Sirmione Reports Safety with EMF Levels Below Regulatory Limits

“The results show that both inside and outside buildings, even under maximum irradiation conditions, the electric and magnetic field levels do not exceed the relevant regulatory limits.” Signed Arpa, that is, the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection. Therefore, in Sirmione, there are currently no health risks from electrosmog.

Results and actions by authorities

Furthermore, the municipality, through its very active environmental delegate Michele Piermarini, announces that “the contract with Tim regarding the placement of the repeater in Rovizza has been canceled, a contract made by the previous administration.” Piermarini states: “Even if the electromagnetic emissions from the phone masts and repeaters do not exceed the threshold, the administration will continue monitoring them and will study the system to relocate them to less populated areas.”

Michele Piermarini, the municipal councilor delegated to Environment and Ecology for the Municipality of Sirmione, is explicit on this topic. “Our offices are already working to draft the location plan for the repeaters; this is a tailored study aligned with the New Urban Planning Regulation to prevent, perhaps in 10-20 years, the telecommunication facilities or similar installations from still being on residents’ heads.”

Monitoring and controls

Thus, a war against repeaters and the potential emissions on which an intense debate on their dangers to human health has been ongoing for years. In Sirmione, the administration—currently the only example in our province—has called in Arpa technicians, the regional agency for environmental protection, to perform a comprehensive check of the existing systems throughout the territory of Sirmione.

Usually, it is citizens who mobilize their administrations through petitions or complaints; instead, in Sirmione, the administration moved first. “The Council — concludes Piermarini — has shown sensitivity to the electromagnetic fields issue, requesting intervention from Arpa which dispatched technicians.”

Which areas have been checked? “Piazza Mercato in Colombare, Rovizza, and via S. Pietro near the Hotel Ricci, where some mobile phone repeaters are located.”

What are Arpa‘s results? “The recorded values, even during the maximum weekly operation of the radio base stations, are below the thresholds set for electric and magnetic fields, thus within the limits prescribed by regulations.”

Future perspectives and additional controls

But remaining uncertain, what will the Council do? “Even if future measurements confirm these values, the administration’s opinion remains, I repeat, to safeguard the population because long-term exposure to emissions, in the absence of scientific analysis and confirmation, could pose health risks.”

Therefore, the objective is to identify new areas where to install the repeaters. Meanwhile, Arpa has also conducted controls on air quality. The results should be available shortly. However, unlike the positive findings on electromagnetic emissions, in this case, we could face disturbing data.

The monitoring stations were placed at the entrance to the historic center and along some sections of via Colombare, that is, the most trafficked internal road. A previous study, commissioned by the previous Arduino Council, had examined noise pollution. And the results had not contradicted expectations.

The noise levels were almost all above the parameters, especially in the Colombare area and near the town center. If these suspicions are confirmed by the analyses conducted by Arpa, the municipality would have the ability to decide, in the near future, to introduce one-way traffic on via Colombare and, during the evening hours of the long tourist season, even close the street to traffic.

A project that, to be honest, has already been implemented, although some merchants of the populous district contest it.