EMFs.info

Electric and magnetic fields and health

index/glossary | EMFs At A Glance | EMF The Facts (pdf)
  • What are EMFs
    • Terminology – an introduction
    • Electric fields
    • Magnetic fields
    • Units for measuring EMFs
    • Measuring and calculating EMFs
      • “EMF Commercial”
    • Adding fields together
    • Radiofrequencies
    • Screening EMFs
  • Sources
    • Overhead power lines
      • Fields from specific power lines
        • 400 kV
        • 400 kV – specific cases
        • 275 kV
        • 132 kV
        • 66 kV
        • 33 kV
        • 11 kV
        • 400 V/230 V
        • Replacing a 132 kV line with a 400 kV line
      • Summaries of fields from all power lines
      • Factors affecting the field from a power line
        • Voltage
        • Current
        • Clearance
        • Height above ground
        • Conductor bundle
        • Phasing
        • Balance between circuits
        • Balance within circuit
        • Ground resistivity
        • Two parallel lines
      • Calculating and measuring fields from power lines
        • Geometries of power lines
        • Raw data
        • On-line calculator
      • Fields from power lines – more detail on the physics
        • Field lines from a power line
        • The direction of the field from a power line
        • Power law variations in the field from a power line
      • Statistics of power line fields
    • Underground power cables
      • Different types of underground cable
      • Fields from cables in tunnels
      • Gas Insulated Lines (GIL)
      • Underground cables with multiple conductors
      • Effect of height on fields from underground cables
      • Screening fields from underground cables
    • Low-voltage distribution
      • UK distribution wiring
      • USA distribution wiring
    • House wiring
    • Substations
      • National Grid substations
        • Static Var Compensators
      • Sealing-end compounds
      • Distribution substations
      • Final distribution substations
        • Indoor substations
    • Transport
      • EMFs from electric trains (UK)
      • EMFs from cars
    • Appliances
    • Electricity meters
      • Smart meters
      • Traditional meters
    • Occupational exposures
      • Live-line work
      • Static Var Compensators
      • Occupational exposures on pylons
    • Field levels and exposures
      • Personal exposure
      • Other factors that vary with magnetic fields
      • Fields greater than 0.2 or 0.4 µT
    • Screening EMFs
      • Screening fields from underground cables
      • EMF Reduction Devices
  • Known effects
    • Induced currents and fields
    • Microshocks
      • Control of microshocks in the UK
      • Microshocks from bicycles
      • Bees and microshocks
    • EMFs and medical devices
      • Standards relating to pacemakers and other AIMDs
    • Effects of EMFs on equipment
  • Research
    • Types of research
    • Epidemiology
    • Animal and laboratory experiments
    • Mechanisms
    • Specific studies
      • UKCCS
      • CCRG
      • French Geocap study
      • CEGB cohort
      • Imperial College study
  • Current evidence on health
    • Childhood leukaemia
      • Survival from childhood leukaemia
      • Childhood leukaemia and Downs
      • Childhood leukaemia and night-time exposure
      • The “contact current” hypothesis
    • Other health effects
    • Scientific review bodies
      • WHO
      • IARC
    • Electric fields and ions
    • Comparing EMFs to other issues
  • Exposure limits for people
    • Limits in the UK
    • Limits in the EU
    • Limits in the USA
    • Limits in the rest of the world
    • Limits from specific organisations
      • ICNIRP 1998
      • ICNIRP 2010
      • NRPB 1993
      • NRPB 2004
      • EU 2004
      • EU 2013
  • Policy
    • UK policy
      • Power lines and property – UK
    • Compliance with exposure limits
    • European EMF policy
    • Precaution
    • SAGE
      • SAGE First Interim Assessment
        • Government response to SAGE First Interim Assessment
      • SAGE Second Interim Assessment
        • Government response to SAGE Second Interim Assessment
        • SAGE Second Interim Assessment – the full list of recommendations
  • Finding out more
    • EMF measurement and commercial services
    • Links
    • Literature
    • Contact us
  • Static fields
    • Static fields – the expert view
You are here: Home / Exposure limits for people / Limits from specific organisations / ICNIRP 2010

ICNIRP 2010

Who are ICNIRP?

