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Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, 25: 197–200, 2006Copyright © Informa HealthcareISSN 1536-8378 printDOI: 10.1080/15368370601034003
Benevento Resolution 2006
The International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety (ICEMS) held aninternational conference entitled. The Precautionary EMF Approach: Rationale,Legislation and Implementation, hosted by the City of Benevento, Italy, on February22–24, 2006. The meeting was dedicated to W. Ross Adey, M.D. (1922–2004). Thescientists at the conference endorsed and extended the 2002 Catania Resolution andresolved that:
1. More evidence has accumulated suggesting that there are adverse healtheffects from occupational and public exposures to electric, magnetic, andelectromagnetic fields, or EMF1, at current exposure levels. What is needed, but notyet realized, is a comprehensive, independent, and transparent examination of theevidence pointing to this emerging, potential public health issue.
2. Resources for such an assessment are grossly inadequate despite theexplosive growth of technologies for wireless communications as well as the hugeongoing investment in power transmission.
3. There is evidence that present sources of funding bias the analysis andinterpretation of research findings towards rejection of evidence of possible publichealth risks.
4. Arguments that weak (low intensity) EMF cannot affect biological systemsdo not represent the current spectrum of scientific opinion.
5. Based on our review of the science, biological effects can occur fromexposures to both extremely low frequency fields (ELF EMF) and radiationfrequency fields (RF EMF). Epidemiological and in vivo as well as in vitroexperimental evidence demonstrates that exposure to some ELF EMF can increasecancer risk in children and induce other health problems in both children and adults.Further, there is accumulating epidemiological evidence indicating an increasedbrain tumor risk from long-term use of mobile phones, the first RF EMF that hasstarted to be comprehensively studied. Epidemiological and laboratory studies thatshow increased risks for cancers and other diseases from occupational exposures toEMF cannot be ignored. Laboratory cancers and other diseases have reported thathypersensitivity to EMF may be due in part to a genetic predisposition.
1EMF, in this resolution, refers to electromagnetic frequencies between 0 and 300GHz.
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198 Benevento Resolution 2006
6. We encourage governments to adopt a framework of guidelines for publicand occupational EMF exposure that reflect the Precautionary Principle2—as somenations have already done. Precautionary strategies should be based on design andperformance standards and may not necessarily define numerical thresholds becausesuch thresholds may erroneously be interpreted as levels below which no adverseeffect can occur. These strategies should include:
6.1. Promote alternatives to wireless communication systems, e.g., use of fiberoptics and coaxial cables; design cellular phones that meet safer performancespecifications, including radiating away from the head; preserve existing land linephone networks; place power lines underground in the vicinity of populated areas,only sitting them in residential neighborhoods as a last resort;
6.2. Inform the population of the potential risks of cell phone and cordlessphone use. Advise consumers to limit wireless calls and use a land line for longconversations.
6.3. Limit cell phone and cordless phone use by young children and teenagersto the lowest possible level and urgently ban telecom companies from marketing tothem.
6.4. Require manufacturers to supply hands-free kits (via speaker phones orear phones), with each cell phone and cordless phone.
6.5. Protect workers from EMF generating equipment, through accessrestrictions and EMF shielding of both individuals and physical structures.
6.6. Plan communications antenna and tower locations to minimize humanexposure. Register mobile phone base stations with local planning agencies and usecomputer mapping technology to inform the public on possible exposures. Proposalsfor city-wide wireless access systems (e.g., Wi-Fi, WIMAX, broadband over cableor power-line, or equivalent technologies) should require public review of potentialEMF exposure and, if installed, municipalities should ensure this information isavailable to all and updated on a timely basis.
6.7. Designate wireless-free zones in cities, public buildings (schools, hospitals,residential areas), and on public transit, to permit access by persons who arehypersensitive to EMF.
7. ICEMS3 is willing to assist authorities in the development of anEMF research agenda. ICEMS encourages the development of clinical andepidemiological protocols for investigations of geographical clusters of personswith reported allergic reactions and other diseases or sensitivities to EMF, anddocument the effectiveness of preventive interventions. ICEMS encourages scientificcollaboration and reviews of research findings.
2The Precautionary Principle states when there are indications of possible adverseeffects, though they remain uncertain, the risks from doing nothing may be far greater thanthe risks of taking action to control these exposures. The Precautionary Principle shifts theburden of proof from those suspecting a risk to those who discount it.
3International Commission For Electromagnetic Safety. For information, link towww.icems.eu.
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Benevento Resolution 2006 199
We, the undersigned scientists, agree to assist in the promotion of EMFresearch and the development of strategies to protect public health through the wiseapplication of the precautionary principle.
Signed:
Fiorella Belpoggi, Europsean Foundadion for Oncology & Environmental SciencesCarl F. Blackman, Raleigh, NC, USAMartin Blank, Department of Physiology, Columbia University, New York, USANatalia Bobkova, Institute of Cell Biophysics, Pushchino, Moscow RegionFrancesco Boella, National Inst. Prevention & Worker Safety, Venice, ItalyZhaojin Cao, National Institute Environmental Health, Chinese Center for DiseaseControl, ChinaAllessandro D. Allessandro, Physician, Mayor of Benevento, Italy, (2001–2006)Enrico D. Emilia, National Institute for Prevention and Worker Safety,Monteporzio, ItalyEmilio Del Giuduice, National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Milan, ItalyAntonella De Ninno, Italian National Agency For Energy, Environment &Technology, Frascati, ItalyAlvaro A. De Salles, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre,BrazilLivio Giuliani, East Veneto & South Triol, National Institute for Prevention &Worker Safety, Camerino UniversityYury Grigoryev, Institute of Biophysics, Chairman, Russian National CommitteeNIERPSettimo Grimaldi, Institute of Neurobiology & Molecular Medicine, NationalResearch, Rome, ItalyLennart Hardell, Department of Oncology, University Hospital, Orebro, SwedenMagda Havas, Environmental & Resource Studies, Trent University, Ontario,CanadaGerard Hyland, Warwick University, UK. International Institute of Biophysics,Germany; EM Radiation Trust, UKOlle Johansson, Experimental Dermatology Unit, Neuroscience Department,Karolinska Institute, SwedenMichael Kundi, Head, Institute Environmental Health, Medical University ofVienna, AustriaHenry C. Lai, Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle,USAMario Ledda, Institute of Neurobiology & Molecular Medicine, National Councilfor Research, Rome, ItalyYi-Ping Lin, Center of Health Risk Assessment & Policy, National TaiwanUniversity, TaiwanAntonella Lisi, Institute of Neurobiology & Molecular Medicine, National ResearchCouncil, Rome, Italy
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200 Benevento Resolution 2006
Fiorenzo Marinelli, Institute of Immunocytology, National Research Council,Bologna, ItalyElihu Richter, Head, Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Hebrew University-Hadassah, IsraelEmanuela Rosola, Institute of Neurobiology & Molecular Medicine, NationalResearch Council, Rome, ItalyLeif Salford, Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery, Lund University, SwedenNesrin Seyhan, Head, Department of Biophysics; Director, Gazi NIRP Center,Ankara, TurkeyMorando Soffritti, Scientific Director, European Foundation for Oncology &Environmental SciencesB. Ramazzini, Bologna, ItalyStanislaw Szmigielski, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw,PolandMikhail Zhadin, Institute of Cell Biophysics, Pushchino, Moscow Region
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The Venice Resolution
Initiated by the International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety, following the 6th ICEMS Workshop, December 17, 2007.
