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(Database last updated on Mar 27, 2024)
| ID Number | 2442 | |
| Study Type | Human / Provocation | |
| Model | Risk Analysis/Communication on EMF/RF Issues. (Catch All) | |
| Details | AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Claassen et al. 2014 (IEEE #5858): Central to the precautionary policy is the provision of information about electromagnetic fields (EMF) technology, exposures, potential health risks and exposure management actions to the public. To meet this need at the broadest level, beyond the specific technology foci of previous research, a research project was commissioned as part of Dutch Electromagnetic Fields and Health Research Programme. This study provides an assessment of Dutch EMF information needs from an ensemble of sources by addressing peoples existing ideas and beliefs, using a mental models approach. A summary expert model of influences on and consequences of exposure derived from search of the relevant literature is informed by interviews with 15 scientists and professionals with diverse expertise. Although the professionals characterize the physical characteristics and psychological aspects of exposure to EMF in daily life similarly, there is no consensus regarding potential health effects. Interviews with 12 lay people followed by a confirmatory survey of the general Dutch public (n = 403) reveal not only wide variation in beliefs regarding potential health effects of EMF, but also overestimation of the amount of radiation from public sources relative to personal sources of EMF. People do not feel adequately informed by the government about EMF, and knowledge of government policies on EMF is limited. Together, the evidence suggests three focal points for improving EMF risk communications: providing more clarity regarding the uncertainty of evidence for health effects, illuminating personal EMF exposures in daily life and providing more accessible and transparent information on governmental policies. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Wirth and Mense 2014 (IEEE #5859): Following the critique of Pinkse & Slade (2010) and Gibbons & Overman (2012), we develop an instrument for the estimation of local price effects of cell phone base stations (CPBS) in an urban area. The instrument is derived from the spatial structure of the network and technical requirements. Such a strategy could be useful in other contexts in which location choice is endogenous but depends on an existing network structure. We find a significantly negative impact of nearby CPBS on at prices. The discount amounts to 4.2% of a property's value when two similar flats at distances of 50 and 100 m to the nearest CPBS are compared. The relatively small difference between OLS and IV results suggests that the location of a CPBS may not be endogenous in general, in opposition to Brandt & Maennig (2012). AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Claassen et al. 2015 (IEEE #6048): Studies show that, although many people are concerned about the potential health risks of being exposed to electromagnetic fields (EMF), lay understanding of exposure, an important determinant of risk perceptions and responses, is limited. In an online consumer panel (n = 245), we tested the effects of providing people with information about EMF on lay understanding of exposure, and on perceptions and responses to risks, using an experimental 2 × 2 × 2 design. Providing people with specific information explaining the distanceexposure relationship, clarifying EMF policy, or specifying personal exposure management options actions resulted in a better understanding of exposure. We demonstrated that information provision as such had no effects on concerns about EMF nor on perceived risk of personal sources, i.e. mobile phones, but lowered perception of risk of public sources, i.e. mobile phone base stations and high-voltage power lines. In addition, information explaining the distanceexposure relationship in combination with policy information resulted in reduced self-reported risk-aversive responses. Moreover, participants who understood more about exposure in relation to the distance to the source showed lower perceptions of risk, were less likely to restrict their own exposure, and more likely to accept new installations of public sources of EMF in their neighborhood. In contrast, awareness that exposure was mainly determined by personal use of EMF sources corresponded with higher perceptions of risk from personal sources and a higher likelihood to restrict ones own exposure. Our findings provide focal points for improving communication on EMF. In particular, we suggest to include information clarifying the distanceexposure relationship to improve understanding of exposure. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: van Dongen et al. 2011 (IEEE #6060): Background: The amount of exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) at work is mainly determined by an individuals occupation and may differ from exposure at home. It is, however, unknown how different occupational groups perceive possible adverse health effects of EMF. Methods: Three occupational groups, the general Dutch working population (n = 567), airport security officers who work with metal detectors (n = 106), and MRI radiographers who work with MRI (n = 193), were compared on perceived risk of and positive and negative feelings towards EMF in general and of different EMF sources, and health concerns by using analyses of variances. Data were collected via an internet survey. Results: Overall, MRI radiographers had a lower perceived risk, felt less negative, and more positive towards EMF and different sources of EMF than the general working population and the security officers. For security officers, feeling more positive about EMF was not significantly related to perceived risk of EMF in general or EMF of domestic sources. Feeling positive about a source did not generalize to a lower perceived risk, while negative feelings were stronger related to perceived risk. MRI radiographers had fewer health concerns regarding EMF than the other two groups, although they considered it more likely that EMF could cause physical complaints. Conclusions: These data show that although differences in occupation appear to be reflected in different perceptions of EMF, the level of occupational exposure to EMF as such does not predict the perceived health risk of EMF. