Tag: <span>Elettrosensibili</span>

The Effects of Electromagnetic Fields on Man

13 settembre 2015 – “Towards Better Health”

[Cenni storici…]

by Pierre Dubochet, Forum Sécurité, no.1, May 2015

(Translation by Meris Michaels – Sept. 13, 2015)


Forum_Securite_mai_2015Since the use of microwave emitters in the 1930’s, we have observed biological effects. In some cases, harmless, in others, dangerous.

At the end of the 1960’s, microwave experts from Eastern Europe produced a document showing that exposure of workers and members of the military to microwaves at non-thermal levels for many years results in, among others: fatigue, irritability, headaches, nausea, change in heart rate, hypo- and hypertension, somnolence, insomnia, troubles concentrating, skin allergies, increase in numbers of lymphocytes, perturbation of the electroencephalogram, and damage to sense organs.

Exactly the afflictions a growing percentage of people are now complaining about! NASA translated this text under the title “Biological Effect of Microwaves in Occupational Hygiene” in 1970. With “Biologic Effects and Health Hazards of Microwave Radiation”, WHO took the same direction in 1973, emphasizing the cumulative nature of received doses. Science has proven that chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) of microwaves below thermal thresholds leads to functional alterations, at times disabling, at times dangerous.

From the moon to the mobile phone

In 1969, Motorola, the American inventor of the transceiver and walkie-talkie, transmitted the voice of Neil Armstrong, walking on the moon. Its next objective was a GSM mobile phone network. More than 100 million dollars were invested before the commercialization of its radiotelephones in 1983. In the medium term, the mobile phone could well be a colossal financial manna provided that the countless reports signaling risks of exposure to EMF were stifled.

Thus, in 1974, experts like Tanner, Bigu del Blanco and Sierra observed that several minutes of exposure to EMF at 27 MHz emitted by a radio transmitter of 5 watts (a current mobile phone with G of 2 watts) is sufficient to cause a significant loss of myelin(1). This substance surrounds the nerve fiber and conducts nerve impulses. Research has shown that pulsed microwaves – this extremely low frequency (ELF) pulse which optimizes the signal and reduces the technology costs – generate more metabolic disturbances compared to a continuous signal at the same average power density.

We remember the affair at the American Embassy in Moscow disclosed by the press in 1976. The premises were irradiated by microwaves at around 6 V/m(2). Ambassador Stoessel suffered from ocular hemorrhages and a blood disorder. Three men died of cancer, five women underwent a mastectomy linked to cancer. Neither a hypothetical risk nor an abstract risk, exposure to microwave EMF is harmful at non-thermal levels. How does one develop wireless technologies in this context?

First, by taking the lead in legalizing what one calls indicative limit values in toxicology. Second, by replacing the precautionary principle, susceptible to restraining litigation, with the principle of technology watch, that is, observing the health impact over several decades while awaiting the development of scientific methods showing absolute proof of harm. This is the famous “we don’t know”. Two dominant organizations support these strategies: the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the EMF department at WHO.

Michael Repacholi chaired the study groups at WHO from 1978. He also belonged to a group which established ICNIRP in 1992. Repacholi presided over this commission which comprises twelve other member scientists, some of whom occupy top positions in the industry. Repacholi founded and headed the research department on the effects of EMF at WHO during the period when safety norms were established, between 1996 and 2006. Can we really believe the president of these institutions was actually defending public health?

Can we really imagine this man supporting citizens against aggressive industrialists?  It was the opposite, according to David Leloup of Mediattitudes(3). Repacholi was acting on behalf of the industry. In 1990, this man supported an Australian electricity company against landowners in New South Wales who were opposed to the installation of a high voltage power line (HT) on their property. In 1995, he assisted Bell South in installing a relay antenna near a nursery in Christchurch.

Later, by downplaying studies showing the increase in the risk of child leukemia near power lines, Repacholi supported the Connecticut Light and Power Co. On 3 August 2000, Michael Repacholi, the man who influenced all national radiation protection associations worldwide, admitted before the Court of the Australian Senate that limiting exposure to wireless radiation is not based on science. It was negotiated between trade unions (industrial) and the government of that period.

Anticipating the risk of legal action and buying time

ICNIRP found an approach to safeguard the industry which seemed scientific. A model filled with a homogenous fluid gel was subjected to EMF. At 61 V/m during six minutes, the heating of the gel was inferior to the regulatory thermal capacity of the human body. ICNIRP’s communication was clever: although not specifying any safety or health value, it was perceived as such. It was the tour de force wording of communication specialists destined to anticipate the risk of legal actions relating to products and services.

The numerous bias in the guide published by ICNIRP make this document irrelevant for evaluating realistic exposure limits, but who cares. It used all its influence, including its intimate connections with WHO. Objective: to have high thresholds of exposure accepted in a maximum number of countries. The EMF department at WHO retracted the former “unsafe” proclamations and reverted to the old theory of radiophobia.

