Ref. Ares(2017)5844097 - 29/11/2017

EUROPEAN COMMISSION
Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis
Head of Cabinet

Brussels,Ares(2017)

2 9. 11, 201/

Professor Rainer Nyberg
EdD, Professor Emeritus
Vasa, FinlandE-mail: NRNyhcrg (g-aho.fi
Professor Lennart Hardell
MD, PhD, OncologistÖrebro, Sweden
E-mail: lennart.hardell(s> rcgionorebrolan.se

Dear Professor Nyberg, Dear Professor Hardell,Thank you for your interest in our work on electromagnetic fields (EMF) and for yourdedication to protecting EU citizens, which we fully share.
The Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Vytenis Andriukaitis asked me to reply toyour email of 9 November on his behalf, and had previously entrusted this same
responsibility to the Director of Public Health, John F. Ryan.
When Mr Ryan answered your email, in which you stated your disagreement with theCommission's stance on the 5G appeal, he presented the conclusions of roughly two
decades of research on the potential health effects of EMF, and the views expressed in the
Scientific Opinions produced by the independent Scientific Committees1. The Committee's
last Opinion on EMF, published in 2015, is based on hundreds of peer-reviewed studies
published worldwide and is the fourth Opinion on EMF published since EMF legislation
was adopted in 1999. The Committee's conclusion in this latest Opinion was based on
exposure studies, epidemiological studies and in vivo and in vitro studies, and studies onany suggestions of causality were considered for the weighting.
We are indeed familiar with your article "Comment on SCENIHR: Opinion on Potential
Health Effects of Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields, published in Bio electromagnetics
36:480484 (2015)", as well as with the 5G Appeal signed by more than 180 scientists. We
are also aware that in 2011. the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)
1 ICNIRP - International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and SCENIHR - ScientificCommittee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks

Commission européenne/Europese Commissie, 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel, BELGIQUE/BELGIË - Tel. +32 22991111
Office: BERL 08/362
Arūnas. Vinciunas@ec.eu ropa.eu

assessed radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as being ‘possibly’ carcinogenic to humans(Group 2B), based on increased risk for glioma and acoustic neuroma.
It is worth noting however, that category 2B is assigned to classify agents for which there
is limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and less than sufficient evidence of
carcinogenicity in experimental animals.

It is also important to note that the IARC

assessment predates the Opinion by several years. Based on more recent studies published
up until it was finalised in 2015, the Opinion concluded that the evidence for increased riskfor glioma had weakened since the 2011 IARC assessment, although the possibility of anassociation with acoustic neuroma remained the same.
At present, the exposure limits set by the European legislation remain valid, and theprimary responsibility for protecting the general public from potential harmful effects ofelectromagnetic fields remains with the Member States. At EU level, the Council
Recommendation on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic
fields (1999/519/EC) sets basic restrictions and reference levels as a common protective
framework to guide the action of Member States for the exposure of the general public toEMF. On 17 November 2017 four standards on EMF, referring to the limits in this Council
Recommendation were published in the list of harmonised standards under the Framework
Directive on the harmonisation of the laws of the Member States relating to the making
available on the market of radio equipment. These standards replace and improve previous
standards laid down in Directive 1999/5/EC.
The Commission services are confident that the advice provided by the ScientificCommittees is unbiased, accurate and scientifically sound and therefore do not feel itnecessary to appoint an independent expert group of EMF-and-health researchers todiscuss new safe guidelines for EMF exposure.
The recourse to the EU's Precautionary Principle to stop the distribution of 5G products
appears too drastic a measure. We first need to see how this new technology will beapplied and how the scientific evidence will evolve. Please rest assured that theCommission will keep abreast of future developments in view of safeguarding the healthof the European citizens at the highest level possible and in line with its mandate.
Again, let me thank you for your dedication to our shared commitment to protect thehealth of EU citizens.
Yours sincerely.

Arūnas Vinci unas
2

Electronically signed on 29/11/2017 15:08 (UTC+01) in accordance with article 4.2 (Validity of electronic documents) of Commission Decision 2004/563