Health effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields

There are numerous sources of radio frequency and microwave fields to which people are exposed in the course of their work or everyday life. These fields provide the society with invaluable services such as communication, navigation, defense and many other benefits. At the same time electromagnetic fields are known to interact with the human body and under some circumstances may detrimentally affect human health. This paper provides a general overview of the issue. It gives information about the engineering research that resulted in establishment of dosimetry for the quantification of the fields compatible with biological experiments. Highlights of experimental investigations with animals leading to the development of protection standards are presented. Finally, the current concerns about cellular telephones are briefly discussed