Harmful mobile phone radiation
22.4.2020
Question for written answer E-002425/2020
to the Commission
Rule 138
Niels Fuglsang (S&D)
Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) expresses the absorption of mobile phone radiation by a body area of between 1 and 10 grams of body tissue and is measured in watts per kilogram (W/kg). According to the European Parliamentary Research Service, there is divided scientific opinion - in particular in connection with specific US and Italian studies - regarding the risks of cancer and the causality of mobile phone use. Both the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is a WHO offshoot, have also found a link, concluding that certain radio frequencies, at extreme levels, are ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’, though the likelihood is regarded as low. Several prospective studies have been announced, however. In the EU, a SAR value of 2 W/kg has been allowed, while the permissible SAR value in the US is 1.6 W/kg.
- 1.Given that the issue is the subject of continuous scientific examination, and in the light of both the EU and US health authorities' maximum permissible SAR values, will the Commission place greater demands on manufacturers of mobile phones, for example, by requiring them to declare the SAR values of their products for consumers’ benefit?
- 2.If the Commission does not want to place such demands on producers on the market, how will EU consumers be able to choose a product with the lowest possible SAR value?