[National and international standards for limiting exposure to electromagnetic fields]

Over recent years the possibility that adverse effects on health could result from exposure to electromagnetic fields has become one of considerable scientific, political and economic importance. In response to this, there has been intense activity, both at the international and national level, on the evaluation of biological effects literature and assessment of health hazards of human exposure to non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. The health authorities of an increasing number of countries, including Italy, become involved in the development of recommendations, regulations or technical advice to limit the exposure of the workers and the general public and they are looking to the international organizations, particularly to the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), for some guidance in this respect. In this paper an attempt will be made to present a comparative analysis of the existing or recently proposed standards.