| 02 Oct 2005 | Home | Svensk
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| 02 Oct 2005 | Home | Svensk
Version |
| FEB - The Swedish Association for the ElectroSensitive |
| International |
| News Archive 2005 |
| The news are mainly build upon links to different news media. If a link cease to work, the specfic information has to be search for in other Media Archives! |
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US: Officials at odds over the long-term effects of cell phone use " 'The watchdogs are not watching, or they're not barking. Whatever they're supposed to be doing, they're not doing it' - 'The question that needs to be asked is if you had these findings [from recent studies] before the phones went on the market, would the government agencies ever have allowed these phones on the market, and the answer is no,' George Carlo. Research about cell-phone use hasn't received the same media or public attention as other environmental health issues. But scientists are engaged in an escalating debate over the potential risks -- a debate that some researchers say parallels early public-health disputes about secondhand smoke and toxic chemicals..." Read more on Sun-Sentinel.. 02 Oct 2005 Sun-Sentinel |
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Israel: Cell phone cancer link misreported "The world's approximately 1 billion cellular telephone users received good news at the end of August: new research showed the devices did not increase the chance of cancer, even among those who used them for a decade or more. But the research included another part not reported in the press that experts have called 'a warning light.' Among those who used cell phones for more than 10 years, the risk of developing acoustic neuroma, a nervous system tumor, was almost twice that of people who did not use them. The good news was reported by hundreds of media outlets worldwide, including Haaretz. Cellular carriers could not have hoped for better PR: 'Cell phones don't cause cancer!' However, the press all relied on a press release penned by the researchers that did not include the worrisome findings..." Read more on Haaretz.. 30 Sep 2005 Haaretz |
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UK: Mast concern over epileptic pupil "A 12-year-old girl with epilepsy will be taught at home after claims a police radio mast near her Haverfordwest school made her condition worse. Nicola Packard's mother Jayne has ended a claim against Pembrokeshire Council after it agreed to help with tuition... The mast at Haverfordwest Police Station, part of a Wales-wide upgrade in emergency service communication, was switched on in May despite protests from locals. Mrs Packard, of Hakin, near Milford Haven said: 'Nicola has not been on any medication for quite a few years and her fits were quite well controlled to just one or two a month. But since the Tetra mast is on while she has been in school she has been having a lot more seizures'..." Read more on BBC.. 27 Sep 2005 BBC |
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UK: Electrical Fields can make you sick! "A Government agency has acknowledged for the first time that people can suffer nausea, headaches and muscle pains when exposed to electromagnetic fields from mobile phones, electricity pylons and computer screens. The condition known as electrosensitivity, a heightened reaction to electrical energy, will be recognised as a physical impairment. A report by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), to be published next month, will state that increasing numbers of British people are suffering from the syndrome. While the total figure is not known, thousands are believed to be affected to some extent. The report, by the agency’s radiation protection division, is expected to say that GPs do not know how to treat sufferers and that more research is needed to find cures. It will give a full list of the symptoms, which can include dizziness, irregular heartbeat and loss of memory..." Read more on Times online.. 11 Sep 2005 Times online |
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UK-Powerwatch: Mobile Phones may increase brain cancer "The media widely and incorrectly reported that the largest ever study into mobile phone use and brain cancer showed no increase in the first 10 years of use. In fact, this only applied to a rare form benign tumour, Acoustic Neuroma, and that the study did find an increased risk after 10 years of use of 1.8-fold - i.e. almost a doubling in risk. This misreporting seems to have been due to the content of an email send to the media by the Science Press Officer of Institute of Cancer (ICR) Research and the fact that it was almost impossible to get hold of a copy of the actual paper before the news embargo deadline by which time most people had written, filmed and filed their stories. Acoustic Neuromas are very slow growing and few are diagnosed before 10 years have elapsed from the original initation of the cancer. Some take up to 30 years to be diagnosed. So, it is most unlikely that any study would find a significant change in incidence levels before about 10 years had passed. Looking at the results of this study in that light, it confirms some other studies' findings that, after 10 years use, there is a significant increase in Acoustic Neuromas on the side of the head where the mobile phone user victim usually held their handset..." Read more on Powerwatch... 01 Sep 2005 Powerwatch |
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Israeli Research: Cell Phone Radiation May Cause Visual Damage "In a recent scientific study conducted by a team of researchers from the Technion, a possible link between microwave radiation, similar to the type found in cellular phones, and different kinds of damage to the visual system was found. At least one kind of damage seems to accumulate over time and not heal, challenging the common view and leading the researchers to the assertion that the duration of exposure is not less important than the intensity of the irradiation. The researchers also emphasized that existing exposure guidelines for microwave radiation might have to change..." Read more on PhysOrg... 27 Jul 2005 PhysOrg |
