THz-Bridge-Workshop

Presentation of COST 281:„Challenge through new technologies“

September, 30th – October, 2nd 2002

Palazzo dei Congressi - Capri - Italy

The „Research Agenda“The „Research Agenda“

- Emerging Technologies

- Current research activities

- Ongoing research and funding

- Actual state of knowledge

- Priorities for further research

ELF RF Micro-waves

Infra- red

UV x-Ray,GammaRadiation

StaticField

300.000 km 0,3 µm0,3 mm30 cm300 m300 km 0,3 nm

1 Hz 1 KHz 1 MHz 1 GHz 1 THz 1 PHz 1018Hz

Non ionizing Ionizing

4

FrequencyWavelength

1203,110-310-610-910-11 1,7

Photon Energy (eV)

The „Research Agenda“The „Research Agenda“

• Video Conferences• Video Consultation Hours • Films on Demand• TV live from all over the world• Video-Mail• Online Learning• Entertainment for Car Drivers

in Traffic Jams

•Mobile Internet•Online Banking•Electronic Commerce•Traffic Information•Online Games•Live Radio•Music-Player and Downloads•Video Control

• E-mail• Messages (SMS)• Stock Quotations and

News online• Phone Calls

Low Speed(Mobile Radio today)

Medium Speed (GPRS/WAP)

High Speed (UMTS)

New Opportunities in Mobile Radio ApplicationsNew Opportunities in Mobile Radio Applications

What public is simply adressing? (1)What public is simply adressing? (1)

What research is there into EMF health effects?

• Which evidence is given by different reseach approaches?

• What is the extent of research: Compared to other research areas, are there more or rather less studies?

What are the findings regarding EMF effects on living organisms?

• Is there any proof of EMF effects on living organisms? Does research show how effects occur and how to access their health relevance? Is the overall impression given by findings explicit or rather contradictory?

What public is simply adressing? (2)What public is simply adressing? (2)

How reliable is current knowledge?

• Is present knowledge sufficient or are there still too many unanswered questions?

• Where are gaps of knowledge and what should be the focus of research?

• Does current research provide no/little/sufficient/complete safety regarding health protection?

What public is simply adressing? (3)What public is simply adressing? (3)

Are there health damaging effects?

• Are EMF effects supposed to have no health damaging consequences at all?

• Or are effects shown without definitely knowing about health relevance?

• Or are health hazards supposed to be proven?

Are present standards sufficient?

• How are standards set? How are different sensitivity levels of people taken into consideration?

• Are present standards sufficient?

• How are standards adapted to the latest development in research?

Aim of all Research ActivitiesAim of all Research Activities

should be to gather knowledge about influence and effects of EMF on human beings and environment to explore potential mechanisms.

Research InitiativesResearch Initiatives

Who is working on the EMF issue?

•National research programmes and institutions

•International EMF programmes

Examples for Research InitiativesExamples for Research Initiatives

WHO: EMF Project

EU: Fifth Framework

FGF

ICNIRP

COST 281

Funds spent for research (1)Funds spent for research (1)

Organisation Project Period Budget

World Health Organisation

The international Electromagnetic Fields (EMF)

Project1996-2005

6 Mio. US $

European Commission and national institutions of SWISS, AUSTRIA, FINLAND, GERMANY, FRANCE

„REFLEX“

„PERFORM-A“

„CEMFEC“

of ICNIRP

of IARC

1998-2002

3,15 Mio €

7,86 Mio €

1,3 Mio €

0,058 Mio €

7.35 Mio €

USA Departement of Energy National Institute if Environmental Health

Sciences

EMF-RAPID (Research and public Information Dissemination

Program)

1994-1998

65 Mio US $

USA Public Utilities Commission California EMF Program 1993- 7 Mio US $

Funds spent for research (2)Funds spent for research (2)

5 Mio US $2002USAF RF Research Program: Biomolecular and subcellular RF

bioeffects

USA Air Force Office of Scientific Research

5,2 Mio US $2000-2001

Epidemiological studiesJAPAN

University of Tokyo and others

Ministry of Post and Telecommunications

1 Mio €per yearHuman and Animal dosimetric and cancer studies

FRANCE

National Research and Safety Institue Ministry of Health

National Academy of Sciences

National telecommunications companies

BudgetPeriodProjectOrganisation

2

Funds spent for research (3)Funds spent for research (3)

8,5 Mio €

2 Mio €

5 Mio €

10 Mio €

2002-2005

1992-2002

Mobile phone health issues: Dosimetry, in vivo and in vitro

biological investigations, epidemiology

Drittmittelforschung, Kolloguien, Seminare

GERMANY

Federal Office for Radiation Protection

Federal Ministry of research

Federal Ministry of economic affairs

FGF

10 Mio US $2002-2005

Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research

UK

Government and industry

4 Mio US $per yearResearch on mobile phone safetyAUSTRALIA

National Health and Medical Research Council

2,2 Mio €2002-2005

Health risks from military antennas and radars

NORWAY

Norwegian Navy

Norwegian Cancer Registry

BudgetPeriodProjectOrganisation

3

Source: „Bioelectromagnetics Newsletter“ and „Microwave News“

European Commission

Fifth Framework Programme for Research Fifth Framework Programme for Research (1998-2002) (1998-2002)

Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources

KEY ACTION 4Environment and Health

Theme 1

KEY ACTION 4: ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

Objectives and Deliverables are:Objectives and Deliverables are:

Reduction of health effects (including allergies) as related to environmental factors

Assessment and reduction of environmental health hazards

Support to health and environmental policy-making and public information

COST 281 – Participation in workshop

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

November 30th, 2001:

„Electromagnetic Fields and Health - Which Regulatory Framework for the European Community?“

Cooperation in Science and TechnologyCooperation in Science and Technology

In 2001, a new COST programme was proposed to the European Union. This proposal, COST 281, concerning the „Biomedical effects of electromagnetic fields“ was adopted in March 2001 and should help foster research efforts in Europe. It is the continuation of the Cost 244 and COST 244bis actions.

