CULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE
15 JULY 2013
10.7 ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION (EMR)
ATTACHMENTS:
1. COMMUNCATION (LETTER / E-MAILS) WITH
AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATION AUTHORITY
2. SOURCES OF EMR CONTINUUM
3. AUSTRALIAN RADIATION AND NUCLEAR SAFETY
AGENCY - FACT SHEET ELECTRICITY AND
HEALTH
4. LIST OF MOBILE PHONE BASE STATIONS IN
WILLOUGHBY LGA
5. CANCER INSTITUTE OF NSW CHART LEUKAEMIA
NORTHERN SYDNEY 2004-2008
RESPONSIBLE OFFICER:
GREG WOODHAMS - ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES
DIRECTOR
AUTHOR:
ANGELO BERIOS - ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
COORDINATOR
CITY STRATEGY LINK:
2.1.3 REDUCE POLLUTION
MEETING DATE:
15 JULY 2013
Purpose of Report
To provide a response to the resolution adopted at Council meeting dated 24 May 2010 on
Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR).
Background
The adopted resolution was that Council write to the Australian Radiation Protection and
Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) and or the Australian Communications and Media
Authority (ACMA) requesting the submission to Council of reports relating to Electromagnetic
Radiation readings from the three broadcast towers when new licences are allocated or
licences are renewed and that a further report be brought back to Council on the following:
a) providing information on various sources of EMR and frequencies presented on a
continuum if possible;
b) providing information about high voltage transmission lines and power substations in
Willoughby with respect to the effect of low frequency emissions;
c) indicating the location of other EMR sources in the City such as mobile phone towers;
d) providing information about any risks associated with household distribution power
boards located near sleeping areas;
e) on any data regarding clusters in the City of incidents of childhood leukaemia and
lymphoma cancer;
f) seeking independent expert advice on what general concerns there are relating to
EMR in communities and whether there are specific concerns that might be
applicable to the Willoughby community, and
g) with advice about the ability to determine an ambient EMR as a basis for comparison
with the benchmark data collected.
Financial Implications
There are no financial implications at present.
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Discussion
The relevant Authority which issues licences to operate radio communication transmitters,
including broadcasting transmitters is the ACMA. In response to the resolution Council sent
an email dated 18 August 2010 to ACMA requesting that EMR reports should be sent to
Council. The response from ACMA was that ‘licensees are obligated to ensure that
electromagnetic energy levels from their facilities do not exceed mandatory health exposure
limits’ and that if ‘Council has any queries or concerns about a transmitter’s operation, the
Council can contact the site owner or licensee and request for site information’ .
As this was considered to be an unsatisfactory response it was decided to write to ACMA. A
letter dated 25 February 2011 was sent requesting the ACMA to implement a process where
licensees provide EMR reports on an annual basis. No response was received and an email
dated 13 April was also sent requesting a response. To date ACMA have not offered a
response to the letter (a copy of the emails and letter can be viewed in Attachment 1).
In response to the questions raised the following information is offered:
a)
The term Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR) is a generic term that is often applied to:
•
low frequency electromagnetic fields (emitted by electrical wiring and electrical
appliances) which operate at frequencies of 50 Hertz (Hz). They consist of both
an electric field measured in Volts per metre (V/m) and a magnetic field
measured in milliGauss(mG).
•
radiofrequency radiation (emitted by wireless equipment such as TV/Radio
transmitters, mobile base stations, mobile phones and wireless routers Wi-Fi).
They operate typically at frequencies of 3 kilohertz (kHz) to 8 Gigahertz (GHz)
and consist of electric and magnetic fields which are measured in Volts per metre
(V/m) and Watts per square metre (W/m2).
The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) are
responsible for setting and reviewing exposure limits. Currently the recommended
exposure limits for general public exposure are as follows:
•
Low frequency electromagnetic fields the limits are 5000 V/m for electric fields
and 1000 mG for magnetic fields.
•
Radiofrequency radiation limits are dependable on the frequency. Examples and
their respective limits are:
Frequency
Use
10 - 30 MHz
Radio
communication
Digital TV
Broadcasting
3G Mobile
4G Mobile
Wi-Fi
520-700 MHz
900 MHz
1.8 GHz
2 – 5 GHz
ARPANSA General Public Exposure
Limit
W/m2
V/m
2
27.4
2.5 - 3.5
30.6 - 36.2
4.5
9.0
10
41.1
58.1
61.4
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The various types of electromagnetic radiation that exist are referred to as the
electromagnetic spectrum. The spectrum includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared
rays, light rays, ultra violet rays, X-rays and gamma rays. The different forms of
electromagnetic radiation are distinguished from each other by their wavelength and
the amount of energy they transfer. A electromagnetic spectrum displayed as a
continuum in order of increasing frequency and decreasing wavelength can be
viewed in Attachment 2. The longer the wave length the lower the frequency, the
lower the energy, the lower the EMR risk but there is no conclusive evidence about
this. ARPANZA has advised
“The weight of national and international scientific opinion is that there is no
substantiated evidence that exposure to low level RF EME causes adverse health
effects.” ARPANSA Fact Sheet http://www.arpansa.gov.au/pubs/eme/fact1.pdf
b) Power lines emit low frequency electromagnetic fields at frequencies of 50Hz. The
electromagnetic fields from power lines generally vary according to the amount of
current flowing through the wiring which depends on electricity consumption. Low
level magnetic fields occur in most homes generally associated with household
appliances. An "Average" house has approximately 2 - 4 milligauss (mG) of
Electromagnetic Fields. It is noted on the previous page that the general exposure
limit for magnetic fields is 1000 MG. ARPANSA is a federal government agency with
the responsibility in protecting the health and safety of people, and the environment,
from the harmful effects of radiation. A fact sheet by ARPANSA that includes further
information on this topic can be viewed in Attachment 3 titled ‘Electricity and Health’.
