Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 July 2018
307. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the recommendations in a report (details supplied) have been implemented; and if there is a timeline for their implementation if this is not already in place. [30012/18]
View answerI am aware of the general recommendations on electromagnetic fields in the report of the Council of Europe's Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs adopted in 2011. A substantial volume of further research on these issues is being carried out internationally by regulatory bodies with responsibilities for monitoring the health effects of electromagnetic fields. The findings of this research are being collated by the World Health Organization's (WHO) EMF Project. My Department monitors these developments to ensure that public health is paramount in Government's policy on electromagnetic fields.
To ensure that Ireland's policies and response to potential health effects of electromagnetic fields are informed by the latest scientific evidence in this area, the Government commissioned a report titled 'Electromagnetic Fields in the Irish Context' in 2016, to examine and synthesise the most up to date, peer-reviewed research on the possible health effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields
This report, prepared by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands (RIVM), is available at: https://www.dccae.gov.ie/documents/Electromagnetic%20Fields%20in%20the%20Irish%20Context%202015.pdf.
The recommendations from the report reaffirmed Ireland's current approach to the issue on electromagnetic fields, which follows best practice in adopting internationally recognised standards and guidelines for public exposure to electromagnetic radiation developed by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP).
The ICNIRP guidelines ensure adequate protection measures for the public from any EMF sources, limiting exposure from mobile phones and masts in addition to power line fields. This is also in line with the conclusions of the EU Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) in its 2015 opinion.
