The upcoming annual joint meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) and the European BioElectromagnetics Association (EBEA), BioEM 2020, in Oxford, United Kingdom, 21-26 June 2020 has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You can find the official announcement on the BioEM 2020 homepage.
The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) has released the long-awaited guidelines on limiting exposure to electromagnetic fields for the protection of humans exposed to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields in the range 100 kHz to 300 GHz. The guidelines cover many applications such as 5G technologies, WiFi, Bluetooth, mobile phones and base stations. This publication replaces the 100 kHz to 300 GHz part of the ICNIRP (1998) radiofrequency guidelines as well as the 100 kHz to 10 MHz part of the ICNIRP (2010) low-frequency guidelines.
The ICNIRP homepage provides further information. Morevover, Frequently Asked Questions related to the ICNIRP RF Guidelines 2020 are answered and the main differences between the new and previous guidelines are explained there.
The 9th International NIR (non-ionizing radiation) workshop organized by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) was originally scheduled to take place in Seoul, Korea, from May 6-8, 2020 (see EMF-Portal News from May 7, 2019). Now it has been postponed for an indefinite period of time due to the current Sars-CoV-2 virus epidemic.
Information about the new arrangements will be announced on the ICNIRP homepage and here on EMF-Portal.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has released a review of published literature between 2008 and 2018 of relevance to radiofrequency radiation and cancer. The results support the FDA’s determination that there is no consistent or credible scientific evidence of health problems caused by the exposure to radiofrequency energy emitted by cell phones.
The deadline for abstract submissions for the BioEM 2020 in in Oxford, UK, has been extended to February 9, 2020.
Visit the BioEM 2020 homepage for further information.
The 2021 joint meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) and the European BioElectromagnetics Association (EBEA) will be at the Hawai’i Convention Center in Honolulu Hawai’i from June 13 to 18, 2021.
Read the official announcement on the BEMS homepage.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Radiation Programme has an ongoing project to assess potential health effects of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. Within this framework, 10 topics for systematic reviews were identified last year, for which research teams could apply to the WHO (see EMF-Portal news from 9 October 2019). Now it has been announced that for three topics WHO is still looking for eligible teams. The deadline has been extended until 7 February 2020.
For more information visit the WHO homepage.
The 2020 joint meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) and the European BioElectromagnetics Association (EBEA) will be held from June 21 to June 26, 2020 in Oxford, UK. The call for abstracts for platform presentations and poster sessions has started now. Find more information on the BioEM 2020 homepage.
As per its statutes, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) elects its commission members every four years. Following a call for nominations extended to the Commission members, IRPA (International Radiation Protection Association) and its societies, and national public radiation protection authorities (see news article from 23 May 2019), the election took place at the ICNIRP Annual General Meeting, 19-20 November 2019, in Munich, Germany. For the term of office 2020-2024, Rodney Croft (Australia) was elected as the new chair and Eric van Rongen (Netherlands) as the vice chair. The new members are Tania Cestari, Nigel Cridland, Anke Huss, and Ken Karipidis. Maria Feychting (Vice-Chair 2012-2020) and Adèle Green are departing the Main Commission. Zenon Sienkiewicz also leaves the Main Commission.
For more information and listing of all commission members, see the ICNIRP homepage.
In spring 2019, an advisory group had recommended that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) should reassess the cancer risks associated with non-ionizing radiofrequency radiation with high priority (see news article from April 04, 2019). The full report on priorities for the IARC Monographs during 2020-2024 is now available on the IARC website. On the topic of non-ionizing radiation, the recommendations are as follows (p. 148-149): High priority for a reassessment of radiofrequency EMF within 5 years and no recommendation for a reassessment of extremely low frequency magnetic fields.
The Journal Environmental Health has published a systematic review conducted by femu and NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology) entitled: "Methodological limitations in experimental studies on symptom development in individuals with idiopathic environmental intolerance attributed to electromagnetic fields (IEI-EMF) – a systematic review". The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate methodological limitations in experimental studies on symptom development in IEI-EMF individuals that might have fostered false positive or false negative results. In many of the 28 included studies, methodological limitations were identified that might have either fostered false or masked real effects of exposure. Overall, the evidence pointed towards no effect of exposure. If further experimental studies are conducted, they should preferably be performed at the individual level and they should minimize the risk of bias in study design.
