The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is the nation’s leading authority on radiation safety. Its role is to protect people and the environment from harmful effects of radiation through scientific research, regulation, safety standards, and public advice.
A key focus for ARPANSA is Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Energy (RF EME)—the type of energy emitted by mobile phones, Wi-Fi, and telecommunications infrastructure. Since 1997, ARPANSA has been at the forefront of research into RF EME as part of its Electromagnetic Energy (EME) Program, ensuring safety standards are in place to protect the public and workers.
What does the science say?
ARPANSA advises that there are no substantiated health risks from RF EME exposure that remains below the limits set in its Radiation Protection Series Standard for Limiting Exposure to Radiofrequency Fields (RPS S-1). These exposure limits are scientifically derived and vary depending on the frequency of the RF source, meaning different technologies have different limits.
Importantly, the limits used in Australia protect the community against all known adverse health effects and are set well below levels where harm could occur.
"There remains no substantiated evidence of health effects from RF EME exposures related to mobile phones. This is reassuring as it shows that our safety standard provides appropriate protection for the public," said ARPANSA’s Radiation Research and Advice Director, A/Prof Sarah Loughran.
This is also the case for mobile phone RF EME exposure and cancer.
“Recent systematic reviews, commissioned by the World Health Organization, provide the strongest evidence to date that mobile phones do not cause brain cancer, which has historically been a topic of community concern,” said ARPANSA’s Health Impact Assessment Assistant Director, A/Prof Ken Karipidis.
Does 5G mean more radiation?
Research shows that newer technologies like 5G do not increase overall exposure.
In 2022, ARPANSA conducted a large-scale RF EME survey in Melbourne and found that:
• All readings were well below the safety standard
• The highest exposures came from broadcast media
A similar study was also undertaken by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
"From all of our measurement studies, including our largest survey in Melbourne, we’ve found that exposure from telecommunications infrastructure including mobile phone towers, TV/ radio antennas and Wi-Fi remains well below safety limits," said Dr Stuart Henderson, ARPANSA’s RF EME Exposure Assessment Assistant Director.
"We are now expanding our studies to cover more cities and regional towns across Australia."
Australia’s RF EME safety standards are backed by decades of research, international collaboration, and ongoing monitoring. There is no evidence to date that mobile phones or telecommunications infrastructure pose a health risk under current exposure limits.
Further information outlining all exposure limits are available from Section 2 of the ARPANSA Standard.