The National Radiation Protection Board (NRPB) has reduced the public exposure limits to bring Britain into line with international guidelines, following a review of more than 1,000 scientific papers on the associated risks in the home and the office.
Electromagnetic fields are produced by mobile phone masts, mobile phones, power lines, transformers, electrical and office machinery. While the revised limits bring Britain into line with the guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), some campaigners say that levels should be reduced further still.
The review did not find evidence that the current British thresholds were unsafe but suggested the reduction as a "precautionary principle" because of "uncertainties" in the data. The BSRIA, which has been measuring magnetic fields over the last 10 years, reported that 99% of measurements have been below these revised levels.
The BSRIA have advised managers to adopt the same levels of precaution in office environments where computer equipment and underfloor cabling are typical sources of EMF, as those for public exposure, particularly where older, younger or particularly sensitive people work and where staff work for long hours.
The NRPB Chairman, Sir William Stewart FRS FRSE, said:
"This new recommendation by NRPB to adopt ICNIRP guidelines reflects a detailed assessment of the risks involved and also the need for a precautionary approach where there are genuine uncertainties in our knowledge"
