Repacholi M H
*Department of Information Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications (DIET), University of Rome 'La Sapienza,' Rome, Italy.
Health Phys. 2017 Oct;113(4):282-300. doi: 10.1097/HP.0000000000000699.
Concern about health risks from exposure to non-ionizing radiation (NIR) commenced in the 1950s after tracking radars were first introduced during the Second World War. Soon after, research on possible biological effects of microwave radiation in the former Soviet Union and the U.S. led to public and worker exposure limits being much lower in Eastern European than in Western countries, mainly because of different protection philosophies. As public concern increased, national authorities began introducing legislation to limit NIR exposures from domestic microwave ovens and workplace devices such as visual display units. The International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) was formed in 1966 to represent national radiation protection societies. To address NIR protection issues, IRPA established a Working Group in 1974, then a Study Group in 1975, and finally the International NIR Committee (INIRC) in 1977. INIRC's publications quickly became accepted worldwide, and it was logical that it should become an independent commission. IRPA finally established the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), chartering its remit in 1992, and defining NIR as electromagnetic radiation (ultraviolet, visible, infrared), electromagnetic waves and fields, and infra- and ultrasound. ICNIRP's guidelines have been incorporated into legislation or adopted as standards in many countries. While ICNIRP has been subjected to criticism and close scrutiny by the public, media, and activists, it has continued to issue well-received, independent, science-based protection advice. This paper summarizes events leading to the formation of ICNIRP, its key activities up to 2017, ICNIRP's 25th anniversary year, and its future challenges.
自第二次世界大战期间首次引入跟踪雷达后，人们在20世纪50年代开始关注非电离辐射（NIR）带来的健康风险。此后不久，前苏联和美国对微波辐射可能产生的生物效应展开研究，结果导致东欧国家的公众和工人暴露限值远低于西方国家，主要原因是保护理念不同。随着公众关注度的提高，各国政府开始出台立法，限制家用微波炉和视觉显示单元等工作场所设备产生的近红外辐射暴露。国际辐射防护协会（IRPA）于1966年成立，代表各国辐射防护协会。为解决近红外辐射防护问题，IRPA于1974年成立了一个工作组，1975年成立了一个研究小组，最终在1977年成立了国际近红外辐射委员会（INIRC）。INIRC的出版物很快在全球范围内被接受，自然而然地，它应该成为一个独立的委员会。IRPA最终成立了国际非电离辐射防护委员会（ICNIRP），并于1992年确定了其职责范围，将近红外辐射定义为电磁辐射（紫外线、可见光、红外线）、电磁波和场以及红外线和超声波。ICNIRP的指南已被许多国家纳入立法或采纳为标准。尽管ICNIRP受到了公众、媒体和活动家的批评和密切审视，但它仍继续发布广受好评、独立且基于科学的防护建议。本文总结了导致ICNIRP成立的事件、截至2017年（ICNIRP成立25周年）的关键活动以及其未来面临的挑战。
