Activities at the Swedish National Institute of Radiation Protection (NIRP) for the control of hazards from non ionizing radiation

In 1976, the Swedish radiation protection legislation was amended to give NIRP the task to design and carry out a programme for the control of hazards from non ionizing radiation. Initially optical radiation, laser and UV, was given priority in that programme because of the rapidly increasing use of optical sources for various purposes. A number of studies of emission characteristics, especially of UV sources, used for medical and cosmetical treatments, were carried out. In later years, the programme has become more and more focused on electromagnetic radiation and fields in the radiofrequency range, especially at very low frequencies