Stuart Corner
Friday, 08 December 2006 19:11
Science -
Health
Page 1 of 2
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) has issued a draft standard, its first, on exposure to extremely low frequency (ELF) electromagnetic radiation throwing the spotlight back onto an area of concern that has, of late, been overshadowed by fears of possible cancer-inducing cellphone radiation.
The standard covers the range of frequencies from zero to 3kHz. However the frequency most commonly encountered is the 50Hz (60Hz in the US and some other countries) used for mains power.
Dr Colin Roy of ARPANSA told iTWire that the levels of exposure likely to be encountered from mains devices in the home were well below those set out in the draft standard. However he said: "There is this underlying issue of an apparent link between ELF magnetic fields and childhood leukaemia. It has not been proven but this association is found at fields strengths very very much lower than the limits in the draft standard. So we try to bring in a precautionary approach and to give in the accompanying papers possible mitigation strategies if people are concerned."
He added: "If we had really strong evidence of a link between ELF and childhood leukaemia the limits in the standard would have to reflect that and that would cause all sorts of problems for society."
Slight though this evidence is, Roy said: "The indications from epidemiological studies of a link between ELF and childhood leukaemia is certainly stronger than anything that has been found for cellphones and cancer...IARC [the WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer] classifies different physical agents for their ability to cause cancer and a number of years ago they classified ELF magnetic fields as a probable carcinogen, a 2B. Three is a carcinogen and 2A is possible. ELF got its rating on the basis of these epidemiological studies. Cellphone usage has not come up yet. It will be rated late next year or in 2008. They are waiting on the results from the Interphone study [a co-ordinated 13 nation study looking for a possible link between cellphones an cancer]."