In 1958, while the government was preparing the legal basis for nuclear electricity, WHO snubbed its foes in its report 151: The appearance of “a source of energy of such shattering possibilities as atomic power will cause strong psychological reactions, and… some of these will probably have to be considered as more or less pathological.” It repeated this credo with symptoms due to non-thermal exposure to EMF: There also exist certain elements indicating that these symptoms may be due to pre-existing psychiatric disorders, as well as reactions to stress resulting from fear of eventual health effects.

Aware of the safety issues, European insurance companies excluded risks linked to EMF in their coverage. For our federal authorities, protection of health due to EMF is a challenge. In drafting the Ordinance on Protection Against Non-Ionizing Radiation (ORNI), Switzerland, neither exemplary nor rigorous, chose to base itself on the recommendations of ICNIRP. It legalized a density which could go up to 61 V/m for fixed installations emitting between 2 and 300 GHz. Mobile devices (smartphones, Wi-Fi etc.) are excluded from ORNI because “we must be sure not to create unacceptable obstructions to business.”

Science shows that the penetration of EMF is greater in children than in adults. Olsen(4) concluded that children exposed in utero or during the first seven years of their life to low doses of EMF have an 80% risk of behavioral disorders at age seven. Carlo(5) indicated a link between wireless technology and child autism, which is increasing rapidly.

The convenience of Wi-Fi is attractive, but it causes a significant addition of EMF, including to children and young people, fond of wireless. This pollution carries increased risk of neurological and cognitive disorders. We have seen pulsed microwave radiation impairing memory and attention. The risk of headaches and dizziness increases with irradiation. In addition, hyperactivity and chronic insomnia may occur. How to be successful in schooling and studies if the environment affects attention and memory? Can we take the risk of threatening the future of our children? Can we expose them to radiation with cumulative effects in order to avoid a few meters of wire?

Neuchâtel limits use of Wi-Fi in classrooms

The Neuchâtel authorities, as in other countries, have refused the risk of Wi-Fi. Pioneers in Switzerland, they have adopted an ordinance in 2010 whose article 7 stipulates that only wired networks (metallic cables or fiber optics) are authorized in classrooms in preschools, and primary schools. Article 8 authorizes wireless equipment under certain conditions in shared spaces. At the Association Romande Alerte (ARA), we wanted to know if the Ordinance was being adhered to. We have equally focused on nurseries where exposure of very young children to EMF is all the more ill-advised.

Another technician and I visited 18 preschool and primary school establishments (around 15% of the establishments in the canton), announcing ourselves to the officials on the day of evaluation. The doors to some schools and nurseries remained closed due to lack of an official request in writing. In spite of the Ordinance, Wi-Fi routers were irradiating classrooms in preschools and primary schools. Schools and nurseries taken together, we measured Wi-Fi in nearly three out of four locations. Sometimes, the Wi-Fi served to connect a computer and a printer only a few meters apart. In the nursery, four computers for very young children were connected to routers located a few dozen centimeters from their heads.  In addition, sometimes wireless DECT phones and cell phones were further increasing EMF exposure.

In its patent WO2004075583, Swisscom outlined various risks from electrosmog. At the international conference in Salzburg in 2002, eminent independent experts in building biology estimated that an exposure inferior to 0.06 V/m was acceptable long-term. In this regard, only one primary school, one preschool and one nursery school visited could be considered neutral in terms of EMF.

The personnel we met were of good faith but often ignorant about protective measures such as those proposed by the Federal Office for Public Health. Several kinds of confusion were observed. Certain users believed that it suffices to connect a cable to a device (for example, to connect the tablet to the mains) in order to avoid radiation. Others confound Wi-Fi with access to the Internet. There are still many challenges before awareness is raised among all concerned parties. Our investigations have however been fruitful: installations were taken away, and we have established useful contacts with the canton of Neuchâtel service of compulsory education.

Establishing a program of electromagnetic protection in schools is being considered. We hope that the scholastic officials of other cantons as well as business leaders will join us in this campaign.

(1) Science et vie, février 1974.
(2) OMS “La protection contre les rayonnements non ionisants”, 1985, p. 143.
(3) http://www.mediattitudes.info, Téléphonie mobile: trafic d’influence à l’OMS?, 23 janvier 2007.
(4) J. Olsen, L. Kheifets, C. Obel, H.A. “The prenatal and postnatal exposure to cell phone use and behavioral problems in children”, Epidemiology. 2008 Jul ; 19(4);523-9.
(5) 5 T.J. Mariea, G.L. Carlo. “Wireless radiation in the etiology and treatment of autism (…)”, Journal of the Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine, Vol.26, No.2, August 2007.

PIERRE DUBOCHET, engineer, is a pioneer at Neuchâtel radio where he became technical director of the station. In 1995, he set up a business specialized in multimedia whose products are distributed in more than 160 countries. He undertakes radiation measurements in private homes and conducts EMF audits in businesses in order to safeguard the health of employees and thus, productivity.