It is difficult to obtain information on high voltage transmission lines and power
substations in Willoughby. Ausgrid was contacted by Lyn McLean from EMR
Australia PL on behalf of Council. Ms McLean requested information from Ausgrid on
the location of high voltage power lines within the Willoughby local government area.
Ausgrid’s response was that this information cannot be made available due to
security reasons. Ausgrid did however advise that in some circumstances they
require Council to notify them of any proposed developments near their facilities and
therefore are currently working on a process to address these requests whilst also
protecting the security of key infrastructure assets.
c) The location of other EMR sources in Willoughby such as mobile phone base stations
can be found by searching the ‘Radio Frequency National Site Archive’ at
www.rfnsa.com.au The website allows anyone to do a search by address and/or
suburb on base stations, to find Electromagnetic Energy (EME) reports, site locations,
carrier contact details for existing sites and community consultation information for
new sites.
A table showing a list of all base stations in the Willoughby Council area can be seen
in Attachment 4 together with a typical EME report and certification certificate. The
EME report indicates a Maximum EME level of 2.85% of the public exposure limit.
This is a typical finding.
d) Electricity meter boxes are a source of magnetic fields similar to those emitted by
electrical wiring and other electrical equipment within a house. In some cases these
meter boxes are located on the external part of a wall which is adjoining a bedroom.
The magnetic fields that could be experienced inside the wall from the meter box will
vary.
Smart meters are a fairly new device which measures electricity usage and
communicates this information back to the electricity supplier using wireless
networks. These networks emit radiofrequency radiation similar to mobile phones.
The signal transmitted is only for a very short time and therefore the exposure time is
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limited. When installed these devices are required to comply with ARPANSA
exposure limits.
Residents can hire EMF and RF Metres to measure all exposures in a house
including computers, microwave ovens, Wi-Fi, mobile phones, cordless phones,
electric blankets, electric clocks and other appliances. Home meter boxes are just
another source of EMR in the home.
In a home environment electrical equipment such as meter boxes have higher
electromagnetic fields immediately around them with lowering fields at distances
greater than 1 metre away. The common principal used when dealing with
electromagnetic fields is a principal known as ‘Prudent Avoidance’. Where possible
measures should be taken to minimise exposure to electromagnetic fields in the
home from the electrical meter box and other electrical appliances/fittings. The
recommended measures to take are:
•
•
•
Locate the meter box away from active use areas such as bedrooms or
commonly used living areas. In existing situations try to change the use of
the room or move furniture to suit e.g. ensure the bed head is not located
adjacent to the external meter box.
Use energy efficient equipment to reduce the electrical load thereby
reducing magnetic fields.
Shield fields from the meter box and ensure the water pipe in your home is
not conducting current.
e) Cancer cluster is a term used by epidemiologists, statisticians, and public health
workers to define an occurrence of a greater than expected number of cancer cases
within a group of people in a geographic area over a period. The Cancer Institute of
NSW (www.cancerinstitute.org.au) maintains a registry of information. The
information available is restricted to pre-determined reports from selected criteria.
For this reason this information does not provide you with data, specific to the
incidence of childhood leukaemia and likely clusters. A report was run selecting the
available criteria of incidence rates in Northern Sydney by Local Government Area
(with a comparison to NSW) and for the period of 2004-2008 (this is the latest
information available) Attachment 5. The report has included an age adjustment to
allow populations to be compared as the age profiles in each local government area
were different. The data shows that Willoughby local government area is slightly
below the NSW standardised rate of incidences of leukaemia.
f)
Advice on general concerns on EMR in communities and whether there are specific
concerns for Willoughby was obtained from consultant (Lyn McLean – EMR Australia
PL). The general advice is that Willoughby residents are exposed to similar levels of
EMR that is typical in urban communities. The typical exposures mentioned by the
consultant include:
•
•
Magnetic fields from electrical wiring in older homes due to the way wiring
was earthed.
Radiofrequency fields from mobile phone base stations, high voltage
cables and TV towers.
These type of exposures are also typical in other urban communities and are not
specific to the Willoughby community.
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g) Advice on the ability to determine an ambient EMR as a basis for comparison with the
benchmark data collected was obtained from a consultant (Lyn McLean – EMR
Australia PL). The advice provided can be summarised as follows:
‘There is no single ambient level of low frequency electromagnetic fields or
radiofrequency radiation that might be measured in Willoughby. Measurements will
vary according to time, location, type of measuring equipment used and the presence
or use of electrical/wireless equipment nearby at the time.’
The essence of this advice is that undertaking short term measurements to determine
ambient levels would have little value because:
•
•
•
•
Electromagnetic fields for example from powerlines will vary according to
the amount of current used on any particular day.
Radiofrequency radiation fields for example from the TV towers or mobile
phone transmitters will vary depending on use and signal intensity.
There is no standardised methodology for measuring cumulative EMR.
Frequent changes to operating parameters of transmitters, will mean that
measurements taken at any point in time will change and therefore the
information obtained will become obsolete within a short period of time.
Accordingly, it is recommended that Council not commission work to undertake a city-wide or
precinct based EMR baseline measurement.
Conclusion
We are exposed to multiple sources of EMR from TV/Mobile phone transmitters to regular
electrical appliances found in the home. ARPANSA and ACMA are the responsible agencies
in Australia that regulate EMR emissions. The risks associated with exposure to
electromagnetic radiation continue to be unresolved and in this case the principle of ‘Prudent
Avoidance’ should be used to minimise exposure.
OFFICER'S RECOMMENDATION
That the Officers Report on Electromagnetic Radiation be noted.
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