Electromagnetic Fields and Health – Current Research
Dr Mike Repacholi Co-ordinator, Radiation and Environmental Health World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
The Present Global Context ¾Ever more sophisticated technologies ¾Increasing number of mobile phone users ¾Increasing number of base stations ¾Increasing concern from the public
Challenges dealing with EMF
¾Limited exposure assessment ¾Identifying effects limited by latency ¾Few outcomes studied…. ¾Extrapolate from high to environmental doses ¾Extrapolate to different frequencies ¾Extrapolate from animal to human effects
¾Established in 1996; complete main objectives 2007 ¾Assesses health and environmental effects of exposure to EMF in range 0 - 300 GHz ¾Multinational, multidisciplinary effort to create and disseminate information on health risk from EMF exposure ¾Co-ordinated by WHO
Structure EMF Project Secretariat International International Advisory Advisory Committee Committee
International International Organizations Organizations
Research Research Coordinating Coordinating Committee Committee
Collaborating Collaborating Institutions Institutions
Standards Standards Harmonization Harmonization Committee Committee
>50 >50 National National Authorities Authorities
International Scientific Reviews 0 - 300 Hz
300 Hz - 10 MHz
10 MHz - 300 GHz
Static and ELF
IF
RF
9 Static and ELF fields, Bologna, 1997 ¾ Intermediate frequency fields, Maastricht, 1999 RF fields, Munich, 1996 RF pulse-modulated fields, Erice, 1999 ¾ Psychosocial impacts of EMF exposure, Graz, 1998 ¾ Environmental impacts of EMF, Ismaning, 1999 ¾ Adverse temperature levels in the human body, Geneva, 2002 ¾Precautionary Principle and EMF, Luxembourg, Feb. 2003 ¾ Child sensitivity to EMF, Istanbul, June 2004 ¾ Hypersensitivity to EMF, Prague, 25-27 October 2004 ¾ Proteomics workshop, Finland, Feb 2005? ¾ Base stations and wireless communications, Geneva, June 2005?
EMF and Public Health The Present Status
¾Large and increasingly sophisticated database ¾Known and hypothesized mechanisms ¾Health effects not established below ICNIRP ¾Scientific uncertainty
Biological and Health Effects ¾A biological effect is a measurable physiological response to EMF exposure ….not necessarily hazardous ¾An adverse health effect is a biological effect outside the body's normal range of physiological compensation that is detrimental to health or well-being
Interaction Mechanisms 100 kHz
300 MHz
10 GHz Frequency
Induced currents Induced currents and heating Surface heating
WHO Research Activities
http://www.who.int/emf
What has been done?
What is being done?
What needs to been done?
WHO Research Reviews
WHO Research Database
WHO Research Agenda
time
• Print screen of research emf website
Examples of research Example: Example: Epidemiological Epidemiological study study INTERPHONE INTERPHONE •• Coordinated Coordinated by by WHO WHO (IARC) (IARC) •• Involves Involves 13 13 countries countries •• Determining Determining ifif there there is is an an association association between between phone phone use use and and head head and and neck neck cancers cancers
Example: Example: Lymphoma Lymphoma in in transgenic transgenic mice mice (GSM (GSM 900, 900, 18 18 months) months) •• Repacholi Repacholi et et al., al., 1997 1997 (+) (+) •• Utteridge Utteridge et et al., al., 2002 2002 (-) (-) •• Other Other replications…Italy replications…Italy (2005?) (2005?)
Example: Example: Effect Effect of of UMTS UMTS and and GSM GSM signals signals on on people people •• Zwamborn, Zwamborn, 2003 2003 (TNO (TNO study) study) •• Replication Replication in in Switzerland Switzerland and and UK… UK…
WHO RF Research Agenda Russian immune system study
¾ Follow-up studies on immune system that suggest an effect of RF exposure on brain cells (previous Russian publications) ¾ Studies to be conducted in Russia and France under the same protocol ¾ Dr B Veyret and Prof. Y Grigoriev are the principle advisers for WHO ¾ Want to start in early 2005
Define hypothesis
Research Quality
What will be the outcome of your research? Design study Conduct study
1- design criteria
(study-dependent)
2- quality criteria
(e.g. GLP, GCP, ..)
