The petition draws attention to the Standing Committee on Health’s 2015 parliamentary report, Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation and the Health of Canadians, and references statements by the Minister of Health in the government response that was tabled in Parliament on 6 October 2016. The petition raises concerns about the increase of radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation emitters in schools.
The petition refers to the response to recommendation 8 and to Safety Code 6, Health Canada’s radiofrequency exposure guidelines. According to the petition, Safety Code 6 is less protective than some other countries’ guidelines, which set lower levels of radiofrequency exposure. The petition asks Health Canada whether an independent scientific body has examined whether Canada should adopt measures and guidelines similar to those in other countries to limit the exposure of vulnerable populations, including children, to radiofrequencies. The petition states that precautionary measures are needed to prevent injuries induced by wireless radiation at schools and asks whether Health Canada has adopted more precautionary guidelines. It questions whether Health Canada has taken any other measures in addition to messaging on its website since June 2015 to protect vulnerable populations. The petition alleges that wired technology is safer than wireless technology and questions how the telecommunications industry can be motivated to manufacture and promote wired substitutes for Canadian schools.
The petition raises concerns about the assessment of radiofrequency effects in Canadian classrooms and asks if any data that has been collected and analyzed on health effects can be attributed to radiofrequency radiation in the classroom. It asks whether any distribution patterns of such exposures in classrooms have been measured and analyzed. Lastly, it suggests that the federal government collaborate with provinces, so that children who have identified electromagnetic hypersensitivity can have access to wired facilities in schools.
The petition refers to the federal Standards Development Committee and asks whether people suffering from electromagnetic hypersensitivity are represented, so that they can promote the need for safer and more inclusive guidelines on radiofrequency exposure for vulnerable people. The petition also asks what process can be taken to phase in fibre optics and wired technology and minimize the use of wireless technologies in federal buildings, so that vulnerable people can have employment and workplace equity. Furthermore, the petition questions how this process can be communicated publicly so that electromagnetically sensitive people are aware of accessible wired public facilities.