Radiation literature survey

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This in vitro study investigated whether mobile phone use affects the development of human tumour cells. Human tumour cells were exposed to RF radiation for up to 48 hours at a frequency of 1950 MHz and SAR of 5 W/kg which is 2.5 times the Australian public exposure limit. The authors concluded that RF exposure did not act as a tumour promoter.

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This is a review of the literature looking at low level exposure to RF and its association with adverse health symptoms. The author suggested a possible mechanism that may lead to neuropsychiatric effects (dizziness, headaches, fatigue, irritability, etc.) due to the low level exposure to RF in the microwave region. The author reviewed the possible effects on the nervous system and assessed the cause-effect relationship using some of the epidemiological studies. The author was of the opinion that low level microwave exposure produces a range of neuropsychiatric effects.

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This is a human provocation study where the effects of ELF MF on brain activity were studied. Twenty nine healthy participants were either not exposed (sham) or exposed to ELF MF at 3000 microtesla (µT) (15 times above the current international guidelines for public exposure) for one hour, at a frequency of 60 Hertz. Some motor and cognitive tasks were conducted before and after the exposure or sham and the brain activity was monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging. The authors concluded that the ELF MF exposure changed activity in specific brain regions, although there was no impact on task performance.

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This is an animal study that investigated whether RF exposure causes male infertility. Wi-Fi operating at a frequency of 2.45 gigahertz was used as the source of exposure. Rats were divided into three groups: control, exposed to 1 hour/day, and exposed to 7 hours/day for two months. The authors concluded that the RF exposure may cause a decline in male fertility. The authors do not state the level of RF exposure used in this study.

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This is a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies investigating whether occupational exposure to ELF MF increases the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Publications were systematically searched and eleven studies were included in the meta-analysis. This meta-analysis concluded that there was no evidence that ELF-MF exposure was associated with Parkinson’s disease (relative risk = 1.05, 95% confidence interval = 0.98-1.13).

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This is an update to the previous opinion in 2009 on electromagnetic fields (EMF) and health, in light of recently available information. The opinion was developed by a working group comprised experts from many European countries. The primary sources of information used by the committee were English language reports published in peer reviewed international scientific journals. This updated assessment reached the same conclusion as the previous opinion: based on current research there is no evidence of adverse health effects from EMF exposure below the levels recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection.

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Reports published by various health authorities around the world continue to support the conclusion that there is no established evidence of adverse health effects from exposure to EMF, consistent with a recent report by the Swedish Radiation Protection Authority (SSM), reviewed in June’s literature report.

Overall, SCENIHR found that the epidemiological studies on radiofrequency (RF) EMF exposure do not indicate an increased risk of cancers of the head and neck region, including brain tumours. New studies do not confirm the link that EMF exposure increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The possible association between extremely low frequency (ELF) magnetic fields (MF) and childhood leukaemia continues to be investigated, with no mechanisms identified and no support from experimental studies. Furthermore, recent research concerning electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) adds weight to the conclusion that the self-reported EHS symptoms are not caused by EMF exposure. For ARPANSA’s advice regarding EHS see this fact sheet http://www.arpansa.gov.au/RadiationProtection/Factsheets/is_ehs.cfm.

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This measurement study quantified the ELF MF produced from ultrasound devices in clinical settings. The ELF MF levels were measured during prenatal ultrasound monitoring (under the patient bed and on clinician’s chest) and during patient consultation (on the chair where patient is sitting). The ELF MF exposure levels from all situations were below 0.2 µT which is a thousand times below the current international guidelines for limiting public exposure.

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This measurement study quantified the EMF levels emitted from the equipment employed in a solar farm. The conversion of solar to electric power involves a series of inverters and transformers that may result in high ELF MF level in close proximity. The highest ELF MF levels measured were directly adjacent to transformers and inverters, which were close to but still below the general public limit set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP, 2010 (PDF 641 kb)). However, at 30 centimetres from the transformer surface, the ELF MF level dropped to 5 times lower than the ICNIRP’s general public limit.

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This study investigated the effects of occupational RF EMF exposure from radar on plasma catecholamine in military workers. A total of 166 subjects participated in the study; 68 people in the control group, 40 people in the first group exposed to X-band EMF (frequency range of 8-12 gigahertz, GHz) and 58 people in the second group exposed to Ku-band EMF (12.5-18 GHz). The power density of RF RMF varied from 0.5-1.5% and 0.2-31% of the occupational limits in the Australian RF Standard, for the first and second exposure group, respectively. The study did not find any significant variation between the exposure group and their respective control group for any catecholamine type, except for adrenaline in the second exposure group.

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This is a case-control study which looked into the association between pituitary tumour and mobile phone use, which was conducted as part of the Interphone study. A total of 80 cases and 240 controls were recruited in the study and were compared for their mobile phone use. The study found a reduced risk of pituitary tumour with regular mobile phone use (odds ratio, OR = 0.39, 95% confidence interval, 95% CI = 0.21 – 0.72), and mobile phone use of 10 years or more (OR = 0.69, 95% CI = 0.25 – 1.89). The authors conclude that there was no increased risk of pituitary tumour related to mobile phone use. They note that the reduced risks may be related to selection bias among the controls (i.e. greater participation of controls that have higher mobile phone use).

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