ARPANSA - Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency

The Committee on Electromagnetic Energy Public Health Issues, includes 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).

EME Series Fact Sheets

 

EME Series No.1
Electromagnetic energy and its effects (PDF 45kb) | (RTF 71kb)

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 48kb) | (RTF 73kb)

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 53kb) | (RTF 93kb)

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
The ARPANSA radiofrequency radiation exposure Standard (PDF 63kb) | (RTF 75kb)

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 48kb) | (RTF 72kb)

No.5 extract - "A mobile phone base station provides coverage of one or more geographical areas, known as cells. A mobile phone network is made up of ..."

EME Series No.6
About mobile phone networks (PDF 63kb) | (RTF 214kb)

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 45kb) | (RTF 68kb)

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 48kb) | (RTF 68kb)

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 48kb) | (RTF 67kb)

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 80kb) | (RTF 66kb)

No.10 extract - "...the immediate surroundings of the mast will be fenced to prevent unauthorised entry. It is the usual practice to ensure that the transmitter site is large enough so that the field strength at the site boundaries is below the general public exposure limit ..."

EME Series No.11
Mobile phones and children (PDF 46kb) | (RTF 71kb)

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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