Simulation and visualization of EMF-emissions from mobile phones in highly complex configurations.
Exposure & Dosimetry Evaluations
Background
The IT'IS Foundation conducts independent research on electromagnetic exposure from existing and new technologies. Our research has led to the development of novel instrumentation, improved computational techniques, and better procedures for exposure assessment. The IT'IS Foundation actively participates in several standards committees and provides consultancy to various government agencies, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), ICES/TC95, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Research Institute of Occupational Health (RAMS).
Selected Past Achievements
- Development of measurement systems and phantoms for exposure evaluation from wireless devices, together with our industrial partner Schmid & Partner Engineering AG
- Leadership in the development of novel methods for safety evaluation of medical implants in magnetic resonance imaging, leading to the success of our spin-off company, Zurich Med Tech
- Development of numerical techniques to analyze dosimetric problems from ELF to the GHz-range, at a sub-millimeter range geometrical resolution, and under extremely complex exposure scenarios.
- Early recognition that reliable risk assessment requires population-level estimates, which can be obtained using our Virtual Population anatomical models
- Broadening the scientific basis for assessing health risks of electromagnetic field exposure from wireless network devices
- Demonstration of the safety of keyless entry systems operating at intermediate frequencies
- Assessment of the exposure of nearby persons to induction cookers with regards to public safety limits.
Next Challenges
By continuously improving its measurement and simulation tools, IT'IS will further strengthen its position as a worldwide leader in dosimetry and exposure research. The most urgent issues are:
- Developing computationally-efficient numerical methods to rapidly assess exposure at low frequencies (below 10 MHz) in realistic environments
- Extending the IT'IS Virtual Population to include refined modeling of the nervous system and models of at-risk population segments
- Improving experimental techniques for exposure assessments at low frequencies (below 10 MHz) and high frequencies (above 6 GHz)
- Establishing international safety standards that adequately address exposure covering a majority of the population (e.g., at least 95%), including the ever-increasing number of individuals wearing medical implants
- Developing procedures, instrumentation and computational tools for demonstration of worker's EM safety.
