1. THE RFR PROBLEM
2. STANDARDS HARMONIZATION EFFORTS (TRI-SERVICE, PROFESSIONAL, ORGANIZATIONS, NATO, WHO)
3. RECENT EVENTS IN ASIA
4. RFR BIOEFFECTS RESEARCH IN AUSTRALIA, CHINA, JAPAN AND KOREA
5. AOARD SPONSORED PROGRAMS
6. PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

 THE RFR PROBLEM

Relatively high-intensity RF fields have been shown to cause adverse health consequences by heating tissues. No adverse health effects have been scientifically confirmed from exposure to low-level RF fields for extended periods, but certain questions have not been thoroughly studied. There is very little information available in the scientific literature to assess any health risks from exposure to pulsed RF fields. Studies are needed that seek to identify any biological effects produced by pulsed RF fields, of both high and low peak pulse intensities. Examples of current and future technologies using pulsed RF fields are telecommunications, civilian and military radar systems, including emerging radar technology such as ultra-wide band radars and anti-electronic weapons. Current and future research applicable to mobile telephone systems should focus on the 900-2000 MHz frequency range and appropriate pulsing and modulation patterns.

Standards harmonization refers to an international attempt to get various standard-setting bodies, health agencies, national governments, and international organizations to coordinate on health and safety standards for EMF. It does not necessarily mean that the world will have only one accepted EMF standard but it does mean that we know the basis for the differences that remain.

The Air Force must be able to conduct joint R&D, exercises, training, and operations with allies and must be responsive to international law and world opinion regarding all countries. The potential negative impact of inappropriately restrictive standards could have major dollar and operational impact. The potential impact of inappropriate standards on military operations should be a major concern of all Program Offices and MAJCOMs that develop or use radio frequency radiating systems, including radars, communications, and weapon systems.

Tri-Service: The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/HEDR) has led the tri-service effort to coordinate the standards used by the military and in 1999 was designated the Lead Standardization Activity for EMF standards for the DoD. AFRL/HEDR also works with many federal agencies to try to maintain harmony within the U. S. Government. All DoD research on RFR biologic effects has been collocated with AFRL/HEDR at Brooks Air Base in San Antonio, Texas.

Professional Organizations: AFRL/HEDR is very active in professional organizations such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Standard Coordinating Committee-28 (SCC-28), and the formulation of ANSI/IEEE C95.1 Standard for RF exposures to humans.

NATO: The promulgation of NATO STANAG 2345, based mostly on the ANSI/IEEE C95.1 and DoDI 6055.11, was a major effort and accomplishment led by Air Force and Tri-Service scientists. NATO involvement in promoting standards harmonization has continued unabated, as recently demonstrated by an Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) in Slovenia on RFR dosimetry and the promulgation of NATO STANAG 1380, the RADHAZ standard, which references STANAG 2345 for health and safety.

WHO: The WHO established the international EMF Project in 1996 to address concerns about potential health and environmental effects of exposure to static and time varying electric and magnetic fields in the frequency range between 0 and 300 GHz. AFRL scientists have joined and are participating fully in the WHO EMF Project. The WHO agenda places a strong emphasis on accurate dosimetry, which is an area in which AFRL has long excelled. This participation has led to invitations for NATO, DOD, and IEEE representatives to promote standards harmonization at WHO sponsored meetings in Munich, Bologna, Vienna, Moscow, Slovenia, and Croatia; the first international RFR research and standards harmonization conference ever organized in China was held in May 99. This conference will parallel the efforts begun in Russia May 98, and September 99.

AFRL/HEDR has earned the status of an official "WHO Collaborating Center for Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation", which further raises our reputation in furtherance of Air Force objectives. AFRL/HEDR is working closely with Dr. Michael Repacholi, Director of the WHO EMF Project, on the WHO EMF Nine Year Project. The goal is to make recommendations for setting policy and formulate exposure limits in a standard that will be acceptable internationally.

