Population Health Research
on Electromagnetic Energy

This Centre of Research Excellence (2013–2018) brought together leading population health researchers to investigate the health effects of mobile phones and magnetic resonance imaging.

It addressed high priority research questions identified by the WHO.

The outcomes were translated into health policy and practice through international and national organisations.

The team

Chief Investigators

• Professor Michael Abramson (SPHPM, Monash University)
• Professor Malcolm Sim (MonCOEH, Monash University)
• Professor Rodney Croft (University of Wollongong)
• Dr Geza Benke (MonCOEH, Monash University)
• Professor Roel Vermeulen (Utrecht University, Netherlands)
• Professor Peter Wiedemann (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany)
• Professor Stuart Crozier (The University of Queensland)

Associate Investigators

• Professor Brian Priestly
• Dr Ken Karipidis
• Professor Rory Wolfe
• Professor Alistair Woodward
• Dr Sarah Loughran

Postdoctoral Fellows

• Dr Anna Dalecki
• Dr Berihun Zeleke

PhD students

• Christopher Brzozek (School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University)
• Ian Evans (Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research, University of Wollongong)

Research studies

Mobi-Kids Study: Risk of brain cancer from exposure to radiofrequency fields in childhood and adolescence

The Mobi-Kids Study is an international case-control study investigating exposure to radiofrequency radiation from mobile phone use during childhood and adolescence and later onset of brain tumours in people between the ages of 10 and 24 years. The recruitment of participants and the collection of data is now complete. Researchers are currently preparing data for statistical analayses. Results for this study will be released in late 2016. For more information, go to the study website.

Exposure Study

The Exposure Study is investigating mobile phones, radiofrequency exposure and the development of cognitive function in primary school children. For more information, go to the study website.

Publications

2019 |2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013

Research translation

• CRE Research Translation Event, Monash University, 23 October 2018 (seminar recording)

Links

• Australian Radiation Protection & Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA)
• Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)
• World Health Organization (WHO) – Electromagnetric fields
• International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP)
• Australian Center for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research (ACEBR)
• National Academy of Sciences (NAS)
• Effects of the exposure to electromagnetic fields: From science to public health (EMF-NET)

News

• CRE PRESEE researcher Dr Geza Benke comments on the roll-out of telecommunication 'small cell boxes' in residential areas in Sydney – ABC News, 7 January 2019.
• CRE PRESEE researchers Dr Geza Benke and Professor Rodney Croft are co-authors with PRESEE Associate Investigator and Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) health services assistant director, Dr Ken Karipidis, on a major new study that may contribute to the resolution of the persistent public debate: 'Do mobile phones cause brain tumours?' – The Sydney Morning Herald, 16 December 2018.
• PRESEE Associate Investigator and Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) health services assistant director, Dr Ken Karipidis told The New Daily the agency had recently recommended further research into 5G networks – The New Daily, 27 July 2018.
• 'Should mobile phones be banned in schools? We asked five experts' – The Conversation, 28 June 2018.
• 'How to cut through when talking to anti-vaxxers and anti-fluoriders' – The Conversation, 15 February 2017.
• 'Why don’t people get it? Seven ways that communicating risk can fail' – The Conversation, 3 January 2017.
• Dr Rodney Croft's article 'The lessons to be learned now the ABC's pulled its 'inaccurate' Wi-Fried program' – The Conversation, 6 July 2016.
• Dr Rodney Croft's article 'Don’t hang up yet: the latest study linking mobile phones to cancer has big problems' – in response to a recent study that supposedly found a link between mobile phones and cancer – The Conversation, 30 May 2016.
• Dr Geza Benke was interviewed by ABC's Media Watch to comment on the 'Wi-fried' episode that aired on 16 February 2016 on ABC's Catalyst program, which reopened the debate on whether wifi-enabled devices could be harmful to our health – ABC TV, 22 February 2016.
• Dr Sarah Loughran published an informative article, 'Banning under twos from screens has little basis in evidence', discussing the impact of screen time on young children and whether Australian guidelines need reviewing – The Conversation, 21 October 2015.

Seed funding

The PRESEE Research Sub-committee awarded the following projects seed funding grants for 2017:

• Will detailed information about everyday life’s exposure to RF EMF (realized by using an App displaying the actual daily exposure) lead to a change of RF EMF risk perception? – Geza Benke (Monash University)
• Validity of Mobile Phone Apps for use in Population Based Studies, Christopher Brzozek (Monash University)
• Does acute RF-EMF exposure affect emotional processing in humans? – Anna Dalecki, Iksheta Verma, Sarah Loughran and Rodney Croft (University of Wollongong)
• Understanding and Overcoming ‘Risk Communication Traps’ – Frederik Freudenstein, Rodney Croft, Peter Wiedemann

In 2016, the following projects were awarded seed funding:

• Assessment of mobile phone radiofrequency-electromagnetic radiation exposure in Australian occupational groups – Chhavi Bhatt (Monash University)
• Measuring acute effects on the vestibular and sensory systems due to movements within strong magnetic fields in a 7T Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Environment – Miguel Fuentes (University of Queensland)
• The effect of screen time on sleep patterns in children and adolescents – Sarah Loughran (University of Wollongong)

In 2015, the following projects were awarded seed funding:

• COSMOS-AU: joining the international cohort study of mobile phone use and chronic disease – Malcolm Sim (Monash University)
• Mobile phone RF EMFs and the influence on brain cortical excitability – Sarah Loughran (University of Wollongong)
• PEMS: Improving the accuracy of personal RF measurements and characterisation of exposure levels in different environments – Geza Benke (Monash University)
• Mobile Phone Exposure and Sleep in Children and Adolescents – Sarah Loughran (University of Wollongong)
• Assessment of Radiofrequency-Electromagnetic Radiation Exposures in Preschool Children in Melbourne – Chhavi Bhatt, Mary Redmayne (Monash University)

Contact us

For further details:

Please contact Dr Geza Benke
Email: geza.benke@monash.edu