Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami that initiated the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power station.

ARPANSA joins with our friends and colleagues in Japan to remember and pay our respects to the people who lost their lives and stand with those who survived and continue to be impacted by these events.

Ten years on from the nuclear accident, we are also reflecting on ARPANSA's role in Australia’s emergency response to the accident during the weeks and months following the event.

ARPANSA undertook measurements and studies during and after the event to assess the impact of the Fukushima accident both on Australians and the environment in Australia. This included investigating the levels of radioactivity in foods imported into Australia from Japan, and in the ocean, seafood and the atmosphere as a result the releases, monitoring for surface contamination on items coming from Japan such as cars, cargo vessels and returning military helicopters as well as provision of advice to Australian citizens who were concerned about radiation.

Radiation doses to Australians in Japan and migratory birds were also investigated. The results were published in 2012 and a decade later ARPANSA continues to be involved in international work being undertaken to follow up the implications of the accident on people and the environment.

Coinciding with the anniversary, the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) has published a new report, the UNSCEAR 2020 Report, that provides an authoritative and independent update on the levels and effects of radiation exposure due to the Fukushima accident. ‘Since the UNSCEAR 2013 Report, no adverse health effects among Fukushima residents have been documented that could be directly attributed to radiation exposure from the accident,’ said Dr Gillian Hirth, Chair of UNSCEAR and Deputy CEO and Chief Radiation Health Scientist at ARPANSA.

‘ARPANSA still has important work to do as we follow the ongoing recovery activities in Japan and understand the lessons learned from the Fukushima accident that had many broad reaching societal impacts,’ said Dr Hirth.

In the decade since the Fukushima accident, ARPANSA has continued its involvement in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Radiological Assistance Network, participating in field exercises inside the Fukushima exclusion zones, and in the ongoing development of IAEA Safety Standards for emergency preparedness and response.

ARPANSA’s response to the Fukushima disaster continues to be an important event in our history.

’We remember and honour all of those impacted by this tragedy and will continue our work to engage internationally to support nuclear safety and radiation protection efforts globally,’ said Dr Hirth.

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) has today released a new radio wave safety standard that offers strong health protection for all Australians.

The new Standard updates the Standard that was published by ARPANSA in 2002 and specifies the limits of human exposure for workers and the general public to radiofrequency fields in the range 100kHz to 300GHz, which includes the radio waves used in wireless communications such as Wi-Fi and 5G.

‘The new Standard was developed using the updated international guidelines set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation (ICNIRP) and the vast body of scientific research across the whole spectrum of radiofrequency electromagnetic energy’, said Dr Ken Karipidis, Assistant Director, Assessment and Advice at ARPANSA.

‘The exposure limits in the new Standard continue to be set conservatively, meaning they remain well below the level at which any harm can occur, and will protect the community from all new and existing technologies using radio waves,’ said Dr Karipidis.

Australia is one of the first countries in the world to update its radio wave Standard based on the new international guidelines.

‘ARPANSA is committed to public protection and is pleased to be leading the way in ensuring our exposure guidelines are fit for purpose into the future’, said Dr Carl-Magnus Larsson, ARPANSA CEO.

‘The new Standard is also a critical component of the Australian Government’s enhanced Electromagnetic Energy (EME) Program, which aims to promote health and safety and address misinformation about EME emissions,’ said Dr Larsson.

ARPANSA has developed an action plan led by recently appointed Program Director, Dr Sarah Loughran.

Under the action plan, ARPANSA is committed to:

• continuing to assess radio wave exposure levels in the community
• funding and leading radio wave research
• building a world-class radio wave laboratory
• collaborating with international organisations on radio wave science
• engaging with the Australian community to address misinformation on radio waves and health.

The new Standard is now in effect and is expected to be implemented by the relevant regulatory bodies in telecommunications, manufacturing and health sectors over the coming months.

Read more at Radiation Protection Series S-1 (Rev. 1).

Covering up with sun protective clothing is one of five ways Australians can protect themselves from the harmful effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. But not all fabrics provide the same level of protection.

