Non-ionizing Electromagnetic Emissions in the Americas

Electromagnetic fields (EMF) are found in nature and are therefore a natural phenomenon. Manmade environmental exposure to electromagnetic sources is increasing through exposure to electricity, the use of wireless technologies, and changes in work practices and social behavior. This has resulted in increased human exposure to the radiation produced by electric and magnetic fields.

Over the last 30 years, scientific studies of the potential health impact of EMF have been conducted. Broad distinctions may be drawn between low frequency static electric and magnetic fields, whose main emission sources are power lines, electrical appliances, and computers; and high frequency or radiofrequency fields, whose emission sources include, inter alia, radio and television installations, mobile telephones and their base stations, induction heaters, alarms, etc.

Such radiation is known as non-ionizing radiation (NIR) as it is too weak to break the bonds that hold molecules in cells together, so that they do not produce ionization. It is therefore to be distinguished from ionizing radiation, such as gamma rays produced by radioactive materials, cosmic rays, and X-rays.

Deregulation of telecommunication services, ever more widespread in the Americas, has resulted in a growing number of provider companies, with the usual implementation of radio systems and a consequent increase in sources of EMF. Public anxiety has grown owing to the widespread use of such technologies. Therefore, rigorous scientific studies are needed to avoid all scientific uncertainty and to enable providers and authorities to take sustainable decisions to protect public health, engaging in ongoing and clear communication with the public.

Communication of the technology’s potential environmental hazards has an important part to play and should be an interactive process of exchange of information and views among all those involved: scientists, government, industry, and the public.

Scientific data may help the public to understand the benefits and potential problems of EMF, and assist regulators in evaluating risk management options and establishing safety regulations and policy measures that enable the consequences of different decisions to be assessed.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is the only United Nations agency with a clear and specific mandate to conduct research on the possible impact on health of human exposure to non-ionizing radiation and, through the International Electromagnetic Field Project, is bringing together current knowledge and the available resources of international and national agencies and key scientific institutions with a view to evaluating the health and environmental effects of exposure to static and time varying electric and magnetic fields in the frequency range 0 to 300 GHz.

Through the said project, a planned and logical series of activities is being implemented, and information is being generated enabling better health risk evaluations to be made, identifying any environmental impact resulting from EMF exposure.

With the aim of controlling potential human health risks of EMF exposure, international organizations have made recommendations on maximum EMF exposure limits.

Through their regulatory bodies, countries establish their own EMF exposure standards. However, most national standards are based on the recommendations of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), a nongovernmental organization also independent of industry and formally recognized by the WHO, which evaluates the results of scientific studies worldwide and makes recommendations on exposure limits, which are periodically reviewed and updated.

Public concern has arisen in the Americas regarding the proliferation of emitting antennae, and some countries have not yet established their EMF exposure standards, whereas in others, the process of drafting their respective standards is under way. Countries have therefore expressed interest in obtaining scientific information that would enable them to develop these standards.

To that end, Permanent Consultative Committee II: Radiocommunications including Broadcasting of the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission (CITEL) of the Organization of American States (OAS) has created the Rapporteur Group on the Technical and Regulatory Aspects Related to the Effects of Electromagnetic Non-Ionizing Emissions.

As a result of its work, this group, which I had the honor to chair, has presented a CD on technical and regulatory aspects of the effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic emissions in the Americas.

It contains the status of regulation in each country of the Americas; information on this topic produced by the WHO, the ICNIRP, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the International Electronic Commission (IEC), CITEL, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF), and the Hispano-American Association of Telecommunications Research and Enterprises (AHCIET); and links to the principal national and international organizations and websites of interest in this regard.

By such means, CITEL seeks to provide regulators with tools needed to facilitate their work in connection with the preparation of provisions and standards on EMF exposure and the general public with tools to facilitate communication and understanding of the new technologies impacting our quality of life so that their potential health effects may be evaluated with transparency. This so that the world of telecommunications and technological development may be traversed without negative impact on health, improving our quality of life and protecting our environment responsibly.

Héctor Mario Carril
Vice Chair, Permanent Consultative Committee II:
Radiocommunications including Broadcasting