To view his site: http://www.pierredubochet.ch

Forum Sécurité

The only magazine dedicated to the theme of safety in French-speaking Switzerland

The Swiss magazine on safety – Forum Sécurité – is the only professional magazine in French-speaking Switzerland dedicated entirely to the theme of safety. It is the counterpart of the Swiss German magazine SicherheitsForum. The themes developed in Forum Sécurité are on organizational, physical, and technical safety, safety at work as well as information security. Subjects discussed include management of safety and risk, technical safety, business continuity, work safety, health protection and its promotion, information security, data protection and that linked to IT security as well as building safety in all its forms, from fire protection to building security in general.

Original article in French:
http://www.pierredubochet.ch/forum-securite-mai-2015.html

 

Allergia alle onde elettromagnetiche, due genitori denunciano una scuola

14 settembre 2015 – Corriere della Sera / Pediatria, di Simona Marchetti

[Interessante articolo del Corriere della Sera / Pediatria di ieri, 14 settembre 2015.

Ci permettiamo però di fare tre considerazioni in merito alle seguenti affermazioni contenute nel pur meritevole articolo:

“In realtà però l’EHS resta un enigma, perché non esistono prove certe che ne dimostrino l’esistenza. Non a caso, secondo gli esperti coloro che dicono di soffrirne sarebbero invece vittima dell’effetto «nocebo» (ovvero, il malessere si manifesta non appena si viene a conoscenza della presenza di un segnale wi-fi): una teoria che pare trovare l’avallo della stessa Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità che, pur riportando questo disturbo nell’elenco delle malattie, non conferma però che la causa scatenante siano le onde elettromagnetiche.”

1) Non è vero che non esistono prove certe della esistenza della Elettrosensibilità: migliaia (!!) di articoli scientifici riportano l’esistenza di un nesso di causalità tra l’esposizione alle radiazioni elettromagnetiche e l’insorgenza di effetti biologico/sanitari che conducono anche alla Elettrosensibilità.

2) Già nel lontano 1950 i ricercatori russi identificarono quella che definirono “malattia da microonde” in soldati e operai che avevano ricevuto una esposizione professionale giornaliera a radiofrequenze (RF) e apparecchiature a microonde. E negli anni successivi, sempre più prove scientifiche hanno confermato la pericolosità di questo tipo di esposizione.

Adesso, certuni scienziati (e non tutti, come fa intendere l’articolo!), sostengono che esista solo un problema di effetto “nocebo”.
Se si andasse ad indagare la fonte del loro finanziamento, probabilmente si scoprirebbero cose interessanti.

Dunque questo problema deve essere affrontato quanto prima, perché un tempo soldati e operai in certi tipi di settori erano gli unici soggetti ad essere esposti alle microonde, oggigiorno, con la diffusione del Wireless, siamo diventati tutti come i radaristi e ci ammaleremo seriamente, eccome se ci ammaleremo seriamente!

3) La Organizzazione mondiale della Sanità potrà anche non confermare che la causa della Elettrosensibilità siano radiofrequenze/microonde, però il 31 maggio 2011 ha rilasciato un comunicato nel quale dice chiaramente che radiofrequenze/microonde sono dei possibili cancerogeni per l’uomo, inseriti in classe 2 come, tanto per fare un esempio, il piombo.
Difatti la benzina contenente piombo è stata tolta dalla circolazione per ragioni sanitarie. La tecnologia Wireless, invece, sta venendo diffusa come non mai.
Fatevi una domanda e datevi una risposta.]

onde

Il caso di uno studente che soffre di mal di testa, pruriti, palpitazioni, sintomi della EHS. In Francia un tribunale ha riconosciuto a una donna la disabilità per lo stesso disturbo

Ogni volta che G (nome di fantasia) tornava a casa dal prestigioso istituto elementare che frequentava, lamentava mal di testa e pruriti, che però svanivano col passare delle ore e addirittura non comparivano mai nei fine settimana o durante le vacanze scolastiche. Ma quando gli stessi medici non seppero dare una spiegazione plausibile a quegli strani sintomi, comparsi per la prima volta nella primavera del 2013 e aggravatisi poi lo scorso anno con emorragie dal naso, vertigini, palpitazioni e nausea, i suoi genitori decisero di avviare una ricerca per conto loro. E alla fine – come racconta il sito Dailybeast.com – la causa di tutti i mali di G sarebbe stata identificata nel wi-fi della Fay School di Southborough, Massachusetts, dove il figlio studiava dal 2009 e che, guarda caso, era stato implementato proprio nella primavera del 2013, ovvero quando il ragazzo aveva iniziato a stare male. Da qui la conclusione che il figlio soffrisse di ipersensibilità elettromagnetica (la cosiddetta EHS) e la conseguente richiesta all’istituto di passare alla rete Ethernet o di ridurre le emissioni del sistema wireless installato per alleviare i sintomi di quella che – a loro dire – era da considerare una vera e propria disabilità.