The article can be found via the EMF-Portal, via PubMed and on the Environmental Health homepage.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Radiation Programme has an ongoing project to assess potential health effects of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. To prioritize research questions in this field, WHO conducted a broad international survey in 2018. Ten major topics were identified for which WHO will now commission systematic reviews. The closing date for the call of expression of interest is 4 November 2019.
For more information visit the WHO homepage.
The German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) hosts the 6th International Workshop on the Causes of Childhood Leukemia from 20 to 22 November 2019 in Freising (Munich), Germany. The Workshop will discuss current research results and future research directions, focusing on potential mechanisms of childhood leukemia development. The workshop is addressed to scientists, pediatricians, epidemiologists, biologists and radiation scientists as well as to representatives of German, European and international institutions and stakeholders. The conference language is English.
Further information can be found on the official homepage of the workshop.
The Competence Initiative for the Protection of Humanity, the Environment and Democracy e.V hosts the international public symposium “Biological effects of wireless technology” from 4 to 6 October 2019 in the Electoral Palace, Mainz, Germany. The event addresses both experts and interested lay people and will offer lectures, workshops, documentary films and panel discussions on the possible health-related effects of wireless communication, especially 5G. The lectures and discussions will be simultaneously translated into German or English.
Further information on the event can be found on the Competence Initiative homepage.
The 2020 joint meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) and the European BioElectromagnetics Association (EBEA) will be held from June 21 to June 26, 2020 in Oxford, UK. The official website will provide further information on the meeting soon.
The German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) organizes the international workshop “International workshop: Environmental effects of electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields: Flora and Fauna” from 5–7 November 2019 in Munich, Germany. The workshop will cover the effects of anthropogenic fields of all frequencies on plants, invertebrates and vertebrates, possible mechanisms of action in living systems and gaps in knowledge.
Registration and abstract submission are open now. For more information, visit the official homepage.
The Journal Burns has published a systematic review conducted by femu entitled: "Direct current electrical injuries: A systematic review of case reports and case series". This review aimed at systematically summarizing the medical consequences of direct current (DC) electrical injuries described in case reports and case series. The analysis showed that it was not possible to identify well defined medical consequences for various circumstances of DC electrical injuries due few available data and partly incomplete documentations. To achieve this goal, additional studies are required, each providing a comprehensive description of the medical consequences and the circumstances of the electrical injuries.
This work was supported by the German Social Accident Insurance Institution for the Energy, Textile, Electrical, and Media Products Sectors (BG ETEM).
The article can be found in the EMF-Portal, on PubMed and on ScienceDirect.
On October 17, 2019, the Institute of Non-ionizing Radiation (INIS) will host an international seminar on 5G and Health in Ljubljana, Slovenia. This seminar will provide an overview of EMF, 5G and health issues with a special focus on state of the art in health risk assessment, new ICNIRP guidelines and key procedures in relation to network rollout. The seminar language will be English.
Further details including the information on program, accommodation and registration are available on the official homepage.
In order to provide a quick overview of the study inventory on the currently widely discussed topic "5th generation mobile communications (5G)", the EMF-Portal now offers an appropriate study overview. Under the tab "Literature" and the heading "Mobile communications", you will find the new item "Studies on 5th generation mobile communications (5G)”. This section lists all studies on 5G.
The call for nominations for the membership in the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) from 2020 to 2024 is now open until 17 September 2019. All IRPA (International Radiation Protection Association) national societies, the IRPA Executive Council and all national public bodies in charge of non-ionizing radiation protection are invited to send their nominations.
Forms, information and contact data can be found on the ICNIRP homepage.
The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) will hold its 9th International NIR (non-ionizing radiation) workshop in conjunction with the IRPA15 Congress in Seoul, Korea, from 6-8 May 2020. The update of the ICNIRP Radio Frequency Guidelines expected for publication in 2019 will be the focus of the workshop. Visit the ICNIRP website for further information.
An Advisory Group has recommended that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) should reassess the cancer risks associated with non-ionizing radiofrequency radiation with high priority. According to the panel’s report, which was issued last week in The Lancet, the group suggests that the new evaluation should take place between 2022 and 2024. Besides radiofrequency fields, several other agents were recommended for revisit, e.g. automotive gasoline, acrylamide or sedentary behavior. A detailed report of the advisory committee will be published subsequently.
