion on the ‘possible effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) on human health’ on 21 March 2007, following public consultation. Its opinion is that:
“No health effect has been consistently demonstrated at exposure levels below the limits of ICNIRP (International Committee on Non Ionising Radiation Protection) established in 1998. However, the data base for evaluation remains limited especially for long-term low-level exposure.”
The committee’s report contains more detailed analysis.
The Health Council of the Netherlands (HCN)
The HCN focused its fourth annual update of EMF and health, published in February 2007, on UMTS (3G), and Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications (DECT) technologies. The HCN concludes:
“The research in Switzerland, which set out to repeat the TNO study using an improved design, did not confirm the TNO findings. As the Swiss study built on the experience gathered by the TNO researchers, its design was better and more comprehensive and consequently its results have more weight than those of the TNO study.”
The HCN clarifies that its overall position has not changed since the last annual review by stating,
“In the 2005 Annual Update, the Health Council provided a comprehensive overview of that research and concluded that at the basis of current scientific knowledge no long-term effects can be identified as a result of prolonged exposure”.
The Swedish Radiation Protection Authority
The Independent Expert Group of the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSI) published its fourth annual review of EMF and Health in March 2007. To review the health effects of RF in relation to their previous annual reviews, the Expert Group examined the evidence from recent laboratory studies, RF mechanistic studies, epidemiological studies and other emerging issues. Although the SSI Independent Expert Group does not make a general overall conclusion on RF, EMF and health, their position has not changed since the last annual report: it believes the current weight of evidence is against the existence of non-thermal effects from RF/EMF.
The Irish Independent Expert Group
This report, published in March 2007, gives the conclusions and recommendations of an independent expert group appointed by the Irish Government. The expert group reviewed the scientific evidence for adverse health effects in the RF range 300 Hz to 300 GHz, as well as conducting a consultation with central and local government, concerned citizens and industry.
The report makes a number of scientific conclusions and recommendations. In relation to adverse health effects from mobile phones and base stations, the Irish Expert Group concludes:
“So far no adverse short or long-term health effects have been found from exposure to the RF signals produced by mobile phones and base station transmitters. RF signals have not been found to cause cancer. However research is underway to investigate whether there are likely to be any subtle, non cancer effects on children and adolescents. The results of this research will need to be considered in due course.”
UK Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme
The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR), published in September 2007, was conducted under the direction of an independent scientific management committee established by the UK Government. It formed the first part of a larger UK research programme.
The report concludes "none of the research supported by the programme and published so far demonstrates that biological or adverse health effects are produced by radiofrequency exposure from mobile phones". The report also notes that measurements of radio signals from base stations show that exposures are well below international guidelines, as well as recognising that no further research is required in certain areas. The MTHR website provides information on the proposed areas for the next phase of research and the full MTHR report.
Swedish Radiation Safety Authority (SSI)
The SSI's Independent Expert Group on Eletromagnetic Fields published its fifth annual report in April 2008. Its opinion is that:
"The few studies that have been published on health risks among populations living near transmitters have had major methodological shortcomings. However, the exposure to the general population that results from transmitters is very weak and one would not expect such exposure to produce a health risk as discussed in the previous report. Indeed, one would assume that if RF exposure at low levels is associated with a health risk it would be considerably easier to detect it in studies of mobile phone users, or highly exposed occupational groups. The overall conclusion is that exposure from transmitters is unlikely to be a health risk."
The full detail is available from the Statens strålskyddsinstitut website.