La denuncia in tribunale

Ma quando i vertici della scuola si sono rifiutati di cooperare, i genitori di G hanno portato la Fay in tribunale, asserendo che «avesse volutamente ignorato gli studi scientifici dietro alla EHS». Studi come quello condotto nel 2013 da due scienziati dell’Indiana, dove gli autori convengono che «i campi elettromagnetici possono modificare le funzioni neurologiche e il metabolismo cellulare» che sono infatti finiti nelle 45 pagine della denuncia, molte delle quali ruotano attorno alla definizione stessa di «ipersensibilità elettromagnetica» e alla conferma che non si tratti «di una condizione ipotetica» bensì di una disabilità «che possa compromettere gravemente le funzioni neurologiche e respiratorie dell’individuo, limitandone sostanzialmente l’attività», come puntualizzato anche nell’Indoor Enviromental Quality dello United States Access Board.

L’ipersensibilità elettromagnetica esiste?

In realtà però l’EHS resta un enigma, perché non esistono prove certe che ne dimostrino l’esistenza. Non a caso, secondo gli esperti coloro che dicono di soffrirne sarebbero invece vittima dell’effetto «nocebo» (ovvero, il malessere si manifesta non appena si viene a conoscenza della presenza di un segnale wi-fi): una teoria che pare trovare l’avallo della stessa Organizzazione Mondiale della Sanità che, pur riportando questo disturbo nell’elenco delle malattie, non conferma però che la causa scatenante siano le onde elettromagnetiche.

Il precedente in Francia

Tornando al caso del piccolo G, c’è però un precedente che potrebbe dar ragione ai suoi genitori nella denuncia contro la scuola: il mese scorso, infatti, un tribunale di Tolosa, in Francia, ha riconosciuto come handicap l’ipersensibilità alle onde elettromagnetiche, stabilendo un’indennità di 800 euro al mese per tre anni (eventualmente rinnovabile) alla 39enne Marine Richard, costretta a trasferirsi in uno sperduto paesino dei Pirenei per evitare qualsiasi contatto con reti cellulari o wi-fi e altre fonti elettromagnetiche che possano provocarle gravi reazioni allergiche.

Articolo originale al seguente link:

http://www.corriere.it/salute/pediatria/15_settembre_14/allergia-onde-elettromagnetiche-due-genitori-denunciano-scuola-97b43668-5af1-11e5-8ba2-883e928384e2.shtml

Electrohypersensitivity: State-of-the-Art of a Functional Impairment

[Storico e fondamentale articolo del prof. Olle Johansson, neuroscienziato del Karolinska Institute, che descrive l’Elettrosensibilità come compromissione funzionale.
In Svezia l’Elettrosensibilità è riconosciuta come invalidità.]

Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, 25: 245–258, 2006
Copyright © Informa Healthcare
ISSN 1536-8378 print
DOI: 10.1080/15368370601044150

By:
OLLE JOHANSSON – Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

ARTICLE INFO

Keywords
Dermatoscience
Electrohypersensitivity
Impairment
Immunohistochemistry
Neuroscience

ABSTRACT

Recently, a new category of persons, claiming to suffer from exposure to electromagnetic fields, has been described in the literature.
In Sweden, electrohypersensitivity (EHS) is an officially fully recognized functional 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 symptoms when being in contact with electromagnetic field (EMF) sources.
The aim of our studies has been to investigate possible alterations, in the cellular and neuronal systems of these persons’ skin.
As controls, age- and sex-matched persons, without any subjective or clinical symptoms or dermatological history, served. Immunohistochemistry using antisera to the previously characterized marker substances of interest has been utilized.
In summary, it is evident from our preliminary data that various alterations are present in the electrohypersensitive persons’ skin.
In view of recent epidemiological studies, pointing to a correlation between long-term exposure from power-frequent magnetic fields or microwaves and cancer, our data ought to be taken seriously and further analyzed.

Versione PDF integrale scaricabile al seguente link:

OLLE JOHANSSON – Electrohypersensitivity State-of-the-Art of a Functional Impairment

Brussels International Scientific Declaration on Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity 2015

Dopo il quinto congresso dell’Appello di Parigi tenutosi il 18 maggio 2015 presso la “Royal Academy of Medicine” di Bruxelles ed incentrato sul tema delle ipersensibilità ambientali, gli scienziati Europei, Americani e Canadesi partecipanti hanno deciso all’unanimità di creare un gruppo di lavoro e scrivere una Dichiarazione Internazionale Comune per richiedere un riconoscimento ufficiale di queste nuove malattie e delle loro conseguenze sanitarie in tutto il mondo.

Con questa Dichiarazione, oltre ad invitare enti ed istituzioni nazionali e internazionali (ed in particolare l’OMS) ad assumersi con urgenza le proprie responsabilità in termini di riconoscimento di Elettroipersensibilità e Sensibilità Chimica Multipla come malattie reali, includendole conseguentemente nella Classificazione Internazionale delle Malattie (ICD), hanno invitato le suddette istituzioni a: 1) adottare semplici misure cautelari di prevenzione dei danni da esposizione ai Campi Elettromagnetici, 2) informare le popolazioni in merito al problema, 3) nominare dei veri e propri gruppi di esperti indipendenti per valutare i rischi sanitari in totale obiettività scientifica (cosa che allo stato attuale non accade).

