Radiation literature survey

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This is a cohort study that investigated whether environmental RF exposure is associated with subjective well-being. A total of 439 students aged 12-17 years participated in the study. Subjective symptoms related to the presence of mobile phone base stations and broadcast transmitters (used for TV and radio transmission) were collected at the beginning of the study and a year later via questionnaires. The RF exposure was assessed via calculations using information on the fixed transmitter sources. The analyses of data following a cohort approach found an increased risk only for tiredness (odds ratio, OR = 2.94; 95% CI = 1.43 – 6.05). However the analyses following a cross-sectional approach did not find any associations. The authors concluded that the environmental RF exposure was not consistently associated with subjective symptoms.

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This is a cross-sectional study that looked into the effects of mobile phone use on symptoms related to eye health. A total of 715 adolescents participated in the study. Information on smartphone use and self-reported ocular symptoms (such as blurring, redness, inflammation, dryness, etc) was gathered via a questionnaire. The authors did not assess the exposure to RF from the smartphones. “Excessive” users of smartphones (defined as more than 2 hours/day) were found to be more likely to report multiple ocular symptoms. Users with a lifetime usage of more than 12 hours had a 3.05-fold higher likelihood (95% confidence interval = 1.51 – 6.19) of reporting multiple ocular symptoms compared to those with less than 3 hours lifetime use. The authors concluded that increasing use of smartphones can affect eye health.

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p>This is an animal study that investigated whether exposure to extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields (EMF) affects cognitive function. A total of 113 rats were used in the study for three different types of testing. In all tests, rats were designated into three groups: sham and exposed either at a frequency of 3 Hertz (Hz) or 60 Hz. The exposure was done in 2 blocks of 2 hours per day, for 4 days, at a magnetic field of 4 millitesla. The authors found that ELF magnetic field exposure decreased locomotor activity but did not alter anxiety-like behaviour or memory.

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This is an in vitro study that investigated the non-thermal effects of RF radiation on sperm. Sperm samples were collected from a total of 55 participants aged 20-44 years. Sperm cells were subjected to RF exposure at a frequency of 1950 megahertz (MHz) and at specific absorption rate (SAR) of 2 and 6 watts per kilogram (W/kg) and to sham, for 1 hour. The authors found that RF exposure did not have any effects on human sperm cells in a condition where the temperature is well-controlled.

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This report provided an update on two previous reports published by the Health Council of the Netherlands – analysis of the epidemiological data on mobile phones and cancer (published in 2013 (PDF 2.8 mb) and analysis of the data on carcinogenesis in experimental animals (published in 2014 (PDF 862 kb). The council determined that it is not possible to state that there is a proven association between long-term and frequent use of a mobile phone and increased risk of head and neck tumours. However the weak association found from epidemiological observations cannot be excluded. The council concluded that it is unlikely that exposure to radiofrequency (RF) radiation from mobile phone use can cause brain tumour; the combination of bias, confounding and chance could be the explanation for these epidemiological observations.

Mobile phones and cancer

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The debate on whether heavy mobile phone use causes brain tumour is continuing. This latest report from the council reaffirms the conclusion that there is no established association between long-term and frequent use of a mobile phone and an increased risk for tumours in the brain or head and neck area.

The overall findings from the epidemiological data did show some weak associations between long-term, heavy use of mobile phone and increased incidence of gliomas and acoustic neuromas. Based largely on this limited evidence the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified RF radiation as possibly carcinogenic to humans.

Mobile phone technology will continue to evolve and exposure to RF may continuously change as well. The council recommended that studies into long-term health effects of mobile phone use to be continued, where such studies have credible assessment of the RF exposure.

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This animal study aimed to investigate whether RF radiation affects the development of embryos. A total of 76 developing chick embryos were divided into two groups: control and exposed. Eggs were exposed to RF emitted from a mobile phone operating at 900 MHz for 10 hours per day, for 16 days. The power flux density was up to 18 milliwatts per centimetre squared (mW/cm2) which is around 40 times above the public exposure limit in the Australian RF Standard. After hatching, it was found that in the exposed group the chick social behaviours were impaired and the development of the cerebellum appeared to be delayed. The authors concluded that prenatal RF exposure could have an adverse effect on brain development.

