Standards are part of everyday life in today’s society but many people don’t even realise they exist. The homes we live in, the cars we drive and appliances we use are all built to standards so they work correctly and are safe to use. Mobile phones are the same.

The mobile telecommunications industry complies with strict safety standards that are based on extensive research into potential health impacts of radiofrequency fields and offer protection against all identified hazards with large safety margins.

The new communications web portal on health and electromagnetic fields (EMF), www.emfexplained.info gives a comprehensive overview of EMF standards and how they are set and the protection they offer.

AMTA CEO Chris Althaus said: “EMF Explained offered easy-to-read information for the public and people working in EMF-related areas to gain a better understanding of EMF and wireless issues”.

“It is important that the public can find information about the safety of mobile telecommunications products and have confidence that mobile phones and base stations are designed, built and tested to comply with strict science-based safety guidelines, which are set by national and international health agencies, such as the World Health Organisation.

“All mobile phones sold in Australia adhere to strict scientific standards, they have substantial in-built safety margins and carry the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s “A” Tick that shows the phone operates within Australian safety standards.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has formally recognised the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) to develop international EMF exposure guidelines, which are based on a careful analysis of published scientific literature (including evidence for both thermal and non-thermal effects) and offer protection against all identified hazards or RF energy with large safety margins.

The ICNIRP safety guidelines are designed to protect people of all ages, including children.

Specifically in relation to the ICNIRP limits and children, the WHO advise:

“The ICNIRP guidelines were developed to limit human exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) under conditions of maximum absorption of the fields, which rarely occurs, and the limits incorporate large safety factors to protect workers and even larger safety factors to protect the general public, including children. Thus, the limits in the ICNIRP guidelines are highly protective and are based on all the available scientific evidence.”

The latest on EMF safety standards and presentations from the October ICNIRP workshop can be accessed via links on the EMFexplained.info web site.

Emfexplained.info has been developed by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association in conjunction with two leading international industry associations, the GSM Association (GSMA) and the Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF).