Studies on dosimetry and exposure assessment deal with precise measurement of electromagnetic fields and their specific absorption in tissues or in cell cultures. Absorption is measured based on phantoms or using mathematical models and computer simulations. The research in this area is important with regard to assuring compliance with exposure limit values, for example, and for the development of uniform exposure conditions for experimental studies. Obtaining reliable estimates of exposure for use in epidemiological studies is difficult, but these need to be well characterized as well, so that conclusive evidence can be produced.
Laboratory studies are generally conducted in order to directly assess a number of short or medium-term effects on, for example, brain activity, cognition, heart rate, hormone levels, or immune functions. For many reasons, it is very difficult to directly investigate the long-term effects of electromagnetic radiation under controlled laboratory conditions. For assessment of long-term effects, epidemiologic studies examine the spread and causes of health problems (such as, for example, sleep disorders, impaired well-being, or cancers) in the population. While epidemiologic studies can not demonstrate direct causal connections between EMF exposure and effects, they do allow conclusions to be drawn concerning the possible consequences of non-ionising radiation on general health. Cancer studies, however, are not a part of NRP 57, as there are already many research studies underway internationally.
Cell biological studies examine processes at the cellular level. The investigations study, for example, the effect of electromagnetic radiation on cell division and cell growth, on communication between cells, or on genes and gene expression. These studies are of highest importance for investigation of possible mechanisms of interactive effects between non-ionising radiation and biological systems. Cell biological studies can often demonstrate a direct relation to possible effects on human health. This is important for improved assessment of the risks associated with communication technologies.
Social scientific studies on risk perception examine how the public perceives and evaluates possible risks of EMF and also how people perceive public communications and reporting on the topic. This will yield insights on the mechanisms that shape public perception and opinion. These studies should provide useful information pertinent to effective communications on the effects of non-ionising radiation.