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This case-control study investigated the association between ELF MF exposure and two childhood cancers (leukaemia and cancer of the central nervous system, CNS). There was a non-significant, slightly increased risk associated with living within 50 metres (m) of high voltage power lines and childhood leukaemia (odds ratio, OR = 1.4, 95% confidence interval, 95% CI = 0.7, 2.7). There was no evidence of increased risk for childhood leukaemia at distances beyond 50 m or CNS cancer at any distance. The authors concluded that there is at most weak support for increased risk of childhood leukaemia for children living within 50 m of high voltage power lines.

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This ecological study compared mobile phone ownership with the incidence of brain cancer in Australia. In the study, brain cancer incidence rates from 1982 to 2012 are compared with the number of mobile phone accounts in the Australian population from 1987 to 2012. The percentage of the population having mobile phone accounts increased from 0% in 1987 to 94% in 2014. During the 30 year period age-adjusted (adult) brain cancer incidence rates increased slightly in males but were stable in females. Significant increases in brain cancer incidence were observed only in the elderly (aged ≥ 70 years), but the increase in incidence in this age group began from 1982, before the introduction of mobile phones. The study also modelled the expected incidence assuming risk estimates of 1.5 in ever-users of mobile phones, and 2.5 in a proportion of 'heavy users', assuming a 10 year latency period between use and incidence of brain cancer. The authors concluded that after nearly 30 years of mobile phone use in Australia among millions of people, there is no evidence of any rise in any age group that could be plausibly attributed to mobile phones.

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There have been a number of ecological studies internationally that have compared the incidence of brain cancer with the number of mobile phone accounts over time. In Australia, Dobes et al (2011a, 2011b) reported no overall increase in the incidence of brain tumours between 2000-2008 in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. There was, however, a significant increase in malignant brain tumours which was largely due to an increase in the ≥ 65-year age group, consistent with the Chapman et al results. Although the Chapman study does not investigate brain cancer sub-types it mentions that 80% of all brain cancers are gliomas.

The ecological studies on mobile phone use and brain cancer have been evaluated by a number of recent authoritative reviews (IARC, 2013 (PDF 6.1 mb); ARPANSA, 2014; SCENIHR, 2015 (PDF 5.1 mb)). Overall, as pointed out by the SCENIHR review, the ecological studies consistently show little indication of an increase in the age groups of most active mobile phone users and steady weak increases only in the elderly. It must be noted that overall these ecological studies are limited in many ways and provide the least evidence for a causal association.

Similar to the Chapman study, two previous studies have modelled the data to predict the expected brain tumour rates assuming increased risk estimates between mobile phone use and brain tumour (Deltour, 2012; Little 2012). Similar to the Chapman study, the previous studies showed that if the increased risk estimates were true than one would expect a much higher brain tumour incidence than what is currently observed.

Some case-control studies have reported possible associations between heavy mobile phone users and brain tumour. Based largely on this limited evidence the International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified radiofrequency fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans. More rigorous long-term studies are being coordinated by the World Health Organization and Australia is taking part in this research program.

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This measurement study investigated the environmental exposure from mobile phone base stations. The RF exposure from GSM mobile phone base stations operating in the 900 MHz band in 34 different environments in Australia and Belgium were measured using a personal dosimeter and compared (in terms of electric fields). The study found that personal exposures in urban environment were higher than rural or suburban environments. The exposure levels in city centre, bus, and railway station in urban environment were among the locations associated with highest personal exposures in Australia. The exposure levels in most environments were however significantly lower in Australia compared to Belgium. The authors reported that personal RF exposure levels in the Australian environment are well below the limits for the general public in the Australian RF Standard.

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This is a review by the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSM) on scientific studies published from October 2014 to September 2015 that investigated electromagnetic fields (EMF) and health. For static fields, the new epidemiological studies confirm earlier studies that there is an association between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and acute effects. For extremely low frequency (ELF) fields, an association between childhood leukaemia and elevated level of ELF magnetic fields (MF) continutes to be observed, but a causal relationship has still not been established. For RF fields, a new large Norwegian study did not find that maternal mobile phone use during pregnancy causes adverse health effects on the mother’s reproductive health. Overall, the report by SSM did not reveal any new findings to support a causal association between EMF exposure and adverse health effects.

Recent Research on EMF and Health Risk

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