Communication materials to address concerns on EMF

Year

2010

Organisation

RTE

Description

To respond to the concerns of citizens about the potential negative health impacts of EMF, RTE undertook several educational measures.

Main information:

First of all, a website has been established. Under the name “la clef des champs” (the key to the fields), RTE produces information for different interests. With the help of video clips, illustrations and brochures, RTE tries to answer the most frequently asked questions for non-experts. For people who are interested in more details, the regulatory framework is presented and links to studies and recommendations regarding critical values included. In an interactive map, visitors of the website can click on different sites where measurements have been carried out close to power lines. The highest measure taken on this site is presented together with more data, such as the time of measurement, different distances to the electricity line or the type of pylon.

In its corporate blog, RTE is commenting regularly on difficult topics, such as EMF. Input includes video clips showing interviews with scientists or discussions between RTE employees and external stakeholders. During the Cotentin-Maine project, RTE is offering to measure magnetic fields and noise exposure inside houses close to the future line before, during and after the construction. Moreover, RTE is offering a special medical service involving doctors in information events.

In the past, RTE wrote to each mayor, whose district is affected by any RTE equipment (18,000 letters), offering to measure EMF close to the electric infrastructure. However, reactions of mayors were very poor with only one in a thousand asking for these measurements.

RGI gratefully acknowledges the EU LIFE funding support:

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Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the LIFE Programme. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.