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT:Pölzl 2011 (IEEE #6076): When discussing health risks for children due to electromagnetic fields it is crucial to translate scientific knowledge both into adequate protection and precautionary measures for the general public and, more particularly into specific recommendations for children. It is often aimed at influencing health-related attitudes and behaviour by means of information about health affecting behaviour, health risk factors, and health promoting possibilities. Children have to be treated differently from adults in addressing their ability and willingness to modify behaviour and their competence to comprehend cognitively the sense of behavioural recommendations. Research has shown that adults can be motivated to adjust their own behaviour in order to protect their children or to be role models for their children. Hence one way to modify childrens behaviour is to address the parents and care persons. Generally education in the family, the social environment and in peer groups, nursery school and at school plays an important role in forming and influencing individual behaviour. The age of the target group has also to be taken into consideration. An important question is how to deal with scientific uncertainties when expressing EMF recommendations for children. Accentuating scientific uncertainties may under certain circumstances raise risk awareness. This can be an intended effect. But the expression of scientific uncertainties can also lead to unintended consequences in parents behaviour or even senseless dealing with the respective EMF source. The paper points out relevant aspects of risk communication regarding EMF and children and suggests how recommendations for children might be designed. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Kheifets, Sahl, Shimkhada, Repacholi 2005 (IEEE #6091): There has been considerable scientific effort to understand the potential link between exposures to power-frequency electric and magnetic fields (EMF) and the occurrence of cancer and other diseases. The combination of widespread exposures, established biological effects from acute, high-level exposures, and the possibility of leukemia in children from low-level, chronic exposures has made it both necessary and difficult to develop consistent public health policies. In this article we review the basis of both numeric standards and precautionary-based approaches. While we believe that policies regarding EMF should indeed be precautionary, this does not require or imply adoption of numeric exposure standards. We argue that cutpoints from epidemiologic studies, which are arbitrarily chosen, should not be used as the basis for making exposure limits due to a number of uncertainties. Establishment of arbitrary numeric exposure limits undermines the value of both the science-based numeric EMF exposure standards for acute exposures and precautionary approaches. The World Health Organization's draft Precautionary Framework provides guidance for establishing appropriate public health policies for power-frequency EMF. AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT: Stilgoe 2016 (IEEE #6453): The UK controversy over the health risks of mobile phones was at its peak around 19992000, at a time when policymakers were beginning to endorse moves towards greater openness in the practice of expert advice. One explanation for the subsequent calming of this controversy is that peoples sense of the benefits outweighed the minor uncertainties. However, this fails to explain the politics of mobile phone technology and, by positioning expert advice as neutral, offers no lessons for future expert practice. In this article, I argue that the mobile phones case can more productively be seen as one of public experiment. Rather than seeking closure, experts opened up the issue, made explicit previously obscured uncertainties and invited new research questions. In doing so, they remobilised previously static constructions of both science and public concern. This analysis challenges the distinction between science-as-expertise and science-as-experiment, with important implications for advisory practices and structures. This article is published as part of a thematic collection dedicated to scientific advice to governments. AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT: Velmurugan 2017 (IEEE #6613): Mobile phones have grown rapidly using today's wireless technology thereby providing a new dimension to simplify daily routine jobs by users. Mobile phone's applications have a great impact on the way of faster and more effective to convey information. In contrast, mobile phones could harm its users. This paper explored detrimental effects of mobile phones on energy consumption, electromagnetic radiofrequency radiation, environment, health and accidents. The effect of mobile phone's energy consumption can be considered during energy spend for its production and use. The electromagnetic radiofrequency radiation (EMRF) may