ARPANSA’s UV laboratory tests clothing materials to determine a UV protection factor (UPF) rating which consumers can find on labels, or swing tags, attached to garments, hats, and other clothing accessories.

‘We’re launching our new-look swing tag to provide the Australian public with access to a simple, reliable indicator of the level of sun protection provided by clothing materials tested by ARPANSA’ said Lydia Tjong, Assistant Director, Ultraviolet Radiation Services at ARPANSA.  

‘The new design is much cleaner, making it easy to see at a glance the level of protection provided.’

With two in three Australians diagnosed with skin cancer by the age of 70, prevention is more important than ever.

Clothing is one of the 5 sun protection methods, which should all be used together where possible:

• slip on sun-protective clothing that covers as much skin as possible
• slop on broad spectrum, water resistant SPF30 or higher sunscreen. Put it on 20 minutes before you go outdoors and every two hours afterwards
• slap on a hat – broad brim, bucket or legionnaire style to protect your face, head, neck and ears
• seek shade from the sun wherever possible
• slide on some quality sunglasses – make sure they meet Australian Standards.

Consumers should start to see the new purple and yellow swing tags in stores over the coming months. 

Find out more: Sun protection using clothing

Every year, ARPANSA collates data from radiation regulators around Australia to produce a report on radiation safety. The report shares learnings to help others avoid similar incidents.

The Australian Radiation Incident Register (ARIR) report is a summary and analysis of data submitted to the ARIR for incidents that occurred in 2019.

Consistent with previous years, human error was identified as the trigger for the majority (61%) of reported incidents in 2019. Most reported incidents are from medical imaging.

The latest report also includes a focus on equipment-related incidents and lessons to be learnt.

Equipment-related incidents account for around one-fifth of all reported incidents including software and hardware failures, as well as deficiencies where the equipment used was not suitable for the task or failed to perform as expected.

‘Workplaces should be designed with the potential of equipment failure in mind. This could include putting in place recovery procedures, ensuring availability of alternate equipment and providing effective training’, said Mr Jim Scott, Chief Regulatory Officer at ARPANSA.

From the data received, there were no common modes of equipment failure identified, suggesting faults were not due to systemic issues such as manufacturing defects.

Findings of the report include:

• of the 575 incidents reported, 114 (nearly 20%) noted equipment failure or deficiency as the initiating cause
• the most common equipment-related incident is patients requiring repeated imaging due to equipment failure
• a reduction in the number of reported incidents submitted to ARIR (the first reduction since 2013)

‘The reduction in reported incidents largely reflects reduced reporting from some jurisdictions whose regulatory resources were impacted by COVID-19 response at the time of submission to ARPANSA’, said Mr Scott.

Read more at ARIR annual summary reports.

A recent scientific review by ARPANSA and Swinburne University into radio waves and calcium movements in the body has found no evidence radio waves cause non-thermal health effects.

The review focused on 69 different studies from around the world and was conducted as part of ARPANSA's ongoing research and assessment of radio waves and health, which has been of wider public interest since the roll out of 5G telecommunications systems.

‘After 50 years of research into possible effects of radio waves on cellular calcium levels, none of the reviewed studies were able to validate the claim that exposure to radio waves affects calcium movement or causes any non-thermal health effects,’ said Dr Ken Karipidis, Assistant Director, Health Impact Assessment.

‘The outcomes of this review demonstrate that theories on radio waves interfering with calcium movements and voltage-gated calcium channels are not supported by scientific evidence,’ said Dr Karipidis.

The review also looked at the design, quality and repeatability of the studies, and outlined some suggested improvement for future research in this area.  

‘We’re pleased to have worked with experts from Swinburne University in conducting this review and look forward to other collaborations as ARPANSA’s research and assessment of potential health effects from radio waves continues,’ said Dr Karipidis.

The review has been published in peer-reviewed journal, Radiation Research. You can view the full document on the BioOne website. 

ARPANSA is proud to announce that Dr Ken Karipidis has been admitted as a member of the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH), specifically the Scientific Committee on Radiation and Work.

