EMF’s Probably Don’t Cause Health Problems - 18/8/10
Posted by Cloud Net on Wed, Aug 18, 2010 @ 07:08 AM
It is good to know that away from all the hype and media frenzy
there are a number of world class institutions working in the UK. The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) is one of them.
There follows a transcript of an article on their latest release – it is well written and thoughtful – so there seems little point in paraphrasing. It provides a balanced view of the situation and is an example of how useful their work is.
This is an issue that affects us all and whilst the media will always scream about any paper that even hints at health problems – it is good to have a report and statement that is both considered and helpful.
Thanks guys.
“Many of its members, the public, elements of industry and academia, and government expect the IET to have a position regarding any possible harmful health effects from the low-level exposure we all incur due to the radiation which emanates from electrical power systems, industrial heating, radio and television, stock control wireless systems (e.g. RFID), mobile phones, WiFi, radar etc. Listing just some of the sources shows how ubiquitous these electromagnetic fields (EMF) are in our environment and how it is difficult not to incur exposure as we go about our daily lives.
Public awareness and concern about our exposure to EMFs started in the early 1980s in relation to living near electrical power infra-structures such as pylons and sub-stations. This concern was extended to cellular telecommunications in the mid 1990s as the number of base-stations for the (then) analogue mobile phone services proliferated. Up until then, there appears to have been little concern about radio and television broadcasting or the few private business radio masts providing primarily taxis with a mobile means of communication.
Realising that it did not have all the necessary expertise within the (then) IEE to adequately address the subject of whether there were harmful health issues, the Institution formed an invited group of UK experts that did have the necessary skills and knowledge to advise it and give their time freely. The Biological Effects Policy Advisory Group (BEPAG) was formed in 1992 with an initial brief to consider any health issues related to the electrical power infra-structure - nominally 50 and 60 Hz systems. This brief was extended in 1998 to cover the electromagnetic spectrum up to 300 GHz and include known and envisaged wireless services such as the burgeoning mobile telephone services around 1 and 2 GHz, as well as broadcast TV and radio frequencies.
BEPAG is an expert group of six scientists and engineers whose expertise includes the topics of low-frequency electric and magnetic field interaction mechanisms with human tissue, cellular biology, epidemiology, animal and human cancer, and both radio frequency and power frequency dosimetry.
The group does not itself carry out experimental research (although several of its members do as part of their 'day job'). Rather it assesses each month the global published peer reviewed literature on the subject, and places their assessments into a database which forms the evidence for reporting every two years on the trends in the scientific knowledge base as to whether there are harmful health effects resulting from low-level EMF exposure. Typically each year 800+ papers are reviewed and assessed - no small undertaking when each of the members involved has a high profile job and is in considerable demand to participate in related public communication activities. Three of the group are Fellows of the IET.
The IET is indebted to the group for their dedication, professionalism and tenacity which they bring to the IET's understanding and public guidance on the subject.
So what does the latest Position Statement tell us? There are three main points. Firstly, there is the reassurance which comes from the fact that after almost 30 year's research (and hundreds of millions of dollars expenditure) into the subject of EMFs and health there is still no unequivocal, and importantly repeatable, laboratory study of scientific evidence that low-level EMFs cause any adverse health effects. That said science can never prove a negative [in this instance that low-level EMFs cannot cause adverse health effects] and it must therefore remain a possibility. Thus society would be wise to adopt precautionary exposure avoidance measures if they are practical, deliver suitable benefits, and are economically justifiable. [Especially given the apparent small statistical association (shown in a few ELF epidemiological studies) between childhood leukaemia and power frequency magnetic fields - see Position Statement for more information.] Secondly, that the widespread use of electricity and telecommunications has demonstrable value to society, including health benefits and this along with the balance of scientific evidence should be taken into account by policy makers when considering the costs and benefits of implementing precautionary approaches to public exposure and in the development of public exposure guidelines. Thirdly, BEPAG is concerned about pressures on scientists to publish potentially driving down the quality of research and notes that few, if any, published laboratory studies prove to be replicable by other groups.
This subject is highly emotive and many laypeople, and a few scientists, will assert the harm from EMFs, as demonstrated, for example by claims of cancer clusters around some power and telecommunications structures. Much of this is anecdotal, rather than scientifically evidenced. The government (through its Health Protection Agency (HPA), and OFCOM) monitors the situation and ensures that our exposure to EMFs is regulated in accordance with international guidelines (ICNIRP).
The IET's Position Statement can be found at: www.theiet.org/factfiles/bioeffects/emf-position.cfm”
See http://kn.theiet.org/magazine/member-news/23/changing-opinions.cfm
Written by David Hill, Chairman, Cloud Net