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WHO Repacholi et al censor leading expert's reservation - To the benefit of who? Professor Olle Johansson, a leading world expert into electrical hypersensitivity, attended the October 2004 World Health Organisation "Workshop on EMF Hypersensitivity" in Prague. The organisers have refused to include this formal reservation in the summary of the workshop: In Sweden, electrohypersensitivity (EHS) is an officially fully recognized physical impairment (i.e., it is not regarded as a disease). Survey studies show that somewhere between 230,000 - 290,000 Swedish men and women report a variety of sym[p]toms when being in contact with electromagnetic field (EMF)-sources - The EHS persons have their own handicap organisation; The Swedish Association for the ElectroSensitive; www.feb.se (the website has an English version). This organisation is included in the Swedish Disability Federation (Handikappförbundens SamarbetsOrgan; HSO). - Swedish municipalities, of course, have to follow the UN 22 Standard Rules on the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities, about the UN 22 Standard Rules, see website: www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/dissre00.htm) Naturally, all initiatives for scientific studies of the impairment EHS must be characterized and marked by this respect and willingness to listen, and the investigations shall have the sole aim to help the persons with this particular impairment. The presently proposed WHO initiative seem to lack this aim and the suggested research programme rather seems to question, throw suspicion on, and - on very flimsy grounds - psychologize the impairment EHS. This is a set-up that completely is in contrast to Rule 13 in the UN 22 Standard Rules which clearly says that scientific investigations of impairments shall, in an unbiased way - and without any prejudice - focus on cause, occurrence and nature and with the sole and explicit purpose to help and support the person with the impairment. Nothing else! ..." Read the whole Formal Reservation on Powerwatch... 26 Apr 2005 Powerwatch |
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NZ: "Powerlines cast cancer cloud" "Two neighbours of high-profile cancer victim and film-maker Cameron Duncan have been diagnosed with the disease - adding further weight to concerns about the apparent dangers of overhead power lines. While overseas investigations have found clear links between electromagnetic radiation and childhood leukaemia and other forms of cancer, little research has been done in New Zealand. The Auckland District Health Board has carried out an investigation into the apparent cancer cluster in Massey, West Auckland, but found cancer rates there were no higher than in other areas of a similar population level. But the research data was based on who was living in the target area up until 2001 and did not take into account the recent cases, which included Cameron and four others at Massey’s Royal Road school. An Auckland urologist, who has studied the connection between high-voltage power pylons and cancer, has found strong links between high-tension power lines and childhood cancer, breast cancer and depression..." more in the The New Zealand Herald... 24 Apr 2005 The New Zealand Herald |
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UK: Phone masts a risk to 'millions of lives' "A world renowned expert on the impact of electromagnetic fields and microwave radiation has warned that western governments are putting millions of lives at risk by allowing the continued and unlimited use of mobile phones. In an exclusive interview with The Courier from Stockholm yesterday, Professor Olle Johansson said the Scottish Executive should suspend construction of all masts and launch an immediate investigation into the long-term health effects. While he claimed the whole population was at risk through constant exposure to mast emissions—regardless of mobile phone ownership—Professor Johansson said the latest research suggested children in particular were more vulnerable to early nerve cell damage, and that it’s “worrying” that so many observations are made all over the world connecting health problems with telecom base station systems. If these proved wrong then many observations and scientific studies would have to be wrong..." more in the Courier... 08 Mar 2005 The Courier |
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US: The Wake-up Call "HENRY LAI HAS A VIVID RECOLLECTION OF HIS INTRODUCTION to the politics of big science. It was 1994, and he had just received a message from the National Institutes of Health, which was funding work he was doing on the effects of microwave radiation, similar to that emitted by cellular phones, on the brain. He and UW colleague Narendra 'N.P.' Singh had results indicating that the radiation could cause DNA damage in brain cells. The news was apparently unwelcome in some quarters. Someone had called the NIH to report that Lai was misusing his research funding by doing work not specified in the grant (the grant didn't mention DNA). And the agency wanted to know what was going on. 'It really scared the hell out of me,' says Lai, a research professor in the UW's Department of Bioengineering who earned his Ph.D. from the UW in 1977. 'I was awake all night, worrying about it, wondering what to do.' In the morning, he sent a fax to the agency, explaining how the research fell within the parameters of the grant. The NIH accepted his explanation and assured him that all was well. 'They are usually fairly liberal in that regard,' Lai says. 'To do otherwise would stifle the scientific process'..." more in the University of Washington Alumni Magazine... 05 Mar 2005 University of Washington Alumni Magazine |
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US: Making Waves - DNA damage by microwave confirmed "On Dec. 21, UW Bioengineering Professor Henry Lai could be found with a big smile across his face. Research into cell phone radiation that he and N.P. Singh had pioneered 10 years ago at the UW was finally being corroborated. In 1995 the two published a paper that documented DNA damage in the brain cells of rats exposed to radiation similar to that emitted by cell phones. In press interviews and scientific conferences, Lai has always said there are no solid answers regarding his research, but there is cause for concern and more work needs to be done..." more in the University of Washington Alumni Magazine... 05 Mar 2005 University of Washington Alumni Magazine |
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UK: Communities unite in their Tetra fight "...I am getting increasingly concerned that we do not know not enough about the physiological effects of these technologies and we really should be exercising far greater caution. I think, in particular, that there needs to be changes to the planning system to ensure that health implications are a material consideration in the process..." more on the IC Perthshire site... 04 Mar 2005 IC Perthshire |
