A recent scientific review by ARPANSA and Swinburne University into radio waves and calcium movements in the body has found no evidence radio waves cause non-thermal health effects.

The review focused on 69 different studies from around the world and was conducted as part of ARPANSA's ongoing research and assessment of radio waves and health, which has been of wider public interest since the roll out of 5G telecommunications systems.

‘After 50 years of research into possible effects of radio waves on cellular calcium levels, none of the reviewed studies were able to validate the claim that exposure to radio waves affects calcium movement or causes any non-thermal health effects,’ said Dr Ken Karipidis, Assistant Director, Health Impact Assessment.

‘The outcomes of this review demonstrate that theories on radio waves interfering with calcium movements and voltage-gated calcium channels are not supported by scientific evidence,’ said Dr Karipidis.

The review also looked at the design, quality and repeatability of the studies, and outlined some suggested improvement for future research in this area.  

‘We’re pleased to have worked with experts from Swinburne University in conducting this review and look forward to other collaborations as ARPANSA’s research and assessment of potential health effects from radio waves continues,’ said Dr Karipidis.

The review has been published in peer-reviewed journal, Radiation Research. You can view the full document on the BioOne website. 

ARPANSA is proud to announce that Dr Ken Karipidis has been admitted as a member of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH), specifically the Scientific Committee on Radiation and Work.

The committee provides expert advice on safety of radiation exposure in occupational settings including ionising radiation and non-ionising radiation, electromagnetic fields and optical radiation. The committee also facilitates a multidisciplinary network of experts for sharing knowledge on adverse health effects and regulation in the protection of workers from radiation.

‘This is a great opportunity for ARPANSA to share its valuable knowledge on health and radiation protection in an international context, and to collaborate with ICOH’s many partners, including the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection,’ said Deputy CEO, Dr Gillian Hirth.

‘Involvement in the committee allows us to engage with other experts in the field to advise on occupational radiation protection,’ said Dr Karipidis.

ICOH will host its 33rd International Congress on Occupational Health in Melbourne in February 2022.

‘We look forward to sharing our experience and expertise with the international community at this important event next year’, said Dr Karipidis.

About ICOH:

The International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) is an international non-governmental professional society whose aims are to foster the scientific progress, knowledge and development of occupational health and safety in all its aspects. 

It was founded in 1906 in Milan as the Permanent Commission on Occupational Health. Today, ICOH is the world's leading international scientific society in the field of occupational health with a membership of 2,000 professionals from 105 countries.

About Dr Ken Karipidis

Dr Ken Karipidis is Assistant Director of ARPANSA’s Assessment and Advice Section, providing expert advice and information on radiation protection to government, the public and other stakeholders.

With more than 20 years of experience in the radiation protection field, Dr Karipidis has published multiple research papers and has been a member of numerous national and international committees including the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, the World Health Organization’s Environmental Health Criteria Task Group on Radiofrequency Fields, the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s Interagency Committee on the Health Effects of Non-Ionising Fields and the Australian Government’s Committee on Electromagnetic Energy Public Health Issues. Dr Karipidis has completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours), Master of Science (Physics) and is a Doctor of Philosophy (Epidemiology).

ARPANSA has released a consultation draft of the new safety standard for exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic energy – also known as radio waves.

Radio waves are part of daily life. They are produced from services such radio, television and mobile telecommunications – including the 5G network – as well as household consumer products like microwave ovens and WiFi networks.

Radio waves are also widely used in many industrial heating processes. The safety standard sets limits for public and occupational exposure across all types of radio waves.

The new safety standard will replace ARPANSA’s existing standard for radio waves: Radiation Protection Standard for Maximum Exposure Levels to Radiofrequency Fields - 3 kHz to 300 GHz (2002)

‘We’re pleased to share our new draft radiofrequency safety standard for public consultation’, said Dr Carl-Magnus Larsson, ARPANSA CEO.

The standard is based on guidelines published by the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and supported by the World Health Organization.

ICNIRP released new guidelines for radiofrequency radiation protection in March 2020.

‘Australia is one of the first jurisdictions to update the exposure standard for radio waves to align with the new ICNIRP guidance’, said Dr Larsson.

In line with the ICNIRP guidelines, the exposure limits set in the draft ARPANSA safety standard are similar to those in the 2002 standard, with some refinements. These refinements take into account current scientific knowledge of how radio waves are absorbed within the body.

The draft safety standard is applicable to all sources of radio waves including the 5G mobile network and future telecommunications.

The draft safety standard continues to provide strong protection for the public and workers and ARPANSA invites industry, regulators, government and members of the public to engage in the consultation process.

‘We invite stakeholders to provide feedback and input as part of our consultation process’, said Dr Larsson.

The consultation for this Standard is now closed. Please view our article on the submissions.

View the consultation documents.

ARPANSA’s team of experts have completed their review of the 61 submissions made to our new safety standard for radio wave exposure.

The submissions were received as part of ARPANSA’s public consultation on the draft Standard for Limiting Exposure to Radiofrequency Fields – 100 KHz to 300 GHz (RPS S-1), which ran from 31 August to 21 October 2020.

