Exposure to radio frequencies and child health
Exposition aux radiofréquences et santé des enfants
Résumé
Following a request by the Ministries of Health, Ecology and Consumer Affairs, ANSES conducted an expert assessment on the specific impact of radiofrequency waves on children. The conclusions of this assessment were published in July 2016. In its conclusions, the Agency emphasises that children can be more exposed than adults because of their morphological and anatomical features, in particular their small size, as well as the characteristics of some of their tissues. It is issuing a series of recommendations aimed at adapting the regulatory limit values in order to reduce the exposure of children to electromagnetic fields, which starts from a very early age due to the expansion of the use of new technologies. In this context, ANSES recommends moderate and supervised use of wireless communication technologies by children. Specifically concerning mobile telephones, ANSES reiterates the recommendation it had already formulated, calling for a reduction in exposure of children, by advocating moderate use and favouring the use of hands-free kits. Lastly, the expert appraisal identified several studies highlighting an association between intensive and inadequate use of mobile telephones by young people and mental health problems (risk behaviour, depression, suicidal thoughts, etc.). However, it was not possible to use these studies to explore the causality of the observed associations. ANSES recommends that additional studies assess the health and psychosocial impact (school learning, social and family relationships, etc.) in children associated with the use of mobile communication technologies, especially because of addictive phenomena, circadian rhythm disorders, etc. Pending these results, the Agency recommends that parents encourage their children to adopt reasonable use of mobile telephones, avoiding night-time communications and limiting the frequency and duration of calls
Mots clés
BEHAVIOR
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL STRESS
CHILDREN
DOSE LIMITS
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
EPIDEMIOLOGY
MOBILE PHONES
PUBLIC HEALTH
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
RECOMMENDATIONS
RISK ASSESSMENT
AGE GROUPS
ANIMALS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
MAMMALS
MAN
PRIMATES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
SAFETY STANDARDS
STANDARDS
TELEPHONES
VERTEBRATES
