Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA


Study findings on life sciences in children are outlined in reports from Health Protection Agency, Radiation Protection Division



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2008 JAN 13 -- Current study results from the report, 'Whole-body-averaged SAR from 50 MHz to 4 GHz in the University of Florida child voxel phantoms,' have been published. According to recent research from the United Kingdom, "The University of Florida (UF) Series B paediatric phantoms were developed for medical and radiation protection photon dosimetry. The series includes a 9 month male, a 4 year female, an 8 year female, an 11 year male and a 14 year male."

"In this paper they have been adapted to calculate the whole-body-averaged specific energy absorption rate (SAR) in children for plane wave exposure from 50 MHz to 4 GHz. The consideration of children is important in the application of the ICNIRP public exposure reference levels above approximately 1 GHz. The uniformly scaled models of NORMAN and NAOMI suggest that the ICNIRP reference level does not provide a conservative estimate of the whole-body-averaged SAR restriction for 5 year and 1 year old models. Comparison is made with the previous linearly scaled versions of NORMAN and NAOMI for calculations at 2 mm resolution. Further FDTD calculations were performed at resolutions of 1 and 0.7 mm above 900 MHz to elucidate the effects of grid resolution on SAR," wrote P. Dimbylow and colleagues, Health Protection Agency, Radiation Protection Division.

The researchers concluded: "A comparison is made between the calculated external electric fields required to produce the basic restriction on the whole-body-averaged SAR and the ICNIRP reference levels for public exposure."

Dimbylow and colleagues published their study in Physics In Medicine and Biology (Whole-body-averaged SAR from 50 MHz to 4 GHz in the University of Florida child voxel phantoms. Physics In Medicine and Biology, 2007;52(22):6639-49).

For additional information, contact P. Dimbylow, Health Protection Agency, Radiation Protection Division, Chilton Didcot, OX11 0RQ, UK.

Publisher contact information for the journal Physics In Medicine and Biology is: IOP Publishing Ltd., Dirac House, Temple Back, Bristol BS1 6BE, England.

Keywords: United Kingdom, Life Sciences, Pediatrics, Regulatory Actions.

This article was prepared by Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2008, Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA via NewsRx.com.