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Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) Radiation |
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| Health Effects |
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The issue of extremely low frequency (ELF) biological effects is very controversial.
Research has focused on possible carcinogenic, reproductive, and
neurological effects. Other suggested health effects include cardiovascular,
brain and behavior, hormonal and immune system changes.
General Health Effects Reviews
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Health Effects and Exposure Guidelines Related to Extremely Low Frequency
Electric and Magnetic Fields - An Overview. BC Centre for Disease Control, (2005,
January). Provides links to health effects literature published by the
Federal-Provincial-Territorial Radiation Protection Committee (FPTRPC).
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Review of the Scientific Evidence for Limiting Exposure to
Electromagnetic Fields (0–300 GHz). Health Protection Agency (HPA),
Documents of the National Radiation Protection Board (NRPB): Volume 15, No. 3, (2004,
April 30). Reflects the understanding and evaluation of the current
scientific evidence as presented and referenced in the full report available for
download [1 MB
PDF, 233 pages].
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Electromagnetic Fields.
World Health Organization (WHO). Links to
studies and publications.
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Electric & Magnetic Fields. National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health
(NIH).
- 1999 NIEHS Report on Health Effects from Exposure to Power-Line Frequency
Electric and Magnetic Fields. Publication No. 99-4493, 752 KB
PDF,
80 pages.
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AIHA White Paper on Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) Fields.
American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), (1993, June 15).
Summarizes the biological and health effects associated with exposure to
ELF fields and present exposure guidelines.
- Review of the Epidemiologic Literature on EMF and Health.
International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP)
Standing Committee on Epidemiology, (2001, December), 230 KB
PDF, 23 pages.
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An Evaluation of the Possible Risks From Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMFs)
From Power Lines, Internal Wiring, Electrical Occupations and Appliances.
California Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF) Program, (2002, June). Provides an evaluation of the
animal, laboratory, and human evidence that shows how exposure to 50/60 Hz magnetic fields may or may not
increase human health risks.
Leukemia and Other Cancers
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1999 NIEHS Report on Health Effects from Exposure to Power-Line Frequency
Electric and Magnetic Fields. National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health
(NIH) Publication No. 99-4493, 752 KB
PDF,
80 pages. States that the strongest evidence for health effects comes from associations
observed in human populations with two forms of cancer: childhood
leukemia and chronic lymphocytic leukemia in occupationally exposed
adults.
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ELF Electromagnetic Fields and the Risk of Cancer: Report of an Advisory
Group on Non-ionising Radiation. Health Protection Agency (HPA), National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) Documents, Volume
12, No.1. Reviews the evidence on cancer risks from
residential and occupational extremely low frequency (ELF)- electric
magnetic field (EMF) exposures, which has been published
since an earlier NRPB report (1992).
- Assessment of Health Effects from Exposure to Power-Line Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields.
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
Working Group Report, (1998, August), 6 MB
PDF, 523 pages. By a vote of 19 to 9, a panel of experts convened by the NIEHS concluded
that the electric and magnetic fields like those surrounding electric power lines should be regarded as a
"possible human carcinogen." This conclusion was based largely on human epidemiological evidence in
the face of animal and other laboratory studies that the panel agreed did not support or refute the population
studies.
Cellular, Physiological, and Behavioral Changes
Static Fields
Note: Although static fields are not part of the radio
frequency (RF) spectrum,
static is
most closely associated with extremely low frequency (ELF), and so it is included here. At this
time, there is no Static Fields Safety and Health Topics page.
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