Government Action on Cell Phone Radiation Levels

Cell Phone Radiation Science Review

Section 3: Government Action on Cell Phone Radiation Levels

Worldwide, scientists, public health experts, and many government agencies are making recommendations for children to avoid using cell phones and generally for cell phone users to aim towards lower radiation exposure (Leitgeb 2008; Mead 2008). Recommendations from government agencies of several countries and international organizations are summarized below.

Country	Agency or Organization	Recommendations on restricting children’s cell phone use	Headset recommendation	Other recommendations
Switzerland	Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH 2009c)	"Either keep your calls short or send a text message (SMS) instead. This advice applies especially to children and adolescents."	"Use a wireless hands-free system (headphone, headset) with a low power Bluetooth emitter to reduce radiation to the head."	"When buying a mobile phone, make sure it has a low SAR." "Whenever possible, only use your phone when the signal quality is good.""Be wary of radiation shields and other such protective devices that are claimed to limit exposure to radiation. They may reduce the connection quality and therefore force the phone to transmit at a higher output power."
Germany	Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt fur Strahlenschutz (BfS) 2008d)	Exposure minimization for children and youngsters.	Best to use a headset instead of talking directly into the cell phone.	Use a landline telephone whenever available. Use cell phones with a low SAR value (<0.6 W/kg). Avoid making calls on a cell phone (or make shorter calls) when phone has a weak signal. Send an SMS instead of calling. (translated from German)
France	Legislation being developed by the French Senat and the Ministry of Health and Sports (Ministère de la Santé et des Sports 2009; Sénat français 2009)	Under the new legislation, "all public communication, whatever the means or support, that aim, directly or indirectly to promote sale, availability or use of cell phones by children younger than 14 years old would be prohibited. Sale or free distribution of products containing radiofrequency devices and aimed specifically for use by children younger than 6 years of age may be forbidden by order of the Health Minister, in order to limit excessive exposure of children." (translated from French)	Under the new legislation, "radiofrequency devices that would be connected to any public cell phone service provider may not be sold without an accessory device that would allow limiting head exposure to radiofrequency waves." (translated from French)
Israel	Ministry of Health (2008)	Limiting children's use of cell phones	Use wired earpieces	Avoid cellular communication in enclosed places such as elevators and trains. (translated from Hebrew in (Azoulay 2008))
United Kingdom	Department of Health (2005)	“UK Chief Medical Officers strongly advise that where children and young people do use mobile phones, they should be encouraged to: use mobile phones for essential purposes only; keep all calls short - talking for long periods prolongs exposure and should be discouraged.”		"Keep your calls short." "Consider relative SAR values when buying a new phone."
Canada	The city of Toronto’s Department of Public Health (Toronto Public Health 2008a, 2008b)	"Given that cell phones are in increasingly common use by children and youth ages 10 to 19 years, it is prudent to continue to direct messages to the public so as to avoid unnecessary exposure to RFs [radiofrequencies] among young people." "While cell phones are important for communication and for safety reasons, parents should be aware of what they can do to reduce any risks from their child’s use of a cell phone." "Today’s children have started to use cell phones at a younger age, therefore their lifetime exposure to cell phone RFs will likely be greater. As a result, the chances that a child could develop harmful health effects from using a cell phone for a long time may be greater."	"Toronto Public Health is recommending that children, especially pre-adolescent children, use landlines whenever possible, keeping the use of cell phones for essential purposes only, limiting the length of cell phone calls and using headsets or hands-free options, whenever possible."	"Parents who buy cell phones for their children should look for ones with the lowest emissions of RF [radiofrequency] waves." "When cell phone reception is low (this happens when the base station antenna is far away) and when a cell phone is being used during high speed travel (i.e. driving in a car) power being emitted from the cell phone must be increased in order to maintain reception. Cell phone use by children should be limited during these times in order to reduce exposure to RFs."
Finland	Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (Säteilyturvakeskus (STUK) 2009)	"It would be good to restrict children’s use of mobile phones." "Precaution is recommended for children as all of the effects are not known."	"Parents are recommended to guide their children to use a hands-free that minimises the exposure of head significantly. When using a hands-free it is recommended to keep the mobile phone at least a few centimetres away from the body."	"Parents are recommended to advice their children to use rather SMS messages than mobile phone calls." "Parents may restrict the number of their children’s mobile phone calls and their duration." "STUK does not find it justifiable to totally prohibit children’s use of mobile phones. Mobile phones also create safety because they make children’s communication with parents easier."
Russia	Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (2008)	"Potential risk for the children’s health is very high." "The current safety standards for exposure to microwaves from the mobile phones have been developed for the adults and don’t consider the characteristic features of the children’s organism."		"Ultimate urgency to defend children’s health from the influence of the EMF [electromagnetic fields] of the mobile communication systems."
European Union Member States	European Parliament (2008b; 2009)	“[The Parliament notes] that the limits on exposure to electromagnetic fields which have been set for the general public are obsolete. They do not take account of developments in information and communication technologies or vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, newborn babies and children. The plenary therefore calls on the Council… to set stricter exposure limits for all equipment which emits electromagnetic waves in the frequencies between 0.1 MHz and 300 GHz” (European Parliament 2008b).	"Use of hands-free kits"	"A wide-ranging awareness campaign to familiarise young Europeans with good mobile phone techniques, such as the use of hands-free kits, keeping calls short, switching off phones when not in use (such as when in classes) and using phones in areas that have good reception" (European Parliament 2009).
United States	Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Office of Women's Health (FDA 2007)			“Cell phones should expose people to the least RF [radiofrequency radiation] possible.” “People who use cell phones need to be told of any bad effects.”