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New Research: Sperm damage claims over phone radiation "COULD mobile phones damage the health of children before they have even been conceived? Yes, says John Aitken of the University of Newcastle in New South Wales. He claims to have preliminary evidence that radio waves of the frequency used by mobile phones can damage sperm DNA in mice. 'It won't affect you, but it could affect your children,' he says" [FEBs remark: You will also find the usual industry opinion at the end of the article]... more on New Scientist... 19 Feb 2005 New Scientist |
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BBC World News Outlook on EHS - Electric Shock "It sounds like a science fiction tale, but it seems that many people around the world are allergic to electricity [electromagnetic hypersensitivity = EHS]. We speak to a man whose life changed when he realised he had a bad case of Twenty-first century poisoning" Listen to Brian Stein (EHS in the UK), Per Segerbäck (EHS in Sweden) and Olle Johansson, Karolinska Institute, Sweden" (listen to the programme on Powerwatch)... more on Powerwatch/BBC... 16 Feb 2005 (link changed on 23 Feb)BBC |
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IE: One in 20 may have a mobile phone illness "Up to 5% of the population may be suffering ill health as a result of radiation from mobile phones and masts, according to a group of Irish doctors fighting for official acceptance of the problem. In a study to be released this week the Irish Doctors’ Environmental Association (IDEA) have identified 16 people whom they believe have been adversely affected by radiation. The medical report concludes that 'seemingly sensitive individuals' suffer 'devastating effects' from exposure to electromagnetic radiation. The survey outlines symptoms that include fatigue, confusion, tingling, temperature changes, dizziness and difficulty sleeping. It estimates that between 1% and 5% of the population could be sensitive to radiation and experience illness as a result"... more in The Times Online... 30 Jan 2005 The Times Online |
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UK: Electricity sickness not a myth - Scientists serious about 'electricity sickness' claims Scientists and health advisers are taking the claims of people who say electricity makes them ill seriously for the first time. The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) is carrying out a review of existing scientific studies into 'electromagnetic hypersensitivity' (EHS). Two studies into the condition, funded with £750,000 from the Department of Health and the telecommunications industry, are already under way. Sir William Stewart, the government's adviser on radiation, has called for more research into the issue. Some researchers believe a proportion of the population suffers ill health, with symptoms including fatigue, severe headaches and skin problems, because of exposure to electromagnetic fields. Other scientists say there is no evidence. The Swedish government, which recognised EHS as a physical impairment in 2000, calculates that 3.1 per cent of its population – 200,000 people – suffer from the condition. A recent warning by Sir William, head of the NRPB and the Health Protection Agency, that parents should limit their children's use of mobile phones received widespread publicity"... more on The Telegraph... 24 Jan 2005 The Telegraph |
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UK: "I have to switch the mains off to get to sleep" "Brian Stein cannot use a phone for longer than a few minutes. Modern cars and electrified trains are out of bounds and long distance flights are impossible. He cannot use a computer and colleagues have to switch theirs off in his presence. Mr Stein, 55, chief executive of a £500 million Leicestershire-based chilled food manufacturer that employs 5,000 people, suffers from electromagnetic hypersensitivity. He began to get severe pains in his ear while using his mobile phone about four years ago. Then he got headaches and pains when he was near computers and in his car"... more on The Telegraph... 24 Jan 2005 The Telegraph |
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UK: Mobile phones tumour risk to young children "CHILDREN under the age of eight should not use mobile phones, parents were advised last night after an authoritative report linked heavy use to ear and brain tumours and concluded that the risks had been underestimated by most scientists. Professor Sir William Stewart, chairman of the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), said that evidence of potentially harmful effects had become more persuasive over the past five years. The news prompted calls for phones to carry health warnings and panic in parts of the industry. One British manufacturer immediately suspended a model aimed at four to eight-year-olds. The number of mobiles in Britain has doubled to 50 million since the first government-sponsored report in 2000. The number of children aged between five and nine using mobiles has increased fivefold in the same period. In his report, Mobile Phones and Health, Sir William said that four studies have caused concern. One ten-year study in Sweden suggests that heavy mobile users are more prone to non-malignant tumours in the ear and brain while a Dutch study had suggested changes in cognitive function. A German study has hinted at an increase in cancer around base stations, while a project supported by the EU had shown evidence of cell damage from fields typical of those of mobile phones"... more on Times Online... 12 Jan 2005 Times Online |
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UK: Child warning over mobile phones Many children use mobile phones. Parents should ensure their children use mobile phones only when absolutely necessary because of the potential health risks, an expert is warning. The latest study by Sir William Stewart says there is still no proof mobile phones are unsafe, but warns precautionary steps should be taken. Sir William said children under eight should not use mobile phones at all. In light of the findings, a phone designed for this age group has been withdrawn from sale in the UK... more on BBC... 11 Jan 2005 BBC |
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