About this Publication on Electromagnetic Fields

1. Source for this Publication
   
2. The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR)
   
3. Background on the SCENIHR opinion on electromagnetic fields
   

1. Source for this Publication

The texts quoted in Level 3 are directly sourced from " Possible effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) on Human Health", an opinion produced in 2007 by the SCENIHR (Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks) of the European Commission.

Levels 1 & 2 were written by the GreenFacts editorial team in collaboration with the DG Health and Consumers of the European Commission.

This publication is produced by GreenFacts under a contract from the DG Health and Consumers of the European Commission.

2. The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR)

The Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks is one of three independent non-food scientific committees that advise the European Commission on matters of consumer safety, public health and the environment.

The committee was set up in 2004 to provide the European Commission with scientific advice on emerging and newly identified risks. It replaced the Scientific Committee on Medicinal Products and Medical Devices (SCMPMD). SCENIHR addresses broad, complex or multidisciplinary issues requiring a comprehensive assessment of risks to consumer safety or public health. It also answers questions on related issues not covered by other community risk-assessment bodies.

Potential risks addressed by the committee include antimicrobial resistance, new technologies such as nanotechnology, medical devices, tissue engineering, blood products, fertility reduction, cancer of endocrine organs, noise and electromagnetic fields

3. Background on the SCENIHR opinion on electromagnetic fields

The European Commission asked the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) to produce an updated opinion on the possible health effects of electromagnetic fields and to continuously monitor new information that may influence the assessment of risks to human health in this area.

The " Opinion on possible effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) on Human Health", was published by the SCENIHR on 21 March 2007 following a public consultation procedure and a series of earlier reports.

The SCENIHR had undertaken the public consultation on the basis of a  preliminary report published on 19 July 2006.

The above opinion updates a report issued in 2001 by the Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment (CSTEE), a panel since replaced by the Scientific Committee on Health and Environmental Risks (SCHER): " Possible effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF), Radio Frequency Fields (RF) and Microwave Radiation on human health opinion"

The updated opinion focuses on the possibility of health effects when exposure is below levels at which established biological mechanisms occur and, in particular, lasts for a long time. In recent years, a substantial number of studies on the possible health effects of electromagnetic fields has been published, notably on mobile telephones. This data was reviewed and its impact on the previous opinion assessed.