New point of contact for health issues relating to mobile communications and power grids

What changes are associated with new transmitters in my neighbourhood? What will be the impact of the new 5G mobile network? Social developments such as advancing digitalisation and the energy transition mean that citizens are now confronted with radiation protection issues on a daily basis.

In order to provide them with reliable information in a timely manner, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) is setting up the new Competence Centre for Electromagnetic Fields. The Centre is based in Cottbus and was officially founded in Berlin on 5 February 2020 by Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze.

Through its educational and research activities, the Competence Centre aims to improve acceptance of the energy transition and reinforce the concept of sustainable digitalisation. The Competence Centre for Electromagnetic Fields is intended to provide scientifically sound answers to everyday issues affecting the population and to communicate those answers to the public.

To meet the growing information needs of citizens as well as authorities, the Competence Centre will further develop research, training and dialogue activities at the BfS. The dedicated website www.bfs.de/kompetenzzentrum provides citizens with information and allows them to put their questions to an expert team.

Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze said: "Both the energy transition and digitalisation are vital projects for Germany’s future sustainability. Where concerns are raised about them, we must take those concerns seriously and deal with citizens' questions. As a scientifically independent institution, the Federal Office for Radiation Protection acts as a competent and credible voice."

Federal Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (l) and BfS President Inge Paulini (r) with the symbolic foundation stone of the Competence Centre for Electromagnetic Field

BfS President Inge Paulini said: "We welcome the Federal Government's initiative seeking an important role for radiation protection in power grid expansion and mobile communications. It is clear from a survey published last year that there is considerable demand from the general public for information about radiation protection. In future, we therefore want to provide more targeted information on the health effects of electromagnetic fields – and on a more widespread basis. The new Competence Centre is intended to act as the first point of contact for anyone with questions of this nature."

The founding of the Competence Centre has its origins in the coalition agreement between the CDU, CSU and SPD and is intended to accompany power grid expansion. With its mobile communications strategy, the Federal Government also called for enhanced research and communication in this area in November 2019.

According to current knowledge, there is no scientific evidence of harmful effects on health due to electric, magnetic or electromagnetic fields if the existing limit values are complied with. Mobile communications is regarded as being especially well researched: the German Mobile Telecommunication Research Programme (DMF), which operated from 2002 to 2008 under the leadership of the BfS, succeeded in answering many such questions.

At the Competence Centre for Electromagnetic Fields, staff from the BfS are working on further reducing the remaining scientific uncertainties – which are a constant feature of scientific work. Another component of this is the accompanying research programme on power grid expansion, which was launched in 2017. The founding ceremony was followed by a presentation and discussion of initial results and progress made in the projects.