Electrical Sensitivity In Europe

To say that electrical sensitivity is poorly recognized would be an understatement.

Sometimes it seems like 99.9% of the population has never heard of it.

What’s more they don’t want to hear about it.

They’re too comfortable in their wireless world.

But there’s some places where ES gets more official recognition than others.

Strangely enough Europe is one of them.

I say strangely, because I live in Europe and it really doesn’t feel like there is any recognition.

But as one of my readers, Sharon, rightly points out the European Parliament has passed several resolutions to protect electrosensitives. Here is what Sharon says:

I have some information which might be of interest to your European readers. I get the impression that not many people know that the European Parliament has passed resolutions to help protect the electrosensitive citizens of member states. I think that spreading this information in EU countries might help a few more authorities in those countries to wake up and listen.

It is not for nothing that the European Parliament passes such resolutions. If we live in an EU country, we are subject to the resolutions passed by the EU Parliament.

Check out these two resolutions:

Thursday, 2 April 2009 – Brussels

Health concerns associated with electromagnetic fields

European Parliament resolution of 2 April 2009 on health concerns associated with electromagnetic fields (2008/2211(INI))

Paragraph B:”wireless technology (mobile phones, Wi-Fi/WiMAX, Bluetooth, DECT landline telephones) emits EMFs that may have adverse effects on human health” and

Paragraph 28: ”28. Calls on Member States to follow the example of Sweden and to recognise persons that suffer from electrohypersensitivity as being disabled so as to grant them adequate protection as well as equal opportunities”http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P6-TA-2009-0216+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN

European Parliament resolution of 4 September 2008 on the mid-term review of the European Environment and Health Action Plan 2004-2010

2007/2252(INI))

Paragraph D. ” … this 2004-2010 action plan should focus on certain new health challenges and in addition address the determining environmental factors which affect human health, such as … electromagnetic waves… which are a cause for serious concern (substances classed as carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction [CMR], endocrine disruptors)..

Paragraph J. ”.. these problematic developments in environmental health have been accompanied in recent years by the emergence of new diseases or syndromes, such as …hypersensitivity to electromagnetic radiation…. and attention-deficit and hyperactivity syndrome in children,

Paragraph 15. Recommends that, in order to reduce damaging effects of the environment on health, the Commission should call upon Member States, by means of tax concessions and/or other economic incentives, to interest market operators in … reducing exposure to electromagnetic radiation in their buildings, branch establishments and offices;

Paragraph 17. Recommends that, in awarding individual European Union support, the Commission bear in mind its impact on the quality of indoor air, exposure to electromagnetic radiation and the health of particularly endangered sections of the population in the projects concerned in a similar way to that in which attention is devoted to environmental protection criteria;

Paragraph 21. Is greatly concerned at the Bio-Initiative international report concerning electromagnetic fields, which summarises over 1500 studies on that topic and which points in its conclusions to the health risks posed by emissions from mobile-telephony devices such as mobile telephones, UMTS, Wifi, Wimax and Bluetooth, and also DECT landline telephones;

Paragraph 22. Notes that the limits on exposure to electromagnetic fields which have been set for the general public are obsolete, since they have not been adjusted in the wake of Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC of 12 July 1999 on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields (0Hz to 30 GHz) , obviously take no account of developments in information and communication technologies, of the recommendations issued by the European Environment Agency or of the stricter emission standards adopted, for example, by Belgium, Italy and Austria, and do not address the issue of vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, newborn babies and children;

Paragraph 23. Calls, consequently, upon the Council to amend its Recommendation 1999/519/EC in order to take into account the Member States’ best practices and thus to set stricter exposure limits for all equipment which emits electromagnetic waves in the frequencies between 0.1 MHz and 300 GHz;

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&reference=P6-TA-2008-0410&language=EN

Finally, there is the highly informative resolution which has been drawn up by the European Council (a kind of United Nations-type organisation with a purely advisory, non-legislative function, but important nevertheless)

Resolution 2011:1815 ”The potential dangers of electromagnetic fields and their effect on the environment”

http://assembly.coe.int/mainf.asp?link=/documents/adoptedtext/ta11/eres1815.htm

Paragraph 34 from the European Parliament resolution of 4 September 2008 on the mid-term review of the European Environment and Health Action Plan 2004-2010
2007/2252(INI))
Paragraph 34: ”4. Advises the Commission to envisage (by 2010 and under the “second cycle” of the health and environment action plan) refocusing its initiatives on vulnerable populations and to devise new methods of risk assessment, taking into account the fundamental fact that children, pregnant women and older people are particularly vulnerable;”.

Great website, Lloyd. Thanks for sending the survey.

All the best,

Sharon

Thank you Sharon for sharing this information! Comments welcome below.