MOBILE TELEPHONY AND HEALTH: THE POSITION OF ICNIRP, Paolo Vecchia, Chairman ICNIRP

Ensuring Public Health and Safety in the Mobile Industry

New Delhi, India, 8 February 2012

MOBILE TELEPHONY AND HEALTH:THE POSITION OF ICNIRP

Paolo VecchiaChairman of ICNIRP



THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ONNON-IONIZING RADIATION PROTECTION

ICNIRP is an independent scientific organization that:

• provides guidance and advice on the health hazards of non-ionizing radiation

• develops international guidelines on limiting exposure to non-ionizing radiation that are independent and science based

• provides science based guidance and recommendations onprotection from non-ionizing radiation exposure



ICNIRP Statement

GENERAL APROACH TO PROTECTIONAGAINST NON-IONIZING RADIATION

Health Physics 82:540-548 (2002)www.icnirp.org



BASIC CRITERIA

• Recommendations based on science only

• Exposure limits based on established effects



ESTABLISHED EFFECTS FOR RF FIELDS

Absorption of electromagnetic energy

Increase of body temperature (general or local)

Thermal effects



LIMITS FOR THRESHOLD EFFECTSE

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Established health effects

Reduction factor

“Safe” exposure

Threshold of effects

Exposure limit



LIMITS FOR MOBILE TELEPHONY

• Limits on whole-body exposureApplicable to base stationsAverage SAR < 0.08 W/kg

• Limits on local exposureApplicable to handsetsLocal SAR < 2 W/kg



All mobile phones legally on the market undergo standardized tests in order to prove compliance with international limits(SAR < 2 W/kg as averaged over any 10 g of tissue)

COMPLIANCE OF HANDSETS



CONFIRMATION OF ESTABLISHED EFFECTS

It is the opinion of ICNIRP, that the scientific literature publishedsince the 1998 guidelines has provided no evidence of anyadverse effects below the basic restrictions and does notnecessitate an immediate revision of its guidance on limitingexposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields.

ICNIRP Statement on the “Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Time-Varying Electric,Magnetic, and Electromagnetic Fields (Up To 300 GHz)”, 2009



LONG TERM EFFECTS?

• From the current scientific literature, there is no convincing evidencethat exposure to RF shortens the life span of humans, induces orpromotes cancer (WHO, 1998)

• Available epidemiological studies on broadcastig antennas areinconsistent and non informative (poor exposure assessment)

• Epidemiological studies on mobile phones are mostly negative



ICNIRP ON LONG-TERM EFFECTS

[...] the studies have yelded no convincing evidence that typicalexposure levels lead to adverse reproductive outcomes or an increasedcancer risk in exposed individuals.

ICNIRP Guidelines, 1998

We found [in 2009] the existing evidence did not support an increased risk ofbrain tumours in mobile phone users within the duration of use yet investigated.ICNIRP believes on preliminary review of the [Interphone] results, that they donot change the overall conclusions. ICNIRP therefore considers that the resultsof the Interphone study give no reason for alteration of the current guidelines

Note on the Interphone Study, 2010

.



PLAUSIBILITY OF NON-THERMAL EFFECTS

With regard to non-thermal interactions, it is in principle impossible todisprove their possible existence but the plausibility of the various non-thermal mechanisms that have been proposed is very low.

In addition, the recent in vitro and animal genotoxicity andcarcinogenicity studies are rather consistent overall and indicate thatsuch effects are unlikely at low levels of exposure.

ICNIRP Statement on the “Guidelines For Limiting Exposure To Time-Varying Electric,Magnetic, and Electromagnetic Fields (Up To 300 GHz)”, 2009



WHICH PROTECTION AGAINSTNO-THRESHOLD EFFECTS?

If available data permit the identification of an adverse effect, but not the

detection of a threshold […] the role of ICNIRP is to provide the general

recommendation that the occurrence of the adverse effect should be

minimized, e.g. by minimizing the exposure.

General Approach to Protection against Non Ionizing Radiation, 2002



WHICH PROTECTION AGAINSTNO-THRESHOLD EFFECTS?

ICNIRP should also attempt to analyze the risk in terms of levels of

consequences that could be quantified. The acceptability of such risks would,

however, be based also on social and economic considerations, and as such,

fall outside the remit of ICNIRP. National authorities responsible for risk

management may provide further advice on strategies to avoid the effect or

limit the risk.

General Approach to Protection against Non Ionizing Radiation, 2002



BI-DIRECTIONAL EXCHANGE OF ENERGY

Which are the proportions?



COMMON POSITION OF NORDIC COUNTRIES(Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden)

The exposure to the general public from base stations is extremely low, normally100 to 10 000 times lower than the ICNIRP guidelines and very much lower thanthe exposure from the handsets.

The Nordic authorities agree that there is no scientific evidence for any adversehealth effects from mobile telecommunication systems, neither from the basestations nor from the handsets, below the basic restrictions and reference valuesrecommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing RadiationProtection (ICNIRP).Mobile Telephony and Health: A Common View, 2004



AIM OF ACTIONS

Are actions additional to compliance with international limits aimed at…

•Reducing exposure levels?Some measures (e.g. displacement of base stations) may increaseoverall exposure

•Reducing public worriesThere is evidence that precautionary measures, including the reduction ofexposure limits, increases public concern



REDUCTION OF EXPOSURE?

• Exposure from mobile phones is much more important than exposure to

base stations

• Power emitted by mobile phones is limited by the adaptive power control

(APC)

• An increased distance from the base station results in little or no reduction

of the environmental level of electromagnetic fields and in a significant

increase of power emitted by the phones



REDUCTION OF WORRIES?



WIEDEMANN ET AL. 2005





THANK YOUFOR YOUR ATTENTION

[email protected]

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MOBILE TELEPHONY AND HEALTH: THE POSITION OF ICNIRP, Paolo Vecchia, Chairman ICNIRP