The Journal Environmental Research has published a systematic review performed by femu entitled: "Systematic review on the biological effects of electric, magnetic and electromagnetic fields in the intermediate frequency range (300 Hz to 1 MHz)". The aim of the review was to assess the potential biological and health effects of exposures to intermediate frequency fields. The analysis showed that the studies investigated yielded inconsistent results for most endpoints. In addition, many studies suffered from methodological limitations which lowered the credibility of the reported results. Overall, the quality of evidence for adverse effects remains inadequate for drawing a conclusion on investigated biological effects.
The project was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and commissioned by the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), Germany (grant number 3616S82437).
The article can be found in the EMF-Portal and on the Environmental Research homepage.
The 2019 joint meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) and the European BioElectromagnetics Association (EBEA) will be held from June 23 to 29 2018 in Montpellier, France. The official BioEM 2019 website provides further information and dates on the meeting. The call for abstracts for platform presentations and poster sessions has started now.
The 9th Course of the International School of Bioelectromagnetics “Alessandro Chiabrera” will take place from from March 24 to March 30, 2019 in Erice, Italy. The title of the course is “Possible Biomedical Applications of Electromagnetic Fields to cancer: from Biology and in silico to clinical perspectives”.
Further information can be found on the EBEA homepage and in the official announcement (pdf file).
National Toxicology Program (NTP) has now released the final reports of their Cell Phone Radio Frequency Radiation Studies. These toxicology studies in rats and mice were conducted to help clarify potential health hazards, including cancer risk, from exposure to radio frequency radiation like that used in 2G and 3G cell phones. NTP concludes that there is clear evidence of tumors (malignant schwannomas) in the hearts of male rats and some evidence of further tumors in male rats. Japan and Korea have announced to verify the results in own animal studies.
You can find all relating documents and a fact sheet on the NTP homepage.
The Institute of Occupational, Social and Environmental Medicine is seeking qualified applicants for research and teaching in the area of Healthy Living Spaces. The starting date is at the earliest possible date. The professorship will concentrate on research into the prevention and treatment of building-related health disorders in an interdisciplinary setting. The position with an attractive equipment is limited initially to a fixed 5-year term due to the funding period of the foundation (Villum foundation, Denmark).
You can find further information in the official advertisement.
Within the framework of a project funded by the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), femu in cooperation with Seibersdorf Labor GmbH has conducted a systematic review entitled “Exposure and effects of electromagnetic fields of novel technologies in the intermediate frequency range - systematic review - Project 3616S82437”. The report consists of three parts: Part 1 describes the sources of electromagnetic fields in the intermediate frequency range as well as documented exposures and immissions, part 2 deals with the possible biological effects of intermediate frequency fields and part 3 examines possible electromagnetic interference of electronic implants. The review has now been published as a departmental research report in DORIS, the online database of BfS, and is available for free and public download (in German only; an English summary is to be added).
The draft of the ICNIRP Guidelines on Limiting Exposure to Time-Varying Electric, Magnetic and Electromagnetic Fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz) is now open for public consultation. As part of the development of guidelines, ICNIRP has regularly presented draft guidelines to encourage critique and feedback from the public. The consultation process is open now and will terminate on 9 October 2018. After the consultation period, all comments will be reviewed by ICNIRP for finalization of the draft.
You can find the draft documents and comment form on the ICNIRP website.
The Journal EP Europace has published a systematic review performed by femu with the title: „Electromagnetic interference in cardiac electronic implants caused by novel electrical appliances emitting electromagnetic fields in the intermediate frequency range: a systematic review“. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate whether cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are susceptible to electromagnetic interference (EMI) in the IF range (1 kHz–1 MHz). The analysis showed that cardiac implants are susceptible to EMI in the intermediate frequency range, particularly through security systems and induction hobs. The likelihood for EMI is dependent on different exposure-related parameters (field strength, frequency and modulation) and on the implanted devices and leads (model, type of implant, implant sensitivity setting, lead configuration and implantation site). However, the factors influencing EMI have not yet been sufficiently characterized to derive exposure limit values. Future studies should therefore consider exposure-related parameters as well as implant- and lead-related parameters systematically. Additionally, worst-case scenarios should be considered in all study types where possible.
The study was supported by the European Research Group on Environment and Health in the Transport Sector (EUGT) e.V., Germany.
The article can be found in the EMF-Portal and is available for free download on the EP Europace homepage.
ICNIRP has announced on its website that the new radiofrequency guidelines will be online for consultation within a few days. You can subscribe to the ICNIRP newsletter to get notified. Of course, EMF-Portal will also inform you as soon as the consultation process starts.
