Switzerland: Cell phone radiation: No one at the federal level feels responsible

Clearly, Switzerland does not seem to care about the health of its population.

Cell phone radiation: No one at the federal level feels responsible

From the Swiss consumer magazine K-Tipp 3/2024 - Google translation

Many cell phones do not comply with the legal limits for radiation. The authorities are doing nothing about it. Internal documents show how the Swiss government is putting off controlling radiation levels.

Radiation exposure: The federal government does not monitor compliance with the limit values
Author: Jonas Arnold

Unprotected radiofrequency traffic
Image:Pexels, Lisa Fotios

The French radiation authority regularly checks the radiation emitted by smartphones. Their manufacturers do indicate the radiation levels on the packaging. However, independent measurement results from the authority showed that this cannot be relied upon: Since 2017, almost one in ten of the 594 devices checked did not comply with the radiation limits. A "Saldo" test also showed that many cell phones emit more radiation than declared ("Saldo" 5/2018) .

Last year, Apple's iPhone 12 also ended up on the list of cell phones that emit too much radiation. When carried in the hand, it emitted 5.74 watts per kilo of body weight. However, according to legal regulations, only 4 watts per kilo are permitted (K-Tipp 16/2023) . As a result, the iPhone 12 was no longer allowed to be sold in France until Apple reduced the radiation levels with new software. In Switzerland, there is no authority that checks compliance with the radiation limits. That is why the federal government set up a working group four years ago. K-Tipp requested the relevant documents based on the Freedom of Information Act.

Four federal agencies discuss

The documents show that the question of who should control cell phone radiation was discussed by four federal offices from July 2020. The then Federal Councillor Alain Berset sent representatives from the Federal Office of Public Health. Representatives from the Federal Offices of Communications and Energy as well as the Inspectorate for Heavy Current Installations came from the department of the then head Simonetta Sommaruga.

In January 2021, the working group noted: "At the moment, no one is responsible for market surveillance." The federal offices had this confirmed by federal lawyers and drafted a first draft of a discussion paper. In November 2021, the working group stated: "Due to the lack of market surveillance, products could be placed on the market that emit too much radiation and endanger the health of users." This draft also made it clear that none of the federal offices wanted to take control themselves: "It is difficult to find a common position."

Federal Council does not want a control authority

In July 2022, the Federal Office of Public Health noted: "The existing differences cannot be resolved at the official level." The dossier was then sent to Federal Councilor Alain Berset. Because of the pandemic, it took more than a year for Berset to make a proposal to the Federal Council as a whole. He cited the French authorities as a model, referred to the radiation exposure from cell phones and mentioned the Federal Constitution. This obliges the Federal Council to set up a "market surveillance system". It must at least check, using random samples, that the limit values ​​are being adhered to. This costs between 955,000 and 1.31 million francs per year.

Nevertheless, in November 2023, Berset recommended that the Federal Council not take any action. After consulting with Environment Minister Albert Rösti, he found that there was not enough money for controls. According to documents, the financial administration noted shortly before the Federal Council meeting that the argument of "lack of resources" was not convincing: "The Federal Council could prioritize these funds." Nevertheless, he decided that no authority would continue to monitor radiation. Zurich National Councilor Marionna Schlatter (Greens) is calling for the federal government to appoint a control authority. The Federal Council has already rejected this demand.

How to reduce radiation exposure

• Keep phone calls on your smartphone as short as possible.
• Use headphones when making phone calls.
• Only make phone calls when you have good reception and not in the car or on the train.
• Choose a smartphone with a low radiation level. Devices that exceed the limits during checks by the French radiation authority are marked with the term "Non Conforme". The list can be found online at Ktipp.ch/handystrahlung .

Reprinted with kind permission of the K-Tipp editorial team

Note from diagnose:funk which posted this article on its site.

This revelation by the consumer magazine k-tipp speaks volumes. Thank you for that! The authorities insist like a mantra that the population is protected by the limits. But when there is reasonable suspicion that even the limits, which are actually far too high, are being exceeded, they look the other way. Obviously, the billion-dollar mobile phone business is not to be put at risk. The first commandment of the book of Mammon applies: Thou shalt not endanger profits on earth!

The existing limits and the SAR value only protect against heating, but not against other non-thermal biological effects of radiation. The limits also only apply to fixed systems, not mobile devices. In a comprehensive paper, the ICBE-EMF (International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields) has shown that the limits have no protective function. This is why it and the EESC (European Economic and Social Committee) are calling for new limits to be set and for the industry-related ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) to be replaced by a neutral organization.

Original article in German:
https://www.diagnose-funk.org/aktuelles/artikel-archiv/detail?newsid=2083