Chairman's Message

Dear Authors and Participants,

It is my great pleasure to invite you to the EHE2014 – International Conference on Electromagnetic Fields, Health and Environment, to be held in Porto, Portugal, from 24th to 26th April, 2014.

This Conference is now in its 5th edition after sucessful previous Conferences held in Funchal (2006), Wroclaw (2007), S.Paulo (2009), Coimbra (2011) and now in Porto - Portugal in 2014.

This International Conference, like its predecessors, is a world forum for a multi-discipline audience with various backgrounds, as researchers, physicians, engineers, ecologists, consultants, decision and opinion makers, public authorities, to present, review and discuss the new developments and trends on electromagnetic field analysis, simulation and application with significance to the human health as well as increase the awareness of the public in this strategic area for the modern world.

The human organism does not function solely on the basis of biological or biochemical cellular reactions, but also on the basis of electromagnetic fields. The humans are indeed “electromagnetic beings”. The term “electromagnetic fields” covers all the fields emitted by natural and man-mode sources and so the distinction between static and alternating fields.

In the latter, a differentiation should be made between extremely low frequency (so called ELF) fields such as due to the domestic and industrial electricity, and high frequency (so called RF) fields due to mobile telecommunication technologies, Wi-Fi, WLAN, etc.

It has been established that electromagnetic fields operating at various frequencies can have useful and beneficial effects in clinical medicine, either for diagnosis or treatment. For example and to mention a few of the best of non-ionizing frequency band applications: the therapeutic benefits of electrotherapy, the clinic effects of direct currents (electrolysis), the clinical effects of external electric impulses on the cardiac muscle (pacemaker, defibrillators), clinical effects of micro measurements generated by pulse magnetic fields to improve healing in tissue repair and bone fractures.

But also, and because the very weak electrical currents are part of our human Physiology (for example at the level of communication between cells), the question of the possible disruptive effects on the human body and eventual consequences they might have for health, may legitimately be raised.

The levels of the electromagnetic fields (EMF) in the environment as a consequence of our modern life and way of living are increasing every day and so the Public exposure to EMF due to different sources is also increasing. There is an increasing great public concern and awareness of the potential health effects due to these radiations. The findings of scientific research are inconclusive, there is not unanimity of opinions and debate continues.

The EHE2014 Conference contributions concern the areas of: EMF Modeling, Measurement and Simulation, Bio-effects of EMF, Environmental Safety Policy issues and International Standards.

You are strongly encouraged to participate and submit papers to the EHE2014 Conference, within the frame of the Conference topics.

The Conference will be held in Porto – Portugal, know all over the world to receive high quality events, like this one.

I would appreciate if you could also send this information to Colleagues of yours that might be interested.

Our team will do their upmost to serve you and I am sure that you will spend very special moments with us.

Thanks for your interest and I am looking forward to welcoming you personally in Porto – Portugal in April 2014.

With my best wishes,

Carlos F. R. Lemos Antunes
Professor at Universidade de Coimbra
EHE2014 General Chairman
chairman@apdee.org