Abstract

Overview

In March 2020, the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) released guidelines for limiting exposure to electromagnetic fields ranging from 100 kHz to 300 GHz. These guidelines were based on what is described as the "thermal-only paradigm," which ICNIRP claims to reflect existing scientific consensus.

Findings

• The research examines the references used in the ICNIRP 2020 guidelines, revealing a predominant authorship from a small network of 17 researchers, closely affiliated with ICNIRP and the IEEE, some of whom authored the guidelines themselves.
• It is shown that independent committee reviews cited within the guidelines are products from the same network, indicating a conflict of interest and a lack of unbiased scientific backing.
• The analysis questions the legitimacy of the guidelines by showing they do not meet the broad scientific base requirement, presenting a major concern for their use in setting safe RF EMF exposure limits.

Conclusion

The study presents a critical analysis showing that the ICNIRP 2020 guidelines are not built on an independent or broad scientific foundation. This lack of unbiased scientific support brings into question the safety regulations for electromagnetic field exposure based on these guidelines.