Recommendations from governments and international agencies

Switzerland
For personal cell phone use, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) states: “The effects of radiation from mobile telephony on brain function and the occurrence of brain tumours are currently under investigation. Until such time as reliable research findings are available, it is advisable to minimize exposure of the head to radiation” (Swiss Federal Office of Public Health 2009c). Swiss FOPH advises to:

• Use a wireless hands-free system (headphone, headset) with a low power Bluetooth emitter to reduce radiation to the head.
• When buying a cell phone, make sure it has a low SAR.
• Either keep your calls short or send a text message (SMS) instead. This advice applies especially to children and adolescents.
• Whenever possible, only use your phone when the signal quality is good.
• People with active medical implants should keep their cell phone at least 30 cm away from the implant at all times.

With respect to overall exposure to cell phone radiation in the radiofrequency range in the entire Switzerland, since 1999 public exposures to emissions in 900 MHz range have been restricted to 4 V/m (6 mW/cm2), while exposures in 1800 MHz range have been restricted to 6 V/m (10 mW/cm2).

Germany
For the past several years, the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt fur Strahlenschutz, BfS) has been advocating a cell phone SAR safety level of 0.6 W/kg (BfS 2008b). As part of this process, a “Blue Angel” eco-seal has been developed for low-emission cell phones (Blaue Engel 2008). In 2008, BfS estimated that approximately 30% of cell phones in the German market have emissions at or below 0.6 W/kg (BfS 2008b).

BfS recommends a precautionary approach to cell phone use for children, such as using a landline; making shorter cell phone calls; avoiding using a cell phone when the connection is weak; and, as much as possible, using a headset and substituting text messaging instead of making a call (BfS 2008d). BfS has also recommended the same precautions for adult cell phone users, additionally including a recommendation for purchasing cell phones with low SAR values (BfS 2007).

France
The French Senat is now considering legislation restricting the use of cell phones for children, including a ban on the advertising of cell phones to children under the age of 14, ban on sales of phones intended for use by children under the age of 6. The new legislation will also require all handsets to be sold with accompanying headsets (Bremner 2009; Le Monde 2009; Ministère de la Santé et des Sports 2009; Sénat français 2009).

Israel
In 2008, Israel’s Ministry of Health stated that although it is still not clear whether cell-phone use is connected to an increased risk of developing cancerous growths, current research already supports a policy of "preventive caution" (Israel Ministry of Health 2008). The Ministry published a set of guidelines that called for limiting children's use of cell phones, avoiding cellular communication in enclosed places such as elevators and trains, and using wired, not wireless, earpieces (Azoulay 2008). The Ministry developed these guidelines following a national study that detected an association between cell phone use and the risk for developing tumors of the salivary gland (Sadetzki 2008; Traubmann 2007).

United Kingdom
The UK Department of Health supports “a precautionary approach” to the use of cell phones until more research findings become available. 2000 and 2005 editions of the Department of Health publication "Cell Phones and Health" stated that where children and young people do use cell phones, they should be encouraged to:

• Use cell phones for essential purposes only;
• Keep all calls short - talking for long periods prolongs exposure and should be discouraged.

