WRITTEN QUESTION E-3387/02

by Ioannis Marínos (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(28 November 2002)

Subject: Mobile telephone antennae

There is great concern in Greece at the huge number of mobile telephone antennae being set up on high buildings in urban areas. Protests focus on the fact that these antennae are placed on top of blocks of flats in which

scores or even hundreds of people live, in the immediate vicinity of nurseries, primary and intermediate schools, and gymnasia. Very often, these antennae are covered to disguise the fact that they are in fact mobile telephone antennae.

Has any study been carried out by the Commission to assess the risk to public health from setting up mobile telephone antennae in densely populated urban areas? Are there any provisions in Community law concerning the terms and conditions to be observed in order not to endanger public health by setting up such antennae?

Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission

(27 January 2003)

The Commission responded to various earlier questions on this topic (e.g. E-2821/02(1) by M. Maaten, E-2900/02(2) and E-2901/02 by Mrs Breyer(3).

On 12 July 1999 the Council adopted Recommendation 1999/519/EEC if 12 July 1999, to Member States limiting the exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields (EMF) (0Hz to 300Ghz)(4). The full adherence to the basic restrictions and reference levels included in the Recommendation ensures users a high level of protection against acute and long-term effects of non-ionising radiation for the whole spectrum. The limits recommended include a safety factor of 50 to cover possible long-term effects in the whole frequency range and also aims to protect against as yet undocumented non-thermal effects.

Measurements performed in various Member States have demonstrated that the level to which the public is exposed is (normally a factor 100 to 100 000) below the values recommended by the Council. In general the safety zone around masts is in the order of 4 (typical low power urban area base station) to 10 (rural area high power) meters in the horizontal direction and less than a meter in the vertical direction. Under normal circumstances the distance to the public is however much larger. Since exposure drops with the square of the distance, this explains the low exposure levels measured in practice.

The Commission mandated the European Standardisation Organisations to draft Harmonised European standards ensuring that products don't expose the public beyond the limits recommended by the Council. The first of these standards (EN 50385) has already been given legal effect within the framework of the Directive 1999/5/EC which obliges manufacturers to ensure that their products do not give rise to adverse effects on health when used for their intended purpose. Further standards are under development and will standardise methods to determine the zone around base stations, within which the recommended limits would be exceeded and will standardise in-situ measurement methods.

The Commission is following closely any new scientific results in the domain to react if necessary to any new scientific evidence not taken to date into consideration. So far it has not been established that exposure to electromagnetic fields for cordless and mobile telephones is potentially harmful to the nervous and hormone system below the recommended exposure levels. As regards mobile phones, it is important to note that the Interphone project (supported by the Community under the 5th Framework Programme for Research 5FP) is a large-scale epidemiological project involving 13 countries. The objective of the study is to determine whether mobile telephone use increases the risk of cancer and, specifically, whether the radio frequency (RF) radiation emitted by mobile telephones is carcinogenic. When the project results become available in 2004-2005, consolidated conclusions can be drawn.

The Commission further supports a four-year study called In vivo Research on Possible Health Effects Related to Mobile Telephones and Base Stations (Carcinogenicity Studies in Rodents) Perform-A. The objective of the project is to provide research results on possible carcinogenic and co-carcinogenic effects of radiofrequency (RF) in animal models. These results should, when combined with current and past studies of the effects of RF, support an adequate database for health risk evaluation on long-term cellular telephone use and base station exposure by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2004.

Altogether eight research projects related to potential health impacts of EMF are being partly funded by the Community under 5FP.

Within the 6th Framework Programme for research, it is proposed to establish a co-ordinating action which will bring together the various stakeholders (researchers, industry, policy makers, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society) to consider potentail policy implications of research outcomes (This activity is subject to a call for proposals published on 17 December 2002).

In the context of the European Research Area, support from the Commission is also being provided to COST Action 281 which coordinates nationally funded research teams from currently 19 European countries regarding Electromagnetic Fields and Health.

The opinion of the Commission Scientific Committee on Toxicology-Ecotoxicity and the Environment on health effects associated to the exposure to electromagnetic fields published on 30 October 2001 has confirmed for radio frequencies and microwaves the validity of the Council Recommendation limits. This opinion is in line with other national and international evaluation of the scientific literature in this area.

Therefore one can conclude that, based on the best scientific advice available, GSM antennas, when installed to meet the safety levels provided in the Council Recommendation, should not give rise to health problems.

(1) See page 77.

(2) OJ C 110 E, 8.5.2003, p. 121.

(3) OJ C 161 E, 10.7.2003, p. 52.

(4) OJ L 199, 30.7.1999.