Mobile telephony poles are popping up everywhere like mushrooms. Even if everyone uses cell phones and stopping the technology is impossible, doubts about the health risks continue to spread. Hence the comparison with Arpae (Emilia Romagna Environment Energy Prevention Agency).
How many antennas are installed in the Rimini area?
«To date, there are 718 active mobile telephone systems in the province of Rimini, of which 319 in the municipality of Rimini. The location of the plants in the regional territory is made available to the public via the Arpae internet page dedicated to the regional register of fixed sources of electromagnetic fields (EMF), established pursuant to law 36 of 2001″.
What results from the monitoring?
«Mobile telephony systems, before their installation or during modification, are subjected to the opinion of Arpae which verifies that the electromagnetic field levels are lower than the values prescribed by the regulations. These preventive assessments are carried out under extremely precautionary conditions, so much so that the short-term measures and monitoring carried out in the area reveal lower values than those expected in the assessment phase. Every year, in Emilia-Romagna, around 2 thousand opinions are issued and 500 checks are carried out. The preventive evaluation activity allows Arpae and local authorities to direct control activities on the systems with particular attention to the so-called “sensitive receptors” such as hospitals”.
There’s more?
«Arpae manages the continuous monitoring network (around 70 measurement campaigns each year), through the use of control units that can be relocated throughout the territory, which automatically and continuously detect the electromagnetic field levels present in certain points, allowing the highlighting of the variations over time and full compliance with legal limits”.
Let’s move on to the province.
«Specific agreements are active with some Municipalities, including locations of important Radio and TV installation sites and in 2023 15 monitoring campaigns were carried out. All measured electric field values were well below the caution value of 6 V/m. The maximum measured value of 3.6 V/m for the daily average of the electric field was detected in the Municipality of Montescudo-Montecolombo near a Radio TV site. The second highest value was 1.2 V/m. All remaining values were less than 1 V/m.”
And in the past?
«For many years no measurement carried out in the region has recorded exceeding the regulatory reference values for population exposure».
At what intervals are checks carried out?
«Monitoring activities using relocatable control units require the collaboration of local authorities for the safe placement of the instrumentation. These activities are planned with an annual schedule, also keeping in mind that on the coast the operation of the facilities is affected by the tourist season”.
There is no shortage of checks after complaints from individual citizens or citizens’ committees.
«In the province of Rimini, in 2023, all requests were processed, carrying out 20 interventions, of which 16 in Rimini. All measured electric field values were well below the caution value of 6 V/m. 55% of the measurements were less than 1 V/m, 40% in the range between 1 and 3 V/m. Only 5% of the measured values were greater than 3 V/m; in particular the maximum value measured was 3.1 V/m”.
What are the limits not to be exceeded at the moment and what are the rules for installations?
«To date, the exposure limit of the electric field is equal to 20 V/m as an effective value averaged over 6 minutes for frequencies in the range 3 < f ≤ 3000 MHz; - 40 V/m as effective value averaged over 6 minutes for frequencies in the range 3 < f ≤ 300 GHz; - 60 V/m as effective value averaged over 6 minutes for frequencies in the range 0.1 < f ≤ 3 MHz GHz. The attention value and the quality objective, both equal to 6 V/m, intended as a value effective averaged over 24 hours, for protection from possible long-term effects related to exposure to the electric field. The attention value is the limit that must be respected in protected places (i.e. play areas for children, living environments, school environments and, in general, places used for permanence of no less than 4 hours per day), the quality objective It is applied outdoors, in heavily frequented areas and places. The limit is set at 6 V/m, regardless of the signal frequency. Law 214 of 2023 recently intervened which, in article 10, provides that within 120 days of entry into force, which took place on 31 December 2023, the exposure limits, the attention values and the quality objectives of which to article 4, paragraph 2, of law 36 of 22 February 2001, are adequate, "according to the procedure provided therein, in light of the most recent and accredited scientific evidence, in compliance with the rules, recommendations and guidelines of the Union European". Once the deadline for the adaptation has expired, the attention values and quality objectives, relating to the intensity of the electric field, will take on the value of 15 V/m".
What are the rules governing installations?
«The installation requires the municipal authorization procedure or the presentation of the certified notification of commencement of activity (Scia). Simplified procedures are envisaged in the case of low-power and small-sized systems, which are considered to have less impact both on urban planning and from the point of view of health protection. In carrying out its preventive assessments and measures, Arpae complies not only with state and regional legislation, but also with the guidelines of the SNPA (National Environmental Prevention System), which implement the contents of international technical standards”.
Are the fears of some committees founded?
«Arpae has the task of verifying compliance with the relevant legislation, aimed at protecting public health and based on the scientific knowledge of international bodies that study the potential impact of electromagnetic fields. It should be highlighted that the limits set by Italian legislation, even with the latest amendments, are particularly precautionary, among the most restrictive in Europe. Arpae’s preventive evaluation and control activities highlight compliance with these limits”.
