Exposure Limits >
Limits
in other countries
Countries introduce or change exposure limits all the time. The following is our
understanding of the situation in different countries at the moment:
| Countries which use ICNIRP as their limits |
EU, Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Malta, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, UK |
| Countries which have limits based on one of the predecessors to ICNIRP and therefore very similar |
Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary |
| Countries which have precautionary limits (usually applying specifically to power lines and often with qualifications of exemptions): |
|
| 10-100 µT |
China, Poland |
| 1-10 µT |
Italy, Slovenia |
| <1 µT |
Switzerland, Netherlands |
|
| Countries with precautionary policies expressed other than by limits |
Australia, Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden |
More on exposure limits in other countries of particular interest.
Australia
The Australian exposure guidelines (described as "interim")
are set by the 
National
Health and Medical Research Council in 1989. They are similar
to many other countries. For the general public, the limits are:
- Electric fields: 5 kV m
for 24 hours a day exposure, 10 kV m
for a few hours per day, can be exceeded for a few minutes per
day.
- Magnetic fields: 100 µT for 24 hours a day exposure, 1000
µT for a few hours per day, can be exceeded for a few minutes
per day.
A recent decision relating to a city called Logan has attracted
some publicity. A utility company, Energex, applied for permission
to install some new equipment. Permission was initially refused,
and the matter went to the Queensland Planning and Environment Court
in November 2001. In fact, by the time of the hearing, Logan City
Council and Energex had already reached agreement, and the Court
simply endorsed that agreement. The agreement included some clauses
stating that the magnetic field would not exceed 0.4 µT in
certain specified locations in specified properties (the locations
specified are some way back from the actual lines which run along
the street). These conditions would, in fact, be met by the design
of the installation originally proposed by Energex, without any
alteration or modification.
Thus, this seems to be a case of pragmatic agreement reached between
a company and a local authority. It does not seem to have been imposed
on them by the Court or anyone else, it does not limit the maximum
field produced by the equipment, and it does not seem to change
the exposure limits which apply across Australia as a whole.
Italy
The national Italian EMF limits currently in force were set by
Decree of the Prime Minister in August 2003, replacing a previous
decree of 1992. For the general public, the limits are:
- Electric fields: 5 kV m-1
- Magnetic fields: 100 µT
In addition, for magnetic fields, and applying to overhead power
lines only, there are two further values:
- The attention value: 10 µT. Applies where exposure is
for more than 4 hours per day.
- The quality target: 3 µT. Applies to new lines and to
new homes only.
- (both these values are limits on the daily averages, values
at times during the day can be higher)
Three Italian Regions - Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Toscana - set
exposure limits in 1999 and 2000 for power lines at 0.2 µT
for new installations near nurseries, schools, hospitals, houses
and places where people spend more than four hours per day. Veneto
also has a similar limit of 0.5 kV/m. These regional laws remain
in force, but the national Decree prevents any other Regions doing
likewise.
Switzerland
Switzerland is, as far as we know, along with Italy the only country
in the world to have set national limits at power frequencies based
on a precautionary approach to childhood cancer.
The limits were set by an Ordinance of December 1999. It came into
force 1 Feb 2001 and existing installations have three years to
meet its requirements.
The basic limits are similar to many other countries – 5
kV m and 100 µT.
But in addition, for “sensitive use locations” only
(basically rooms in buildings regularly occupied for significant
periods of time, children’s playgrounds etc), overhead lines
and underground cables greater than 1 kV, substations, and railways
have a limit of 1 µT. However, exemptions are granted for
new installations if all technically and operationally feasible
and financially viable measures have been taken, and some old installations
are granted exemptions provided some even more basic conditions
are met.
Thus, this is undoubtedly an instance of precautionary limits,
but applying only in specified areas, mainly to new equipment, and
with exemptions.
Netherlands
In November 2005, the Netherlands Government issued a recommendation to local
authorities recommending that they should no longer give permission for new homes
to be built in the "0.4 µT zone" of power lines. It is too soon to know how
this has worked in practice.
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