The UK Chief Medical Officers recommend that if parents want to avoid their children being subject to any possible risk that might be identified in the future, the way to do so is to exercise their choice not to let their children use cell phones (UK Department of Health 2005).

The UK Department of Health further stated in its publication "Government Response to the Report from the Independent Expert Group on Cell phones (Stewart Group)": “Consumer should have access to the SAR values when considering purchasing a cell phone. The Government will expect SAR measurements to be displayed at all points of sale and with each cell phone and on the world wide web. The Government considers that the SAR value should be viewed in context, for example, by comparing the SAR value against the recommended exposure limits” (UK Department of Health 2004).

Finland
In January 2009, the Finnish government stated that children's cell phone use should be restricted, for example, by sending text messages instead of talking, making shorter calls, using a hands-free device, and avoiding the use of cell phones when connection is weak. According to the Finnish report, “although research to date, has not demonstrated health effects from cell phone’s radiation, precaution is recommended for children as all of the effects are not known” (STUK (Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority) 2009).

Regarding the current studies on cancer risk of cell phone use, Finnish government concluded that while “on the grounds of the studies to date, it is not possible to make such a conclusion that cell phones would cause a health risk… Since it takes years to develop a cancer and cell phones have been in common use only for about ten years, the possibility, that a link between cell phone use and cancer might be found in later population studies, cannot be ruled out” (STUK (Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority) 2009).

Italy
In 2001-2003, Italy set an exposure limit of 60 V/m and a quality goal of 6 V/m for broadcast and cell phone transmitters in buildings where people work for more than four hours per day.

The European Parliament
The European Parliament resolution on the mid-term review of the European Environment and Health Action Plan 2004-2010, approved on September 4, 2008 by 522 votes to 16, recommended stricter exposure limits for cell phones and other wireless devices. The Action Plan review included a key section on wireless technology:

“[The Parliament notes] that the limits on exposure to electromagnetic fields which have been set for the general public are obsolete. They do not take account of developments in information and communication technologies or vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, newborn babies and children. The plenary therefore calls on the Council… to take into account the Member States' best practices and thus to set stricter exposure limits for all equipment which emits electromagnetic waves in the frequencies between 0.1 MHz and 300 GHz” (European Parliament 2008b).

Article 22 of the 2008 Resolution highlights the importance of the precautionary approach supported by the European Environment Agency and promotes adoption of the stricter emission standards such as those developed in Belgium, Italy and Austria (European Parliament 2008a).

The European Parliament resolution on “Health concerns associated with electromagnetic fields” (INI/2008/2211), adopted by 559 votes to 22 on 2 April 2009, called for bringing greater transparency to the radiofrequency radiation exposure and for adoption of precautionary measures. The resolution stated:

• Wireless technology (cell phones, Wi-Fi/WiMAX, Bluetooth, DECT landline telephones) emits EMFs that may have adverse effects on human health. Most European citizens, especially young people aged from 10 to 20, use a cell phone, while there are continuing uncertainties about the possible health risks, particularly to young people whose brains are still developing.
• The scientific basis and adequacy of the EMF limits should be reviewed by the European Commission.
• As well as, or as an alternative to, amending European EMFs limits, the Commission, working in coordination with experts from Member States and the industries concerned, should draw up a guide to available technology options serving to reduce exposure to EMFs.
• EU member states should make available to the public, maps showing exposure to high-voltage power lines, radio frequencies and microwaves, and especially those generated by telecommunications masts, radio repeaters and telephone antennas. That information should be published on the internet.
• A wide-ranging awareness campaign should be initiated to familiarize young Europeans with good cell phone techniques, such as the use of hands-free kits, keeping calls short, switching off phones when not in use (such as when in classes) and using phones in areas that have good reception.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Women's Health
FDA Office of Women's Health released a publication in 2007 offering several recommendations:

• "More studies on cell phone RF [radiofrequency radiation] are needed."
• “Cell phones should expose people to the least RF possible.”
• “People who use cell phones need to be told of any bad effects.”

International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) Statement on EMF Emitting New Technologies (ICNIRP 2008):
“Recent developments in telecommunication and wireless technology have led to increasing numbers of new devices and systems that emit radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic (EM) energy. Implementing these developments has resulted in large numbers of individuals at the workplace or in the general public being exposed to RF-EMFs… There are questions being posed about health effects associated with exposure to these new systems and devices, which have not been tested per se in terms of health risks. They may have signal characteristics that are unique and different from the currently used technologies, and they may also cause the total level of exposure to rise because of the superposition of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) emitted by new and existing sources.”