We are pleased to announce that, thanks to the financial support of our valuable users, we are able once again, to import articles from the radiofrequency range into the EMF-Portal. Fortunately, we could close the gap in our literature inventory and all newly published articles released up to April 30, 2018 have been included. In order that we are able to import further publications released in the future, please help us with your donation. Thank you very much!
Find out more about costs, funding and donations for the EMF-Portal.
The National Toxicology Programm (NTP), USA, has released two draft reports on studies on cell phone radiofrequency radiation in rats and mice. The main result is that high exposure to radiofrequency radiation resulted in tumors in tissues surrounding nerves in the hearts of male rats, but not female rats or any mice. The exposure levels used in the studies were equal to and higher than the highest level permitted for local tissue exposure in cell phone emissions today. Cell phones typically emit lower levels of radiation than the maximum level allowed. NTP will hold an external expert review of its complete findings from these rodent studies on March 26-28.
Here you can read the official statement and download the draft reports from the NTP homepage for free.
ICNIRP’s current guidelines for the high-frequency (100 kHz – 300 GHz) range have been under revision since 2014, and a public consultation version of the updated guidelines is expected within the first half of 2018. Given this timing, ICNIRP has been asked whether, in the interim period, the current guidelines can still be considered as protective. ICNIRP now replied that the anticipated exposure limit changes are very small and thus the current guidelines remain protective. However, if aspects should be discovered that are not sufficiently protective during the remainder of the revision process, ICNIRP will immediately publish interim amendments that would remain in force until the revised guidelines are published.
The original statement can be found on the ICNIRP website, where further updates on the high-frequency guidelines revision process will be published as well.
On our own behalf: Due to a lack of financial resources, we unfortunately have to suspend the import of any new radio frequency and mobile phone-related articles as of now (November 27, 2017). We apologize for this inconvenience and will keep you informed.
From November 8-10, 2017, the two international organizations responsible for developing the systems of radiation protection worldwide, the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) exchanged information and views on the scientific basis, ethical basis, and basic principles of protection. The objectives of this meeting in Munich, Germany, were to increase mutual understanding of the approaches to protection, to reach a common understanding of the state of the systems of protection and to explore possibilities for continued collaboration. Both organizations have reached an agreement in principle to strengthen communication and collaboration between them and with other organizations with similar interests.
You can download the official statement on the meeting from the ICNIRP homepage.
On our own behalf: The EMF-Portal is now offering an extended search. The new search complements the well-known literature search and is particularly fast and easy to use. It presents results from the literature database as well as the glossary and the info texts. The search is intuitive and delivers relevant hits to individual search terms, combinations, complete sentences or questions.
The Journal Environmental Research has published a systematic review performed by femu with the title: “Systematic review of biological effects of exposure to static electric fields. Part II: Invertebrates and plants “. The article completes the investigations (part 1 investigated effects on humans and vertebrates) on effects of static electric fields in view of the increasing importance of high-voltage direct-current transmission lines (HVDC) and missing limit values. Based on 33 identified studies, the authors found no evidence for adverse effects of static electric fields at HVDC field levels, but strong indications that invertebrates are able to perceive them. However, corona-action appears to cause adverse biological effects at very high field levels. The study was funded within the framework of the BMBF ResearchCampus Flexible Electrical Networks (FEN).
The article can be found in the EMF-Portal and is available for free download from ScienceDirect.
On our own behalf: With the help of a grant from the Federal Office for Radiation Protection, the EMF-Portal was analyzed and evaluated by independent experts. In order to decide how the EMF-Portal will be made available in the future, both the website and the use of the EMF-Portal were analyzed regarding the content and its quality, the presentation of the results and the usability for information gathering. The usability of the EMF-Portal was also tested for various target groups and recommendations for the improvement of the EMF-Portal were derived. The evaluation of the content was carried out by Seibersdorf Labor GmbH and the evaluation of user management by YOUSE GmbH.
The final report can be downloaded from the BfS homepage (in German; only abstract in English).
The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) has announced the International Workshop “Relationship between neurodegenerative diseases and magnetic field exposure – state of knowledge and research perspectives”. It will take place from 12 - 14 December 2017 in Munich, Germany as part of the BfS research initiative on radiation protection in power grid expansion (EMF-Portal reported). Several topics like epidemiological evidence of a possible relationship between low frequency magnetic fields and neurodegenerative diseases will be addressed on the workshop. The focus will be Alzheimer’s dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, medical aspects like diagnoses and therapy and on the investigation of action mechanisms with the help of animal and cell models. The aim of the workshop is to summarize the recent state of scientific knowledge and to identify research gaps. Submission of abstracts is possible until November 10. Visit the official homepage for further information and registration.
