Radiation Protection
- Home
- Radiation Protection
- EMR Literature Survey
- August 2009
- Introduction
- Radiation Basics
- Radiation and Health Fact Sheets
- Electricity and Health
- Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) Literature Survey
- Mobile Telephones & Health
- Mobile Phone Base Station Survey 2007 - 11
- ARPANSA Environmental EME Reports
- Solar Ultraviolet Radiation
- Radioactive Waste Safety
- Radiation Protection Websites
- ELF Magnetic Field Meter Hire
- Radiation Emergencies
- Australian Radiation Incident Register
- Electromagnetic Radiation Health Complaints Register
- Survey of Residential Power Frequency Magnetic Fields
- Australian Solaria Regulation and Operator Training
- Reporting A Safety Concern
quick links
contact
For more information please get in touch with ARPANSA
- +61 3 9433 2211
- +61 3 9432 1835
- email ARPANSA
EMR Literature Survey - August 2009
By: Kheifets et al
Published in: Bioelectromagnetics [Epub ahead of print]
Review of laboratory and epidemiological studies investigating extremely low frequency (ELF) electric fields and cancer. The review also compares the strength of evidence for electric fields with that for magnetic fields. The small number of laboratory studies do not generally show an association between ELF electric fields and cancer. The epidemiological research does not show an association with cancer for residential exposure or appliance use. For occupational exposure although there are some studies showing a possible association with cancer these are inconsistent and have numerous methodological problems. The authors conclude that overall, electric fields do not seem to pose a cancer risk, and with a possible exception of occupational epidemiology, there seems little basis for continued research into this area.
There have been numerous reviews assessing ELF fields and the risk of cancer, including:
The report by the Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (the “Doll report”) http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1194947420620
The monograph by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Monographs/vol80/index.php
The environmental health criteria monograph by the World Health Organization_http://www.who.int/peh-emf/publications/elf_ehc/en/index.html
These reviews, however, mainly focused on magnetic fields. In evaluating electric fields IARC categorised ELF electric fields in class 3 (i.e. as having inadequate evidence) whilst it placed ELF magnetic fields in class 2B (i.e. possibly carcinogenic) based on the epidemiological childhood leukaemia evidence. There has been only one review specifically on electric fields previously (Moulder and Foster, 1999) so this current review is timely. The review systematically assesses all of the evidence including studies looking at mechanisms, laboratory studies (in vivo and in vitro) and epidemiological studies.
[Moulder JE, Foster KR. 1999. Is there a link between exposure to power-frequency electric fields and cancer? IEEE Eng Med Biol Mag 18(2):109–116. PUBMED LINK]
By: Parazzini M et al
Published in: Radiat Res. 2009 Aug;172(2):244-51.
The aim of this study was to investigate potential changes in human auditory function after a short-term exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation produced by UMTS (_Universal Mobile Telecommunication System) mobile phones. Participants included 134 healthy young adults with no hearing or ear disorders. Auditory function was assessed immediately before and after exposure to UMTS RF signals for 20 min, and only the exposed ear was tested. Results did not show any consistent pattern of effects on the auditory system after exposure to UMTS.
By: McNamee and Chauhan V
Published in: Radiat Res. 2009 Sep;172(3):265-87
Review of the current scientific evidence related to changes in protein and gene expression induced by low-level RF radiation. A number of studies have reported that RF may induce alterations in gene/protein expression in a variety of cells/tissues that may be associated with potentially harmful health outcomes, while other studies have shown no clear effects related to RF radiation. The authors conclude that this area of research warrants further investigation.
By: De Iuliis et al
Published in: PLoS ONE 4(7): e6446
Study investigating the influence of radiofrequency (RF) radiation from mobile phones on the cell biology of human spermatozoa in vitro. Purified human spermatozoa were exposed to 1.8 GHz RF signals at a range of specific absorption rates (SAR) from 0.4 W/kg to 27.5 W/kg. The results showed that RF enhances mitochondrial reactive oxygen species generation by human spermatozoa, decreasing the motility and vitality of these cells while damaging DNA. The authors conclude that mobile phone use could have a negative impact on male fertility.
Paper is available at _http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0006446
By: Various
Published in: The Environmentalist 2009; 29(2)
This special issue of “The Environmentalist” includes 22 papers selected from presentations at the Fifth International Workshop ‘‘Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields’’ in 2008 and covers topics such as worldwide standards for exposure to electromagnetic fields, description of the wireless technologies in use, in different parts of the world, principles of measurements of electromagnetic fields, shielding from electromagnetic fields, effects of cellular communication on EEG.
Paper is available at _http://www.springerlink.com/content/m02vg743x517/?p=7f2228ecc0e248c2ba9b87dda6f88e77&pi=1
By: International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection
Published in: Health Phys. 2009 Sep;97(3):257-8
Since publication of the ICNIRP guidelines in 1998 scientific research in this area has progressed. In this statement ICNIRP identifies the main scientific advancements in the field and notes that several major national and international research programs have been completed recently (e.g., MTHR 2007; Federal Office for Radiation Protection 2008) and others are ongoing. ICNIRP reconfirms its recommendations on radiofrequency exposure for the time being. Specifically:
“...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.”
The ICNIRP statement is available at _http://www.icnirp.de/documents/StatementEMF.pdf
By: Rubin G et al
Published in: Bioelectromagnetics [Epub ahead of print]
Update on a review of provocation studies investigating Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF; also known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity) A further 15 studies are included to a total of 46 blind or double-blind provocation studies involving 1175 IEI-EMF volunteers and testing whether exposure to electromagnetic fields is responsible for triggering symptoms. The authors conclude that despite the conviction of IEI-EMF sufferers that their symptoms are triggered by exposure to electromagnetic fields, repeated experiments have been unable to replicate this phenomenon under controlled conditions.
By: Masuda H et al
Published in: Radiat Res. 2009 Jul;172(1):66-73.
The aim of this study was to replicate the results of Salford et al. (Environ. Health Perspect. 111, 881-883, 203) showing albumin leakage and dark neurons present in rat brains 14 and 50 days after a single 2-h exposure to a 915 MHz electromagnetic field. Sixty-four male F344 rats (12 weeks old) were exposed to a 915 MHz electromagnetic field at whole-body average specific absorption rates of 0, 0.02, 0.2 and 2.0 W/kg in TEM cells for 2 h, following the protocol reported by Salford et al. There was no albumin leakage or dark neurons present thus failing to confirm the results of Salford et al.
Top of Page