Testualmente viene detto:

“We, physicians, acting in accordance with the Hippocratic Oath, we, scientists, acting in the name of scientific truth, we all, medical doctors and researchers working in different countries worldwide, hereby state in full independence of judgment,

 that a high and growing number of persons are suffering from EHS and MCS worldwide;
 that EHS and MCS affect women, men and children;
 that on the basis of the presently available peer-reviewed scientific evidence of adverse health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and various chemicals, and on the basis of clinical and biological investigations of patients, EHS is associated with exposure to EMFs and MCS with chemical exposure;
 that many frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum (radio- and microwave-frequencies as well as low and extremely low frequencies) and multiple chemicals are involved in the occurrence of EHS and MCS respectively;
 that the trigger for illness can be acute high intensity exposure or chronic very low intensity exposure and that reversibility can be obtained with a natural environment characterized by limited levels of anthropogenic EMFs and chemicals;
 that current case-control epidemiological studies and provocative studies aiming at reproducing EHS and/or MCS are scientifically difficult to construct and due to the present design flaws are in fact not suitable to prove or disprove causality; in particular because objective inclusion/exclusion criteria and endpoint evaluation criteria need to be more clearly defined; because responses to EMFs/chemicals are highly individual and depend on a variety of exposure parameters; and finally because test conditions are often reducing signal-to-noise ratio thereby obscuring evidence of a possible effect;
 that the nocebo effect is not a relevant nor a valid explanation when considering scientifically valuable blind provocation studies, since objective biological markers are detectable in patients as well as in animals;
 that new approaches are emerging for clinical and biological diagnosis and for monitoring of EHS and MCS including the use of reliable biomarkers;
 that EHS and MCS may be two faces of the same hypersensitivity-associated pathological condition and that this condition is causing serious consequences to health, professional and family life;
 finally that EHS and MCS ought therefore to be fully recognized by international and national institutions with responsibility for human health.

In view of our present scientific knowledge, we thereby stress all national and international bodies and institutions, more particularly the World Health Organization (WHO), to recognize EHS and MCS as true medical conditions which acting as sentinel diseases may create a major public health concern in years to come worldwide i.e. in all the countries implementing unrestricted use of electromagnetic field-based wireless technologies and marketed chemical substances.
Inaction is a cost to society and is not an option any more.

Although our scientific knowledge still remains to be completed, we unanimously acknowledge this serious hazard to public health, urgently requiring the recognition of this condition at all international levels, so that persons can benefit from adapted diagnostic tools, innovative treatments, and above all, that major primary prevention measures are adopted and prioritized, to face this worldwide pan-epidemic in perspective.

According to the present scientific knowledge and taking into account the precautionary principle, we unanimously recommend that true information in the use of chemicals and wireless technologies be made accessible to the public and precautionary regulation measures applying particularly to children and other vulnerable population subgroups be urgently taken as it should be the case regarding chemicals in the application of the European Registration Evaluation Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation.
To fulfill these objectives, we unanimously request that institutional committees designed for evaluating the risks of EMFs and chemicals be constituted by scientists acting in clear science-based independency and so exclude any experts with industry affiliation.

We therefore ask all national and international bodies and institutions to be aware of this critical environmental health issue and to take urgently their responsibility, more specifically WHO, updating its 2005 and 2014 consideration on EHS and recognizing EHS and MCS as part of the WHO International Classification of Diseases (ICD) as it is already particularly the case in Germany and Japan which classified MCS under a specific code. EHS and MCS should be represented by separate codes under the WHO ICD in order to increase awareness by the medical community, governments, politicians and the general public; to foster research on the population that acquires these pathological syndromes; and, to train medical doctors on effective medical prevention measures and treatments.

Al seguente link potete trovare il PDF della versione integrale della Dichiarazione Scientifica Internazionale 2015 su EHS ed MCS:

BRUXELLES

Promemoria: Brussels International Scientific Declaration on Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity 2015

ANTEFATTO:

Dopo il quinto congresso dell’Appello di Parigi tenutosi il 18 maggio 2015 presso la “Royal Academy of Medicine” di Bruxelles ed incentrato sul tema delle ipersensibilità ambientali, gli scienziati Europei, Americani e Canadesi partecipanti hanno deciso all’unanimità di creare un gruppo di lavoro e scrivere una Dichiarazione Internazionale Comune per richiedere un riconoscimento ufficiale di queste nuove malattie e delle loro conseguenze sanitarie in tutto il mondo.

