Editorial: Exposure Hazards and Health Protectionin Personal Communication Services

Abstract

The generation and propagation of radio frequency (RF) electromagnetic waves was first demonstrated by HeinrichHertz in 1888. A few years later, Guglielmo Marconi succeeded in transmitting, wirelessly, a radio signal over a longterrestrial distance in 1896 and then across the Atlantic Ocean in 1901. The number of devices and systems that emitRF radiation has been increasing at an accelerating rate ever since. Some have estimated that there were over 80 millionusers of mobile telephones by the end of 1996. Indeed, wireless communication service is sweeping the world and hasbrought instant, two-way radio communication to many people constantly on the move.

The concept of personal communication systems (PCS) aims at providing two-way communication services, speechand data to individual users, indoors or out. Its goal is to establish a mass network for mobile communications andto provide a competitive alternative to the conventional wired public switched telecommunication network. The wide-spreadimpact of this new technology has raised concerns about the safety of human exposure to RF energy emittedby these telecommunication devices. Clearly, we need a better understanding of the biological effects of RF electro-magneticfield so that we can safeguard against possible harm to the general population and enhance its beneficialuses.

Within the last few years there has been a resurgence of research effort to achieve better and more quantitativeunderstanding of the relationships between the biological effects of RF radiation and the physical variables that maycause them. Some results are beginning to appear in the literature. This special issue is intended to provide anoverview of the current status of our scientific understanding and to present recent advances coming from variousresearch laboratories.