The 20th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, Hong Kong, 27 Oct – 2 Nov 1998. This is the first time that this meeting has been held in Asia. Of the 931 papers presented almost half were from Asia, 25% were from Europe, and 20% were from North America. AFRL/HEDR scientists were active in presenting and chairing sessions at this meeting: In a session on RF Bioeffects, (1) Dr Murphy presented a paper "Health and Safety of Radio Frequency Radiation: US Military Research & Exposure Standards", which was followed by (2) Dr Adair’s paper "Physiological Thermoregulatory responses of Human Volunteers Exposed at Two Radio Frequencies (450 and 2450 MHz)". Both presentations received many compliments and good discussion, both immediately and later. The interaction increased the mutual knowledge and awareness between AFRL scientists and the many Asian participants. Drs Adair and Murphy were introduced to Dr Huai Chiang, Zhejiang Medical University, Hangzhou, China by Dr C. K. Chou (Motorola), who had met Dr Chiang a few months earlier in China.

Dr. Michael Murphy, Chief Radiofrequency Radiation Branch, Human Effectiveness Directorate, visited Japan, 2-5 November 1998: Dr. Murphy was invited to give a lecture at Tokyo University. During his visits he was accompanied by Dr. Masao Taki, Professor of Electrical Engineering at the Tokyo Metropolitan University and by Dr. Lyons from AOARD. Dr. Murphy also visited the Communications Research Laboratory (CRL) and the National Institute of Public Health, Ministry of Health and Welfare.

1999 Progress in Electromagnetic Research Symposium (PIERS ‘99), Taipei, Taiwan, 22-26 March 1999. PIERS ‘99 covered a very broad range of topics in electromagnetic and their applications in 750 papers from 45 countries. Included in the 80 concurrent sessions was a session on Biomedical Imaging & Visualization, a session on Cancer Treatment, and a session on Medical & Biological Applications of EM. The Technical Session on Medical and Biological Applications of Electromagnetic was chaired by Dr. C.K. Chou, of Motorola, USA. Eleanor R. Adair, Ph.D., Senior Scientist, Electromagnetic Radiation Effects, at AFRL/HEDR presented an invited paper on "Altered thermophysiological responses in human volunteers exposed to radio frequency (RF) fields in controlled thermal environments." The paper was extremely well received. Japanese research on the medical applications of microwave (including the hyperthermia treatment of cancer and microwave coagulation therapy) was presented by both the Faculty of Engineering of Chiba University and from Tokai University. Dr. Adair subsequently had extensive technical discussions with Dr. Koichi Ito, Professor, Antenna Laboratory, Chiba University.

The ’99 International EMF Seminar, Beijing, China; 4-5 May 1999. This conference was organized by the Ministry of Health of the PRC and hosted by the China Preventive Medicine Association. This was the beginning of an effort by the World Health Organization (WHO) and AFRL/HEDR to begin the process of standards harmonization with China (AFRL/HEDR is an official "WHO Collaborating Center for Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Radiation"). The Academic Committee included Dr. Michael Murphy from the Air Force Research Laboratory, Dr. M. Repacholi, Director of the WHO EMF Project, Dr C. K. Chou, Director Corporate RF Dosimetry Laboratory (Motorola), and Dr. J.H. Bernhardt, Chairman of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).

The meeting was hosted by the Ministry of Health, Division of Public Health Inspection (Dr. Su Zhi, Director, Dr He Qinghua, Deputy Director, and Dr He Xiang), the Institute of the Environment (Dr Cao Zhaojin, Institute of Environmental Health Monitoring, and Dr. Zhang Zhigang, Division of Environmental Radiation Protection), and the China Preventive Medicine association (Dr. Zhang Jia Xi, Deputy Secretary General). Academic experts from China included Dr Huai Chiang, Zhejiang Medical University, Hangzhou, and Dr. Zongqun Zhao, Beijing Medical University. The Chinese scientists supported their more conservative standards with regard to EMF with presentations of both laboratory and epidemiologic studies. Much of the discussion at the conference centered around the difficulties of accurate dosimetry. Interestingly Chinese scientists based their dosimetry calculations on the U.S. Air Force RFR Dosimetry Handbook – 1982 Edition