www.icems.eu As stated in the Benevento Resolution of September 20061, we remain concerned about the effects of human exposure to electromagnetic fields on health. At the 6th ICEMS Workshop, entitled, ìFoundations of bioelectromagnetics: towards a new rationale for risk assessment and management,î we discussed electro-hypersensitivity, blood brain barrier changes, learning and behavioral effects, changes in anti-oxidant enzyme activities, DNA damage, biochemical mechanisms of interaction, biological damage and, experimental approaches to validate these effects. As an outcome, we are compelled to confirm the existence of non-thermal effects of electromagnetic fields on living matter, which seem to occur at every level of investigation from molecular to epidemiological. An urgent task before international researchers is to discover the detailed mechanisms of non-thermal interactions between electromagnetic fields and living matter. A collateral consequence will be the design of new general public and occupational protection standards. We, who are at the forefront of this research, encourage an ethical approach in setting of exposure standards which protect the health of all, including those who are more vulnerable. We recognize the need for research to reveal the critical exposure parameters of effect and risk from exposure to electromagnetic fields. The non-ionizing radiation protection standards recommended by international standards organizations, and supported by the World Health Organization, are inadequate. Existing guidelines are based on results from acute exposure studies and only thermal effects are considered. A world wide application of the Precautionary Principle is required. In addition, new standards should be developed to take various physiological conditions into consideration, e.g., pregnancy, newborns, children, and elderly people. We take exception to the claim of the wireless communication industry that there is no credible scientific evidence to conclude there a risk. Recent epidemiological evidence is stronger than before, which is a further reason to justify precautions be taken to lower exposure standards in accordance with the Precautionary Principle. We recognize the growing public health problem known as electrohypersensitivity; that this adverse health condition can be quite disabling; and, that this condition requires further urgent investigation and recognition. We strongly advise limited use of cell phones, and other similar devices, by young children and teenagers, and we call upon governments to apply the Precautionary Principle as an interim measure while more biologically relevant standards are developed to protect against, not only the absorption of electromagnetic energy by the head, but also adverse effects of the signals on biochemistry, physiology and electrical biorhythms. ******************* Contact: Elizabeth Kelley, Managing Secretariat, International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety, info@icems.eu 1 The Benevento Resolution may be found at http://www.icems.eu/benevento_resolution.htm
Signed, Pasquale Avino, Italian National Institute for Prevention & Worker Safety, Rome, Italy Angelico Bedini, Italian National Institute for Prevention and Worker Safety, Rome, Italy Igor Belyaev, Associate Professor in Toxicological Genetics, Dept. of Genetics, Microbiology and Toxicology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden Fiorella Belpoggia, ICEMS, Vice Scientific Director, European Foundation for Oncology & Environmental Sciences ìB. Ramazziniî. Bologna, Italy Carl Blackman, ICEMS, President, Bioelectromagnetics Society (1990-91), Raleigh, NC, USA Martin Blank, Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, USA Natalia Bobkova, ICEMS, Institute of Cell Biophysics, Pushchino, Moscow Region Bill Bruno, Theoretical biophysics, earned at Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, USA Catarina Cinti, ICEMS, Director, National Research Center, Institute of Clinical Physiology, Siena, Italy Mauro Cristaldi, Dip, B.A.U. Universita degli Studi "La Sapienza", Roma, Italia Suleyman Dasdag, Biophysics Department of Medical School, Dicle University, Diyarbakir,Turkey Antonella De Ninno, ICEMS, Italian National Agency, Energy, Environment & Technology, Frascati, Italy Emilio Del Giudice, ICEMS, International Institute of Biophysics, Neuss, Germany Alvaro de Salles, ICEMS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil Sandy Doull, Consultant, Noel Arnold & Associates, Box Hill VIC, Australia Christos Georgiou, ICEMS, Professor of Biochemistry, Department of Biology. University of Patras, Greece Reba Goodman, Prof. Emeritus, Clinical Pathology, Columbia University, New York, New York USA Settimo Grimaldi, ICEMS, Inst. Neurobiology & Molecular Medicine, National Research, Rome, Italy Livio Giuliani, ICEMS, East Veneto & South Tirol, Deputy. Director, Nat. Inst. Prevention & Worker Safety, Camerino University. Italy Lennart Hardell, ICEMS, Department of Oncology, University Hospital, Orebro, Sweden Magda Havas, ICEMS, Environmental & Resource Studies, Trent University, Ontario, Canada Gerard Hyland, ICEMS, International Institute of Biophysics, Neuss, Germany Antonella Lisi, ICEMS Inst. Neurobiology & Molecular Medicine, National Research Council, Rome, Italy Louisanna Ieradi, Istituto per lo Studio degli Ecosistemi C.N.R., Roma, Italia Olle Johansson, Assoc. Prof. The Experimental Dermatology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm Vini G. Khurana, Neurosurgeon, Canberra Hospital and Assoc. Prof. of Neurosurgery, Australian National University Medical School Henry Lai, ICEMS, Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, USA Lukas Margaritas, Professor of Cell Biology and Radiobiology, Athens University, Athens, Greece Fiorenzo Marinelli, ICEMS, Institute of Molecular Genetics National Research Council, Bologna Italy. Vera Markovic, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, University of Nis, Serbia Ed Maxey, M.D. retired surgeon, Fayetteville Arkansas Gerd Oberfeld, Public Health Department, Salzburg State Government, Salzburg, Austria and Speaker for Environmental Medicine for the Austrian Medical Association, Vienna, Austria Jerry Phillips, Director, Science Learning Center, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colo. USA Elihu Richter, ICEMS, Head, Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Hebrew University-Hadassah, Israel Leif Salford, ICEMS, Professor and Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery, Lund University, Sweden Massimo Scalia, Professor, Evolution Models in Applied Sciences, Mathematical Physical and Natural Science, University of "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy Nesrin Seyhan, ICEMS, Head, Department of Biophysics; Director, Gazi NIRP Center, Ankara, Turkey Zamir Shalita, Consultant on Electromagnetic Hazards, Ramat Gan, Israel Morando Soffritti, ICEMS, Scientific Director, European Foundation for Oncology & Environmental Sciences, ìB. Ramazziniî, Bologna, Italy Stanley Szmigielski, ICEMS, Military Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Warsaw, Poland Ion Udroiu, Italian National Institute for Prevention & Worker Safety, Rome, Italy Clarbruno Verduccio, Prof. Lt. Col. Commander C.F, Marine MIlitary, La Spezia. Italy Mehmet Zeyrek, Professor of Physics, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey Mikhail Zhadin, ICEMS, Professor, Honorary Scientist. of Radio Frequencies Stylianos Zinelis, M.D., Vice President, Hellenic Cancer Society, Cefallonia, Greece Anna Zucchero, ICEMS, MD, Internal Medicine Department. Venice-Mestre Hospital, Venice, Italy
Pathophysiology 16 (2009) 247–248
The London ResolutionOlle Johansson ∗
The Experimental Dermatology Unit, Karolinska Institute, Department of Neuroscience, Stockholm, Sweden
At a scientific conference on 27th November 2007entitled—“Are Present ICNIRP EMF Exposure Recommen-dations Adequate?”, hosted by Roger Coghill and RobertVerkerk, at the Royal Society, London, scientists endorsedthe BioInitiative Report, extended the 2006 Benevento Res-olution and resolved that:
“We, the undersigned, do call on the UK Health ProtectionAgency (HPA), UK Government and all the health protec-tion agencies and governments world-wide, to take note ofthe findings and recommendations in the Bioinitiative Report(2007) [1] and its predecessors the Benevento Resolution(2006) [2], the Catania Resolution (2002) [3] and the SalzburgResolution (2000) [4] to immediately reduce the guidelinesfor exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RF) and extremelylow-frequency electromagnetic1 fields (ELF-EMF) for thefollowing reasons:
• The overwhelming evidence of adverse non-thermal healtheffects at exposures many times below the current guide-lines.
