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Are electromagnetic fields harmful to health?
Recent scientific findings reviewed by EU scientific committee
Brussels, 3 June 2008. From mobile phones and computer screens to vacuum cleaners and power lines, electromagnetic fields are an inescapable part of daily life. But there is concern that everyday exposure to some of these fields of force might be harmful to health, especially to children. There is some indication of a link between long-term mobile phone use and a benign tumour of the auditory nerve, but more study is needed. However, no link has been found between the use of such phones and self-reported symptoms like headaches, fatigue, or concentration difficulties. These are some of the conclusions of a recent opinion by the European Commission Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). At the request of the European Commission DG Health and Consumers, GreenFacts faithfully summarised this new scientific opinion on “Possible effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) on Human Health”. The plain-language summary is now available from the EU Directorate General of Health and Consumers (http://ec.europa.eu/health/opinions2/en/electromagnetic-fields/) in four languages: English, French, Spanish and German. It is also available from GreenFacts (www.greenfacts.org), a leading publisher of scientific information that was commissioned by the Directorate General to produce this and other summaries of scientific opinions. Highlights of the SCENIHR Opinion The opinion looks at electromagnetic fields in different frequency ranges: radio frequencies such as those used in mobile telephony, intermediate frequencies like those from computer screens and anti-theft devices, and extremely low frequencies like those from power lines and household appliances. Moreover it addresses static magnetic fields like those used in medical imaging.
How electromagnetic fields may affect animals and plants is insufficiently known to determine whether a single exposure standard would be appropriate for all plants and animals and whether such a standard should differ from those established for humans. Some animal species, such as migratory birds that rely on magnetic fields for orientation, might be particularly sensitive to electromagnetic fields. About GreenFacts GreenFacts asbl/vzw is an independent, multi-stakeholder non-profit organization based in Belgium. Our mission is to bring complex scientific reports on health and the environment to the reach of non-experts. We publish faithful summaries of authoritative international scientific reports. The summaries are written in a language for non-specialists and presented in a reader-friendly Three-Level Structure of increasing detail. GreenFacts’ publications are freely available in several languages on www.greenfacts.org. GreenFacts was created in 2001 by individuals from scientific institutions, environmental and health organizations, and businesses, who called for wider access to unbiased information on health and the environment. About SCENIHR The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) was set up in 2004 by the European Commission to provide the Commission with unambiguous scientific advice on the safety of a series of issues requiring a comprehensive assessment of the risks, such as new technologies, medical devices, etc. The SCENIHR advice is intended to enable risk managers to take the adequate and required actions in order to guarantee consumer safety or public health. The SCENIHR addresses questions concerning emerging or newly-identified risks and on broad, complex or multi-disciplinary issues such as Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), West Nile Virus, Nanotechnologies, Electromagnetic Fields (EMF), and Smokeless tobacco products. About DG Health and Consumers The role of Health and Consumers Directorate General is to make Europe’s citizens healthier, safer and more confident. Over the years the European Union has established EU laws on the safety of food and other products, on consumers' rights and on the protection of people's health. The DG Health and Consumers has the task of keeping these laws up to date. See also the press release by the European Commission at: Subscribe to our RSS Feed For more information about GreenFacts:
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