Con questa Dichiarazione, oltre ad invitare enti ed istituzioni nazionali e internazionali (ed in particolare l’OMS) ad assumersi con urgenza le proprie responsabilità in termini di riconoscimento di Elettroipersensibilità e Sensibilità Chimica Multipla come malattie reali, includendole conseguentemente nella Classificazione Internazionale delle Malattie (ICD), hanno invitato le suddette istituzioni a: 1) adottare semplici misure cautelari di prevenzione dei danni da esposizione ai Campi Elettromagnetici, 2) informare le popolazioni in merito al problema, 3) nominare dei veri e propri gruppi di esperti indipendenti per valutare i rischi sanitari in totale obiettività scientifica (cosa che allo stato attuale non accade).

Testualmente viene detto:

“We, physicians, acting in accordance with the Hippocratic Oath, we, scientists, acting in the name of scientific truth, we all, medical doctors and researchers working in different countries worldwide, hereby state in full independence of judgment,

 that a high and growing number of persons are suffering from EHS and MCS worldwide;
 that EHS and MCS affect women, men and children;
 that on the basis of the presently available peer-reviewed scientific evidence of adverse health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and various chemicals, and on the basis of clinical and biological investigations of patients, EHS is associated with exposure to EMFs and MCS with chemical exposure;
 that many frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum (radio- and microwave-frequencies as well as low and extremely low frequencies) and multiple chemicals are involved in the occurrence of EHS and MCS respectively;
 that the trigger for illness can be acute high intensity exposure or chronic very low intensity exposure and that reversibility can be obtained with a natural environment characterized by limited levels of anthropogenic EMFs and chemicals;
 that current case-control epidemiological studies and provocative studies aiming at reproducing EHS and/or MCS are scientifically difficult to construct and due to the present design flaws are in fact not suitable to prove or disprove causality; in particular because objective inclusion/exclusion criteria and endpoint evaluation criteria need to be more clearly defined; because responses to EMFs/chemicals are highly individual and depend on a variety of exposure parameters; and finally because test conditions are often reducing signal-to-noise ratio thereby obscuring evidence of a possible effect;
 that the nocebo effect is not a relevant nor a valid explanation when considering scientifically valuable blind provocation studies, since objective biological markers are detectable in patients as well as in animals;
 that new approaches are emerging for clinical and biological diagnosis and for monitoring of EHS and MCS including the use of reliable biomarkers;
 that EHS and MCS may be two faces of the same hypersensitivity-associated pathological condition and that this condition is causing serious consequences to health, professional and family life;
 finally that EHS and MCS ought therefore to be fully recognized by international and national institutions with responsibility for human health.

In view of our present scientific knowledge, we thereby stress all national and international bodies and institutions, more particularly the World Health Organization (WHO), to recognize EHS and MCS as true medical conditions which acting as sentinel diseases may create a major public health concern in years to come worldwide i.e. in all the countries implementing unrestricted use of electromagnetic field-based wireless technologies and marketed chemical substances.
Inaction is a cost to society and is not an option any more.

Although our scientific knowledge still remains to be completed, we unanimously acknowledge this serious hazard to public health, urgently requiring the recognition of this condition at all international levels, so that persons can benefit from adapted diagnostic tools, innovative treatments, and above all, that major primary prevention measures are adopted and prioritized, to face this worldwide pan-epidemic in perspective.

According to the present scientific knowledge and taking into account the precautionary principle, we unanimously recommend that true information in the use of chemicals and wireless technologies be made accessible to the public and precautionary regulation measures applying particularly to children and other vulnerable population subgroups be urgently taken as it should be the case regarding chemicals in the application of the European Registration Evaluation Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulation.
To fulfill these objectives, we unanimously request that institutional committees designed for evaluating the risks of EMFs and chemicals be constituted by scientists acting in clear science-based independency and so exclude any experts with industry affiliation.

We therefore ask all national and international bodies and institutions to be aware of this critical environmental health issue and to take urgently their responsibility, more specifically WHO, updating its 2005 and 2014 consideration on EHS and recognizing EHS and MCS as part of the WHO International Classification of Diseases (ICD) as it is already particularly the case in Germany and Japan which classified MCS under a specific code. EHS and MCS should be represented by separate codes under the WHO ICD in order to increase awareness by the medical community, governments, politicians and the general public; to foster research on the population that acquires these pathological syndromes; and, to train medical doctors on effective medical prevention measures and treatments.

COSA STA PER ACCADERE:

Una risposta a questa Dichiarazione è attesa per il 15 settembre 2015.

Al seguente link potete trovare il PDF della versione integrale della Dichiarazione Scientifica Internazionale 2015 su EHS ed MCS:

BRUXELLES

Can excessive use of Wi-Fi, gadgets, trigger headaches, allergies?

12 settembre 2015 – “Zee News India”

[Un problema diffuso, che suscita notevoli preoccupazioni a livello internazionale.]

Kolkata: Should you worry about 'wireless allergies'?
Kolkata: Should you worry about ‘wireless allergies’?

Addressed with skepticism by most, the term electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) or wireless allergy or gadget allergy, is ascribed to a range of non-specific symptoms like headache and fatigue apparently due to heavy use of wireless communicating devices, especially those that emit electromagnetic radiation (EMR).

