The Meloni government raises the permitted limits of electrosmog amid protests

Despite the possible health risks and the appeals of many citizens for caution, the Meloni government - in the IX Senate Commission - approved an amendment to the Competition Bill which allows the raising of exposure limits, attention values ​​and quality objectives related to electromagnetic fields.The values ​​go "provisionally and as a precaution" - we read in the text - from the current 6 volt meter (V/m) to 15.Above all, the Minister for Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, welcomed the amendment enthusiastically:«With the approval of the amendment to the Competition Bill which allows the raising of exposure limits to electromagnetic fields, Italy is finally moving in the European direction, making up for decades-long delays.In our country the emission limit for electromagnetic fields was stuck at 6 V/m, making it the lowest among those in the EU, so much so that it slowed down the development of 5G networks in urban areas" he stated.

However, not only the opposition has a contrary opinion, but also Legambiente, the Stop 5G Alliance and Codacons, the consumer association.According to the latter, «The health of citizens is traded for the interests of telecommunications companies, the only ones who will obtain economic benefits from raising the limits."It is no coincidence, therefore, that Asstel - the trade association belonging to Confindustria which represents the telecommunications supply chain - believes that the approval of the amendment to the Competition Bill constitutes an important step for the telecommunications supply chain and for the country system :«In our country the emission limit for electromagnetic fields has remained at 6 V/m since 2003, making it the most restrictive among European Union countries.This measure represents a significant signal for the country's development and innovation.We appreciate the Government's attention to this important intervention and hope that the legislative process can conclude positively", declared the association.

The EU has set exposure limits to electromagnetic fields at 61 v/m:12 states (Portugal, Spain, France, Ireland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Estonia, Cyprus) followed the EU recommendations;five states have not set limits or have set them higher than the EU recommendations (Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Latvia, Austria) and eight have set stricter limits than the European indications (Italy, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece, Bulgaria, Poland, Lithuania).Italy would therefore remain below the European limit. Second the Mimit (Ministry of Business and Made in Italy), the raising of the limits would guarantee "the improvement of the quality of the service (in terms of coverage) immediately, with positive effects on citizens in terms of voice and data, reducing the economic impact on operators and the proliferation of antennas in the area”.Due to emission limits, 62% of existing sites in urban areas would not be upgradable to 5G and the extra costs to create the coverage would amount to approximately 1.3 billion euros per operator.

According to supporters of raising electromagnetic limits, the exposures would not have particular consequences on the health of citizens.However, the studies are still ongoing, as the scientific community agrees that further investigations are needed, while according to other research, exposure to electromagnetic fields that are too high would imply health risks, such as cancer, reduced fertility and memory loss.The Stop 5G Alliance, for example, remember that in 2011 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization classified non-ionizing radiofrequency waves as "possible carcinogens" by placing them in group 2B.Furthermore, within 2-3 years, through the "Recommendations of the consultative group on priorities for the IARC Monograph" for the period 2020-2024, the re-evaluation of the classification is expected to possibly bring it to Class 2A (probable carcinogens) if not even to Class 1 (certain carcinogens), following the new epidemiological and above all experimental data contained in the final report of the National Toxicology Program.Therefore, there is not yet a uniform and certain framework on the effects of the so-called "electrosmog".

Also the oppositions they settled on positions in defense of the precautionary principle, contesting the amendment.«We consider the blitz with which the majority gave the OK to the Pogliese amendment which raises the thresholds of electromagnetic fields for the development of the 5G network unacceptable», we read in a note from Pd, M5S and Avs which also adds that «two months ago, a group of scientists had already listed the potential risks of a possible increase in a public note».The debate, therefore, is still ongoing and the pressure from various associations such as Legambiente, Codacons and Stop 5G may influence the process of the measure approved in the Senate:the amendment, in fact, will still have to go through a 120-day parliamentary process before the signing of a Prime Ministerial Decree in 2024 which would make the provision definitive.

[by Giorgia Audiello]