News for Year 2009
Joint Statement from the Nordic Radiation Safety Authorities
This joint statement on general public exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from mobile phone base stations and other fixed transmitters issued by the Nordic Radiation Safety Authorities (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) is an addition to their statement on mobile phones, published in 2004. It concluded: "The Nordic authorities agree that there is no scientific evidence for adverse health effects caused by radiofrequency field strengths in the normal living environment at present. This conclusion concurs with the opinion of international scientific and advisory bodies listed as references below [ICNIRP, 1998 and 2009; WHO, 2005 and 2006; SCENIHR 2009; SSI`s Independent Expert Group on Electromagnetic Fields, 2007]. The Nordic authorities therefore at present see no need for a common recommendation for further actions to reduce these radiofrequency fields."
The statement can be found at http://www.stuk.fi/sateilytietoa/sateilyn_terveysvaikutukset/matkapuhelin_terveysvaikutus/en_GB/matkapuhelimet/_files/82468807990968503/default/Nordic_Statement-EMF161109.pdf
The Precautionary Principle in the Context of Mobile Phone and Base Station Radiofrequency Exposures
September 2009
The Precautionary Principle in the Context of Mobile Phone and Base Station Radiofrequency Exposures
Letter and Reply in Response to Precautionary Principle Paper
September 2009
Letter and reply in response to precautionary principle paper
ICNIRP Reconfirms RF Exposure Guidelines
17 August 2009
The International Commission on Non Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) published a statement on 13 August 2009 reconfirming the 1998 EMF exposure guidelines.
The ICNIRP statement concluded:
- "it is the opinion of ICNIRP that the scientific literature published since the 1998 guidelines has provided no evidence of any adverse effects below the basic restrictions and does not necessitate an immediate revision of its guidance on limiting exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields."
ICNIRP Publishes Major RF Science Review:
14 July 2009
A major international review of the science related to mobile telephony and health was published on 14 July 2009.
The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation (ICNIRP) has published on its website a review of the scientific evidence concerning exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields (including the radiofrequency fields used in mobile telephony).
The ICNIRP review has concluded that:
5.1 Million Mobile Broadband Connections
Mobile phones cannot work without a network of base stations (masts). There are approximately 52,500 base station sites (excluding microcells) in the UK. Only a third of these are large, free standing masts. A YouGov survey for MOA (Sept 2012) showed that nearly 8 out of 10 people recognise the link between masts and good mobile coverage. Mobile telecommunications are vital for the UK’s economic competitiveness and in promoting social inclusion. There are now over 81.6 million mobile subscriptions in the UK. Over 5.1 million customers now access mobile broadband services via a laptop and dongle, and 39 per cent of UK adults use their mobile phones for internet access. Tablet ownership rose to 11% of UK households.
No Established Health Effects
Mobile phones operate by using radio waves, similar to those that have been widely used for decades, for example in radio, TV and radar signals. A large number of studies over the last two decades have found no clear evidence of adverse health effects from the use of mobile phones or from phone masts.