Dr Murphy from AFRL/HEDR gave a presentation "U. S. Air Force Support of Radio Frequency Radiation Health and Safety: Bioeffects, Dosimetry, and Human Exposure Standards". His presentation was extremely well received and there were many questions focusing on HEDR’s Visible Man Dosimetry Model, plans for an RF personal dosimeter, and ultra wide band biological effects. Dr. Murphy received several invitations for follow-up visits.

On 6 May, Dr. Murphy also visited the Department of Experimental Pathology, of the Institute of Radiation Medicine in Beijing (Chairman, Dr Wang De Wen).

Japan-Korea-Europe EMF Open Forum, Tokyo, Japan, 26 October 1999. Hosted by the Japan Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, this is the third annual meeting of Japanese and Korean experts. This collaboration followed a bilateral ministerial meeting in 1996. For the 1999 meeting European Union (EU) experts were also invited making this the first Japan-Korea-EU Workshop on EMF Human Hazard Issues.

The 4th Asia-Pacific Conference on Medical & Biological Engineering, Seoul, Korea, 12-15 September 1999. About 800 participants from approximately 40 different countries attended this conference, presenting over 400 scientific papers. Many regional experts on the biological effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) were present and several papers were presented. Based on research conducted in Japan, Dr. Nojima, from NTT DoCoMo (Cellular phone Division), gave an excellent overview on the potential for effects of electromagnetic interference on medical devices and aircraft. Dr. Yoon-Won Kim, Professor and Director of the Institute of Medical Science, Hallym University, Chunchon, Korea presented the results of his research on 60 Hz animal exposure as well as a general overview of the effects of electromagnetic fields on health. Two speakers from Sichuan University in Chengdu, China also presented research on EMF: Dr. B.Y. Wang’s study of the membrane effects of weak transient electromagnetic pulses indicate that weak periodic EMP can have more biologic effects than continuous wave and Professor Kama Huang, Dean of the College of Electronic Information, described an experimental device designed to ensure uniform and predictable EMF exposure to in-vitro test tube experiments.

Australia: The Australian government is sponsoring research into the effects of radiofrequency radiation. In the past, Australia has contributed to this field with both laboratory and epidemiologic studies. Dr. Repacholi from Australia is the Director of the WHO EMF Project. The following have conducted research in the biological effects of EMF:

1. CSIRO: (see AOARD sponsored Projects)
2. Royal Adelaide Hospital Dr. Michael Repacholi studied carcinogenicity of RF fields in mice. A replication of this study is being planned.
3. University of Sydney, Department of Public Health (Dr. Stephen Morrell): Epidemiologic studies of RFR from television transmission antennas.
4. University of Sydney, Department of Applied Physics (Prof. David McKenzie): Research is looking at non-reversible sub-thermal effects of pulsed radiation on DNA sequences in cell substrates

China: With a rapidly growing economy and standards for radio frequency radiation that are much stricter than those in the U.S., China would be a key participant in any effort towards standards harmonization in Asia. With increasing use of devices such as cellular telephones, China is increasingly interested in the issue of RFR standards. High quality research is being conducted and Chinese scientists are very open to international dialogue in this area.