• The near 100% penetration of the market in Europe, theUSA and many other markets by mobile phones andincreasing penetration elsewhere.
• The vast proliferation of wireless networks and devicesbeyond those envisaged at the time the current guidelineswere set.
We call for the ICNIRP to reconvene as a mat-ter of urgency to reassess the exposure guidelines andto develop and implement biologically based publicsafety limits reflecting the overall scientific evidence thatexisting ICNIRP guidelines are not sufficiently protec-tive against health effects from chronic exposures tothe rapidly increasing environmental-level ELF-EMF andRF.
∗ Tel.: +46 8 52487073; fax: +46 8 303904.E-mail address: olle.johansson@ki.se.
1 Magnetic fields at 50–60 Hz.
Failing that:
• We call for the setting up of an independent body to definenew biologically based public exposure limits and/or pre-ventative actions, for ELF-EMF and RF, that addressreported biological effects, which, with prolonged expo-sure, can reasonably be presumed to result in adversehealth consequences.
• In the absence of such recommendations we suggest asan intermediate step that the HPA and UK Governmentimmediately implement the ELF-EMF and RF recommen-dations of the BioInitiative Report 2007 and strive for therecommendations of the Public Health Department of theGovernment of Salzburg (2002) of 0.06 V/m for outdoorand 0.02 V/m for indoor RF exposure.
Based on the precautionary principle, children and vul-nerable groups (such as people with epilepsy and heartconditions) should not be exposed to a risk of harm, thuswe propose that
• Children under 16 should use mobile phones and cordlessphones for emergency calls only.
• No Wi-fi, WiMax or other forms of wireless networkingare placed in homes, schools or public areas or promotedfor use thereof.
• That regular and frequent independent audits are under-taken of emissions to ensure that base stations (“masts”)do not exceed the new biologically based guidelines atany locality either singly or by accumulation. Such auditsshould be widely publicised and made available for publicscrutiny.
The precautionary principle needs to be implemented.”Signed:
Prof. Christopher Busby, School of Biomedical Sciences,Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, University of UlstersColeraine, UK
0928-4680/$ – see front matterdoi:10.1016/j.pathophys.2009.03.005
248 O. Johansson / Pathophysiology 16 (2009) 247–248
Mr. Roger Coghill, MA (Cantab) C Biol Mi Biol MA(Environ Mgt), Coghill Research Laboratories, Pontypool,Wales, UKDr. Andrew Goldsworthy, Honorary Lecturer, ImperialCollege, London, UKDr. Lennart Hardell, University Hospital, Orebro University,Orebro, SwedenProf. Olle Johansson, Experimental Dermatology Unit,Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, and TheRoyal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, SwedenDr. Gerd Oberfeld, Public Health Department, SalzburgGovernment, Salzburg, AustriaMr. Alasdair Philips, B.Sc. (Eng), Director, Powerwatch,Sutton in the Isle, UKMr. Graham Philips, MBCS, Technical Manager,Powerwatch, Ely, UK
Ms Cindy Sage, Co-Editor, BioInitiative Report, SantaBarbara CA, USADr. John Walker, Chartered Physicist, Sutton Coldfield, UK
References
[1] BioInitiative Report, http://www.bioinitiative.org/report/docs/report.pdf.[2] Benevento Resolution, Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, 25,
2006, pp. 197–200, http://www.icems.eu/docs/BeneventoResolution.pdf.
[3] Catania Resolution, http://www.plattform-mobilfunk-initiativen.at/englisch/CATANIA eng.pdf.
[4] Salzburg Resolution, http://www.salzburg.gv.at/salzburg resolutione.pdf.
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The BioInitiative 2012 Table of Contents
SECTION i PREFACE (2007) (2012) SECTION ii TABLE OF CONTENTS (2007) (2012) SECTION 1 SUMMARY FOR THE PUBLIC AND CONCLUSIONS Ms. Sage
2007 Report: Summary for the Public (Table 1-1 Conclusions)- Ms. Sage 2012 Supplement - Summary for the Public - Ms. Sage
Table 1-1 - Conclusions Table 1-2 Reported Biological Effects from Radiofrequency Radiation at Low-Intensity Exposure SECTION 2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Ms. Sage SECTION 3 THE EXISTING PUBLIC EXPOSURE STANDARDS Ms. Sage SECTION 4 EVIDENCE FOR INADEQUACY OF THE STANDARDS Ms. Sage SECTION 5 EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS ON GENE AND PROTEIN
EXPRESSION (Transcriptomic and Proteomic Research) Dr. Xu and Dr. Chen 2012 Supplement - Dr. Fragopoulou and Dr. Margaritis EMF Transcriptomics and Proteomics Research 2007-2012 SECTION 6 EVIDENCE FOR GENOTOXIC EFFECTS – RFR AND ELF DNA
DAMAGE Dr. Lai 2012 Supplement - Dr. Lai SECTION 7 EVIDENCE FOR STRESS RESPONSE (STRESS PROTEINS) Dr. Blank 2012 Supplement - Dr. Blank Evidence for Stress Response: EMF-DNA Interaction SECTION 8 EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS ON IMMUNE FUNCTION Dr. Johansson 2012 Supplement - Dr. Grigoriev Immune System and EMF-RF
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SECTION 9 EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS ON NEUROLOGY AND BEHAVIOR Dr. Lai
2012 Supplement - Dr. Lai SECTION 10* EFFECTS OF EMF FROM WIRELESS COMMUNICATION
UPON THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER 2012 New Chapter - Dr. Salford, Dr. Nittby and Dr. Persson SECTION 11 EVIDENCE FOR BRAIN TUMORS AND ACOUSTIC NEUROMAS Dr. Hardell, Dr. Hansson Mild and Dr. Kundi 2012 Supplement - Dr. Hardell, Dr. Hansson Mild, Mr. Carlberg Use of Wireless Phones and Evidence for Increased Risk of Brain Tumors 2012 Supplement - Dr. Kundi Evidence for Brain Tumors (Epidemiological) SECTION 12 EVIDENCE FOR CHILDHOOD CANCERS (LEUKEMIA) Dr. Kundi 2012 Replacement Chapter - Dr. Kundi SECTION 13 EVIDENCE FOR EFFECTS ON MELATONIN: ALZHEIMER’S
DISEASE AND BREAST CANCER Dr. Davanipour and Dr. Sobel 2012 Replacement Chapter - Dr. Davanipour and Dr. Sobel ELF Magnetic Field Exposure: Melatonin Production - Alzheimer’s Disease - Breast Cancer SECTION 14 EVIDENCE FOR BREAST CANCER PROMOTION
(Melatonin links in laboratory and cell studies) Ms. Sage
SECTION 15 EVIDENCE FOR DISRUPTION BY THE MODULATING SIGNAL Dr. Blackman 2012 Supplement - Dr. Belyaev Role of Physical and Biological Variables in Bioeffects of Non- Thermal Microwaves for Reproducibility, Cancer Risk Assessment and Safety Standards
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SECTION 16 * PLAUSIBLE GENETIC AND METABOLIC MECHANISMS FOR BIOEFFECTS OF VERY WEAK ELF MAGNETIC FIELDS ON LIVING TISSUES 2012 New Chapter - Dr. Heroux and Dr. Ying Li
SECTION 17 EVIDENCE BASED ON EMF MEDICAL THERAPEUTICS Ms. Sage 2012 Supplement - Dr. Liboff Electromagnetic Medicine: Non-Inductive, Non-Thermal Modalities SECTION 18 * FERTILITY AND REPRODUCTION EFFECTS OF EMF
2012 New Chapter - Dr. Behari and Dr. Paulraj Rajamani
SECTION 19 * FETAL AND NEONATAL EFFECTS OF EMF
2012 New Chapter - Dr. Bellieni and Dr. Pinto
SECTION 20 * FINDINGS IN AUTISM CONSISTENT WITH EMF AND RFR
2012 New Chapter - Dr. Herbert and Ms. Sage
SECTION 21 * MOBILE PHONE BASE STATIONS: WELL-BEING AND HEALTH
(not available at press date)
2012 New Chapter - Dr. Kundi SECTION 22 * PRECAUTION IN ACTION - GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH
EXAMPLES SINCE BIOINITIATIVE 2007
2012 New Chapter - Dr. Oberfeld SECTION 23 THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE Mr. Gee 2012 Supplement - Mr. Gee (not available at press date) SECTION 24 KEY SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE AND
PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS Dr. Carpenter and Ms. Sage 2012 Supplement - Ms. Sage and Dr. Carpenter
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SECTION 25 LIST OF PARTICIPANTS AND AFFILIATIONS SECTION 26 GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS SECTION 27 APPENDIX - Ambient ELF and RF levels Average residential and occupational exposures SECTION 28 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