The consultation gave all interested parties, including members of the public, regulators, workers, industry and other experts the opportunity to provide feedback on our new standard.

‘I’d like to thank everybody who took the time to provide a submission to the new radio wave standard,’ said Dr Ken Karipidis, Assistant Director, Assessment and Advice at ARPANSA.

‘In total, our team reviewed more than 450 comments from a range of stakeholders, and we have adopted several minor technical changes and clarifications as part of our assessment of the feedback and questions received.’

Consultation feedback has been important in helping ARPANSA deliver a new standard that continues to provide strong protection to workers and the Australian community.

Responses to consultation comments will be published with the new safety standard.

‘As part of the release of the new standard, we will also be publishing an advisory note for use by regulators such as the Australian Communications and Media authority’, said Dr Karipidis.

‘Our engagement with stakeholders throughout the development and consultation has helped ensure a robust safety standard that will protect people and the environment from any harmful effects of radio waves,’ said Dr Karipidis.  

The updated standard will now undergo formal approvals and publication is expected to occur in early 2021.  

ARPANSA and the Cancer Council of Victoria have cautioned Australians to reconsider aerosol sunscreens for UV protection.

The advice comes after a recent study conducted by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) found that it is extremely difficult to get good levels of UV protection from aerosol products, leaving users at risk of sunburn under Australia’s strong UV rays.

‘Aerosol sunscreens contain liquid propellent mixed with sunscreen, so it is difficult to know how much sunscreen is actually being dispensed with each spray,” said Director of Assessment and Advice for ARPANSA, Dr Rick Tinker.

The research, which looked at the top nine commercially available aerosol sunscreen products, showed that the spray times required to achieve full body protection ranged from 29 to 98 seconds.

“The aerosol application tests were conducted in controlled laboratory environments, meaning it would probably take significantly longer to get proper coverage in everyday environments where any breeze or wind could interfere with the product,” said Dr Tinker.

“The aerosols also required large amounts of spray for adequate coverage. Three of the aerosols tested could only provide two full body applications, with the remaining six covering three bodies - not enough to protect the average family, or for the multiple applications required during the day,” said Dr Tinker.

ARPANSA recommends that users avoid aerosol sunscreens where possible, opting for other SPF products with a more reliable application method, like a cream or a lotion.  Sunscreen should be the last line of defence and should be used alongside other sun protection methods:  

• slip on some sun-protective clothing that covers as much skin as possible
• slop on broad spectrum, water resistant SPF30 or higher sunscreen. Put it on 20 minutes before you go outdoors and every two hours afterwards
• slap on a hat – broad brim or legionnaire style to protect your face, head, neck and ears
• seek shade
• slide on some sunglasses – make sure they meet Australian Standards.

Find out more: Sun protection using sunscreens

ARPANSA has provided a submission to the 2019 parliamentary inquiry into the benefits and challenges of 5G – the fifth generation of the mobile telecommunications network.

While the terms of reference of the inquiry focus on the technology and its applications, we wanted to take the opportunity to provide factual information around some common questions we have been hearing about the safety of 5G.

Health authorities around the world, including ARPANSA and the World Health Organization (WHO), have examined the scientific evidence for possible health effects from telecommunications sources.

Current research indicates that there is no established evidence of health effects from radio waves used in mobile telecommunications. This includes the upcoming roll-out of the 5G network.

‘We are aware of concerns from some members of the public about potential health impacts from 5G’, said Dr Gillian Hirth, ARPANSA’s Chief Radiation Health Scientist and Deputy CEO, ‘it is our assessment that 5G is safe and does not present any health concerns’.

ARPANSA’s role in this area involves the establishment of the Radiation Protection Standard for Maximum Exposure Levels to Radiofrequency Fields – 3 kHz to 300 GHz (ARPANSA RF Standard).

This Standard is in line with international best practice and will be updated in the coming months in line with the soon-to-be-released international guidelines prepared by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

‘The Standard is designed to protect children and adults of all health statuses from the harmful effects of radiation,’ said Dr Hirth.

‘The limits set in the standard are well below the level at which any harmful effects, such as heating of tissue, are known to occur.’

The Australian Government’s Inquiry into the deployment, adoption and application of 5G in Australia is being facilitated by the Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts and is due to be completed by early next year.

For further information on the inquiry, please visit: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Communications/5G

Read more: 

• ARPANSA submission to inquiry into 5G in Australia
• Supplementary submission to inquiry into 5G in Australia

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is proud to announce a $350,000 contribution to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) research into the health impacts of radio waves, including those used in mobile telecommunications. 

The contribution is ARPANSA’s first research commitment under the Federal Government’s enhanced Electromagnetic Energy (EME) program. 

‘As Australia’s national radiation protection and nuclear safety authority, ARPANSA is proud to support this gold-standard research project that will evaluate scientific evidence relating to radio wave safety,’ said ARPANSA’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Carl-Magnus Larsson.  

‘The project is an important input into ARPANSA’s EME Action Plan, and will ensure that ARPANSA continues to deliver on its vision for a safe radiation environment for the Australian community,’ said Dr Larsson.  

