Scientific evidence invalidates health assumptions underlying the FCC and ICNIRP exposure limit determinations for radiofrequency radiation: implications for 5G

Authors: International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields

Year: 2022

Category: Environmental Health

Journal: Environmental Health

Institution: International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields

DOI: 10.1186/s12940-022-00900-9

URL: https://ehjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12940-022-00900-9

Abstract

Overview

In the late-1990s, the FCC and ICNIRP set radiofrequency radiation (RFR) exposure limits based on studies from the 1980s, involving 5 monkeys and 8 rats, that applied safety factors to an established SAR threshold of 4 W/kg. These decisions were influenced by two core assumptions: biological effects were primarily due to tissue heating and no effects would arise below the SAR threshold, along with twelve other unspecified assumptions.

Findings

Extensive research over the past 25 years has shown these assumptions to be fundamentally flawed, posing ongoing public health risks. Demonstrated adverse effects below the SAR thresholds involve non-thermal induction of reactive oxygen species, DNA damage, cardiomyopathy, carcinogenic effects, sperm damage, and neurological concerns, including electromagnetic hypersensitivity. Significant associations exist between RFR and increased incidences of brain and thyroid cancers.

Despite these findings, in 2020, both FCC and ICNIRP reaffirmed limits set in the 1990s, underscoring a persistent reliance on outdated assumptions and inadequate protections against RFR exposures.

Conclusion and Recommendations

  • ICBE-EMF asserts that the present limits on radiofrequency radiation, set by agencies like the ICNIRP and the FCC, fail to protect human and environmental health effectively due to their reliance on invalidated and outdated assumptions. Such standards do not safeguard against both short-term and long-term RFR exposures.
  • There is an urgent need for new health protective exposure limits based on contemporary scientific evidence, rather than on these historical inaccuracies.
  • Call to Action: ICBE-EMF recommends an independent review of radiofrequency radiation's effects, establishment of new health-oriented exposure standards, heightened public awareness on the risks, protective measures against exposure, especially for vulnerable groups, and halting the deployment of 5G until its safety is conclusively demonstrated.
radiofrequency radiation FCC ICNIRP 5G health risks electromagnetic fields exposure limits
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