* denotes new chapter
REVIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH VOLUME 25, No. 4, 2010
Scientific Panel on Electromagnetic Field Health Risks: Consensus Points, Recommendations, and Rationales
Scientific Meeting: Seletun, Norway, November 17-21, 2009
Adamantia Fragopoulou,1 Yuri Grigoriev,2 Olle Johansson,3 Lukas H Margaritis,1
Lloyd Morgan,4 Elihu Richter5 and Cindy Sage6
1University of Athens, Athens, Greece; 2Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, Moscow (Russian Federation); 3Karolinska Institute and The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden ; 4Bioelectromagnetics Society, Berkeley, CA, USA; 5Hebrew University-Hadassah
School of Medicine, Jerusalem (Israel); 6Sage Associates, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
Summary: In November, 2009, a scientific panel met in Seletun, Norway, for three days of intensive discussion on existing scientific evidence and public health implications of the unprecedented global exposures to artificial electromagnetic fields (EMF). EMF exposures (static to 300 GHz) result from the use of electric power and from wireless telecommunications technologies for voice and data transmission, energy, security, military and radar use in weather and transportation. The Scientific Panel recognizes that the body of evidence on EMF requires a new approach to protection of public health; the growth and development of the fetus, and of children; and argues for strong preventative actions. New, biologically-based public exposure standards are urgently needed to protect public health worldwide. Keywords: EMF, wireless telecommunications technology, radiofrequency, non-ionizing radiation, non-thermal effects, long-term effects, public exposure guidelines, public health Correspondence: Professor Olle Johansson, The Experimental Dermatology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Stockholm, and The Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44, Stockholm (Sweden). E-mail: olle.johansson@ki.se ______________________________________________________________________________________________ BACKGROUND
In November, 2009, a scientific panel met in Seletun, Norway, for three days of intensive discussion on existing scientific evidence and public health implications of the unprecedented global exposures to artificial electromagnetic fields (EMF).
EMF exposures (static to 300 GHz) result from the use of electric power and from wireless telecommunications technologies for voice and data transmission, energy, security, military and radar use in weather and transportation.
The Scientific Panel recognizes that the body of evidence on EMF requires a new approach to
protection of public health; the growth and development of the fetus, and of children; and argues for strong preventative actions. These conclusions are built upon prior scientific and public health reports /1-6/ documenting the following:
1) Low-intensity (non-thermal) bioeffects and
adverse health effects are demonstrated at levels significantly below existing exposure standards.
2) ICNIRP and IEEE/FCC public safety limits are inadequate and obsolete with respect to prolonged, low-intensity exposures.
SELETUN SCIENTIFIC PANEL 2010
3) New, biologically-based public exposure standards are urgently needed to protect public health world-wide.
4) It is not in the public interest to wait. Strong concern has been voiced by the public,
and by scientists as well as public health and environmental policy experts, that the deployment of technologies that expose billions of people worldwide to new sources of EMF may pose a pervasive risk to public health. Such exposures did not exist before the ―age of industry and information‖. Prolonged exposure appears to disrupt biological processes that are fundamental to plant, animal and human growth and health. Life on earth did not evolve with biological protections or adaptive biological responses to these EMF exposures. Exceptionally small levels of EMF from earth and space existed during the time that all life evolved on earth on the order of less than a billionth to one ten-billionth of a Watt per meter squared. A rapidly accumulating body of scientific evidence of harm to health and well-being constitute warnings that adverse health effects can occur with prolonged exposures to very low-intensity EMF at biologically active frequencies or frequency combinations.
The Seletun Scientific Panel has adopted a Consensus Agreement that recommends preventative and precautionary actions that are warranted now, given the existing evidence for potential global health risks. We recognize the duty of governments and their health agencies to educate and warn the public, to implement measures balanced in favor of the Precautionary Principle, to monitor compliance with directives promoting alternatives to wireless, and to fund research and policy development geared toward prevention of exposures and development of new public safety measures.
POINTS OF AGREEMENT
x Global populations are not sufficiently protected from electromagnetic fields (EMF)
from emerging communication and data transmission technologies that are being deployed worldwide, affecting billions of people;
x Sensitive populations (for example, the elderly, the ill, the genetically and/or immunologically challenged) and children and fetuses may be additionally vulnerable to health risks; their exposures are largely involuntary and they are less protected by existing public safety standards;
x It is well established that children are more vulnerable to health risks from environmental toxins in general;
x It is established that the combined effects of chemical toxins and EMF together is greater than either exposure alone;
x The Seletun Scientific Panel takes note of international scientific reviews, resolutions and recommendations documenting scientific and public health evidence on EMF exposures;
x The Seletun Scientific Panel notes that complete “consistency” of study findings is not to be expected, and it should not be interpreted as a necessary pre-condition for a consensus linking EMF exposure to health impacts. “Consistency in nature does not require that all or even a majority of studies find the same effect. If all studies of lead showed the same relationship between variables, one would be startled, perhaps justifiably suspicious” /7/;
x The Seletun Scientific Panel acknowledges that some, but not all, of these exposures support preventative and precautionary action, and the need for more stringent public health limits;
x The Panel takes note of international scientific resolutions and expressions of concern including the Salzburg, Catania, Freiberger Appeal, Helsinki, Irish Doctors (IDEA), Benevento, Venice, London, and Porto Alegre Resolutions (2000-2009);
x The Panel is guided by previously recommended target limits for EMF exposure
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD HEALTH RISKS
3
in the BioInitiative Report (2007) and the London Resolution (2009);
x The Panel urges governments to adopt an explicit statement that ―the standard for judging and acting on the scientific evidence shall be based on prudent public health planning principles rather than scientific certainty of effect (causal evidence)‖. Actions are warranted based on limited or weak scientific evidence, or a sufficiency of evidence – rather than a conclusive scientific evidence (causation or scientific certainty) where the consequence of doing nothing in the short term may cause irreparable public health harm, where the populations potentially at risk are very large, where there are alternatives without similar risks, or where the exposures are largely involuntary;
x The Seletun Scientific Panel urges govern-ments to make explicit that the burden of proof of safety rests with the producers and providers of EMF-producing technologies, not with the users and consumers.