1. Zhejiang Medical University (Dr Huai Chiang, Chief of the Microwave Biological Effects Laboratory): Dr. Chiang has been described as the leading Chinese figure in the setting of electromagnetic radiation health and safety standards in China. Dr Chiang’s research includes the bioeffects of microwave radiation and ELF magnetic fields. In recent years, the effects of ELF MFs on gap junction intracellular communication and signal transduction are being studied.
2. Institute of Radiation Medicine, Academy of Military Medical Sciences (Dr. Wong De Chang, Director; Dr. Liu Ya Zhu, Deputy Director): With a staff of approximately 200 research workers, including 60 professors, this Institute primarily emphasizes ionizing radiation bioeffects research. The Institute, however, has recognized microwave radiation as an important area for future research. In the Department of Experimental Pathology (Dr. Wang De Wen, Department Chairman, and Dr. Cui Yu Fang, Vice Chairman) studies on the bioeffects of radiofrequency radiation are being conducted including the harmful effects of high power microwaves, the biological effects of low-level RFR, and the use of 2450 MHz devices for thermal cure.
3. Sichuan University, Chengdu: Professor Kama Huang, Dean of the College of Electronic Information, has developed an experimental device designed to ensure uniform and predictable EMF exposure to in-vitro test tube experiments. Dr. B.Y. Wang is studying the membrane effects of weak transient electromagnetic pulses; results indicate that weak periodic EMP can have more biologic effects than continuous wave.
4. Beijing Medical University: Calcium efflux effects of microwave exposure.
5. Xidian University: Effects of ELF EMW on calcium efflux from brain tissue and "window effect.".
6. Tianjin University, Department of Biomedical Engineering: Use of magnetic stimulation to induce sleep.
7. Institute of Occupational Medicine, Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine: Occupational epidemiology studies of video screen hazards are being conducted.
8. Labor Protection Science Research Institute of State Power Corporation: Field surveillance and occupational health investigation of workers occupationally exposed to super high-voltage direct current electric transmission.
9. Beijing HangTai Health Care Beverage Factory: Representatives of the Institute of Aviation Medicine and the Civil Aeromedical Research Institute introduced to us an herbal medicine, "Tianyu Antiradiation Health Liquid" for treating the effects of both ionizing and non-ionizing radiation.

Japan: Japan has become increasingly concerned with the issue of radio frequency radiation bioeffects. With the second largest economy in the world, with a huge electronics industry, and large populations living in close proximity to powerlines, Japan has shown increased interest in this area of research. Already in 1997, there were 28.7 million cellular and personal handy phone (PHS) users in Japan. The Japanese National Guidelines for RFR and ELF were established under the auspices of Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (translation into English has also been accomplished). A committee, chaired by a legal expert, is responsible for transforming these recommendations into a legal standard. There is increasing Japanese investment in RFR bioeffects research and the research is innovative and of high quality. Japan is well represented in international forums including at both WHO and ICNIRP. Ongoing interaction between AFRL experts and Japanese scientists should contribute to standards harmonization efforts.

The following organizations in Japan have research programs in this area:

1. Communications Research Laboratory (CRL), Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (Deputy Director General, Dr Takashi Iida): The CRL is a National Laboratory under the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications with a staff of about 400. Because of the Japanese Cellular Telephone industry and the rapid increase in the use of cellular telephones, the RFR research program on cellular telephone frequencies, has been increased. With recommendations from CRL, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued the Japanese Guidelines currently in effect for radiofrequency/microwave radiation. The Yokosuka Radio Communications Research Center (YRCRC)(Dr. So-Ichi Watanabe) of CRL in collaboration with Dr. Taki of Tokyo Metropolitan University conducts research on the effects of RFR on the blood brain barrier. Dr. Watanabe used AFRL/HEDR’s rat dosimetry model for his dosimetry predictions and reported that predictions from this model correspond closely with measured values. He subsequently re-scaled the rat model for mouse dosimetry.
2. University of Tokyo, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Graduate School of Medicine, (Professor Shoogo Ueno): Dr. Ueno is also the Chairman of the Japanese Committee responsible for RFR/EMF Guidelines in Japan. A team led by Dr. Ueno and his associates, Dr Keiji Iramina and Masakazu Iwasaka, is studying the physical effects, biologic effects, potential medical applications, and possible imaging applications of high intensity alternating magnetic fields (supercooled magnets can produce fields of 8-14 Tesla). Interesting physical effects have been observed including macroscopically observed repelling/attracting of water. Biologic effects being studied include blood brain barrier permeability effects in rats exposed to 1.5 GHz RFR. In addition, nerve stimulation effects have been demonstrated on human subjects.
3. Tokyo Metropolitan University (Dr. Masao Taki, Professor of Electrical Engineering): Dr.Taki is a member of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the Japanese Committee responsible for RFR/EMF Guidelines in Japan. Research is underway studying ELF and induced electrical fields. Dr Taki is also very interested in the special biological characteristics of pulsed RFR fields and will be increasing his research in this area, including a special emphasis on the microwave hearing phenomenon.
4. NTT DoCoMo (Cellular phone Division): Dr. Toshio Nojima has studied the potential for effects of electromagnetic interference on medical devices, aircraft, etc
5. Hokkaido Institute of Technology (Dr. Koichi Shimizu and Dr. Hisae Shimizu): Human perception threshold of ELF electric fields are being studied. Methods have been developed to obtain EEG recordings even in the presence of strong 50-60 Hz fields. Measurements thus far have indicated increases in vigilance of human subjects exposed to ELF electric fields. Animal experiments are also being conducted to differentiate the effects of magnetic fields from electric fields. Possible beneficial effects of ELF fields such as bacteriacidal effects or effects on alertness are also being studied.
6. National Institute of Public Health, Ministry of Health and Welfare (Dr Chiyoji Ohkubo, Director Department of Physiological Hygiene): Dr Ohkubo is also a representative to the WHO EMF Project and the Japanese Committee responsible for RFR/EMF Guidelines in Japan. Research is focused on both acute and chronic exposure studies of ELF and magnetic fields using animal models. Using a microcirculation model on the dorsal skin of the mouse or on the rabbit ear, the effects of blood flow can be observed directly. In addition, cancerous cells can be inserted and their development also observed. Promotion of cancer growth under some RFR conditions was observed, but the same effects can be seen with equivalent heat alone. Dr Ohkubo demonstrated some effects on microcirculation using low level static magnetic fields, which could be due to induced currents or polarization of the blood cells as they move through the static field.
7. National Institute for Environmental Studies, Environment Agency (NIES)(Dr M. Kabuto, Director Environmental Risk Research Division): Dr. Kabuto is a representative to the World Health Organization International Advisory Council on EMF.
8. Kyoto University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiation Genetics (Dr. Junji Miyakoshi): Effects of ELF Magnetic fields on mammalian cells.
9. National Institute of Industrial Health (NIIH), Ministry of Labor: Research projects on EMF, especially the effect of extremely low frequencies.
10. Chiba University, Graduate school of Science & Technology (Professor Koichi Ito): Research on the medical applications of microwave including the hyperthermia treatment of cancer and microwave coagulation therapy.
11. Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry: A Union of the Electric Power Industries both funds extra-mural research and conducts in-house research at its laboratory in Chiba Prefecture on the effects of 60 Hz exposure.
12. University of Electro-Communications, Department of Communications and Systems (http://www.mwtech.cas.uec.ac.jp/mwtech/index.html
13. Tokai University, School of Engineering and the School of Medicine. Research on the medical applications of microwave to the hyperthermia treatment of cancer.
14. Hiroshima University Faculty of Information Science: Effect of ELF magnetic fields on the circadian rhythm of the SCN.
15. Gunma University School of Medicine, Department of Physiology (Dr. Mitsuhiko Miura): Study of the physiologic mechanisms of the non-thermal vasodilation observed in frogs exposed to radio-frequency burst-type EMF radiation.
16. Hokkaido University School of Medicine, Central Research Institute: Study of the effects of electromagnetic fields on the human immune systems and neurologic function. (http://babu.med.hokudai.ac.jp/~cenlab-w/chuken3/index.html

Korea: Korea has recently increased its activity in the area of radiofrequency radiation bioeffects. A committee has been formed to review research, compare international standards, and make recommendations.

