European Commission: Electromagnetic Fields and Health

The majority of these research projects focus on EMF from mobile telephones and are cancer-related, a smaller number investigate possible effects on hearing, memory and behaviour.

Scope

• Advice Pulsed Fields: Development of advice to the EC on the risk to health of the general public from the use of security and similar devices employing pulsed electromagnetic fields.
• CEMFEC: Combined effects of electromagnetic fields with environmental carcinogens.
• GUARD: Potential adverse effects of GSM cellular phones on hearing.
• INTERPHONE: International case-control studies of cancer risk in relation to mobile telephone use.
• (PERFORM-A): In vivo research on possible health effects of mobile telephones and base stations (carcinogenicity studies in rodents).
• RAMP 2001: Risk assessment for exposure of nervous system cells to mobile telephone EMF: from in vitro to in vivo studies (Ramp2001).
• REFLEX: Risk evaluation of potential environmental hazards from low energy electromagnetic field exposure using sensitive in vitro methods (Reflex).
• THz-Bridge: Tera-Hertz radiation in biological research, investigation on diagnostics and study of potential genotoxic effects.
• EMF-NET: Effects of the exposure to electromagnetic fields: from science to public health and safer workplace (Will end in 2008).
• COST281 - Potential Health Implications from Mobile Communication Systems. (Ended in 2006)
• BM0704: Emerging EMF Technologies and Health Risk Management (2008-2012)

Status

Eight major projects were funded under the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) between 1998 and 2002.

In September 2008, the Framework 7 call for proposals on the subject area "Environment (climate change inclusive)" included ENV.2009.1.2.2.2 "Health effects from electromagnetic fields (EMF): improved exposure assessment to wireless communication devices"