A History of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection

Abstract

A History of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection Repacholi MH. A History of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. Health Phys. 2017 Oct;113(4):282-300. doi: 10.1097/HP.0000000000000699. Abstract Concern about health risks from exposure to non-ionizing radiation (NIR) commenced in the 1950s after tracking radars were first introduced during the Second World War. Soon after, research on possible biological effects of microwave radiation in the former Soviet Union and the U.S. led to public and worker exposure limits being much lower in Eastern European than in Western countries, mainly because of different protection philosophies. As public concern increased, national authorities began introducing legislation to limit NIR exposures from domestic microwave ovens and workplace devices such as visual display units. The International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) was formed in 1966 to represent national radiation protection societies. To address NIR protection issues, IRPA established a Working Group in 1974, then a Study Group in 1975, and finally the International NIR Committee (INIRC) in 1977. INIRC's publications quickly became accepted worldwide, and it was logical that it should become an independent commission. IRPA finally established the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), chartering its remit in 1992, and defining NIR as electromagnetic radiation (ultraviolet, visible, infrared), electromagnetic waves and fields, and infra- and ultrasound. ICNIRP's guidelines have been incorporated into legislation or adopted as standards in many countries. While ICNIRP has been subjected to criticism and close scrutiny by the public, media, and activists, it has continued to issue well-received, independent, science-based protection advice. This paper summarizes events leading to the formation of ICNIRP, its key activities up to 2017, ICNIRP's 25th anniversary year, and its future challenges. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov Excerpts "At the Budapest meeting, Repacholi advised that since he had established the International EMF Project at WHO, and as ICNIRP was now working closely with this project, it was a conflict of interest for him to remain as Chairman or as a member of ICNIRP. As such, he resigned." "While the independence of ICNIRP members is clearly required in its Charter and Statutes, it had become an issue of public and political interest in some countries. At its meeting in Bordeaux (September 2003), it was decided that a conflict of interest declaration by all current and new members should not only be kept on file but also posted on ICNIRP's website. A "Declaration of Personal Interest" completed by all Commission and Scientific Expert Group members is now posted on the ICNIRP website as a demonstration of the independence of its members, openness and transparency. These declarations of personal interest were made more stringent following discussions at the annual meeting in Thessaloniki (Greece, June 2013) and more detailed information was required from Commission and Scientific Expert Group members." "Recommendations on exposure limits have been and continue to be based purely on the science and only minor changes or fine-tuning to these limits have been necessary over the years. Many national authorities have adopted ICNIRP guidelines into their own guidance or legislation. The stability of the limits over many years, because there has not been any research providing evidence of harm from exposures below the guideline limits, provides reassurance to national authorities about the adequacy of the protection the limits provide." "ICNIRP members have taken a leading role in assisting WHO's International EMF Project with its first systematic review of the scientific literature to determine whether there are any health consequences from exposure to radiofrequency fields. The results and conclusions of this Environmental Health Criteria monograph will form a basis for the updated ICNIRP guidelines on high frequency EMF. An important aspect of this WHO review is that, not only WHO Task Group members, but all members of any working groups contributing to each chapter, including ICNIRP members, must complete a form detailing any conflict of interest for review and approval by the WHO Legal Department.Given the huge amount of work this systematic review involves, it is anticipated that this monograph should now be published in 2018. Much of ICNIRP's future work will be done in collaboration with WHO's EMF Project." "ICNIRP published its general philosophy of NIR protection 15 y ago (ICNIRP 2002), but this needs updating and more detail added. ICNIRP is currently working on this update since it views the protection principles as fundamental to the development of all its guidelines and statements. In addition, such principles provide consistency in protection for future publications." "Possible health effects of EMF have been of concern for a long time and so ICNIRP has been subjected to significant public and political scrutiny. To its credit, by steadfastly remaining a purely scientific Commission and not entering the politics of NIR issues, ICNIRP has successfully weathered all storms to become the most recognized agency for producing independent authoritative advice on NIR protection issues." "The authors declare no conflicts of interest." My note: In recent years, many professional journals require authors to disclose conflicts of interest (COIs). However, it is extremely rare that anyone discloses their COIs. Thus, this requirement which relies on self reporting COIs has been largely a sham.

AI evidence extraction

Main findings

The paper describes historical events leading to the formation of ICNIRP (chartered in 1992), summarizes its key activities up to 2017, and notes that ICNIRP guidelines have been incorporated into legislation or adopted as standards in many countries. It also describes ICNIRP’s conflict-of-interest declaration practices and collaboration with WHO’s International EMF Project, including involvement in a WHO systematic review of radiofrequency fields.

Outcomes measured

• History/formation and activities of ICNIRP
• Development/adoption of non-ionizing radiation exposure limits and guidelines
• Conflict of interest and transparency policies within ICNIRP/WHO EMF Project collaboration

Limitations

• Narrative/historical account rather than an empirical health-effects study (no primary exposure-outcome data reported in the abstract).
• No specific exposure metrics (frequency, SAR, duration) or quantitative health outcomes are provided in the abstract.

Suggested hubs

• who-icnirp (0.95)
  Focuses on the history, remit, guidelines, and governance (including COI practices) of ICNIRP and its collaboration with WHO’s International EMF Project.

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    "main_findings": "The paper describes historical events leading to the formation of ICNIRP (chartered in 1992), summarizes its key activities up to 2017, and notes that ICNIRP guidelines have been incorporated into legislation or adopted as standards in many countries. It also describes ICNIRP’s conflict-of-interest declaration practices and collaboration with WHO’s International EMF Project, including involvement in a WHO systematic review of radiofrequency fields.",
    "effect_direction": "unclear",
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        "conflict of interest",
        "WHO International EMF Project"
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