The three-year WHO project has four key objectives:  

• systemically review the scientific literature on the potential adverse health effects from radio waves 
• perform a health risk assessment of all studied endpoints as far as evidence can offer 
• provide good practice actions and compile a summary of national radio wave policies around the world  
• identify gaps in knowledge  

‘On behalf of the World Health Organization, I would like to thank ARPANSA for their financial contribution to this project, and I look forward to sharing the valuable insights we gain from the research to better support radiation-related health protection globally,’ said Dr Maria Neira, Director of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health at WHO. 

The project will also assist WHO in providing independent, science-based information on radio wave safety to all 194 member states, supporting the development of best-practice governance and legislation. 

For more information on public health and radio waves, please visit the WHO website. 

Updated 19 November 2020

As a Federal Government Agency working under the Department of Health, ARPANSA is committed to supporting the health and safety of all Australians. During this period, as the Government works to protect the community from the effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), we are working to support our staff and all stakeholders as we do our part to reduce the spread.

For up-to-date information and advice on COVID-19, please refer to the Department of Health website.  

Our offices in Sydney (Miranda) and Melbourne (Yallambie) are currently closed to the public. ARPANSA maintains a reduced on-site workforce and adjustments have been made at both sites to maintain a COVID Safe workplace.

Regulatory activities are continuing, with a combination of remote and on-site inspections.

Our Australian Clinical Dosimetry Service (ACDS) has returned to more regular on-site auditing and, using remote support where practicable, continues to support the radiation oncology community to ensure clinical obligations are met.

Other laboratories and services that were temporarily unavailable during the earlier period of our response are now operational, however we anticipate some delays.

All other activities, including our Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty radionuclide monitoring system, medical permits, UV monitoring network and other radiation monitoring programs continue to operate as normal.

We will provide further updates to this advice as required.

Nuclear medicines and technologies are used widely in Australia to support cancer treatment and medical diagnosis as well as in scientific and industrial applications.

Waste products from the production and use of radioactive materials require careful management to ensure safe transport, storage and disposal of radioactive waste.

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) has released its updated Guide for Classification of Radioactive Waste (2020).

While the classifications themselves have not changed, key updates in this version of the guide include simplification of the document structure and alignment of terminology with international standards.

‘The updated Guide continues to provide a clear and consistent guidance for classification of Australia’s radioactive waste’, said Dr Carl-Magnus Larsson, ARPANSA CEO.

This Guide supports best-practice classification of radioactive waste and is part of Australia’s strong regulatory framework to ensure the safe use of radiation. It also supports implementation of the safety requirements outlined in the Code for Disposal Facilities for Solid Radioactive Waste (2018).

These regulatory documents are important to all industry sectors that deal with radioactive material and to the Commonwealth government as it works towards establishing a National Radioactive Waste Management Facility (NRWMF).

ARPANSA does not have a formal role in the Government’s NRWMF until such time as a licence application is received.

Read more: Guide for Classification of Radioactive Waste

For more information on the NRWMF, visit the Australian Radioactive Waste Agency website.

The Australian Radiation and Nuclear Protection Agency (ARPANSA) is proud to welcome Dr Sarah Loughran as the inaugural Director of ARPANSA’s activities under the government’s enhanced Electromagnetic Energy (EME) Program.

In this role, Dr Loughran will lead the work outlined in ARPANSA’s EME Action Plan 2020-2024, which will contribute to the Federal Government’s Program by helping build public confidence in the safety of telecommunications networks, address misinformation about EME emissions and continue robust scientific research in the EME field. 

Prior to joining ARPANSA, Dr Loughran held positions as an Associate Professor for the University of Wollongong, and Director of the Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research (ACEBR).  

‘Electromagnetic energy research and safety has shaped a large part of my professional and academic career, and I’m very excited to bring this expertise to ARPANSA,’ said Dr Sarah Loughran. 

‘ARPANSA’s work under the broader EME program will ensure that Australia remains at the forefront of electromagnetic energy research, and will provide the Australian public with independent, safe and evidenced-based information,’ said Dr Loughran. 

'We’re very excited to have Dr Loughran on board and look forward to utilising her many years of experience and expertise to deliver on ARPANSA’s Vision for a safe radiation environment for the Australian community,' said Dr Gillian Hirth, ARPANSA's Chief Radiation Health Officer and Deputy Chief Executive Officer.  

Dr Loughran has commenced her role from 12 October 2020.  

About Dr Sarah Loughran 

Dr Sarah Loughran is a current member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Radio Frequency Environmental Health Criterion Evaluation Committee and is an elected member of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection's (ICNIRP) Scientific Expert Group. 

Dr Loughran also holds degrees in physiology and psychology from Deakin University, and completed her PhD in cognitive neuroscience and psychophysiology at Swinburne University in Melbourne. She has also spent several years as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Zurich, Switzerland. Her research has focused on a wide range of bioelectromagnetic health issues including the effects on sleep, human brain function, and the mechanisms associated with these effects, as well as risk communication related to EME and health.