Health Implications from Mobile Communication Systems

Transcription

1 COST 281 action Potential Health Implications from Mobile Communication Systems Report to COST-TIST TIST Maila Hietanen Vice Chair of COST 281 Progress Report Period: July 2003 June 2004 V/1

2 Cooperation in the Field of Science and Technical Research In 2001, a new COST programme was proposed to the European Union. This proposal, COST 281, was adopted in March 2001 and should help foster research efforts in Europe. It is the continuation of the Cost 244 and COST 244bis actions. More emphasis has been put in its third study period on mobile communications since COST 244 was placed under the umbrella of the Technical Committee for Telecommunications of the European Commission. The inaugural meeting took place on 26th of September 2001 in Brussels.

3 Aim of all Research Activities should be to gather knowledge about influence and effects of EMF on human beings and environment to explore potential mechanisms. Research Management Activities Bringing all together who are working on the EMF issue Advise International EMF programmes Influence national research programmes and institutions

4 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of COST 281 action The MoU will remain in force for a period of 5 years The main objective is to obtain a better understanding of possible health impacts of emerging technologies, that may result in exposure to electromagnetic fields

5 Scientific program that means especially: Monitor development of emerging technologies where major changes in public or occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields are likely Investigate the possibility of health issues related to such exposures, and, where appropriate, define specific research efforts that may be needed Evaluate the scientific basis for new exposure situation and/or health issues. Co-operation with other international bodies having similar aims will be important

6 Dissemination of the results (1) in form of: Workshops and seminars Newsletters and proceedings from these workshops Internet web-page Summary reports and publications (to policy makers, which should be made available also to the general public)

7 Dissemination of the results (2) to different target audience Workshops and seminars, where the target audience is expected to be primarily researchers Newsletters and proceedings from these workshops, where the target audience is composed of researchers as well as representatives of national or local health authorities, industry representatives, consumer organisations etc. A web-page, with primarily similar target audiences as above, but where the possibility of additional audiences should be encouraged Summary reports and publications to policy makers, which should be made available also to the general public. In these summary reports main scientific publications that has arisen from the action will be listed and briefly described

8 COST 281 Workshop Budapest Budapest, November 15-16, th MCM and Workshop Mobile Telecommunications and the Brain Goal of the workshop in Budapest was to provide a forum for specialists and researchers working in this area to share their latest research, to assess the scientific significance of the results of previous studies especially regarding their consequences for human health, to discuss the current state of the art, and to facilitate collaboration between researchers in this field. In the focus was especially the influence of EMF on the brain.

9 COST 281 Workshop Thessaloniki Thessaloniki, March 18-19, th MCM and Workshop Potential bioeffects of new technologies, in particular in the UHF-range The conference was aimed at presenting foreseeable future technological developments as well as new technologies already introduced, and to examine their specificities regarding possible biological effects of emitted electromagnetic fields. In front of this workshop the COST 281 subworking group Dosimetry arranged a one day workshop. For more information about the workshops see

10 WORKSHOP CO-ORGANISATION: COST 281/FGF Workshop Reisensburg Reisensburg, November 3rd 6th, 2003 "The Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB) - Can it be influenced by RF-field interactions?"

11 COST 281/FGF Workshop Immenstaad Immenstaad, December 7th 10th, 2003 ''Can electromagnetic fields used in mobile communications provoke sleep disorders and other cognitive changes?''

12 COST 281/FGF Workshop Helsinki Helsinki, April 28th-29th, 2004 ''Influence of RF Fields on the Expression of Stress Proteins''

13 WHO/COST 281 Workshop Istanbul Istanbul, June 9th-10th, 2004 ''Sensitivity of Children to EMF Exposure''

14 Erice School of Bioelectromagnetics April 21-28, 2004 Methodology in Bioelectromagnetics Experimental Investigations The Ettore Majorana Centre has established a Permanent School of Bioelectromagnetics, named after Alessandro Chiabrera. The first Course of the School was devoted to the methodology needed in designing and performing experimental studies in Biolectromagnetics. In view of the ongoing health risk assessment of electromagnetic field exposure, the quality of experimental investigations is of utmost importance. The main topics of the Course were dosimetry and exposure systems, methods and problems of specific in vivo and in vitro studies, experimental planning and data analysis. All areas of interest were covered in lectures, seminars and discussions where senior scientists (most engaged in COST 281 action) will share with participants their own experience.

15 Watchdog-Report The aim of the Watchdog report is to give scientific based statements to burning questions on a yearly basic and draw a picture of the actual state of the art The latest annual report 2003 gives a comprehensive overview to decision makers and the public on the progress in the field of potential health implications from EMF made during the past year.

16 COST 281 Recommendations and Statements After several consultations and discussions last on the Budapest workshop COST 281 has decided on a Recommendation on an Internationally Coordinated Research on Genotoxic Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation from Mobile Communication Systems. This was the outcome on the basic of the COST 281/FGF workshop in Löwenstein (November 2002).

17 Short Term Missions (STM) and permanent Working Groups (WG) As result of discussions to special working issues during Management Committee meetings and Workshops the impression has arrived to the participants that special task working groups are necessary. Consequently working groups were established and the work was done in short term missions and on major projects in working groups. STM and WG existing for the following issues: Genotoxity (STM), finished Children and EMF (WG), ongoing Dosimetry (WG), ongoing Statistics (STM), ongoing

18 Conclusions Thermal effects are well established and form the biological basis for restricting exposure to radiofrequency fields The research agenda is not concluded Further activities in research are needed Research activities should be more coordinated Judgement of scientific knowledge should be done more on international basis The public should be adressed more seriously

19 Further Information is also available directly from COST 281 Secretariate c/o Forschungsgemeinschaft Funk Rathausgasse 11a D Bonn, Germany Phone: +49 (0)228 / Fax: +49 (0)228 / info@fgf.de Internet:

20 The Research Agenda Emerging Technologies Current research activities Ongoing research and funding Actual state of knowledge Priorities for further research

21 Spektrum Non ionizing Ionizing km 300 km 300 m 30 cm 0,3 mm 0,3 µm 0,3 nm Frequency Wavelength 1 Hz 1 KHz 1 MHz 1 GHz 1 THz 1 PHz Hz Static Field ELF RF Microwaves Infrared UV x-ray, Gamma Radiation 4 Photon Energy (ev) ,7 3,1 120

22 Biological Effects of Radio Waves Investigations on different levels: Population Epidemiological Studies Individuals Cells and tissue Molecules Animal (and Human) Experiments Cell-biological Investigations Biochemical and Molecularbiological Investigations

23 Thermal and nonthermal Interactions of High Frequency Electromagnetic Fields Total Body Behaviour, Healing, Cancer? SAR Microdosimetry Field Strength Heating (grad T?) Polarization, Heating (grad T?) Polarization, Phase Transitions Atomar and Molecular Reactions Organ Functional alteration Cell Excitation, Proliferation, Activaton... Membrane Receptor-Activation,Transport... Molecule Thermal Interaction (non specific) Non-Thermal Interaction (specific) Biological Amplification

24 Scientific Research at the Crossroads Risk Assessment Basic Research For each emerging technology using well-established research methods Increasing efforts towards basic research in order to gain comprehensive knowledge of possible biological interaction mechanism Advantages deals with the specific relevant issue comprehensive understanding of biological coherence for each new technology and applications new testing Disadvantages takes time and efforts