BioInitiative Report
In 2007, the BioInitiative Working Group, an international collaborative group of radiation scientists, cancer researchers and public health policy professionals issued the "BioInitiative Report: A Rationale for a Biologically-based Public Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF [extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields] and RF [radiofrequency radiation])." The report highlighted extensive concerns about the safety of existing electromagnetic field radiation limits for power lines, cell phones, and many other sources of electromagnetic radiation exposure in daily life. The BioInitiative group urged for development of "new public safety limits and limits on further deployment of risky technologies" (BioInitiative 2007).

The Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection
According to the 2008 report from the Committee, children younger than 18 years of age may face increased health risks from cell phone radiation, since:

• Absorption of the electromagnetic energy in a child’s head is considerably higher than that in the head of an adult because children’s brain has higher conductivity, smaller size, thin skull bones, and due to smaller distance from the antenna;
• Child’s organism is more sensitive to the EMF compared to adult’s;
• Developing brain has higher sensitivity to the accumulation of the adverse effects under chronic exposure to the EMF;
• EMF affects the formation of the process of the higher nervous activity;
• Today’s children will spend longer time using cell phones than today’s adults.

As a result, in the opinion of the Committee, children are likely to face the following health hazards following long-term exposure: “disruption of memory, decline of attention, diminishing learning and cognitive abilities, increased irritability, sleep problems, increase in sensitivity to the stress, increased epileptic readiness” (Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection 2008).

European Environment Agency (EEA)
EEA stated that “precautionary and proportionate actions taken now to avoid plausible and potentially serious threats to health from EMF are likely to be seen as prudent and wise from future perspectives” (EEA 2007).

TCO certification program, Sweden
TCO Development, a standard-setting group owned by the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees, develops product certifications for various types of office and electronic equipment. TCO certification program recommends a cell phone SAR value below 0.8 W/kg (TCO 2001). http://www.tcodevelopment.com/

Austrian Institute for Applied Telecommunications (Österreichische Institut für angewandte Telekommunikation (ÖIAT))
The Austrian Institute for Applied Telecommunications in co-operation with the Austrian Federal Chancellery, the Federal Ministry for Social Security, Generations and Consumer Protection, and Mobilkom Austria developed an information website, Handywissen.at, with recommendations for cell phone use. While the ÖIAT does not consider that the current state of science indicates health risks from cell phones, their website provides tips for the cell phone users such as:

• If possible, do not make phone calls when the signal quality is poor (as displayed by the number of bars on the phone). If the reception is poor, the cell phone automatically increases radiation strength to transmit the signal.
• Use hands-free equipment (headset). Regardless of whether a wired head set or Bluetooth is used - headsets reduce the radiation exposure to the head from the cell phone.
• Attention: radiation protection products (for example, a cell phone sticker) are mostly counterproductive or have no physical effect.
• Use cell phone models with a low SAR value.
• For shorter information exchange, send SMS.
• Radiation emitted by the cell phone is highest in the first moment of establishing connection. Bring the cell phone to the ear after the person on the other end of the line responds (Austrian Institute for Applied Telecommunications 2008). (translated from German)

Eurobarometer survey
In 2006-2007, the European Commission Directorate General for Health and Consumer Affairs commissioned a survey of public perception of health risks associated with electromagnetic fields. The survey found:

• Two-thirds (65%) of EU citizens are not satisfied with the information that they receive about potential health risks linked to EMF and consider available information “insufficient.”
• Across the European Union, the vast majority (80%) of citizens do not feel that they adequately informed on the existing protection framework relating to potential health risks of electromagnetic fields.
• Majority (60%) of the European public does not consider public authorities to be efficient enough in protecting them from potential health risks.

Cities taking action

Toronto, Canada
In 2008, the Toronto’s Department of Public Health stated: “Research on the health effects from cell phone RFs on children is very limited since the use of cell phones by young people is a relatively new trend. Scientists are not yet sure what the health effects in children are from using a cell phone. While research continues in this area, some scientists feel that children may be more susceptible to harmful effects of RFs from cell phones for several reasons:

• Pre-teen children have a smaller head and brain size, thinner skull bones, skin and ears.
• Their nerve cells also conduct energy like RFs more readily than an adult’s or teenager’s nerve cells.
• Children’s brains and nerves are also still developing so they are likely to be more sensitive to exposures of RFs.