THE SELETUN SCIENTIFIC PANEL UNANIMOUSLY ENDORSES THESE GENERAL AGREEMENTS AND GENERAL AND SPECIFIC
RECOMMENDATIONS
General Agreements from the Seletun Scientific Panel
x The Seletun Scientific Panel has identified specific scientific and public health benchmarks for numeric limits and preventative action that are justified now based on the existing body of evidence;
x The Panel is relying on scientific evidence as the basis for identifying scientific benchmarks establishing EMF levels associated with adverse health effects. The Panel notes that radiofrequent (RF) levels in some regions may
already exceed scientific benchmarks for health harm identified here, but political expediency is not the guiding criterion in this assessment;
x EMF exposures should be reduced now rather than waiting for proof of harm before acting. This recommendation is in keeping with traditional public health principles, and is justified now given abundant evidence that biological effects and adverse health effects are occurring at exposure levels many orders of magnitude below existing public safety standards around the world;
x SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) is not an adequate approach to predict many important biologic effects in studies that report increased risks for cancer, neurological diseases, impairments to immune function, fertility and reproduction, and neurological function (cognition, behaviour, performance, mood status, disruption of sleep, increased risk for auto collisions, etc);
x SAR fails to adequately address known effects from modulation.
General Recommendations from the Seletun Scientific Panel
x The Seletun Scientific Panel recommends an international registry be established to track time-trends in incidence and mortality for cancers and neurological and immune diseases. Tracking effects of EMF on children and sensitive EHS populations is a high priority. There should be open access to this information;
x The Panel recommends existing brain tumour registries provide timely age-specific incidence rates. An early indication of brain tumors from mobile (cell) phone use could be in the younger age-specific incidence rates. Where such brain tumors registries to not exist, they should be established;
SELETUN SCIENTIFIC PANEL 2010
x Intervention-related epidemiological studies are needed to track the efficacy of intervention(s) that reduce or eliminate exposures to EMF;
x There is a need for mandatory pre-market assessments of emissions and risks before deployment of new wireless technologies. There should be convincing evidence that products do not cause health harm before marketing;
x For occupational exposures, there has been epidemiological evidence as well as clusters and case reports which state the ‗case for action‘ and stringent control measures based on classic industrial hygiene principles (separation, distancing and enclosure). Further, there is need for surveillance markers of hematologic, immunotoxic and chromosome aberrations;
x The Panel discourages use of more lenient safety standards for workers, as compared to the general public. Separate safety limits are not ethically acceptable. Workers include women of childbearing age and men who wish to retain their fertility. Occupational environments where wireless exposures are common may be potentially hazardous to fertility and repro-duction (retail and restaurant workers, transit workers, telecommunications and broadcast workers, medical workers, educators, admini-strators, etc) and those with other exposures or special health risks;
x The Panel strongly recommends that persons with electrohypersensitivity symptoms (EHS) be classified as functionally impaired rather than with ‗idiopathic environmental disease‘ or similar indistinct categories. This terminology will encourage governments to make adjustments in the living environment to better address social and well-being needs of this subpopulation of highly sensitive members of society.
General Research Recommendations from the Seletun Scientific Panel
x Research funding is urgently needed for assays for biological markers [EMF bioassays as biological markers of EMF dose] which show promise to measure adverse health effects, and biological effects that, with prolonged or repetitive exposure, can reasonably be presumed to lead to harmful health consequences (biomarkers from cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, immune function changes, and DNA damage to name some);
x The Scientific Panel recommends research funding for studies on bioactive modulation which may, based on current knowledge, cause major consequences at far lower exposure levels based on different exposure parameters including modulation, frequency windows, intensity windows, duration, geomagnetic field and other factors;
x Research is urgently recommended for effects of prolonged or repetitive wireless exposure on children (cancers, neurological diseases, and impairment of cognition, behavior, performance and mood status, and disruption of sleep, etc) ;
x Research in SAR refinements is given a low priority. The scientific panel is in unanimous agreement that SAR is a poor measurement tool. Yet SARs have been used in many key studies reporting increased risk of DNA damage, increased risk for brain cancer, increased risk for acoustic neuroma, and reduced sperm quality parameters, among others. SAR measures only one aspect of exposure and ignores other critical aspects, such as biologically active frequencies (and modulations) that is essential information needed to understand the biological responses induced by EMF over short and long term exposures (e.g., nervous system response and
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD HEALTH RISKS
5
tissue/organ development, respectively) that does not cause thermal damage so that effective, biologically protective limits can be developed.
Specific Recommendations from the Seletun Scientific Panel
Extremely Low Frequency (Fields from Electrical Power) x Based on the available evidence, the Seletun
Scientific Panel recommends a 0.1 uT (1 mG) exposure limit for all new installations based on findings of risk for leukemia, brain tumours, Alzheimer‘s, ALS, sperm damage and DNA strand breaks. This exposure limit does not include a safety margin;
x For all newly installed, or newly upgraded electrical power distribution, the Panel recommends a 0.1 uT (1 mG) set-back distance, from residences, hospitals, schools, parks, and playgrounds schools (and similar locations occupied by children) [A 0.1 uT (1 mG) time-weighted average (TWA) using peak loading for transmission lines to ensure that average is about half of this for typical exposures; or equivalent for long-term exposure in interior EMF environments (wiring, trans-formers, appliances, others).];
x For all newly constructed residences, offices, schools (and other facilities with children), and hospitals there shall be a 0.1 uT (1 mG) max. 24 hour average exposure limit;
x For all new equipment (e.g. transformers, motors, electronic products), where practical, the Panel recommends a 0.1 uT (1 mG) max. 24 hour average exposure limit. Where not practical (e.g. large power transformers), there should be a fence, or boundary marker, with clearly written warning labels that states that within the boundary area the 0.1 uT (1 mG) maximum, 24 hour average exposure limit is exceeded;
x The Panel recommends all countries should adopt electrical code requirements to disallow conduction of high-frequency voltage transients back into electrical wiring systems;
x All new electronic devices including compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) should be constructed with filters to block high-frequency voltage transients from being conducted back onto electrical wiring systems;
x The Panel recommends electric field reductions from electrical wiring in buildings based on evidence of increased cancer risk from prolonged or repetitive electric field exposure. The United States National Electrical Code (NEC) and other govern-mental codes relating to building design and construction should be revised so that all new electrical wiring is enclosed in a grounded metal shield;
x The United States NEC and other govern-mental codes that disallow net current on electrical wiring should be better enforced, and ground fault interrupters (GFIs) should be installed on all electrical circuits in order to reduce net current.
