Abstract

The Recommendation “Threshold Values and Precautions for Protection of the General Public from Electromagnetic Fields” issued in 2001 by the German Commission on Radiological Protection (SSK) identified open scientific problems and recommended several precautionary measures including intensifying related research. The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU), therefore mandated the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) to design and carry out the German Mobile Telecommunication Research Programme (DMF). A total of 54 research projects on mobile telecommunication related issues in the fields of biology, epidemiology, dosimetry and risk communication were performed from 2002 to 2008.

The present statement is based on scientific assessment of those 36 research projects which have been already concluded. They were evaluated with regard to the suitability of the chosen research topic, the scientific quality of the investigations, the achieved gain of knowledge for assessing potential health aspects of mobile telecommunication fields and regarding still persisting open questions or the identification of new ones that could have ensued due to the meanwhile further development of the state of knowledge.

The German Commission on Radiological Protection concludes that the German Mobile Telecommunication Research Programme has made an important contribution to the improvement of the scientific basis for health risk assessment of exposure to the electromagnetic fields of mobile telecommunications and thus also to risk communication.

Although a final assessment of the DMF is only possible after the still ongoing studies are at hand, the results available up to now demonstrate that the initial concerns about health risks cannot be confirmed. The DMF results did not show indications of new health effects not considered up to now. In accordance with other international bodies (WHO, ICNIRP) it can be stated that the protection concepts based on the existing limits are not put into question.

From a radiation protection point of view it must be pointed out that one single research project alone cannot be able to settle a scientific problem conclusively if biological interactions are concerned, even if the quality of a study was excellent. It is therefore understandable that there is still need for further research in spite of the fact that the initial indications of potential health effects of mobile telecommunications were not confirmed.

While manyfold data are already available for health risk assessment of acute exposures, from a biological viewpoint, there is still need for further research to assess more extended, up to lifelong, exposures in particular in respect of potential long-term effects. Open questions also arise with regard to exposures of fetuses or children, and concerning potential effects on cognition, mental state and sleep.

Viewing the ongoing dynamic development of new wireless communication technology, the utilisation of new frequencies and forms of transmission, accompanying research, immission control and exposure assessment appear to be reasonable.

When the results of all projects are at hand, it will be the SSK’s task to elaborate an up-to-date overall assessment including but not restricted to DMF-results and involving the scientific literature available in the meantime, and the results of other national and international research programmes.

The German version of this Statement has been published in volume 67 of the series “Veröffentlichungen der Strahlenschutzkommission" (Publications of the Commission on Radiological Protection).