ICNIRP are the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. They issued guidelines on exposures in 1998 that covered the frequency range up to 300 GHz. In 2009 they issued a draft revision for consultation and in 2010 they issued new guidelines for the frequency range 1 Hz to 100 kHz together with an accompanying Factsheet.

Importantly, their guidelines are not intended to be a complete system for protecting the public that should be applied in different countries as it stands. They say that their guidance considers only the science, and Governments will need to look at other factors before deciding whether and how to implement the guidelines.  Thus, for example, the EU Recommendation uses the numbers out of ICNIRP 1998 but expects them to be applied only where the time of exposure is significant.

What do the guidelines say?

For the first time, ICNIRP distinguish central nervous system (CNS) effects - basically the head - from peripheral nervous system (PNS) effects - the rest of the body.  They give different basic restrictions for each.   They set the occupational levels, then for the general public, they apply an extra factor, generally 5 but in one case 2. 

They also give reference levels. These are not the actual limits, they are simply guidance figures for when it is necessary to investigate the basic restriction. The reference levels are based on both CNS and PNS effects, whichever is the more onerous at the frequency concerned, which at 50 Hz is the CNS limit. The reference levels are deliberately set below the field required to produce the basic restriction.  ICNIRP say, for example, that the magnetic-field reference levels have an extra factor of 3 built in to allow for "dosimetric uncertainty". 

The fields actually required to produce the basic restriction are always higher than the reference levels and need to be derived from dosimetric modelling.  We give the best available values in the following tables but there is uncertainty around these values.  We discuss the derivation of these values and the alternatives on a separate page.

Occupational exposure: 

Basic restriction:
100 mV/m in the head
800 mV/m in the whole body
Magnetic fields
Electric fields

ICNIRP reference level: 1 mT

field actually required: 3.03 mT

ICNIRP reference level: 10 kV/m

field actually required: 24.2 kV/m

These values are for 50 Hz - see here for the values at 60 Hz 

Public exposure

 

Basic restriction:
20 mV/m in the head
400 mV/m in the whole body
Magnetic fields
Electric fields

ICNIRP reference level: 200 µT

field actually required: 606 µT 

ICNIRP reference level: 5 kV/m

field actually required: 9.9 kV/m

These values are for 50 Hz - see here for the values at 60 Hz 

Chronic effects

ICNIRP state:

"It is the view of ICNIRP that the currently existing scientific evidence that prolonged exposure to low frequency magnetic fields is causally related with an increased risk of childhood leukemia is too weak to form the basis for exposure guidelines. In particular, if the relationship is not causal, then no benefit to health will accrue from reducing exposure."

In the Factsheet they give more detail:

"The absence of established causality is the reason why the epidemiological results have not been addressed in the basic restrictions.  ICNIRP is well aware that these epidemiological results have triggered concern within the population in many countries.  It is ICNIRP's view, that this concern is best addressed within the national risk management framework.  Risk management in general is based on many different aspects, including social, economic, and political issues.  ICNIRP in this context provides scientifically based advice only.  Additional risk management advice, including considerations on precautionary measures, has been given for example by the World Health Organization and other entities."

Does anyone use these Guidelines?

Most countries who have based their standards on ICNIRP have used, specifically, the 1998 ICNIRP Guidelines.  The only countries we know of who have adopted these 2010 Guidelines are Japan and Germany.

The values at other frequencies

We concentrate on this site in general and this page in particular on the limits at power frequencies.  But ICNIRP covers a range of frequencies.  The following graphs show the reference levels from 0.1 Hz to 100 kHz (solid lines are occupational, dotted lines public).  See also an interactive comparison of ICNIRP 1998, ICNIRP 2010 and ICES across a range of frequencies.

graph of ICNIRP limits versus frequency

graph of ICNIRP limits verss frequency

See also:

  • other specific exposure limits published by various organisations

Latest news

  • New publication on cancer incidence from the UK electricity industry Cohort Study August 27, 2019
  • How has the reported risk for childhood leukaemia changed over time? February 11, 2019
  • Media stories about microshocks in children’s playground September 10, 2018
  • New studies on leukaemia and distance from power lines June 1, 2018
older news

Contact Us

To contact the electricity industry’s EMF Unit Public Information Line (UK only):
telephone 0845 7023270 or email [email protected].

See Contact us for more contact details including our privacy policy.