Common sources of this Wi-Fi tsunami include mobile phone signals, Wi-Fi hotspots, Wi-Fi enabled devices like tabs, cellphones, laptops and a plethora of other gadgets.

The controversial issue was recently thrust in the limelight when a French court in a landmark ruling granted disability allowance to a 39-year-old woman who claimed to be experiencing discomfort from alleged EHS. She was forced to live in a countryside barn far away from the Wi-Fi and the internet.

Despite such examples, the legitimacy debate rages on – is it a real thing or cooked up – fueled by the absence of hard evidence and conclusive research.

According to WHO, EHS has no clear diagnostic criteria and there is no scientific basis to link its symptoms to EMF (electromagnetic field) exposure, but it also says: “The symptoms are certainly real and can vary widely in their severity. Whatever its cause, EHS can be a disabling problem for the affected individual.”

Experts in India who have been studying such emerging problems (for example, the link between EHS and cellphone usage) say that with the introduction and expansion of wireless communication technologies, complaints related to mobile phones, base stations and gadgets have become more prominent.

“The radio frequency electromagnetic radiation (RFR – a type of electromagnetic radiation) exposure levels have amplified manifold because of the extensive use of mobile phones and other devices,” Neeraj Kumar Tiwari, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering, SRM University, Lucknow, told IANS in an e-mail interview.

“Very common symptoms and sensations of EHS are irritation, headache, stammering, hearing loss, dizziness, ringing delusion, disrupted sleep, stress, fatigue and restlessness,” he added.

Further at the genetic level, electromagnetic radiation from mobiles cause damage if their exposure time and level are high, said M. Y. Khan, Dean, School for Biosciences and Biotechnology, Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU), Lucknow, who has extensively dealt with the issue as a scientist.

In fact, he said, the situation in India compared to the West is worse. “Because we tend to use cheap mobile sets made by companies which do not follow the standard norms about the radiation safety,” Khan, Professor and Head, Department of Biotechnology at the varsity, said in an e-mail interview.

The electromagnetic fields produced by mobile phones are classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as possibly carcinogenic to humans.

Tiwari added that children may be more vulnerable than adults to EMF effects due to their “developing brain, greater absorption of energy in brain and a longer span of exposure over their lifetime”.

But all said and done, the fact is Wi-Fi, mobile phones and the internet are a necessity today, so much so that the number of internet connections in India has swelled to 300 million.

And, in a population of 1.25 billion, there are 980 million mobile connections, as per the latest data released by telecom regulator TRAI. Factor into this Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Digital India’ initiative which will be driven by mobile technology.

The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) states EMFs produced by the antennae on mobile towers and mobile phones are at the lower end of the electromagnetic emission spectrum and are ‘non-ionizing radiations’, which means that the energy carried by them is not enough to break the chemical bonds between molecules.

“The Indian government has adopted one of the strictest global safety norms for EMF, which is one tenth of the emission levels (recommended by WHO) followed by most of the countries in the world.

“The government’s support and guidance in allaying the misplaced fears regarding EMF emissions from towers in the minds of the people would be paramount in addressing the issue of misplaced EMF fear psychosis, and help develop and deliver the Digital India dream of the government,” COAI Director General Rajan S. Mathews told IANS.

While EHS battles an existential crisis and as teenagers get more and more hooked to gadgets, Tiwari and Khan suggested ‘green communication’ – an approach to minimize the risks or defects associated with wireless communication systems.

Madhumita Dobe of the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health stressed on more research on EHS in India.

As for now, following simple tips like texting instead of talking, keeping cellphones and gadgets at a distance and not placing cell phones under pillows is the way to go.

Articolo originale al seguente link:

http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/can-excessive-use-of-wi-fi-gadgets-trigger-headaches-allergies_1795192.html

L’ÉLECTROSENSIBILITÉ FAIT SON ENTRÉE DANS LE DICTIONNAIRE : UNE RECONNAISSANCE SYMBOLIQUE QUI DOIT ALLER PLUS LOIN

19 maggio 2015 – “www.michele-rivasi.eu”

[Tra i nuovi 150 termini inseriti nel prestigiosissimo dizionario enciclopedico francese Larousse compare quello di Elettrosensibilità:

Electrosensibilité : “Ensemble des troubles physiques dus, selon la description des personnes atteintes, à une sensibilité excessive aux ondes et aux champs électromagnétiques ambiants.

Questo è ciò che accade nei paesi attenti alle problematiche sociali e sanitarie.]

Ce lundi 18 mai, le dictionnaire Larousse a dévoilé les nouveaux mots qui entreront dans son édition 2016. Parmi ces mots, celui d’électrosensibilité.