cause adverse health effects on human. The raw materials which are used to manufacture for mobile phones may cause the severe environmental impacts due to their levels of toxicity. The health hazards are correlated with high-toxic substances released from the mobile phones and its addiction through a prolonged use. Mobile phone usage while driving can cause road traffic collisions and motor vehicle crashes. Furthermore, sustainable perspectives have been suggested as a way to overcoming these detrimental effects of mobile phones. Bushberg and Tupin 2017 (IEEE #6742): The LifeWave Ultra-Wideband RF sensor (LWUWBS) is a monitoring solution for a variety of physiologic assessment applications, including maternal fetal monitoring in both the antepartum and intrapartum periods. The system uses extremely low power radio frequency (RF) ultra-wide band (UWB) signals to provide continuous fetal heart rate and contractions monitoring during labor and delivery. Even with the incorporation of three very conservative assumptions, (1) concentration of the RF energy in 1 cm, (2) minimal (2.5 cm) maternal tissue attenuation of fetal exposure, and (3) absence of normal thermoregulatory compensation, the maternal whole body spatial-averaged specific absorption rate (WBSAR) would be 34,000 times below the FCC public exposure limit of 0.08 W kg and, at 8 wk or more gestation, the peak spatial-averaged specific absorption rate (PSSAR) in the fetus would be more than 160 times below the localized exposure limit of 1.6 mW g. Even when using very conservative assumptions, an analysis of the LWUWBS's impact on tissue heating is a factor of 7 lower than what is allowed for fetal ultrasound and at least a factor of 650 compared to fetal MRI. The actual transmitted power levels of the LWUWBS are well below all Federal safety standards, and the potential for tissue heating is substantially lower than associated with current ultrasonic fetal monitors and MRI. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Wardman and Löfstedt (IEEE# 7021): Regulatory use of the precautionary principle (PP) tends to be broadly characterized either as a responsible approach for safeguarding against health and environmental risks in the face of scientific uncertainties, or as state mismanagement driven by undue political bias and public anxiety. However, the anticipatory basis upon which governments variably draw a political warrant for adopting precautionary measures often remains ambiguous. Particularly, questions arise concerning whether the PP is employed preemptively by political elites from the top down, or follows from more conventional democratic pressures exerted by citizens and other stakeholders from the bottom up. This article elucidates the role and impact of citizen involvement in the precautionary politics shaping policy discourse surrounding the U.K. government's precautionary approach to mobile telecommunications technology and health. A case study is presented that critically reexamines the basis upon which U.K. government action has been portrayed as an instance of anticipatory policy making. Findings demonstrate that the use of the PP should not be interpreted in the preemptive terms communicated by U.K. government officials alone, but also in relation to the wider social context of risk amplification and images of public concern formed adaptively in antagonistic precautionary discourse between citizens, politicians, industry, and the media, which surrounded cycles of government policy making. The article discusses the sociocultural conditions and political dynamics underpinning public influence on government anticipation and responsiveness exemplified in this case, and concludes with research and policy implications for how society subsequently comes to terms with the emergence and precautionary governance of new technologies under conflict. AUTHORS' ABSTRACT: Clahsen et al. 2019 (IEEE #7059): Why do countries regulate, or prefer to regulate, environmental health risks such as radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and endocrine disruptors differently? A wide variety of theories, models, and frameworks can be used to help answer this question, though the resulting answer will strongly depend on the theoretical perspective that is applied. In this theoretical review, we will explore eight conceptual frameworks, from different areas of science, which will offer eight different potential explanations as to why international differences occur in environmental health risk management. We are particularly interested in frameworks that could shed light on the role of scientific expertise within risk management processes. The frameworks included in this review are the Risk Assessment Paradigm, research into the roles of experts as policy advisors, the Psychometric Paradigm, the Cultural Theory of Risk, participatory approaches to risk assessment and risk management, the Advocacy Coalition Framework, the Social Amplification of Risk Framework, and Hofstedes Model of National Cultures. We drew from our knowledge and experiences regarding a diverse set of academic disciplines to pragmatically assemble a multidisciplinary set of frameworks. From the ideas and concepts offered by the eight frameworks, we derive pertinent questions to be used in further empirical work and we present an overarching framework to depict the various links that could be drawn between the frameworks. |
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| Findings | Not Applicable to Bioeffects | |
| Status | Completed With Publication | |
| Principal Investigator | UK Physicians' Health Initiative | |
| Funding Agency | ????? | |
| Country | UNITED KINGDOM | |
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