Today’s children have started to use cell phones at a younger age, therefore their lifetime exposure to cell phone RFs will likely be greater. As a result, the chances that a child could develop harmful health effects from using a cell phone for a long time may be greater” (Toronto Public Health 2008b).

“Children, especially pre-adolescent children, use landlines whenever possible, keeping the use of cell phones for essential purposes only, limiting the length of cell phone calls and using headsets or hands-free options, whenever possible (Toronto Public Health 2008a)”. “Parents who buy cell phones for their children should look for ones with the lowest emissions of RF waves... When cell phone reception is low (this happens when the base station antenna is far away) and when a cell phone is being used during high speed travel (i.e. driving in a car) power being emitted from the cell phone must be increased in order to maintain reception. Cell phone use by children should be limited during these times in order to reduce exposure to RFs” (Toronto Public Health 2008b).

Brussels, Belgium
In 2007, the Brussels Capital-Region of Belgium adopted a maximum limit for exposure to 900 MHz frequency radiation in all publicly accessible zones at 0.024 W/m2 (corresponds to electric field strength of 3 V/m), significantly lower than the FCC maximum permissible exposure (Centre Démocrate Humaniste (cdH) 2007; Parlement de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale 2007). While the majority of GSM cell phone towers in Belgium transmit at levels below 3V/m, certain stations transmit at significantly higher levels, up to 25 V/m (Belgian Institute for Postal Services and Telecommunications 2009). Following the regional Brussels decision in 2007, the cell phone operators and the Belgian federal Health Ministry jointly challenged the 3V/m rule in court. In January 2009, the Belgian Constitutional Court ruled that individual regions of Belgium have a right to set more strict radiation emissions standards to protect the health of their citizens (Ecolo 2009; Huytebroeck 2009a). The 3 V/m measure is set for implementation in the Brussels region from September 2009 (Huytebroeck 2009b).

Salzburg, Austria
In 2000, the city of Salzburg has adopted a “precautionary strategy” by setting the maximum exposure level for GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) cell phone base stations at 0.1 mW/cm2.

Christchurch, New Zealand
Christchurch Council in New Zealand established a public exposure limit for radiofrequency radiation at 2 mW/cm2. The standard was challenged in a lawsuit but was upheld by the judge of the South New Zealand Environment Court.

United States: The National Research Council report and research by the National Toxicology Program

In 2008, the National Research Council of the National Academies issued a report, "Identification of Research Needs Relating to Potential Biological or Adverse Health Effects of Wireless Communication". According to the report, outstanding research needs in the area of cell phone health effects include: 1) characterization of exposure to potentially vulnerable populations such as children, pregnant women and the developing fetus, and people with special sensitivities; 2) prospective epidemiological studies of childhood cancers, including brain cancer, and their potential relationship with cell phone use; 3) human laboratory studies that focus on possible adverse effects on electric potentials (brain waves) and neural networks in various parts of the brain; 4) ongoing research of potential biophysical, biochemical, and molecular mechanism of radiofrequency radiation action on living tissue; 5) dosimetry studies with different cell phones and other types of wireless devices and the SAR that they can deliver to different parts of the body (NRC 2008b). FDA has been an official partner with the National Research Council in identifying outstanding research needs in cell phone exposure and health effects research (FDA 2008b).

The National Toxicology Program, in collaboration with several academic centers across the U.S. and internationally, is now developing a large-scale, long-term series of studies to examine the health effects of cell phone radiation in experimental animals (both mice and rats) (Capstick 2008; McCormick 2008; Melnick & Portier 2005). The study partners include the IIT Research Institute (Chicago) and the Foundation for Research on Information Technologies in Society (IT’IS, Switzerland), with animal exposure system operation independently validated by U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST, Boulder, CO).

The NTP studies will re-examine the thermal effects of radiofrequency exposure on animals, analyze the health effects of the perinatal pre-chronic exposure (scheduled for completion in 2009), and identify any chronic toxicity or oncogenicity (scheduled for completion in 2011) (McCormick 2008). The overall objective of these studies is to determine the potential toxic and/or carcinogenic effects of exposure to cellular phone radiofrequency emissions in laboratory animals. This information would then be used to determine the adequacy of current guidelines for protecting against potential adverse effects of chronic exposure (Ball 2008).