More emphasis has been put in its third study periode on mobile communications since COST 244 was placed under the umbrella of the Technical Committee for Telecommunications of the European Commission.

Memorandum of Understanding – COST281 action

•The main objective is to obtain a better understanding of possible health impacts of emerging technologies, that may result in exposure to electromagnetic fields

• The MoU will remain in force for a period of 5 years

Functional alterationOrgan

Total Body

Cell

Membrane

Behaviour, Healing, Cancer?

Molecule

Excitation, Proliferation, Activaton...

Receptor-Activation,Transport...

Biological Amplification

Thermal and nonthermal Interactions ofThermal and nonthermal Interactions ofHigh Frequency Electromagnetic FieldsHigh Frequency Electromagnetic Fields

Polarization,Phase Transitions

Atomar andMolecularReactionsFiel

d St

reng

th

Non-Thermal Interaction (specific)

Thermal Interaction (non specific)

Heating(grad T?)SA

R

Polarization,Heating

(grad T?)Mic

ro-

dosi

met

ry

Biological Effects of Radio WavesBiological Effects of Radio Waves

Investigations on different levels:

Cells andCells andtissuetissue

Cells andCells andtissuetissue Cell-biological Investigations

Epidemiological StudiesPopulationPopulationPopulationPopulation

MoleculesMoleculesMoleculesMolecules Biochemical and Molecularbiological Investigations

Animal (and Human) ExperimentsIndividualsIndividualsIndividualsIndividuals

Scientific programme

• Monitor development of emerging technologies where major changes in public or occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields are likely

• Investigate the possibility of health issues related to such exposures, and, where appropriate, define specific research efforts that may be needed

• Evaluate the scientific basis for new exposure situation and/or health issues. Co-operation with other international bodies having similar aims will be important

Scientific Research at the CrossroadsScientific Research at the Crossroads

Risk Assessment

For each emerging technology using well-established research

methods

Basic Research

Increasing efforts towards basic research in order to gain compre-

hensive knowledge of possible biological interaction mechanism

Advantagesdeals with the specific relevant issue

comprehensive understanding of biological coherence

Disadvantagesfor each new technology and applications new testing

takes time and efforts

Dissemination of the results

• Workshops and seminars, where the target audience is expected to be primarily researchers

• Newsletters and proceedings from these workshops, where the target audience is composed of researchers as well as representatives of national or local health authorities, industry representatives, consumer organisations etc.

• A web-page, with primarily similar target audiences as above, but where the possibility of additional audiences should be encouraged

• Summary reports and publications to policy makers, which should be made available also to the general public. In these summary reports , main scientific publications that has arisen from the Action will be listed and briefly described

Newsletter COST 281Newsletter COST 281

„„Experts“ who talk rubbishExperts“ who talk rubbish

- What is expertise?

- Who is a so-called „expert“?

- Why is an interdisciplinary approach necessary?

- Which role does media play?

- What can public expect for the future?

Some Guidance for Seriousness in Research ReportingSome Guidance for Seriousness in Research Reporting

- Research is preliminary financed by the public(taxes, donation, gifts, voluntary contributions)

- Research takes time

- Research results must be seen very critically

- Research results must be reproduceable

- Pilot studies should be estimated as such

- Research results must fit in a general overall understanding

Research requirementsResearch requirements

• Science cannot prove: there is no risk

• Research should be of highest quality and directly relevant to human health

• All studies should be done in „double blind“ manner

• Single studies with positive effects should be bear replications

• The dosimetry and exposure system should be clearly defined and it is a „must“ that the design and testing of the exposure systems is well documented

• Experimental results and environmental factors should be monitored and controlled

• All testing should be done against a well pre-defined hypothesis

Prerequisites for scientific work

• Development of an evaluated database system for review and assessment of literature

• Experimental set-up for studying electromagnetic alternating fields

• Development of a guideline for experiments investigating the effects of high frequency EMF on biological systems

• Quality assurements (oriented at GLP)

Prerequisites for scientific work

Structuring of research projects:

It is of importance to determine, prior to experiments, the intentions of the studies and the working hypothesis on which they are based.

Biosystems in RF electromagnetic fields are a very complex research subject with a high degree of variability of the different experimental parameters.

ConclusionsConclusions

- The research agenda is not concluded

- Research activities should be more coordinated

- Further activities in research are needed

- The public should be adressed more seriously

- Judgement of scientific knowledge should be done more on international basis

- Thermal effects are well established and form the biological basis for restricting exposure to radiofrequency fields

COST 281 Secretariatc/o Forschungsgemeinschaft FunkRathausgasse 11aD-53111 Bonn, Germany

Phone: +49 (0)228 / 72622-0Fax: +49 (0)228 / 72622-11E-mail: info@fgf.deInternet: http://www.cost281.org

COST 281 Secretariatc/o Forschungsgemeinschaft FunkRathausgasse 11aD-53111 Bonn, Germany

Phone: +49 (0)228 / 72622-0Fax: +49 (0)228 / 72622-11E-mail: info@fgf.deInternet: http://www.cost281.org

For further informations please contact directly:

Forschungsgemeinschaft Funk