(Ecofin Agency) – From GSM to 5G, telecommunications technologies have always sparked debate about their effects on the health of populations. The Senegalese telecoms regulator wants to join forces with the government to protect populations against the potential dangers of these technologies.
The Telecommunications and Postal Regulatory Authority (ARTP) signed an agreement with the Senegalese Ministry of Health on Thursday 19 January to guarantee the use of communication waves without harming the health of populations. It was during the workshop to present the results of the measurement campaign on exposure to magnetic fields from non-ionizing radiation (RNI) carried out by the regulator.
The regulator and the Ministry of Health will in particular conduct awareness campaigns on the effects of exposure to telecom waves on the health of populations. The two partners will also have to carry out interventions relating to the regular quality control of the installations, to the exposure measurements near the relay antennas if necessary, as well as to long-term epidemiological surveillance.
This initiative by the ARTP and the Ministry of Health comes in a context marked by the rapid development of wireless electronic communication technologies; the proliferation of base antennas of cellular networks; the installation of radioelectric stations in public places, as well as the concerns and fears of the populations vis-à-vis the installation of mobile telephone antennas. In addition, the regulator plans to launch 5G in Senegal this year.
The national campaign to measure the level of public exposure to the electromagnetic field for the frequency and telecommunications bands was carried out in the 46 departments of the country for 12 weeks. It shows that “overall the levels remain well below the regulatory limit values in force with a national average of 0.73 V/m”. In addition, there is the presence of base stations (BTS) visible in the immediate vicinity of the measurement points where the level exceeds 6 V/m.
The association of the Ministry of Health and the ARTP should make it easier to identify the potential dangers of the exposure of populations to the magnetic fields of non-ionizing radiation and to provide the most appropriate solutions.
Isaac K. Kassouwi
Also read:
23/09/2022 — Gambia: the regulator acquires a tool to control electromagnetic radiation
Senegal: ARTP will collaborate with the Ministry of Health for a healthy use of communication waves
