THIS BLOG POST HAS BEEN REVISED ON 8 MAY 2025.
7 May 2025 - DeepL translation **
Cell phone radiation exceeds the permitted values. Finally, check compliance with the NIR limit values in Switzerland as well.
Schlatter Marionna (G, ZH): This motion calls for what has long been taken for granted in many European countries: independent market surveillance to ensure compliance with the NIR limits for cell phones. Switzerland must no longer remain exempt in this area.
My motion demands nothing other than that the protection of the population is finally implemented consistently in the area of non-ionizing radiation (NIR) emitted by cell phones. Because reality shows:
Cell phones emit more radiation than permitted. The Phonegate scandal in France has made it clear that the SAR measurement of cell phones was systematically manipulated. Even a global corporation like Apple had to withdraw its iPhone 12 from the market. It is naive to believe that such problems do not also affect devices that are sold in Switzerland.
Without monitoring, however, only the principle of hope remains, and that is not enough in terms of health protection by any stretch of the imagination.
The Federal Council itself recognizes that there is currently no functioning market surveillance with regard to the legally permitted radiation emitted by cell phones. But instead of taking action, it points to a lack of responsibility and resources. However, this argument is not tenable, as the question of responsibility has deliberately remained unresolved for years. The Federal Council was instructed to clarify this back in 2020. It reads like satire: the Federal Council has been looking for years for an authority that can carry out market supervision. Unfortunately, it then fails to find one and sees this as a reason to dispense with it. The reference to a lack of resources ignores the fact that this is a central element of health protection. Those who insist on the precautionary principle, as our healthcare system does, cannot use cost-cutting arguments to shirk their responsibilities.
Other countries show how it's done. France has been regularly measuring SAR values since 2017. The National Frequency Agency intervenes if devices exceed the limit values. This protects consumers and creates transparency. Why shouldn't this also be possible in Switzerland?
It is completely unrealistic to leave responsibility for compliance with the limits solely to manufacturers and importers. The recent case with Apple in particular shows that even market-leading manufacturers of mobile devices fail to comply with limits if there is no independent monitoring. Without state supervision, we undermine the public's trust in product protection and leave them alone with the health risks. The greatest exposure to radiation comes from your own cell phone. How do you intend to gain the public's trust in the expansion of the mobile phone antenna infrastructure if you are not even prepared to carry out market supervision of the end devices?
This motion closes a safety-relevant gap. It calls for objective, precautionary control, as has long been a matter of course for food, medicines and toys. Trust is good, control is better. Thank you for supporting my motion.
Baume-Schneider Elisabeth, Federal Councillor, Head of the Department of Home Affairs:
As already mentioned in its position paper, the Federal Council is aware of the checks carried out by the Agence nationale des fréquences in France. As has already been pointed out, these controls have revealed that the iPhone 12 will be exceeded in 2023, and the necessary decisions have been taken.
In Switzerland, as has also been said, we at least have the merit of transparency: no authority is competent for market surveillance when it comes to monitoring the non-ionizing radiation limit values of devices. Compliance is therefore the responsibility of manufacturers and importers, and the measurement of non-ionizing radiation limit values is a task which, to my knowledge, is currently carried out exhaustively in Europe only by the French authority.
The Federal Council rejects the motion, as it is a fact that market surveillance of cell phones and other devices emitting non-ionizing radiation requires additional financial and human resources. Taking into account proportionality or the cost/benefit ratio, it is considered that implementing the motion would be too demanding in terms of the resources to be made available.
It is therefore proposed that this motion be rejected.
** Both these statements have been video-taped and appear here in this link to the site of the Swiss Parliament.
Vote (7 May 2025): https://www.parlament.ch/poly/Abstimmung/52/out/vote_52_30608.pdf
62 for, 130 against
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.