ARPANSA commenced Australia’s first centralised Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) Health Complaints Register on 4 July 2003. The Register collects reports of health concerns related to possible EMR field exposures in the range of 0-300 GHz. Members of the public who believe they have suffered ill-effects as a result of exposure to EMR can lodge a written complaint to the Register describing the nature of their exposure and any adverse health effects they claim to have experienced. ARPANSA does not investigate or attempt to resolve individual complaints. Relevant data gathered is used to produce annual statistical summaries on the nature and level of complaints received. The Register operates in strict compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 and, as such, personal information on people reporting may not be disclosed.
Reports received
Since its commencement the Register has received 174 reports. The number of reports received for different years is shown below.
| Year | Number of reports |
|---|---|
| 2003-4 | 24 |
| 2004-5 | 5 |
| 2005-6 | 1 |
| 2006-7 | 7 |
| 2007-8 | 3 |
| 2008-10 | 9 |
| 2010-12 | 6 |
| 2012-13 | 36 |
| 2013-14 | 35 |
| 2014-15 | 22 |
| 2015-16 | 7 |
| 2016-17 | 6 |
| 2017-18 | 2 |
| 2018-19 | 4 |
| 2019-20 | 7 |
EMR sources
The sources of EMR reported during July 2019-June 2020, noting that some reports included more than one EMR source, were:
| EMR source | Cumulative | July 2019 - June 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile phone base stations | 44 | 4 |
| 5G | 3 | 3 |
| Household electric and magnetic fields | 29 | 2 |
| Smart meter | 70 | 1 |
| Mobile phones | 45 | 1 |
| Wi-Fi | 33 | 1 |
| Solar inverters | 5 | 1 |
Health effects
The top ten health effects reported during July 2019-June 2020, noting that the reports included more than one health effect, were:
| Health effects | Cumulative | July 2019 - June 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Lethargy | 46 | 5 |
| Tinnitus | 42 | 5 |
| Cognitive problems | 9 | 3 |
| Insomnia | 28 | 3 |
| Anxiety | 53 | 2 |
| Concentration issues | 32 | 2 |
| Digestive problems | 7 | 2 |
| Dizziness | 35 | 2 |
| Headaches | 89 | 2 |
| Nausea | 34 | 2 |
Demographics
Age (years)
| Minimum | Maximum | Median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2019 - June 2020 | 46 | 75 | 57 |
| Cumulative | 8 | 88 | 53 |
Gender (no. of reports)
| Males | Females | Not specified | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 2019 - June 2020 | 1 (14%) | 6 (86%) | - |
| Cumulative | 67 (39%) | 103 (59%) | 4 (2%) |
State (no. of reports)
| NSW | Vic | SA | WA | Qld | Tas | ACT | NT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2019 - June 2020 | 2 (29%) | 3 (43%) | 1 (14%) | 1 (14%)- | - | - | - | - |
| Cumulative | 43 (24%) | 104 (59%) | 5 (3%) | 7 (4%) | 9 (6%) | 5 (3%) | 1 (1%) | - |
Other
- All of the people reporting during July 2019 – June 2020 were willing to be contacted (33 people in total reporting since the commencement of the register were not willing to be contacted).
- All of the people reporting during July 2019 – June 2020 had seen a medical practitioner about their condition (34 people in total reporting since the commencement of the register had not seen medical practitioner).