The 2018 joint meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) and the European BioElectromagnetics Association (EBEA) will be held from June 25 to 29 2018 in Portorož, Slovenia. The official BioEM 2018 website provides first information and dates on the meeting.
To facilitate a broad discussion, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) is now offering the possibility to participate in the recently launched research program radiation protection in power grid expansion (see EMF-Portal news from July 4). Until mid-September, interested persons can review the individual projects of the program and submit their comments online. These are evaluated in the BfS and considered during the further planning of the research program. The aim of the online consultation is to discuss all aspects of health and radiation protection from the beginning. Further information are available on the BfS homepage (in German).
The Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) is intensifying its research on radiation protection in power grid expansion in view of the energy transition in Germany and the still existing scientific uncertainties regarding the possible risks of static and low-frequency fields. There are 33 studies planned in the fields of epidemiology and biology, exposure and dosimetry and risk communication. At the kick-off event on 11 July 2017 in Berlin, the BfS will provide information on its research initiative and the discussion shall improve the orientation of the research program and focus on key issues. Further information can be found on the BfS homepage (in German).
The 2017 joint meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) and the European BioElectromagnetics Association (EBEA) BioEM2017 will start next week on Monday, June 5, in the West Lake Villa in Hangzhou, China. The online registration will close on Thursday. However, on-site registration is possible as well. The conference program is available on the BioEM2017 homepage. Several plenary lectures, e.g., on epigenetics and EMF or health effects of the future 5G technology as well as multiple workshops, e.g., on novel radio frequency exposure measurement devices can be attended.
The Swiss Research Foundation for Electricity and Mobile Communication (FSM; Zurich, Switzerland) invites interested persons to the 26th Science Brunch with the title “acceptance of power lines and energy transition” on June 29, 2017. The event series "Science Brunch" was developed to provide the interested public with a platform for the discussion of current issues related to electricity and mobile communications and it takes place twice a year. Visit the FSM homepage for further information and registration (information in German only).
The Journal Environmental Health has published a systematic review performed by femu with the title: “Biological effects of exposure to static electric fields in humans and vertebrates: a systematic review“. The study was carried out in view of the increasing importance of high-voltage direct-current transmission lines and missing limits for static electric fields in the environment. Based on 48 identified studies, the authors found no consistent indications for adverse effects of static electric fields, but good evidence that humans and animals are able to perceive them. The conditions that affect thresholds for detection should be further investigated. The study was funded within the framework of BMBF Forschungscampus Flexible Electric Networks (FEN) (in German).
The article can be found in the EMF-Portal and is available for free download on the Environmental Health homepage.
Together with the Clinic for Cardiology, Pneumology, Angiology and Internal Intensive Medicine (Medical Clinic I) of the Uniklinik Aachen, femu has published in the Journal Circulation of the American Heart Association the following article, "In Vivo Study of Electromagnetic Interference With Pacemakers Caused by Everyday Electric and Magnetic Fields". In this study, the interference of cardiac pacemakers in humans was investigated in 50 Hz fields with electrical field strengths between 0.5 kV/m to 30 kV/m and magnetic flux densities between 10 μT and 2550 μT. With this unique approach under worst-case conditions, the threshold of the first functional interference of the implant was identified and therefore, for the first time, the interference thresholds from a large group of cardiac pacemakers are available. These can now be related to international and national regulations for the protection against harmful effects of EMF, in which people with implants have generally not been considered up to now.
The article can be found in the EMF-Portal as well as on the Circulation homepage.
The deadline for abstract submissions for the BioEM 2017 in Hangzhou, China, has been extended to February 28, 2017. Moreover, the planned plenary talks, workshops and tutorials have now been published. You can find the original announcement on the BioEM 2017 website.
The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) has released its Statement on Diagnostic Devices Using Non-Ionizing Radiation: Existing Regulations and Potential Health Risks. The statement reviews the range of diagnostic non-ionizing radiation (NIR) devices currently used in clinical settings, documents the relevant regulations and policies covering patients and health care workers and analyzes exposure scenarios and potential health dangers. Follow the link to the ICNIRP homepage for a free download.
A short reminder: The deadline for submission of abstracts for the BioEM 2017 in Hangzhou, China, is February 15, 2017. The registration for the conference is also open. Visit the BioEM 2017 website for further information and registration.
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