Radiofrequency/Microwave Radiation Exposure Limit Recommendations
Present guidelines, such as IEEE, FCC, and ICNIRP, are not adequate to protect humans from harmful effects of chronic EMF exposure. The existing scientific knowledge is, however, not sufficient at this stage to formulate final and definite science-based guidelines for all these fields and conditions, particularly for such chronic exposure as well as contributions of the different parameters of the fields, e.g. frequency, modulation, intensity, and window effects. The values suggested below are, thus, provisional and may be altered in the future. x For whole-body (in vivo experiments) or cell
culture-based exposure, the Seletun Scientific Panel finds sufficient evidence to establish a
SELETUN SCIENTIFIC PANEL 2010
scientific benchmark for adverse health effect at 0.0166 W/kg based on at least 32 scientific studies reporting low-intensity effects (defined as studies reporting effects at exposures of 0.1 W/kg or lower) /8-39/.
x The Panel recommends a provisional whole-body limit of 0.00033 W/kg by incorporation of an additional 50-fold safety margin applied to the scientific benchmark of 0.0166 W/kg. This is consistent with both ICNIRP and IEEE/FCC safety factors. An additional 10-fold reduction is applied to take prolonged exposure into account (because 29 of the 32 studies are acute exposure only), giving a final whole-body limit of 0.000033 W/kg (33 µW/kg). No further safety margin or provision for sensitive populations is incorporated. This may need to be lowered in the future.
x Based on power density measurements, the Seletun Scientific Panel finds sufficient evidence for a whole-body scientific bench-mark for adverse health effect exists down to 85 mW/m2 (0.0085 mW/cm2 or 8.5 µW/cm2) based on at least 17 scientific studies reporting low-intensity effects on humans. Taking more recent human studies conducted near base stations, or at base-station RF levels, Kundi and Hutter /57/ report that the levels must exceed 0.5-1.0 mW/m2 (0.05 to 0.1 uW/cm2) for effects to be seen; /40-57/.
x The Panel recommends a provisional whole-body (far-field) limit of 1.7 mW/m2 (also = 0.00017 mW/cm2 = 0.17 µW/cm2) by incorporation of an additional 50-fold safety margin applied to the scientific benchmark of 85 mW/m2. This is consistent with both ICNIRP and IEEE/FCC safety factors. This may need to be lowered in the future.
x It can be argued that a further 10-fold reduction is not justified since 13 of the 17 studies are already testing for long-term RF exposure. However, considering that the latest human population studies as reported by Kundi & Hutter (2009) do not show effects
below 0.5-1.0 mW/m2, it can also then be argued that an additional 10-fold reduction on precautionary grounds is justified. If another 10-fold reduction is applied, the recommended level would then be 0.17 mW/m2 (also 0.000017 mW/cm2 = 0.017 µW/cm2);
x The Seletun Scientific Panel recommends these numeric limits to governments and health agencies for adoption in place of ICNIRP, IEEE/FCC and other outdated public safety guidelines and limits in use around the world. This approach is based on traditional public health principles that support taking actions to protect public health when sufficient evidence is present. Sufficient scientific evidence and public health concern exist today based on increased risk for cancer, adverse fertility and reproductive outcomes, immune disruption, neurological diseases, increased risk of road collisions and injury-producing events, and impairment of cognition, behaviour, performance, mood status, and disruption of sleep;
x Numeric limits recommended here do not yet take into account sensitive populations (EHS, immune-compromised, the fetus, developing children, the elderly, people on medications, etc). Another safety margin is, thus, likely justified further below the numeric limits for EMF exposure recommended here;
x The Scientific Panel acknowledges that numeric limits derived here for new biologically-based public exposure standards are still a billion times higher than natural EMF levels at which all life evolved.
Specific Recommendations for mobile (cell) and cordless phone use x The Seletun Scientific Panel recommends that
users keep mobile (cell) phones away from head and body;
x The Seletun Scientific Panel recommends that users keep mobile (cell) phones and PDAs* switched off if worn or carried in a pocket or
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD HEALTH RISKS
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holster, or on a belt near the body. *PDA is generic for any type of Personal Digital Assistant or hand-held computer device;
x The Panel strongly recommends against the use of mobile (cell) and cordless phones and PDAs by children of any age;
x The Panel strongly recommends against the use of mobile (cell) and cordless phones and PDAs by pregnant women;
x The Panel recommends that use of mobile (cell) and cordless phones and PDAs be curtailed near children or pregnant women, in keeping with preventative and precautionary strategies. The most vulnerable members of society should have access to public places without fear of harm to health;
x Public access to public places and public transportation should be available without undue risk of EMF exposure, particularly in enclosed spaces (trains, airplanes, buses, cars, etc) where the exposure is likely to be involuntary;
x The Panel recommends wired internet access in schools, and strongly recommends that schools do not install wireless internet connections that create pervasive and prolonged EMF exposures for children;
x The Panel recommends preservation of existing land-line connections and public telephone networks;
x The Panel recommends against the use of cordless phones (DECT phones) and other wireless devices, toys and baby monitors, wireless internet, wireless security systems, and wireless power transmitters in SmartGrid-type
connections that may produce unnecessary and potentially harmful EMF exposures;
x The Panel recognizes that wired internet access (cable modem, wired Ethernet connections, etc) is available as a substitute;
x The Panel recommends use of wired headsets, preferably with hollow-tube segments;
x The Panel recommends avoidance of wireless (Bluetooth-type) headsets in general;
x The Panel encourages the removal of speakers from headsets on wireless phones and PDAs;
x The Panel encourages ‗auto-off switches‘ for mobiles (cells) and PDAs that automatically turn off the device when placed in a holster;
x The Panel strongly discourages the technology that allows one mobile (cell) phone to act as a repeater for other phones within the general area. This can increase exposures to EMF that are unknown to the person whose phone is ―piggy-backed‖ upon without their knowledge or permission;
x The Panel recommends the use of telephone lines (land-lines) or fiber optic cables for SmartGrid type energy conservation infra-structure. Utilities should choose options that do not create new, community-wide exposures from wireless components of SmartGrid-type projects. Future health risks from prolonged or repetitive wireless exposures of SmartGrid-type systems may be avoided by using telephone lines or fiber-optic cable. The Panel endorses energy conservation but not at the risk of exposing hundreds of millions of families in their homes to a new, involuntary source of wireless radiofrequency radiation.
REVIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH VOLUME 25, No. 4, 2010
.............................................................................................................................................................................. The undersigned recognize the duty of governments and their health agencies to educate and warn the
public, to implement measures balanced in favor of the Precautionary Principle, to monitor compliance with directives promoting alternatives to wireless, and to fund research and policy development geared toward prevention of exposure.
The undersigned urge governments and their health agencies to adopt new interim numeric limits and new timetables for implementation of biologically-based precautionary action to limit exposures to EMF.
Agreed 19 November 2009 (as revised through April 20, 2010) (in alphabetical order)
Adamantia Fragopoulou, Greece Yuri Grigoriev, Russia Olle Johansson, Sweden Lukas H Margaritis, Greece Lloyd Morgan, USA Elihu Richter, Israel Cindy Sage, USA
Affiliations (in alphabetical order) Adamantia Fragopoulou, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics,Faculty of Biology,University of Athens, Athens (Greece) Yury Grigoriev, Professor, Dr of Med Sci, Chairman of Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, Moscow (Russian Federation) Olle Johansson, professor, The Experimental Dermatology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, and The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm (Sweden) Lukas H Margaritis, professor, Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics,Faculty of Biology,University of Athens, Athens (Greece) Lloyd Morgan, Bioelectromagnetics Society, 2022 Francisco Street, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA Elihu D Richter, Professor, Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, Jerusalem (Israel) Cindy Sage, MA, Sage Associates,Santa Barbara, CA, USA
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Associate Professor Olle Johansson –Photo: private
Olle Johansson, associate professor, KIOlle JohanssonOlle Johansson, associate professor at the Karolinska Institute,
Department of Neuroscience, and head of The Experimental
Dermatology Unit, has a long background in the neurosciences and has
coauthored – together with his supervisor professor Tomas Hökfelt and
many others, including Nobel Laureates – up to the presentation of his
doctoral thesis 143 original papers, reviews, book chapters and
conference abstracts, a publication record hard to beat! His doctoral
thesis at the Karolinska Institute was entitled ”Peptide Neurons in the
Central and Peripheral Nervous System. Light and Electron Microscopic
Studies”.
