Recent and Future Activities of the ICNIRP

Abstract

The International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) is a non-governmental organisation in the field of non-ionising radiation (NIR) protection formally recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Labour Office. ICNIRP maintains a close liaison and working relationship with other international bodies engaged in the field of NIR. The scope of activities include giving guidance for the protection of workers, members of the public, patients and the environment. Based on the scientific data collected in Environmental Health Criteria documents of the WHO and a critical in-depth evaluation of the established scientific literature ICNIRP develops international guidelines on limits of exposure to NIR. Recently, ICNIRP decided to extend its expertise by installing three standing committees (SC) consisting of internationally recognised specialists. These SC's cover the fields of epidemiology, biology and physics and technology. The SC's will also facilitate the collaboration of ICNIRP in the international EMF project of the WHO. A first step within this project is the organisation of several international seminars evaluating the status quo of our knowledge related to health risks of EMF, the identification of gaps in knowledge and research priorities. Other activities of ICNIRP include: Limits of exposure to visible and infrared radiation, application of a Global Solar UV-Index; safety of mobile telephones and base transmitters; limits of exposure to electromagnetic fields (up to 300 Ghz); development of a general system of protection against NIR> Some priorities of these activities are discussed.