As exposure to cell tower radiation, cell phone emissions, wireless technologies, and power-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) continues to expand worldwide, the gap between scientific evidence and public policy is growing wider.

In her presentation “The International Commission On The Biological Effects Of Electromagnetic Fields ~Accomplishing More Together~,” Elizabeth Kelley, M.A., Managing Director of the International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF), explains why independent science, global collaboration, and protective policy are urgently needed to protect human health and the environment 

Elizabeth Kelley is a longtime public health policy expert and EMF safety advocate with a background in public administration and health care policy, including work at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

She has worked on the issue for three decades and served as:

• Managing Director of ICBE-EMF
• President of the Electromagnetic Safety Alliance (ESA)
• Director of the International EMF Scientist Appeal to the United Nations
• Former Managing Director of the International Commission on Electromagnetic Safety (ICEMS)

Kelley traces today’s U.S. EMF policy challenges back to the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996, which launched the digital wireless era in the United States. Under Section 704, state and local governments were prohibited from regulating cell towers and wireless facilities based on   environmental effects, so long as installations complied with FCC radiofrequency exposure limits. Those limits, unchanged for nearly 30 years, were based on outdated assumptions that only tissue heating matters, ignoring non-thermal biological effects now widely reported in the scientific literature  

The International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields 

The International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF) was established to address a critical gap: the lack of independent, biologically based evaluation of EMF health risks from:

• Cell towers and small cells
• Mobile phones and tablets
• Wi-Fi and wireless networks
• Power lines and electrical infrastructure (ELF-EMF)

ICBE-EMF’s objectives include:

• Issuing science-based EMF guidelines
• Publishing and reviewing peer-reviewed EMF research
• Critiquing FCC and ICNIRP exposure assumptions
• Engaging regulators, policymakers, manufacturers, and the public
• Recommending risk mitigation measures and safer technology solutions
• Maintaining a sustained public presence on EMF health issues 

The ICBE-EMF paper “Scientific evidence invalidates health assumptions underlying the FCC and ICNIRP exposure limit determinations for radiofrequency radiation: implications for 5G,” published in Environmental Health documents how the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the International Commission on Nonionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) have  ignored hundreds of scientific studies documenting adverse health effects at exposures below the threshold dose claimed by these agencies, which was used to establish human exposure limits. The FCC and ICNIRP limit threshold of harm for cell towers, cell phones, Wi-Fi and wireless is based on science from the 1980s and do not adequately protect workers, children, people with electromagnetic hypersensitivity, and the public from exposure to the nonionizing radiation from wireless data transmission. 

The International EMF Scientist Appeal: Global Scientific Consensus

A major focus of Kelley’s work is the International EMF Scientist Appeal, initiated in 2015 and now signed by 250+ independent scientists from over 40 countries.

The Appeal calls for:

• children and pregnant women should be protected;
• guidelines and regulatory standards should be strengthened;
• manufacturers should be encouraged to develop safer technology;
• utilities responsible for the generation, transmission, distribution, and monitoring of electricity maintain adequate power quality and ensure proper electrical wiring to minimize harmful ground current;
• the public be fully informed about the potential health risks from electromagnetic energy and taught harm reduction strategies;  
• medical professionals be educated about the biological effects of electromagnetic energy and be provided training on the treatment of patients with electromagnetic hypersensitivity;  
• governments fund training and research on electromagnetic fields and health that is independent of industry and mandate industry cooperation with researchers;  
• media disclose experts’ financial relationships with industry when citing their opinions regarding health and safety aspects of EMF-emitting technologies; and
• white-zones (radiation-free areas) be established.

The EMF Scientist Appeal is widely recognized as a credible international consensus statement, directly challenging the adequacy of existing RF exposure standards 

Safer Wireless Technology Is Achievable

Safer technology is possible now. ICBE-EMF has challenged manufacturers to adopt low-cost engineering solutions that can significantly reduce unnecessary radiation from cell phones and wireless devices without sacrificing performance in the ICBE-EMF 2023 paper “Cell Phone Radiation Exposure Limits and Engineering Solutions,” published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

Learn More

Facts on Cell Phones, Wireless, Non-ionizing EMF and Health: The  ICBE-EMF  Question and Answer  on What You Need to Know

Government Safety Limits: Factsheet: Scientific Evidence Invalidates Health Assumptions of Government Exposure Limits for Radiofrequency Radiation (RFR): Implications for 5G 

Flaws of the WHO Reviews: Fact Sheet on Key Weaknesses of the WHO Funded Review on Cancer, Cell Phones And  Wireless Radiation 

Cell Phone Radiation Engineering Solutions: Cell Phone Radiation Exposure Limits and Engineering Solutions to Minimize User RF Radiation Exposure 

How to Protect Yourself: Safety Tips on Reducing Wireless Radiation Exposure