Olle JohanssonOlle Johansson has participated in more than 300 congresses,
symposia and meetings as an invited speaker, and with free
contributions and as an invited ‘observer’ at an additional 200. His
studies have been widely recognized in the public media, including
newspapers, radio and TV as well as on the Internet, both nationally as
well as internationally, and he is a regular interview guest in magazines, journals, tabloids and newspapers,
as well as in radio shows, TV programmes and in the Internet-based news blogs and websites.
VetapediaVetapedia
HEM Trött på att många poster på Wikipedia är vilseledande? Lägg till ord / Kontakta Vetapedia Adm
Olle JohanssonOlle Johansson is a world-leading authority in the field of EMF radiation and health effects. Among many
achievements he coined the term ”screen dermatitis” which later on was developed into the functional
impairment electrohypersensitivity which recognition mainly is due to his work. He has also been a guest
professor as well as adjunct professor in basic and clinical neuroscience at the Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm.
He has publishedHe has published more than 600 original articles, reviews, book chapters and conference reports within
the fields of basic and applied neuroscience, dermatoscience, epidemiology, and biophysiology. He has
received a number of awards, including the Nokia Consumer Electronics Award, The Grand Environment
Award of the Cancer and Allergy Foundation, the SIF Award, Tandvårdsskadeförbundets Pris, and many
more.
Olle JohanssonOlle Johansson is – or has been – a member of, i.a., The European Neuroscience Association (ENA), The
European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR), IBAS Users of Scandinavia (IBUS), The International
Brain Research Organization (IBRO), The International Society for Stereology (ISS), The New York Academy
of Sciences, The Royal Microscopical Society (RMS), Scandinavian Society for Electron Microscopy
(SCANDEM), The Skin Pharmacology Society (SPS), Society for Neuroscience, Svenska Fysiologföreningen,
Svenska Intressegruppen för Grafisk Databehandling (SIGRAD), Svenska Läkaresällskapet, and the Svenska
Sällskapet för Automatiserad Bildanalys (SSAB).
Olle Johansson has on-going international scientific collaborations with, i.a., Japan, Belgium, Australia, Brasil,
India, Uruguay, Serbia, Germany and USA.
External linksOlle Johansson’s page on KI: Ki.se/en/neuro/johansson-laboratory
Research papers and scientific articlesWang L, Hilliges M, Jernberg T, Wiegleb-Edstrom D, Johansson O, ”Protein gene product 9.5-immunoreactive
nerve fibres and cells in human skin”, Cell Tissue Res 1990; 261: 25-33
Johansson O, Hilliges M, Bjornhagen V, Hall K, ”Skin changes in patients claiming to suffer from ”screen
dermatitis”: a two-case open-field provocation study”, Exp Dermatol 1994; 3: 234-238
Johansson O, Virtanen M, Hilliges M, ”Histaminergic nerves demonstrated in the skin. A new direct mode of
neurogenic inflammation?”, Exp Dermatol 1995; 4: 93-96
Johansson O, ”Elöverkänslighet samt överkänslighet mot mobiltelefoner: Resultat från en dubbel-blind
provokationsstudie av metodstudiekaraktär” (=”Electrohyper-sensitivity and sensitivity to mobile telephones:
Results from a double-blind provocation study of pilot character”, in Swedish), Enheten för Experimentell
Dermatologi, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Rapport nr. 2, 1995, ISSN 1400-6111 (First study on humans)
Johansson O, Liu P-Y, ””Electrosensitivity”, ”electrosupersensitivity” and ”screen dermatitis”: preliminary
observations from on-going studies in the human skin”, In: Proceedings of the COST 244: Biomedical Effects
of Electromagnetic Fields – Workshop on Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (ed. D Simunic), EU/EC (DG XIII),
Brussels/Graz, 1995, pp 52-57
Hilliges M, Wang L, Johansson O, ”Ultrastructural evidence for nerve fibers within all vital layers of the
human epidermis”, J Invest Dermatol 1995; 104: 134-137
Johansson O, Hilliges M, Han SW, ”A screening of skin changes, with special emphasis on neurochemical
marker antibody evaluation, in patients claiming to suffer from screen dermatitis as compared to normal
healthy controls”, Exp Dermatol 1996; 5: 279-285
Johansson O, ”Några tankar kring elöverkänslighet och bildskärmsskada”, Enheten för Experimentell
Dermatologi, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Rapport nr. 1, 1996, ISSN 1400-6111
Gangi S, Johansson O, ”Skin changes in ”screen dermatitis” versus classical UV- and ionizing irradiation-
related damage–similarities and differences. Two neuroscientists’ speculative review”, Exp Dermatol 1997; 6:
283-291
Johansson O, Liu PY, Bondesson L, Nordlind K, Olsson MJ, Lontz W, Verhofstad A, Liang Y, Gangi S, ”A
serotonin-like immunoreactivity is present in human cutaneous melanocytes”, J Invest Dermatol 1998; 111:
1010-1014
Johansson O, Liu P-Y, ”No differences found by immunohistochemical screening of certain neuropeptides in
patients suffering from so-called ”screen dermatitis””, Enheten för Experimentell Dermatologi, Karolinska
Institutet, Stockholm, Rapport nr. 3, 1998, ISSN 1400-6111
Johansson O, Wang L, Hilliges M, Liang Y, ”Intraepidermal nerves in human skin: PGP 9.5
immunohistochemistry with special reference to the nerve density in skin from different body regions”, J
Peripher Nerv Syst 1999; 4: 43-52
Hilliges, M, Johansson O, ”Comparative analysis of numerical estimation methods of epithelial nerve fibers
using tissue sections”, J Periph Nerv Syst 1999; 4: 53-57
Johansson O, Fantini F, Hu H, ”Neuronal structural proteins, transmitters, transmitter enzymes and
neuropeptides in human Meissner’s corpuscles: a reappraisal using immunohistochemistry”, Arch Dermatol
Res 1999; 291: 419-424
Johansson O, Liu P-Y, Enhamre A, Wetterberg L, ”A case of extreme and general cutaneous light sensitivity in
combination with so-called ‘screen dermatitis’ and ‘electrosensitivity’ – a successful rehabilitation after
vitamin A treatment – a case report”, J Aust Coll Nutr & Env Med 1999; 18: 13-16
Bornehag C-G, Hamnerius Y, Hult M, Johansson O, Norrby C, Åberg U, ”Hälsomässig och teknisk utvärdering
av fyra elsanerade bostäder i kvarteret Haubitsen, Uppsala”, Enheten för Experimentell Dermatologi,
Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Rapport nr. 4, 1999, ISSN 1400-6111
Bianchi B, Matucci R, Danesi A, Rossi R, Ipponi P, Giannotti B, Johansson O, Cappugi P, ”Characterization of
[3H]substance P binding sites in human skin”, J Europ Acad Dermatol Venereol 1999; 12: 6-10
Jacobi HH, Johansson O, Liang Y, Nielsen HV, Thygesen C, Hansen JB, Jinquan T, Skov PS, Poulsen LK,
”Histamine immunocytochemistry: a new method for detection of basophils in peripheral blood”, J Immunol
Methods 2000; 237: 29-37
