EVOLUTION OF ICNIRP GUIDELINES

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Elijah Miles
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1 EVOLUTION OF ICNIRP GUIDELINES Paolo Vecchia Chairman of ICNIRP

2 CRITICS TO ICNIRP GUIDELINES ICNIRP Guidelines have been criticized for: Being outdated Lack of transparency Lack of consensus Being too permissive Being too restrictive Lack of flexibility Ignoring long-term effects

3 HISTORY OF ICNIRP GUIDELINES RF (interim) 1984 RF Hz electric and magnetic fields (interim) 1990 Static magnetic fields 1994 Time-varying EMF (> 0 Hz GHz) 1998 Static magnetic fields 2009 Low-frequency EMF (1 Hz 100 khz) 2010 The basic features of the guidelines have non changed over the years

4 EARLY STANDARDS ( ) 1982) ICNIRP 1998 Adapted by Hitchock and Patterson 1995

5 REVISION OF STANDARDS Review of the science (ICNIRP) Evaluation of carcinogenicity (IARC) Global risk evaluatiion (WHO) Update of standards (ICNIRP)

6 STATIC FIELDS IARC 2002 ICNIRP 2003 WHO 2006 ICNIRP 2009 ELF FIELDS IARC 2002 ICNIRP 2003 WHO 2007 ICNIRP 2010 RF FIELDS ICNIRP 2009 IARC 2012 WHO 2013 ICNIRP 2013 (?)

7 APPROVAL PROCEDURE Draft prepared by an ad hoc working group Discussion and approval by the Main Commission Open consultation Incorporation of comments Final approval and publication

8 ISSUED ADDRESSED IN REVISED GUIDELINES Threshold-based limits (time-varying fields) vs NOAEL-based limits (static fields) Biologically effective quantities (ELF fields) Dosimetry and reference levels (ELF fields) Reduction factors Possibie relaxation of limits for workers exposure (static and ELF fields) Health effects vs discomfort Differentiation by tissue/organ

9 STATIC MAGNETIC FIELDS ( NOAEL APPROACH) Exposure level? No Observed Acute Effects Area 8 T 2 T Acceptable exposure (Special conditions) Exposure limit

10 LOW-FREQUENCY FIELDS Established health effects Exposure level Reduction factor Safe exposure Threshold of effects Exposure limit

11 LF - BASIC RESTRICTIONS

12 CONSIDERATION OF LONG-TERM EFFECTS A causal relationship between magnetic fields and childhood leukemia has not been established nor have any other long term effects been established. The absence of established causality means that this effect cannot be addressed in the basic restrictions. ICNIRP Guidelines, 2010

13 RF GUIDELINES The last revision of basic restrictions and reference levels for RF fields dates back to The guidelines have been criticized for being outdated, especially with regard to long-term effects..

14 ICNIRP STATEMENT 2009 Health Physics

15 CONFIRMATION OF ESTABLISHED EFFECTS It is the opinion of ICNIRP, that the scientific literature published since the 1998 guidelines has provided no evidence of any adverse effects below the basic restrictions and does not necessitate an immediate revision of its guidance on limiting exposure to high frequency electromagnetic fields.

16 CONSIDERATION OF LONG-TERM EFFECTS (1998) Although there are deficiencies in the epidemiological work, [ ] the studies have yielded no convincing evidence that typical exposure levels lead to adverse reproductive outcomes or an increased cancer risk in exposed individuals. This is consistent with the results of laboratory research on cellular and animal models, which have demonstrated neither teratogenic nor carcinogenic effects of exposure to athermal levels of high-frequency EMF. ICNIRP Guidelines, 1998

17 CONSIDERATION OF LONG-TERM EFFECTS (2004) Results of epidemiologic studies to date give no consistent or convincing evidence of a causal relation between RF exposure and any adverse health effect. On the other hand, these studies have too many deficiencies to rule out an association. ICNIRP - SC I. Epidemiology of Health Effects of Radiofrequency Exposure

18 ICNIRP ON THE INTERPHONE STUDY (2010) ICNIRP believes on preliminary review of the results that they do not chang the overall conclusions ICNIRP therefore concludes that the results of the Interphone study give no reason for alteration of the present guidelines.

19 THE IARC CLASSIFICATION

20 CONSIDERATION OF LONG-TERM EFFECTS (2011) [The Interphone data] combined with the results of biological and animal studies, other epidemiological studies, and brain tumour incidence trends, suggest that within the first years after first mobile phone use there is unlikely to be a material risk of adult brain tumours resulting from mobile phone use. ICNIRP - SC I. Mobile Phones, brain Tumours, and the Interphone Study: Where Are We Now?

21 THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

HEALTH PROTECTION AGAINST EMFs: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES

HEALTH PROTECTION AGAINST EMFs: PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES Paolo Vecchia National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy Chairman of ICNIRP ICNIRP The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation: Is an