La définition de ce terme donnée par le dictionnaire est la suivante : « ensemble des troubles physiques dus, selon la description des personnes atteintes, à une sensibilité excessive aux ondes et aux champs électromagnétiques ambiants »

Pour Michèle RIVASI, députée européenne spécialiste des questions de santé ; « l’entrée de ce nouveau mot dans le dictionnaire, utilisé depuis des années par des associations et des médecins spécialistes de l’électrosensibilité, est une reconnaissance symbolique mais très importante de l’existence de cette pathologie.

Aujourd’hui, de nombreuses études montrent les effets biologiques des ondes électromagnétiques issus de la téléphonie mobile ou du wifi, notamment sur le cerveau, mais il est encore très compliqué de comprendre le mécanisme de sensibilité aux ondes. L’ANSES réalise actuellement un rapport sur le sujet, pour lequel j’ai d’ailleurs j’ai été auditionnée, et qui est très attendu par les personnes électrosensibles et leurs proches.

Je travaille actuellement avec plusieurs électrosensibles pour la création d’un lieu d’accueil, de suivi médical  et de recherche sur l’électrosensibilité, afin de mieux comprendre cette pathologie et aider les électrosensibles à se ressourcer pour mieux vivre.

Ce même jour, je participais à un grand colloque à l’Académie Royale de Médecine de Belgique avec plusieurs scientifiques qui annoncent de grands problèmes de santé publique si l’expsoiton, aux ondes n’est pas mieux encadrée. Lors de ce colloque, nous avons appelé l’OMS à agir sur le sujet, notamment pour protéger les femmes enceintes et les enfants, et à reconnaitre l’électro sensibilité et la chimico-sensibilité.

Depuis plusieurs années, les écologistes et les associations réclament la reconnaissance de l’électrosensibilité par le ministère de la santé français, comme en Suède. J’espère que cette avancée dans la langue française présage d’une avancée côté politique et sanitaire.

Articolo originale al seguente link:

http://www.michele-rivasi.eu/medias/l%E2%80%99electrosensibilite-fait-son-entree-dans-le-dictionnaire-une-reconnaissance-symbolique-qui-doit-aller-plus-loin/

L’électrosensibilité fait son entrée dans le dictionnaire Larousse

18 maggio 2015 – “Priartem et le Collectif des Electrosensibles de France”

[Tra i nuovi 150 termini inseriti nel prestigiosissimo dizionario enciclopedico francese Larousse compare quello di Elettrosensibilità:

Electrosensibilité : “Ensemble des troubles physiques dus, selon la description des personnes atteintes, à une sensibilité excessive aux ondes et aux champs électromagnétiques ambiants.

Questo è ciò che accade nei paesi attenti alle problematiche sociali e sanitarie.]

Ce lundi, le vénérable dictionnaire Larousse dévoile les 150 nouveaux mots de son édition 2016, parmi eux : l’électrosensibilité, avec cette définition :

“ensemble des troubles physiques dus, selon la description des personnes atteintes, à une sensibilité excessive aux ondes et aux champs électromagnétiques ambiants”.

Pour Sophie Pelletier, porte-parole d’Electrosensibles de France / Priartem, c’est un symbole extrêmement fort : « Après son entrée en janvier dernier dans la loi Abeille sur la sobriété en matière d’ondes, le terme électrosensibilité est maintenant validé par une référence de la langue française. Cette définition, simple, consacre la réalité somatique des troubles tout en évitant habilement l’ornière de la controverse sur leur origine ».

Rappelons que les chiffres les plus récents concernant cette affection la consacre comme un véritable problème de santé publique : dans les années 90, en Californie, 5 personnes pour 1000 avaient déclaré avoir dû changer de travail pour cause d’électrosensibilité et 17% des employées d’une firme multinationale de télécommunications suédoise en étaient affectés ; une fourchette de 8 – 10 % de la population, atteinte à des degrés divers, est admise aujourd’hui concernant l’Allemagne ; la France ne dispose toujours d’aucun chiffre officiel, malgré nos demandes (1).

Pour Sophie Pelletier, cette définition est globalement satisfaisante dans l’état actuel de la controverse mais elle doit pouvoir évoluer avec l’avancée des connaissances car si aujourd’hui on en connaît très peu sur l’électrosensibilité elle-même, de plus en plus d’études apportent des éclairages sur l’impact des ondes sur l’organisme et sur la variabilité des réactions individuelles à ces agressions environnementales : « Aujourd’hui, on ne connaît quasiment rien sur les mécanismes produisant cette perte de tolérance aux ondes et si plusieurs méthodes diagnostic existent, aucune ne fait référence au niveau académique. Malheureusement, la Haute Autorité de Santé se refuse toujours à se pencher sur cette maladie environnementale émergente. L’ANSES, quant à elle, doit remettre un rapport et nous espérons que certaines données fondamentales concernant les effets biologiques des ondes, notamment sur le cerveau, pourront être mises en lumière. Après cette entrée dans le dictionnaire, nous attendons avec impatience que l’électrosensibilité fasse un jour son entrée dans le Larousse médical ! ».

Articolo originale al seguente link:

http://www.priartem.fr/L-electrosensibilite-fait-son.html