2014-035
April 1, 2014
OTTAWA - Health Canada has received the independent Expert Panel Report from the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) on the proposed update to its Safety Code 6, which recommends limits for safe human exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic energy. We thank the Expert Panel members for their work. Health Canada is currently reviewing the RSC's report.
Health Canada is committed to the health and safety of all Canadians. Canadians should be confident that our human exposure limits are some of the strongest-science based standards in the world. We will take all necessary action to protect Canadians and their families.
The proposed update to Safety Code 6, which was reviewed by the RSC, includes radio-frequency (RF) exposure limits that are more restrictive than those in the current version of Safety Code 6 (2009). The RSC has agreed that there are no established adverse health effects at exposure levels below these proposed limits.
However, Health Canada reminds all Canadians that their health remains well protected from RF energy by the human exposure limits required by the current Safety Code 6. The current Safety Code establishes and maintains a human exposure limit that is far below the threshold for potential adverse health effects.
Canada's current exposure limits, even before the review, are consistent with science-based standards used in other parts of the world (e.g., the United States, the European Union, Japan, Australia and New Zealand) and Health Canada's proposed update to Safety Code 6 will make Canada's limits among the most conservative science-based limits in the world.
Among the recommendations made by the RSC, it was suggested that the proposed reference levels in the update to Safety Code 6 be made slightly more restrictive in some frequency ranges to ensure larger safety margins for all Canadians, including newborn infants and children. This recommendation takes into account recent dosimetry studies, one of which became available since Health Canada developed the proposed update to Safety Code 6. The Department is currently reviewing all of the RSC's recommendations and will revise the levels in the update to Safety Code 6 accordingly.
Health Canada has previously committed to doing a public consultation. Advice from the RSC's Expert Panel, as well as comments received during the upcoming public consultation, will be considered in the development of the final revised version of Safety Code 6.
Information about the upcoming public consultation on Safety Code 6 will be posted on the Health Canada website as it becomes available.
We remain committed to communicating with Canadians families on any changes to Safety Code 6.
For more information on Safety Code 6 please visit the Health Canada website.
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