HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ARE GUARANTEED

An overview of the findings on radiation from base stations.

May 11, 2022 . 3 minutes read

With the increasing spread of the Internet and its mobile use, the volume of data to be processed is also growing steadily. Making phone calls has long since ceased to be one of the most important uses of mobile phones. Social media, video and TV or working on the move are now the norm. For this reason, mobile data traffic is currently doubling every 12 to 24 months.

Technological achievements such as the cloud or the Internet of Things will further boost this development. To prevent any bottlenecks and ensure the quality of data traffic even at peak times, the ongoing expansion of the mobile network is essential.

The capacity of the mobile network can be expanded on the one hand by building new antenna systems and on the other by expanding existing sites with additional carrier frequencies and new technologies. For example, 5G - the fifth generation of mobile communications - offers seven to ten times more capacity compared to 4G. And: 5G is central to digitalisation and innovation in Switzerland.

No adverse health effects

Mobile phone connections are established via electromagnetic fields and electromagnetic fields are one of the best-researched topics of all. Research has not yet proven any harmful effects on health.

The Federal Council's report "Future-proof Mobile Networks" of 25 February 2015 states: "The only harmful effect of high-frequency radiation for humans that has been scientifically proven beyond doubt is the warming of body tissue as a result of the absorption of radiation" and the report "Mobile radio and radiation" of 28 November 2019 by the Working Group on Mobile Radio and Radiation on behalf of DETEC also states: "To date, no consistent health effects below the ICNIRP guideline values (or the immission limit values of the NISV) and with the mobile radio frequencies used today have been demonstrated."

The position of the leading international organisations (WHO/ICNIRP/ITU/IEEE etc.) as well as numerous national health authorities (such as the US FDA), which regularly look at and classify the scientifically recognised/founded studies, is also unanimous: If the internationally recommended limits are adhered to, no health risks are to be expected - this also applies to 5G. Switzerland goes much further by setting 10 times stricter limits than abroad.

Protection through legal limit values

To protect the population from this effect, the Federal Council has issued the Ordinance on Protection from Non-Ionising Radiation (NISV). This defines limit values that protect the entire environment from all scientifically known health effects.

The so-called installation limit values determine the maximum amount of radiation that can be measured at a location. These limits are ten times stricter in Switzerland than in other European countries and must be complied with wherever people are likely to spend long periods of time - i.e. in homes, schools, offices, hospitals, etc.

With the introduction of 5G, background radiation will increase slightly overall. This is not because the radiation from 5G will be stronger than that from 4G, but simply because 5G will be added to the existing technologies. However, background radiation will remain at a very low level.

Even if not everything is completely scientifically settled: According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), the existing limits and guidelines offer sufficient protection for humans, animals and the environment.

Media articles (German)

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