Switzerland: The Federal Council proposes to Reject Postulate 18.3966 on the Declaration of Non-Ionizing Radiation

But there are good reasons for hope. Theo Wirth made this comment on the article, "BR beantwortet Vorstösse": "With Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard, this questionable answer from the Federal Council was to be expected. We hope that the new Federal Councillor [Simonetta Sommaruga] will achieve a more independent assessment of the dangers of electrosmog. Hope dies last."

18.3966 POSTULATE : Declaration of non-ionizing radiation -
[Note: This is an unofficial translation.]

Filed by: SEMADENI SILVA

Filing date: 27.09.2018
Submitted to: National Council
Status of deliberations: Not yet dealt with by Council

Text filed

The Federal Council is responsible for studying in an in-depth report how to ensure, together with the manufacturers, that the non-ionizing radiation (e.g. radio waves) of electronic devices carried close to the body is declared in a simple and visible manner.



Development

In its reply to my question 18.3622 ["Radiation devices close to the head and body"], the Federal Council referred to the fact that electromagnetic radiation had been added in 2011 as a "possible carcinogen" on the World Health Organisation's list of carcinogens. It would not be on this list if it did not present any risk. In the meantime, the group of scientists who had done the most work on the issue at the time recommended that it be classified as a "carcinogen".

The European Environment Agency has published significant reports on lessons learned long after the initial warnings ("Späte Lehren aus frühen Warnungen", not translated into French). In particular, it discusses the long-term risks of radio waves (brain tumors). Switzerland is a member of this agency. International values of specific absorption rate (SAR) are unlikely to prevent these risks.

The number of devices that produce an electromagnetic field and are worn on or near the body will increase significantly in the coming years. The permanent exposure of the people who carry them and their immediate surroundings will increase in the same way. Placing a simple and visible indication on the devices regarding their non-ionizing radiation could be a first step. The international symbol ISO 7010-W005 could be used.

In its response to my inquiry, the Federal Council wrote that it "would nevertheless appreciate it if the industry could voluntarily indicate the radiation (SAR values) emitted by products worn close to the body, as was the case for mobile phones. This would give consumers the opportunity to purchase low radiation equipment." However, the Federal Council also has a major responsibility for the marketing of radio equipment and the definition of limit values. It also has a responsibility to inform the public, and in this regard it cannot simply rely on the manufacturers.

Opinion and proposal of the Federal Council of 21 November 2018

In its response to the Semadeni inquiry, 18.3622 "Radiation devices close to the head and body", the Federal Council had already communicated that it would appreciate it if the industry would voluntarily indicate the radiation emitted by products worn close to the body. The duty to provide information concerns manufacturers and distributors as a matter of priority. In all likelihood, such an indication would entail only a minimal additional burden for industry, since it must already prove that its products comply with the standard requirements, i.e. with the radiation limit values (specific absorption rate / SAR in the case of devices worn close to the body).

However, it would not be appropriate to introduce a mandatory radiation-specific declaration, as the reference to the maximum SAR value has, as the author of the postulate notes, only limited relevance to health. Such a maximum SAR value avoids the short-term health effects of radiation (thermal effects), but not their long-term effects. In the absence of sufficient evidence of possible long-term risks, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has described mobile phone radiation as "possibly" carcinogenic to humans. There are no new elements in this regard; therefore, an adaptation of this classification by IARC is not planned at this time.

The Federal Council considers that it is not appropriate to simply indicate the radiation with the ISO 7010-W005 symbol. Given the limited current state of scientific knowledge on long-term health effects, the use of such warnings is not justified. In addition, the ISO symbol does not provide any real benefit to users, as it does not have a value scale indicating the degree of radiation exposure.

The Federal Council takes the issue of the possible health effects of these products seriously. To address the uncertainties in this area, the Federal Office of Public Health has prepared various information sheets. They inform the public about the risks of non-ionizing radiation and their possible long-term effects.

The Federal Council proposes to reject the postulate.

COSIGNATORIES (18)

BARRILE ANGELO BENDAHAN SAMUEL CROTTAZ BRIGITTE ESTERMANN YVETTE FRIEDL CLAUDIA GRAF MAYA HADORN PHILIPP HARDEGGER THOMAS HEIM BEAJANS BEAT KIENER NELLEN MARGRET MARCHAND-BALET GÉRALDINE MASSHARDT NADINE MUNZ MARTINAREIMANN LUKAS REIMANN MAXIMILIAN SCHENKER SILVIA SCHNEIDER SCHÜTTEL URSULA

https://www.parlament.ch/fr/ratsbetrieb/suche-curia-vista/geschaeft?AffairId=20183966