Non-ionising radiation - We measure exposure to electromagnetic fields

Urgent need for information

The controversy surrounding electromagnetic radiation in everyday life has received a great deal of media attention in recent years with the political debate on the introduction of 5G mobile communications technology. The unease of the population as well as blockades on the part of the licensing and enforcement authorities have led to uncertainty and many unanswered questions regarding effects and risks. A nationwide, representative data basis for assessing the real exposure of the population to non-ionising radiation in everyday life is lacking. This gap must be closed.

Our solution

The project consortium "SwissNIS" measures the exposure of the population to electromagnetic radiation systematically over several years using various measurement methods. The focus is on electromagnetic fields with frequencies ranging from a few Hz (electricity) to several GHz (mobile radio, WiFi). The measurement results are recorded in a central digital database. The measurements take place both in public spaces on predefined measurement routes and in private homes. Stationary measurements over several years at selected locations also provide an overview of the long-term development of immissions. In this way, the exposure of the population can be recorded and monitored in a representative and comprehensive manner.

The starting signal of the legislator

The revision of the Ordinance on Protection against Non-Ionising Radiation (NIR) in 2019 gave the FOEN the mandate to record NIR exposure by means of monitoring and to periodically publish a national overview of the exposure of the population to non-ionising radiation. For this purpose, the FOEN issued a public invitation to tender for a comprehensive measurement study, with the project title Exposure measurements of non-ionising radiation, in the following year and awarded the contract to the SwissNIS consortium.

Our partners

The strong project partners of G+P are the Institute SwissTPH (Tropical Institute) of the University of Basel and the companies Fields at Work (FaW) from Zurich and NED-TECH from Wangen an der Aare. The SwissNIS consortium thus combines the competence of SwissTPH in epidemiological studies, the expertise of FaW in the development of measuring instruments, and the experience of NED-TECH in the measurement of electromagnetic fields. Complemented by G+P's know-how in the development of databases and the evaluation of geoinformation data, the project consortium is optimally positioned for this task. Together we will develop a reliable measurement concept and build up a meaningful database on the exposure of the Swiss population to non-ionising radiation.

Our project partners

• SwissTPH 
• Fields at Work
• NEDTECH

Further information

Informationen zur Verordnung über den Schutz von nichtionisierender Strahlung (NISV)