Report study 3- review criteria
Publish study
"a sad story"
in peer-reviewed journal
4- inclusion criteria
Incorporate study in health risk assessment
"a useful outcome"
(journal-dependent)
in risk assessments
Define hypothesis Design study Conduct study Report study
Publish study in peer-reviewed journal
Science
Incorporate study in health risk assessment
Concern
Policies
WHO risk assessment criteria CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION • In-depth, weight-of-evidence, critical review and evaluation of EMF research world wide • Study reports must have detailed description of methods used, all data, and analyses of results and conclusions • All studies must be replicated or be in agreement with similar studies • All studies, with either positive or negative effects, must be assessed equally
WHO Health Risk Assessment
Risk assessment of all health outcomes (Environmental Health Criteria)
Hazard identification and classification of possible carcinogens (Monographs)
Schedule for Assessments Static fields IARC Pub 2002 EHC TG Dec 2004
RF
ELF IARC Pub 2002 EHC TG April 2005
IARC EHC
2005-6 2006-7
Base stations Exposures to people are low ∼1µW/cm2 ¾Generally much lower than RF from radio and TV ...depends where fields measured ¾Difficult to distinguish base station exposures from other RF sources ¾No studies established any low-level long-term effects to RF exposure
Emissions from base stations are self limiting
Base stations on WHO Building
Mobile phones ¾Presents a new exposure situation ¾Many studies have been conducted ¾No established adverse health effects ¾Gaps in knowledge for research ¾To reduce exposure, use hands free kits or limit call times ¾Pregnant women are not at risk.. low RF absorption ¾Children are high users and increasing …more research
RF Fields •RF field exposure is known to cause health effects above 4 W/kg causing behavioural changes, reduced endurance due to heating •Basis for International standards •No health effects below ICNIRP limits (NRPB, 2004) Research being promoted by WHO ¾ Memory loss, reaction times ¾ Immune responses (Russian studies) ¾ Cancer ¾ Sensitivity of children ¾ Blood pressure changes ¾ Blood brain barrier ¾ Subjective effects (Hypersensitivity)
WHO and STANDARDS ¾WHO does NOT develop EMF standards - only health risk assessments ¾ICNIRP -full partner in the EMF Project - develops international standard ¾The EMF Project facilitates international consensus on standards (WHO Standards framework) ¾All major standards setting countries are involved in the EMF Project
Standards •• Technical Technicalstandards standards (emission) have (emission) have specifications specificationsthat thatlimit limitthe the EMF EMFemissions emissionsfrom fromdevices devices
•• Exposure Exposurestandards standardslimit limit EMF exposure to people EMF exposure to people and andare arescientificallyscientificallybased based
Types of standards Exposure standards ¾ Limits to protect against exposure from any EMF source ¾ Based on sound science…established health effects ¾ Examples: ICNIRP, IEEE, some national standards
Emission standards ¾ Limit emissions from devices eg microwave ovens, mobile phones, base stations, VDTs ¾ Based on needs of the device ¾ Limits should be lower than exposure standard limits if many such devices to expose people ¾ Should be international agreement on emissions eg MW ovens, base stations(?), mobile phones (?)
Exposure guidelines
WHO recommends all countries adopt ICNIRP Guidelines
ICNIRP Guidelines ICNIRP ¾Is a formally recognised NGO of WHO ¾Uses WHO methods and health risk assessments to produce limits
ICNIRP limits ¾Incorporate large safety factors ¾Safety factor for public adequate for children… ¾Adopted as EMF standard in >30 countries world wide, including European Union countries
PRECAUTIONARY APPROACHES WHO is developing a precautionary framework for identifying measures to protect public health in areas of scientific uncertainty
Some key scientific issues ….
IARC classification Hypersensitivity
Sensitivity of children
Key issues Effects of EMF on Children ¾Stewart Report (UK: IEGMP 2000) ¾Health Council of the Netherlands (2002) ¾EC: COST 281 (2002) ¾WHO EMF Project workshop (Istanbul, June 2004)..no obvious sensitivity.. research ¾Research agenda to be posted on WHO web site soon
Key issues Hypersensitivity to EMF ¾Mostly Europeans and especially Scandinavians report these effects ¾Many symptoms ¾WHO EMF Project workshop (25-27 October Prague, 2004) ¾Research agenda to be posted after Workshop
RF fields What is the way forward? ¾Focused research: see WHO’s new RF research agenda (www.who.int/emf) ¾WHO promotes research ONLY where health risks could reasonable be expected…not "scattergun" approach…rationale for research ¾Properly assess risks using established WHO criteria ¾Obtain information in transparent way and disseminate as user-friendly documents
Health hazard of mobile phones: Driving while using a mobile phone is dangerous. WHO strongly recommends against this!!
WHO recommendations
¾Strict adherence to international and national health-based guidelines ¾Simple protective measures ¾Consultations with the community in siting new facilities ¾ Information and communication
MODEL LEGISLATION
Model Act Model Regulation
In response to requests from several Member States, the EMF Project is drafting a document on model legislation for protecting human health
Model Act Model Regulation
+
Explanatory Memorandum
www.who.int/emf
The International EMF Project Radiation and Environmental Health Protection of the Human Environment World Health Organization 21 Avenue Appia CH-1211 Geneva 27 Switzerland email:
[email protected] website: www.who.int/emf
