WRITTEN QUESTION E-0577/03 by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Commission. Possible health threat posed by cellphones.
Date: 2003-02-28
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU research policy, health policy, health risk, medical research, mobile phone, non-ionising radiation, radiobiology, research project

7.11.2003

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 268 E/111

2007. There was no public invitation to tender for the sale of the site, even though gravel extraction firms
were prepared to pay 3 times as much. The German Land of North Rhine-Westphalia is expected to have
to provide an annual amount of EUR 3,83 million to cover costs including public utilities for the civilian
airport.

This raises the following questions:

1. Was this project notified, or did an investigation take place,

in connection with the European

regulations on government aid?

2.

3.

If such an investigation did take place, what were its conclusions?

If no such investigation took place, does the Commission now propose to carry one out at short
notice?

4. What measures will the Commission take if an investigation shows or has shown that this case

involves government aid which is not covered by the European regulations in this area?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(8 April 2003)

1. and 2.
The Commission can herewith inform the Honourable Members that the Commission has not
received any notification with regard to the development of Laarbrucher Airport and that no investigation
has been carried out by the Commission in connection herewith.

3. and 4.
According to the ‘Commission Communication on State aid elements in sales of land and
buildings by public authorities’ (1), no state aid issues arises were the public assets have been sold at a
market value. Although the information provided by the Honourable Members does not, a priori, indicate
that the airport was sold below market price or on non-commercial terms it cannot, in the absence of a
tendering procedure, be excluded that this has been the case. Therefore, the Commission will request
information from the competent Member State in order to assess whether or not the sale of the airport has
been carried out under market conditions.

In case this inquiry would indicate that State aid elements may be present, the Commission will initiate the
procedures foreseen under Article 88 of the EC Treaty and Council Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 of
22 March 1999 laying down detailed rules for the application of Article 93 (new Article 88) of the EC
Treaty (2).

(1) OJ C 209, 10.7.1997.
(2) OJ L 83, 27.3.1999.

(2003/C 268 E/112)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0577/03

by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Commission

(28 February 2003)

Subject: Possible health threat posed by cellphones

Recent research by Swedish doctors on laboratory animals at the University of Malmö suggests that the use
of cellphones may damage the brain, and that adolescents (cid:1) among whom there has been a spectacular
increase in the use of these phones (cid:1) are most likely to be affected. The research shows that it is suspected
that the radiation emitted during the use of cellphones may cause the necrosis of neurons which are the
cells on which brain activity is based; this may lead to a reduction in intellectual capacity and cause
degenerative diseases of the brain. The researchers have also found that an increase in the intensity of the
radiation increases the number of neurons destroyed in the brain.

This particular piece of research differs from most research on the safety of cellphones, since it examines
the effect on the human brain rather than the relation between the use of cellphones and cancer.

What measures does the Commission intend to take to fully resolve this important question? Does it
intend to promote more extensive research and monitor the effect of the long-term use of cellphones on
the human brain?

C 268 E/112

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

7.11.2003

Answer given by Mr Busquin on behalf of the Commission

(8 April 2003)

The potential impact of mobile phones, and more specifically of electro-magnetic fields (EMF) on human
health has been the object of a number of research projects funded under the Quality of Life and
Management of Living Resources Programme of
the Fifth European Research and Technological
Development (RTD) Framework Programme. These projects focus on a number of theoretical health end
points including development of cancer, impact on hearing, and on the central nervous system. One of
those projects, which started in January 2002 and due to run three years, deals specifically with possible
health impacts on the nervous system and particularly on the brain (1). To date, the focus of this project
has been on dosimetry and fine scale calculation related to the human head.

The total Community contribution in the Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) to these projects amounted to
nearly EUR 11 million. Further research co-ordination is supported through COST (COST Action 281)
level (2). In May 2002, a workshop was devoted to
which links research funded primarily at national
discuss the impact on children. A specific short term mission is working on this item since then and
another workshop is already planned in November 2003 in Budapest where specific attention is given to
the impact of mobile phone use on the human brain.

As part of the 6th European RTD Framework Programme (2003-2006), the Commission intends to further
promote this extensive research effort through the establishment of a policy oriented research network.
The aim of the network will be to bring together many of the major EMF and health research projects with
other stakeholders (industry, regulators, health community, non-governmental organisations, special
interest groups) to consider the outcome of research actions. This topic was the subject of the first Call
for research proposals of the 6th Framework Programme and should provide a cost effective framework to
review aspects of long-term use of cellphones.

The latest scientific results on the potential health impacts of EMF are kept under review by the European
(CSTEE) (3). This Committee has
Scientific Committee on Toxicity, Ecotoxicity and the Environment
confirmed the validity of the recommended exposure levels in Council Recommendation 1999/519/EEC of
12 July 1999 on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields (0 Hz to 300
GHz) (4) as giving adequate protection against exposure to EMF.

Through this combination of research funding, promotion of scientific co-ordination and regular scientific
expert review, the Commission will play its’ part in the important debate concerning the use of cellphones.

(1) See www.ramp2001.org.
(2) http://www.cost281.org.
(3) Details of which can be found at http://europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sc/index_en.html.
(4) OJ L 199, 30.7.1999.

(2003/C 268 E/113)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0581/03

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(28 February 2003)

Subject: Return of toxic-dust-generating waste after processing into building blocks and synthetic pellets to

fill concrete walls

1.
Is the Commission aware that the Dutch steel manufacturer Hoogovens, which is located on the
coast between Velsen and Beverwijk and is currently part of the British-Dutch concern Corus, has been
engaged since 1993 in processing chemical waste (cid:1) mainly fly ash (cid:1) into pellets, which can be used as a
filling for concrete and in the manufacture of cementless pressed building blocks, which are marketed as
‘green bricks’?