Mobile phone base stations and your health
While most people welcome more mobile phone coverage, we at Vodafone recognise that some people are concerned about the possible health effects of base stations and we are committed to addressing these concerns.
This fact sheet is designed to provide a straightforward discussion of the regulation of radiofrequency (RF) signals and Vodafone's commitment to the highest standards of public safety.
Public exposure limits and regulation of RF signals
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has set mandatory limits for RF exposure for all devices that produce radiofrequency signals. Mobile phones and their base stations are included in these mandatory limits, as are AM and FM radio and TV broadcast stations. These ACMA limits are based on the levels set in the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) radiofrequency Standard, which is derived from the International Commission Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) Guidelines.
What is the ARPANSA Standard based on?
The International and Australian standards have radiofrequency (RF) exposure limits based on a "whole body" threshold electromagnetic energy (EME) exposure of four watts/kg. Exposure to energy from RF signals above this threshold has been experimentally demonstrated to produce adverse health effects.
To ensure the protection of people and the community, a number of safety factors have been applied to the whole body threshold. For trained technicians working with RF technology, a safety factor of 10 is incorporated for exposure levels, and for members of the general public, a further safety factor of 5 is incorporated (meaning the whole body threshold is divided by 10 and 50 respectively). Thus the current Australian ARPANSA Standard stipulates that members of the general public are exposed to no more than 0.08 watts/kg.
To ensure these limits are not exceeded when measuring RF exposure levels in the field, ARPANSA has set a number of reference levels. For the radio frequencies used by mobile phone base stations, the reference levels are usually expressed in power density units (watts per square metre). Exposure reports, such as the ARPANSA EME Report, express exposure as a percentage of the reference limits set in the ARPANSA Standard.
How do we know that the ARPANSA Standard is safe?
ARPANSA undertook a thorough review of the International scientific literature and studies relating to RF standards before formulating the 'Radiation Protection Standard - Maximum Exposure Levels - 3kHz to 300 GHz (ARPANSA Standard, 2002)'.
This review confirmed the basic exposure limit of 0.08 watts/kg, with its safety factor of 50, was ample to protect the general public from any harmful effects from RF signals. The ARPANSA Standard is one of the world's most comprehensive and up-to-date standards, and includes requirements for the management of risk in occupational exposure, and additional information on measurement and assessment of compliance.
What are the RF levels near mobile phone base stations?
Mobile phone base stations operate at very low power. Independent measurements at ground level show that exposure from radio transmissions near base stations are typically many hundreds times below the National and International limits.
Vodafone designs and operates its mobile phone base stations to comply with the ACMA's mandatory limits (i.e. ARPANSA Standard). At ground level, a typical Vodafone base station generates only 0.1 to 1% of the mandatory limits.
ARPANSA national survey of base stations confirms low exposure levels
Independent field monitoring of exposure levels around mobile phone base stations has been conducted since 1999 under the control of government agency, ARPANSA (Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency). Findings from the 2003 audit of 60 mobile base stations around Australia indicated: "On average the measurements showed that exposure levels at the location of the highest predicted level were 0.0021% of the Australian (ICNIRP) limits.
RF exposure levels are calculated for base station proposals under ACIF
The Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF), in its 'Code for the Deployment of Mobile Phone Network Infrastructure', stipulates that carriers must assess potential community RF exposure levels for a proposed base station, before construction of the base station begins. This assessment must consider the combination of all existing mobile phone base station transmitters on the site.
Under the ACIF Code, a copy of the calculated RF exposure levels for a proposal or existing site must be made available to members of the public if requested. Anyone can access this information from Vodafone via either the contact details provided in all specific proposals, or contacting the EME Manager via ememanagement.au@vodafone.com
Our commitment to safety and access to information about exposure levels from mobile phone base stations
A web site has been developed to maintain a record of details of base stations around Australia. Details on specific sites can be found via the industry's National Site Archive, found at www.rfnsa.com.au
Vodafone supports the industry initiative of developing the National Site Archive website, and contributes to the funding of regular independent base station audits by ARPANSA.
As the largest mobile phone company in the world, Vodafone ensures that all Vodafone base stations comply with the National and International safety guidelines and standards.
If you would like more information regarding Vodafone's base stations or Vodafone's commitment to the RF standards, or if you have any questions, please email ememanagement.au@vodafone.com. All Vodafone field officers can also help with this information.
Further Information
Vodafone encourages anyone concerned about mobile phones and base stations to seek independent reliable expert advice. Below are some organisations that may be able to help.
World Health Organization - EMF Project
www.who.int/peh-emf/en/
Australian Radiation Protection Nuclear Safety Agency
(ARPANSA)
Phone: (03) 9433 2211
http://www.arpansa.gov.au/eme/index.cfm
Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)
Phone: (02) 6219 5555
http://emr.acma.gov.au
International Commission Non-ionising Radiation Protection. (ICNIRP)
www.icnirp.de
For further information, please contact
Vodafone's Community Relations Manager
Phone: (02) 9415 7179
Email: ememanagement.au@vodafone.com
