Establishing a dialogue on risks from electromagnetic fields
Overview
Public concern over the possible health effects
from electromagnetic fields (EMF) has led to the
preparation of this handbook. Potential risks of
EMF exposure from facilities such as power lines
or mobile phone base stations present a difficult
set of challenges for decision-makers. The
challenges include determining if there is a hazard
from EMF exposure and what the potential
health impact is, i.e. risk assessment; recognizing
the reasons why the public may be concerned, i.e.
risk perception; and implementing policies that
protect public health and respond to public
concerns, i.e. risk management. Responding to
these challenges requires the involvement of
individuals or organizations with the right set of
competencies, combining relevant scientific
expertise, strong communication skills
and good judgement in the
management and regulatory areas. This
will be true in any context, be it local,
regional or even national or global.