1. Radio Research Laboratory, Ministry of Information and Communication (Dr. Hak Tae Oh): Research on cellular telephone dosimetry applying using a new millimeter-resolution modeling of the Korean human head.
2. Chungbuk University, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (Dr. Nam Kim): Study of the SAR distribution and local SAR values for various antenna configurations.
3. Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, Radio and Broadcasting Technical Laboratory (Ae-Kyoung Lee, Radio Science Department): Study of the SAR distribution and local SAR values for various antenna configurations.
4. Hallym University, Institute of Medical Science: Dr. Yoon-Won Kim is conducting research on adverse pregnancy outcomes and tumorogenesis of 60 Hz animal exposure.

Research Grant: Bioassay for Effects of Radiofrequency Radiation, Dr. Stanley Barnett, CSIRO, Lindfield, NSW, Australia: Dr. Barnett plans to develop and characterize a sensitive bioassay for the purpose of subsequent research into the effects of various physical stressors. The current project systematically examined the suitability of a synchronised radio-sensitive leukemic cell line as a sensitive indicator of biological effects at the DNA level. This collaborative project is attempting to examine the suitability of a radio-sensitive cell line as a biologic test model/indicator of DNA damage caused by non-ionizing radiation.

Window on Science Visit: Dr Huai Chiang, Professor, Zhejiang Medical University, Hangzhou, China: Dr. Chiang visited AFRL Human Effectiveness Directorate, Radio Frequency Radiation Branch at Brooks Air Base, Texas , the University of Texas Health Science Center, and attended the Standards Coordinating Committee 28 (SCC28) of the IEEE in Long Beach, CA prior to the annual meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society Meeting in June 1999.

Because Chinese RFR standards are significantly different from current U.S. standards, AFRL researchers and the IEEE SCC28 were interested in discussions of both Chinese research and in a discussion of their current standards for RFR exposure. During Dr Chiang’s visit to the Radio Frequency Radiation Branch she gave a presentation on the "Health Effects of Radio-Frequency Radiation in China: Criterion for Setting Human Exposure Standards". Dr. Murphy and Dr. Chiang also discussed plans for a World Health Organization RFR sponsored Standards Harmonization Pacific Rim RFR conference in 2001. As an invited speaker to the IEEE Standards Coordinating Committee 28, Dr. Chiang gave a presentation to both the SCC28 Subcommittee 4 on RFR (the database used to set Chinese RFR standards) and to the Main Committee (description of Chinese RFR Standards). The participants showed a keen interest in Dr. Chiang’s presentations.

Window on Science Visit: Dr. Masao Taki and Mr.Yoshiaki Watanabe, Department of Electrical Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University: Dr. Taki and Mr. Yoshiaki visited AFRL Human Effectiveness Directorate, Radio Frequency Radiation Branch at Brooks Air Base, Texas in August 1999. Mr. Watanabe briefed his research on microwave auditory effects using anatomical models of the human head. Dr. Taki gave a presentation on his research on "Dosimetry on Sensory Effects of Electromagnetic Fields." Additional subjects covered included: 1) Dr. Taki’s study of the effect of local exposure of the brain to 7.5 W/kg showed no increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier, 2) The Japanese Ministry of Post and Telecommunications are planning various novel applications of mm.-waves (wireless LAN, wireless TV, etc.), which may require additional research to allay public concerns.

There is increasing research in the bioeffects of radio frequency radiation in the Pan Pacific Region. Communication among scientists in the region should be helpful as the various nations address RFR standards issues. The following events are planned for the future:

1. Discussions will continue with the WHO on an EMF Health Effects Pacific Rim Conference to be held in 2001 co-sponsored by AOARD.
2. The International Commission for Non-Ionization Protection (ICNIRP) will hold the "4^th ICNIRP Workshop" in Kyoto City, Japan, at the Kyoto Research Park from 22-25 May, 2000. This is an open meeting. AFRL/HEDR expects to have a presence at this meeting.
3. Dr. Murphy was also asked to participate at the WHO EMF Standards Harmonization meeting in Xian in October 2000.