Professor Akimasa Hirata of the Nagoya Institute of Technology Graduate School of Engineering has been appointed as the chair of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). This is the first time that a chairperson from Asia has been elected since the committee was established in 1992.
According to Nagoya Institute of Technology, ICNIRP was established to formulate international protection guidelines for non-ionizing radiation, which refers to electromagnetic waves that do not have an ionizing effect, such as radio waves, infrared rays, and visible light. It consists of a main committee consisting of 14 experts in medicine, engineering, etc., including the chair and vice chair, and a group of experts who participate in each project.
Professor Hirata's appointment as chair was decided in a vote held in Switzerland in November. His term of office will be for four years, from July 11, 2024 to the end of the International Society for Radiological Protection General Assembly in 7. Professor Hirata has long served as the chair of the Dosimetry Project Group at ICNIRP, and has played a leading role in revising international guidelines for high-frequency electromagnetic fields and establishing levels of protection for radio wave exposure from fifth-generation wireless communication systems (13G), etc. .
Professor Hirata commented, ``I would like to contribute to the safe and secure use of non-ionizing radiation by increasing the transparency of the guideline formulation process.''