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Ximena P. Vergara, PhD, MPH Senior Project Scientist
Program 60: Electric and Magnetic Fields & Radiofrequency Health Assessment and Safety
Spring EEI Occupational Health & Safety Committee Conference Indianapolis, IN
April 23, 2013
Overview of Potential Health Effects of
Radiofrequency Fields and Smart Meters
2 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
• Introduction
• RF emissions from smart meters
• RF health research and risk evaluations
• Conclusions
• Ongoing
• Occupational RF safety work
• RF health research
Outline
3 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Air Quality
Global Climate Change
Land and Groundwater
Occupational Health and Safety
(OH&S)
T&D Environmental Issues
Water and Ecosystems
Renewables
Sustainability
Environment
Transmission Lines and
Substations
Grid Operations and Planning
Distribution
Energy Utilization
Cross Cutting Technologies
Power Delivery & Utilization
Advanced Nuclear Technology
Chemistry, Low-Level Waste
and Radiation Management
Equipment Reliability
Fuel Reliability
Instrumentation and Control
Material Degradation/Aging
Nondestructive Evaluation and
Material Characterization
Risk and Safety Management
Used Fuel and High-Level
Waste Management
Nuclear Power
Advanced Coal Plants, Carbon
Capture and Storage
Combustion Turbines
Environmental Controls
Generation Planning
Major Component Reliability
Operations and Maintenance
Generation
Research Portfolio Spans the Entire Electricity
Sector
4 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
EMF & RF Health Assessment & Safety
Research Program
Housed with T & D Environment, research includes:
• Laboratory studies
• Epidemiologic studies
• Instrumentation and modeling
• Exposure assessment
• Occupational health studies
• Communications of latest research
5 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Electromagnetic Spectrum
6 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
In the News…
“While some environmentalists say the devices will help make the grid greener and more
efficient, and give customers the data they need to control their energy use, critics see them
as a healthy and safety hazard. They say smart meters risk our privacy and emit radio-
frequency radiation that could lead to serious health problems.”
7 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Smart Meter RF Exposure Emission Measurements
8 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Laboratory and Field Measurements
9 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
One Foot in Front of Antenna – Peak Field
EPRI Itron Study
1 ft
8.1
% FCC
Dist
EPRI Technical Report – December 2010 (PID 1021126)
Peer Publication - Radiation Protection and Dosimetry (2012)
10 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Peak Instantaneous Fields (Power Density) in
Front of Meters (CA Residences)
1 foot
14.7% of Maximum
Permissible Exposure
11 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Duty Cycles in EPRI Itron Study
EPRI 2010
• Duty cycle – fraction of time when antenna actually transmits
12 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Duty Cycle – EPRI Silver Spring Networks Study
0.22%
0.02%
13.9%
5%
JESEE 2012
13 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
RF Dosimetry
• Specific Absorption
Rate (SAR) calculations
using finite-difference
time domain (FDTD)
method
• “Beyond worst case
scenarios”
• SAR values do not
exceed published limits,
unless subject in
extreme proximity (face
touching meter) and
only when duty cycles
ignored
14 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
RF Survey in Urban Environments
• A Survey of the Urban Radio-
Frequency (RF) Environment,
November 2012 (PID 1025393)
– Preliminary survey in NC, TX, WA
Narda SRM-3006 (26 MHz – 3 GHz) (+ monopole antenna AM, 0.5-1.7 MHz)
15 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
RF Survey in Urban Environments
Main Findings
• Like in 1980, FM broadcasting is a
major contributor to RF environment
• AM radio signals represent small
fractions of MPE
• VHF TV bands are now “dead” with
transition to DTV (UHF)
• Wireless smart meters can be
detected but the RF fields are weak
compared to other sources
• Indoor measurements will likely find
lower levels compared to outdoors
16 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
• In vitro mechanistic studies
• In vivo laboratory animal & human provocation
studies
• Epidemiologic studies
• Environmental and personal exposure assessment
RF Health Research
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In Vivo Animal Carcinogenicity Studies
Overall, 41 studies were evaluated
• 34 studies were negative
• 3 studies were positive, but were not confirmed
• 4 positive studies in new models or models that have not
been used in other laboratories
Conclusion
• The animal data supporting the possible carcinogenicity of
RF is weak, but is non-zero
18 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Epidemiologic Studies
Pre-INTERPHONE
• Inconsistent results for environmental and occupational exposures
• With the exception Hardell studies, most cell phone studies negative
INTERPHONE
• Case-control study of cell phone use and brain cancer 13 countries
• Glioma
• Odds Ratio 0.81 (0.70-0.94)
• Meningioma
• Odds Ratio 0.79 (0.68-0.91)
Cumulative call time
INTERPHONE Study
IJE 2010
INTERPHONE
Odds Ratio 1.4
19 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Are reported risks of brain cancer consistent
with population statistics?
