New IET fact file: Electromagnetic fields and health
Published: Wed 2 Mar 2022
This paper may also interest medical professionals, as the fact file concludes that there is no evidence that EMFs, as used in society, cause damage to human health – helping to reassure the general public.
We have been examining the subject of EMFs carefully for several years. In light of technological advances, we have updated this fact file to ensure its contents reflect the latest guidelines on user safety.
Amongst its contents, the document examines the nature of EMFs and safe levels at different frequencies and provides links to websites with further information on this subject.
Electromagnetic fields are inevitably produced by all electrical systems. Examples include power lines and cables, electrical appliances, wireless local area networks (WLAN), mobile phones and base stations, and TV and radio transmitters.
Research into the potential health risks associated with EMFs has been ongoing for more than 30 years and a large body of scientific evidence has been amassed. Initially, research efforts were focused on the fields produced by the electric power distribution system that supplies energy for domestic and industrial use.
Since then, studies on the effects of mobile phones and other wireless devices have predominated.
The potential health effects relating to weaker fields that fall below reference levels or to newer technologies have been proposed but lack sufficient supporting scientific evidence. Effects of exposure to fields that exceed the ICNIRP guidelines are well established.
They include nerve stimulation from direct currents and thermal effects at higher frequencies, both are described in the following sections.
Several governments have adopted exposure limits for EMFs devised by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), a chartered, non-profit, scientific body that is officially recognised by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The ICNIRP guidelines provide both public and occupational limits for both whole-body exposure and localised exposure to parts of the body such as the head and torso or the limbs, along with a full scientific rationale for the limits.