The committee provides expert advice on safety of radiation exposure in occupational settings including ionising radiation and non-ionising radiation, electromagnetic fields and optical radiation. The committee also facilitates a multidisciplinary network of experts for sharing knowledge on adverse health effects and regulation in the protection of workers from radiation.

‘This is a great opportunity for ARPANSA to share its valuable knowledge on health and radiation protection in an international context, and to collaborate with ICOH’s many partners, including the World Health Organization, the International Labour Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection,’ said Deputy CEO, Dr Gillian Hirth.

‘Involvement in the committee allows us to engage with other experts in the field to advise on occupational radiation protection,’ said Dr Karipidis.

ICOH will host its 33rd International Congress on Occupational Health in Melbourne in February 2022.

‘We look forward to sharing our experience and expertise with the international community at this important event next year’, said Dr Karipidis.

About ICOH:

The International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) is an international non-governmental professional society whose aims are to foster the scientific progress, knowledge and development of occupational health and safety in all its aspects. 

It was founded in 1906 in Milan as the Permanent Commission on Occupational Health. Today, ICOH is the world's leading international scientific society in the field of occupational health with a membership of 2,000 professionals from 105 countries.

About Dr Ken Karipidis

Dr Ken Karipidis is Assistant Director of ARPANSA’s Assessment and Advice Section, providing expert advice and information on radiation protection to government, the public and other stakeholders.

With more than 20 years of experience in the radiation protection field, Dr Karipidis has published multiple research papers and has been a member of numerous national and international committees including the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, the World Health Organization’s Environmental Health Criteria Task Group on Radiofrequency Fields, the New Zealand Ministry of Health’s Interagency Committee on the Health Effects of Non-Ionising Fields and the Australian Government’s Committee on Electromagnetic Energy Public Health Issues. Dr Karipidis has completed a Bachelor of Science (Honours), Master of Science (Physics) and is a Doctor of Philosophy (Epidemiology).

ARPANSA has released a consultation draft of the new safety standard for exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic energy – also known as radio waves.

Radio waves are part of daily life. They are produced from services such radio, television and mobile telecommunications – including the 5G network – as well as household consumer products like microwave ovens and WiFi networks.

Radio waves are also widely used in many industrial heating processes. The safety standard sets limits for public and occupational exposure across all types of radio waves.

The new safety standard will replace ARPANSA’s existing standard for radio waves: Radiation Protection Standard for Maximum Exposure Levels to Radiofrequency Fields - 3 kHz to 300 GHz (2002)

‘We’re pleased to share our new draft radiofrequency safety standard for public consultation’, said Dr Carl-Magnus Larsson, ARPANSA CEO.

The standard is based on guidelines published by the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and supported by the World Health Organization.

ICNIRP released new guidelines for radiofrequency radiation protection in March 2020.

‘Australia is one of the first jurisdictions to update the exposure standard for radio waves to align with the new ICNIRP guidance’, said Dr Larsson.

In line with the ICNIRP guidelines, the exposure limits set in the draft ARPANSA safety standard are similar to those in the 2002 standard, with some refinements. These refinements take into account current scientific knowledge of how radio waves are absorbed within the body.

The draft safety standard is applicable to all sources of radio waves including the 5G mobile network and future telecommunications.

The draft safety standard continues to provide strong protection for the public and workers and ARPANSA invites industry, regulators, government and members of the public to engage in the consultation process.

‘We invite stakeholders to provide feedback and input as part of our consultation process’, said Dr Larsson.

The consultation for this Standard is now closed. Please view our article on the submissions.

View the consultation documents.

ARPANSA’s team of experts have completed their review of the 61 submissions made to our new safety standard for radio wave exposure.

The submissions were received as part of ARPANSA’s public consultation on the draft Standard for Limiting Exposure to Radiofrequency Fields – 100 KHz to 300 GHz (RPS S-1), which ran from 31 August to 21 October 2020.

The consultation gave all interested parties, including members of the public, regulators, workers, industry and other experts the opportunity to provide feedback on our new standard.

‘I’d like to thank everybody who took the time to provide a submission to the new radio wave standard,’ said Dr Ken Karipidis, Assistant Director, Assessment and Advice at ARPANSA.