7,0
8,0
9,0
10,0
11,0
12,0
13,0
14,0
15,0
16,0
1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004
Predicted if RR=2
Predicted if RR=1.5
Predicted if RR=1.2
Observed
All users at increased risk after 15 yrs
7,0
8,0
9,0
10,0
11,0
12,0
13,0
14,0
15,0
16,0
1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004
Predicted if RR=2
Predicted if RR=1.5
Predicted if RR=1.2
Observed
Risk only for heavy users
Deltour et al., Epidemiology, 2012
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IARC Group 2B – RF “Possibly Carcinogenic”
The Lancet Oncoly 2011, 12: 624-626
21 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Evaluation of Evidence by IARC
Sufficient Causal relationship established
Chance, bias, confounding ruled out
Limited Positive associations observed
Credible causality, but
Chance, bias, confounding not ruled out
Inadequate Studies found insufficient quality, consistency or statistical power
Absence of data
ESLC Evidence Suggesting Lack of Carcinogenicity
Sufficient Causal relationship established, positive in:
• Two or more species
• Two or more studies in one species
• Both sexes of single species
Limited Suggestive data, but
• Only seen in one experiment (replication)
• Issues regarding adequacy of the design, conduct or interpretation
• Benign tumors or restricted tissues
Inadequate Studies cannot be interpreted that the exposure is carcinogenic
Absence of data
ESLC Evidence Suggesting Lack of Carcinogenicity
Exp
eri
men
tal A
nim
als
H
um
an
Stu
die
s
22 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
UK Health Protection Agency (RF) (2012)
• “…the evidence considered overall has not
demonstrated any adverse health effects of
RF field exposure below internationally
accepted guideline levels. “
• “…does not cause symptoms and cannot be
detected by people, even by those who
consider themselves sensitive to RF fields.”
• “…evidence on cancer…is not definitive, but
overall is increasingly in the direction of no
material effect…”
23 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Swedish Council for Working Life and Social
Research (2012)
• Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: “…no association between radiofrequency fields and wellbeing has been established…[RF] not been shown to trigger symptoms in subjects who perceive themselves as hypersensitive…”
• Brain Tumors: “The majority of epidemiological studies have found no evidence that mobile phone use is associated with an increased risk…” “…reported risk increases [if real]…would definitely have resulted in a detectable increase in the brain tumor incidence rates...”
24 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Review of Reviews
• “…the vast majority of the [33] reports do not consider that
radiofrequency fields at current exposure levels…pose a
serious health risk to humans.”
• “All reports, except the Bioinitiative report, conclude that
there is so far no clear indication of adverse health effects
from RF-exposure…”
• “They usually remain prudent with regard to long-term bio-
effects, not because of strong indications that such effects
might occur, but only because there are so far not enough
data available to draw a sound conclusion.”
25 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Recent Reviews of Smart Meter RF Issues
• California Council on
Science and Technology
• Public Utility Commission
of Texas
• Michigan Public Service
Commission
• Vermont Department of
Public Service
26 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
California Council on Science and Technology
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EPRI Comments on BioInitiative 2012 Report
• Issues with BioInitiative 2012
Report
– Rely on selective literature
– Inconsistent with all other
expert panel conclusions
• Electric fields barely mentioned
– Large literature of in vivo
studies
– No exposure recommendation
(inconsistent with B-field
recommendation)
• ELF and RF rodent bioassays
overlooked
Published March 2013
Product ID: 3002000701
28 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
• RF exposure is ubiquitous in modern societies
• RF emissions from smart meters are well below
public safety limits and low compared to other
sources
• Health risk evaluations using the “weight of
evidence” approach tend to conclude that there is no
clear indication of adverse health effects due to RF
exposure
• Scientific uncertainties may warrant further research
Conclusions
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Issues
• Co-location of mobile phone antennae
on transmission towers
• Unanticipated RF burn hazards due to
re-radiation of RF voltages from
nearby AM broadcast stations onto
power lines
EPRI 2012 Research Deliverables
• RF Estimator Software provides
• Interaction Between AM Radio
Broadcast Antennas and Overhead
Power Lines (Technical Brief)
Occupational RF Safety Research
30 © 2013 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved.
Technology Innovation RF Health Research
October 2012
Product ID: 1025644
December 2012
Product ID: 1025388
November 2012
Product ID: 1025387
Focus on evaluation of instrumentation
both research and consumer grade
Summary of RF human
laboratory research
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Together…Shaping the Future of Electricity