Questions and responses 41st Parliament, 2nd session October 16, 2013, to August 2, 2015

With regard to Health Canada’s Radiofrequency Exposure Guidelines known as Safety Code 6: (a) how was the code established; (b) does the code deal with potential dangers from all electromagnetic devices; (c) what is the distinction between thermal and non-thermal effects of exposure to radiofrequency (RF) energy; (d) does existing research on the thermal effects of exposure to RF energy adequately determine whether such exposure is safe for humans; (e) does existing research on the non-thermal effects of exposure to RF energy adequately determine whether such exposure is safe for humans; (f) what work is Health Canada undertaking to remedy the uncertainty surrounding the non-thermal effects of exposure to RF energy by carrying out additional research into the non-thermal effects of exposure to RF energy; and (g) are changes to the code planned to include the most up-to-date scientific research on devices such as Hydro “smart” meters?

With regard to The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) Expert Panel on Safety Code 6: (a) which department and persons within the government were responsible for contracting RSC to conduct the expert panel; (b) what were the criteria for selecting an organization to conduct the expert panel; (c) what is the mandate of the expert panel; and (d) why was the sentence “certain members of the general public may be more susceptible to harm from microwave exposure” removed from the 2009 Safety Code 6 update and will it be included in this year’s update of Safety Code 6 following the conclusion of RSC Expert Panel on Safety Code 6?

With regard to the Royal Society of Canada’s Expert Panel on Potential Health Risks of Radiofrequency Fields from Wireless Telecommunication Devices, commissioned by Health Canada: (a) for the period of 1990-2012, how have panel members been selected; (b) for the period of 1990-2012, what has been the composition of the Panel by (i) professional background, (ii) regional origin; (c) are any conflict of interest provisions imposed on committee members and, if so, what are they; and (d) with regard to the conflict of interest provisions referred to in (c), who determines if they apply?