‘In total, our team reviewed more than 450 comments from a range of stakeholders, and we have adopted several minor technical changes and clarifications as part of our assessment of the feedback and questions received.’

Consultation feedback has been important in helping ARPANSA deliver a new standard that continues to provide strong protection to workers and the Australian community.

Responses to consultation comments will be published with the new safety standard.

‘As part of the release of the new standard, we will also be publishing an advisory note for use by regulators such as the Australian Communications and Media authority’, said Dr Karipidis.

‘Our engagement with stakeholders throughout the development and consultation has helped ensure a robust safety standard that will protect people and the environment from any harmful effects of radio waves,’ said Dr Karipidis.  

The updated standard will now undergo formal approvals and publication is expected to occur in early 2021.  

ARPANSA and the Cancer Council of Victoria have cautioned Australians to reconsider aerosol sunscreens for UV protection.

The advice comes after a recent study conducted by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) found that it is extremely difficult to get good levels of UV protection from aerosol products, leaving users at risk of sunburn under Australia’s strong UV rays.

‘Aerosol sunscreens contain liquid propellent mixed with sunscreen, so it is difficult to know how much sunscreen is actually being dispensed with each spray,” said Director of Assessment and Advice for ARPANSA, Dr Rick Tinker.

The research, which looked at the top nine commercially available aerosol sunscreen products, showed that the spray times required to achieve full body protection ranged from 29 to 98 seconds.

“The aerosol application tests were conducted in controlled laboratory environments, meaning it would probably take significantly longer to get proper coverage in everyday environments where any breeze or wind could interfere with the product,” said Dr Tinker.

“The aerosols also required large amounts of spray for adequate coverage. Three of the aerosols tested could only provide two full body applications, with the remaining six covering three bodies - not enough to protect the average family, or for the multiple applications required during the day,” said Dr Tinker.

ARPANSA recommends that users avoid aerosol sunscreens where possible, opting for other SPF products with a more reliable application method, like a cream or a lotion.  Sunscreen should be the last line of defence and should be used alongside other sun protection methods:  

• slip on some sun-protective clothing that covers as much skin as possible
• slop on broad spectrum, water resistant SPF30 or higher sunscreen. Put it on 20 minutes before you go outdoors and every two hours afterwards
• slap on a hat – broad brim or legionnaire style to protect your face, head, neck and ears
• seek shade
• slide on some sunglasses – make sure they meet Australian Standards.

Find out more: Sun protection using sunscreens

ARPANSA has provided a submission to the 2019 parliamentary inquiry into the benefits and challenges of 5G – the fifth generation of the mobile telecommunications network.

While the terms of reference of the inquiry focus on the technology and its applications, we wanted to take the opportunity to provide factual information around some common questions we have been hearing about the safety of 5G.

Health authorities around the world, including ARPANSA and the World Health Organization (WHO), have examined the scientific evidence for possible health effects from telecommunications sources.

Current research indicates that there is no established evidence of health effects from radio waves used in mobile telecommunications. This includes the upcoming roll-out of the 5G network.

‘We are aware of concerns from some members of the public about potential health impacts from 5G’, said Dr Gillian Hirth, ARPANSA’s Chief Radiation Health Scientist and Deputy CEO, ‘it is our assessment that 5G is safe and does not present any health concerns’.

ARPANSA’s role in this area involves the establishment of the Radiation Protection Standard for Maximum Exposure Levels to Radiofrequency Fields – 3 kHz to 300 GHz (ARPANSA RF Standard).

This Standard is in line with international best practice and will be updated in the coming months in line with the soon-to-be-released international guidelines prepared by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

‘The Standard is designed to protect children and adults of all health statuses from the harmful effects of radiation,’ said Dr Hirth.

‘The limits set in the standard are well below the level at which any harmful effects, such as heating of tissue, are known to occur.’

The Australian Government’s Inquiry into the deployment, adoption and application of 5G in Australia is being facilitated by the Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts and is due to be completed by early next year.

For further information on the inquiry, please visit: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/House/Communications/5G

Read more: 

• ARPANSA submission to inquiry into 5G in Australia
• Supplementary submission to inquiry into 5G in Australia