About this site

  • What this site covers and what it doesn’t
  • Industry policy
  • Sitemap

Specific questions

  • Affected by a new power line or substation?
  • Building or developing near a power line or substation?
  • EMF measurement and commercial services
  • Microshocks
  • Pacemakers and other medical devices
  • EMF policy in the UK
Site Authorship |Sitemap | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Cookies | Site Statistics
© 2021 EMFS.info
Navigation
  • What are EMFs
    • Terminology – an introduction
    • Electric fields
    • Magnetic fields
    • Units for measuring EMFs
    • Measuring and calculating EMFs
      • “EMF Commercial”
    • Adding fields together
    • Radiofrequencies
    • Screening EMFs
  • Sources
    • Overhead power lines
      • Fields from specific power lines
        • 400 kV
        • 400 kV – specific cases
        • 275 kV
        • 132 kV
        • 66 kV
        • 33 kV
        • 11 kV
        • 400 V/230 V
        • Replacing a 132 kV line with a 400 kV line
      • Summaries of fields from all power lines
      • Factors affecting the field from a power line
        • Voltage
        • Current
        • Clearance
        • Height above ground
        • Conductor bundle
        • Phasing
        • Balance between circuits
        • Balance within circuit
        • Ground resistivity
        • Two parallel lines
      • Calculating and measuring fields from power lines
        • Geometries of power lines
        • Raw data
        • On-line calculator
      • Fields from power lines – more detail on the physics
        • Field lines from a power line
        • The direction of the field from a power line
        • Power law variations in the field from a power line
      • Statistics of power line fields
    • Underground power cables
      • Different types of underground cable
      • Fields from cables in tunnels
      • Gas Insulated Lines (GIL)
      • Underground cables with multiple conductors
      • Effect of height on fields from underground cables
      • Screening fields from underground cables
    • Low-voltage distribution
      • UK distribution wiring
      • USA distribution wiring
    • House wiring
    • Substations
      • National Grid substations
        • Static Var Compensators
      • Sealing-end compounds
      • Distribution substations
      • Final distribution substations
        • Indoor substations
    • Transport
      • EMFs from electric trains (UK)
      • EMFs from cars
    • Appliances
    • Electricity meters
      • Smart meters
      • Traditional meters
    • Occupational exposures
      • Live-line work
      • Static Var Compensators
      • Occupational exposures on pylons
    • Field levels and exposures
      • Personal exposure
      • Other factors that vary with magnetic fields
      • Fields greater than 0.2 or 0.4 µT
    • Screening EMFs
      • Screening fields from underground cables
      • EMF Reduction Devices
  • Known effects
    • Induced currents and fields
    • Microshocks
      • Control of microshocks in the UK
      • Microshocks from bicycles
      • Bees and microshocks
    • EMFs and medical devices
      • Standards relating to pacemakers and other AIMDs
    • Effects of EMFs on equipment
  • Research
    • Types of research
    • Epidemiology
    • Animal and laboratory experiments
    • Mechanisms
    • Specific studies
      • UKCCS
      • CCRG
      • French Geocap study
      • CEGB cohort
      • Imperial College study
  • Current evidence on health
    • Childhood leukaemia
      • Survival from childhood leukaemia
      • Childhood leukaemia and Downs
      • Childhood leukaemia and night-time exposure
      • The “contact current” hypothesis
    • Other health effects
    • Scientific review bodies
      • WHO
      • IARC
    • Electric fields and ions
    • Comparing EMFs to other issues
  • Exposure limits for people
    • Limits in the UK
    • Limits in the EU
    • Limits in the USA
    • Limits in the rest of the world
    • Limits from specific organisations
      • ICNIRP 1998
      • ICNIRP 2010
      • NRPB 1993
      • NRPB 2004
      • EU 2004
      • EU 2013
  • Policy
    • UK policy
      • Power lines and property – UK
    • Compliance with exposure limits
    • European EMF policy
    • Precaution
    • SAGE
      • SAGE First Interim Assessment
        • Government response to SAGE First Interim Assessment
      • SAGE Second Interim Assessment
        • Government response to SAGE Second Interim Assessment
        • SAGE Second Interim Assessment – the full list of recommendations
  • Finding out more
    • EMF measurement and commercial services
    • Links
    • Literature
    • Contact us
  • Static fields
    • Static fields – the expert view