ARPANSA - Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency

The EME series fact sheets were prepared by the Committee on Electromagnetic Energy Public Health Issues which included representatives from the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE), ARPANSA, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).  ARPANSA updates these fact sheets as new scientific research is published.

EME Series No.1
Electromagnetic energy and its effects (PDF 58kb) | (RTF 342kb)

No.1 extract - "The weight of national and international scientific opinion is that there is no substantiated evidence that exposure to low level RF EME causes adverse health effects.... "

EME Series No.2
Government action on electromagnetic energy public health issues (PDF 59kb) | (RTF 341kb)

No.2 extract - "The increased use of mobile phones in Australia has generated public concern about possible health issues associated with electromagnetic emissions from handsets and base stations. " - "What is the Government doing?"

EME Series No.3
Australian research into EME (PDF 63kb) | (RTF 406kb)

No.3 extract - "Commencing in 1996, the Government provides $1 million dollars per annum for the Electromagnetic Energy (EME) Program. This program supports research into, and provides information to the public about, health issues associated with mobile phones, mobile phone base stations and other communications devices and equipment."

EME Series No.4
About the ARPANSA radiofrequency radiation exposure Standard (PDF 94kb) | (RTF 21Mb)

No.4 extract - "The ARPANSA Standard contains mandatory limits of human exposure to radiofrequency (RF) fields in the frequency range 3 kHz to 300 GHz. These must be applied in association with specified risk management practices...."

EME Series No.5
About mobile phones (PDF 59kb) | (RTF 343kb)

No.5 extract - " Mobile phones are low powered devices that transmit and receive radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic energy (EME) signals from mobile phone base stations..."

EME Series No.6
About mobile phone networks (PDF 66kb) | (RTF 1,010kb)

No.6 extract - "When a call is made in Australia from a mobile phone, the network allocates the call to an available RF channel (or carrier frequency) within ..."

EME Series No.7
What about using a mobile phone while driving (PDF 47kb) | (RTF 337kb)

No.7 extract - "Research has shown that driving a vehicle while using a hand-held mobile phone can increase the risk of being involved in a road accident, ..."

EME Series No.8
Potential interference of mobile phones with pacemakers, hearing aids and other devices
(PDF 53kb) | (RTF 334kb)

No.8 extract - "Interference may be caused by the transmitted radio signal from the phone, when the phone is held in close proximity to the implanted device ..."

EME Series No.9
What about base stations and telecommunications towers - are there any health effects?
(PDF 428kb) | (RTF 1,020kb)

No.9 extract - "The weight of national and international scientific opinion is that there is no substantiated evidence that RF emissions associated with living near a mobile phone base station or telecommunications tower poses a health risk ..."

EME Series No.10
What about broadcast towers - are there any health effects? (PDF 58kb) | (RTF 1,130kb)

No.10 extract - "Broadcast towers are used for transmitting a range of services including AM and FM radio and UHF, VHF and digital television".

EME Series No.11
Mobile phones and children (PDF 77kb) | (RTF 390kb)

No.11 extract - "Community concern has been expressed with regard to mobile telephone use by children. At present, there is insufficient evidence ..."

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