Gangi S, Johansson O, ”A theoretical model based upon mast cells and histamine to explain the recently
proclaimed sensitivity to electric and/or magnetic fields in humans”, Med Hypotheses 2000; 54: 663-671
Jacobi HH, Johansson O, ”Human dendritic mast cells”, In: Mast Cells and Basophils (eds. G Marone, LM
Lichtenstein, SJ Galli), Academic Press, San Diego, 2000, pp 89-95
Södergren L, Johansson O, ”Commentary: Mobile telephones – will the golden goose become the mad cow?”,
J Aust Coll Nutr & Env Med 2001; 20: 29-30
Johansson O, Gangi S, Liang Y, Yoshimura K, Jing C, Liu P-Y, ”Cutaneous mast cells are altered in normal
healthy volunteers sitting in front of ordinary TVs/PCs – results from open-field provocation experiments”, J
Cutan Pathol 2001; 28: 513-519
Sromová L, Larsson M, Johansson O, ”Verksamheten vid ELRUM 1998-2000″ (=”ELRUM 1998-2000 – Results
and conclusions”, in Swedish), Arbetslivstjänster Västerbotten, Umeå, 2001; 12 pp
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Melanoma incidence and frequency modulation (FM) broadcasting”, Arch Environ
Health 2002; 57: 32-40
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Har tusentals personer offrats i onödan sedan 1955?” (=”Have thousands of
persons unnecessarily been sacrificed since 1955?”; in Swedish), Nord Tidsskr Biol Med 2002; 2: 26-27
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Cancerdödlighet och långtidssjukskrivning” (=”Cancer mortality and long-term
sick leave”; in Swedish), Tidskriften Medikament 2002; 7: 40-41
Slominski A, Pisarchik A, Semak I , Sweatman T, Wortsman J, Szczesniewski A, Slugocki G, McNulty J , Kauser
S, Tobin DJ, Jing C , Johansson O, ”Serotoninergic and melatoninergic systems are fully expressed in human
skin”, The FASEB Journal express article 10.1096/fj.01-0952fje, published online April 23, 2002
Slominski A, Pisarchik A, Semak I, Sweatman T, Wortsman J, Szczesniewski A, Slugocki G, McNulty J, Kauser
S, Tobin DJ, Jing C, Johansson O, ”Serotoninergic and melatoninergic systems are fully expressed in human
skin”, FASEB J 2002; 16: 896-898
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Cancer trends during the 20th century”, J Aust Coll Nutr & Env Med 2002; 21: 3-8
Sromová L, Larsson M, Johansson O, ”ELRUM 1998-2000 – Results and conclusions”, Arbetslivstjänster
Västerbotten, Umeå, 2002, in press
Slominski A, Pisarchik A, Johansson O, Jing C, Semak I, Slugocki G, Wortsman J, ”Tryptophan hydroxylase
expression in human skin cells”, Biochim Biophys Acta 2003; 1639: 80-86
Rajkovic V, Matavulj M, Johansson O, ”Histological and stereological analysis of cutaneous mast cells in rats
exposed to 50 Hz EMF”, 6th International Congress of the European Bioelectromagnetics Association (EBEA),
Budapest, Hungary, November 13-15, 2003 (abstr.)
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Rapport från pilottest — Webbapplikationen Nevi – ett sätt att samla in medicinska
data över nätet” (=”Report from a pilot test – The web application Nevi, a means to collect medical data over
the Internet”, in Swedish), Enheten för Experimentell Dermatologi, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Rapport
nr. 5, 2003, ISSN 1400-6111
Johansson O, ”Screen dermatitis and electrosensitivity: Preliminary observations in the human skin”, In:
Electromagnetic Environments and Health in Buildings (ed. D Clements-Croome), Spon Press, London & New
York, 2004, pp 377-389
Ward RS, Tuckett RP, English KB, Johansson O, Saffle JR, ”Substance P axons and sensory threshold increase
in burn-graft human skin”, J Surg Res 2004; 118: 154-160
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Malignant melanoma of the skin – not a sunshine story!”, Med Sci Monit 2004; 10:
CR336-340
Johansson O, ”Elöverkänslighet – en form av strålskada” (=”Electrohypersensitivity – a kind of irradiation
damage”, in Swedish), Tf-bladet 2004; (3): 12-13
Johansson O, ”Electrohypersensitivity: Observations in the human skin of a physical impairment”, Symposium
on ”Electrical Sensitivity in Human Beings”, Royal Society of Medicine, London, U.K., September 11, 2004
(abstr.)
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Does GSM 1800 MHz affect the public health in Sweden?”, In: Proceedings of the
3rd International Workshop ”Biological Effects of EMFs”, Kos, Greece, October 4-8, 2004
Johansson O, ”Electrohypersensitivity: Observations in the human skin of a physical impairment”, WHO
Workshop on ”Electrical Hypersensitivity”, Prague, Czech Republic, October 25-27, 2004 (abstr.)
Johansson O, ”Elektro-Hypersensitivität: Beobachtungen von physikalischen Schäden an der menschlichen
Haut”, ”2nd National Congress for Afflicted Persons by Electrosmog”, Olten, Switzerland, November 13, 2004
(abstr.)
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”1997 – A curious year in Sweden”, Eur J Cancer Prev 2004; 13: 535-538
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Long-term sickness and mobile phone use”, J Aust Coll Nutr & Env Med 2004; 23:
11-12
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Mobile handset output power and health”, Electromag Biol Med 2004; 23: 229-239
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Glesbygd är en sjuk miljö, nu börjar även friska dö” (=”Say to countryside goodbye,
when even healthy people die”; in Swedish), Enheten för Experimentell Dermatologi, Karolinska Institutet,
Stockholm, Rapport nr. 6, 2004, 45 sidor, ISSN 1400-6111
Rajkovic V, Matavulj M, Johansson O, ”An immunohistochemical and morphometrical study of the power-
frequency electromagnetic field influence on skin and thyroid amine- and peptide-containing cells in rats”,
BioEM 2005, Dublin, Ireland, June 19-24, 2005 (abstr.)
Johansson O, ”Funktionsnedsättningen elöverkänslighet och samhället: kollision eller kyss?” (=”The physical
impairment electrohypersensitivity and society: collision or kiss”, in Swedish), Medicinsk Axess 2005; 1 (2):
68-71
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”FM broadcasting exposure time and malignant melanoma incidence”, Electromag
Biol Med 2005; 24: 1-8
Lauria G, Cornblath DR, Johansson O, McArthur JC, Mellgren SI, Nolano M, Rosenberg N, Sommer C, ”EFNS
guidelines on the use of skin biopsy in the diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy”, Europ J Neurol 2005; 12: 1-12
Rajkovic V, Matavulj M, Johansson O, ”Histological characteristics of cutaneous and thyroid mast cell
populations in male rats exposed to power-frequency electromagnetic fields”, Int J Radiat Biol 2005; 81: 491-
499
Rajkovic V, Matavulj M, Johansson O, ”The effect of extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields on skin
and thyroid amine- and peptide-containing cells in rats: An immunohistochemical and morphometrical
study”, Environ Res 2005; 99: 369-377
Holmboe G, Johansson O, ”Symptombeskrivning samt förekomst av IgE och positiv Phadiatop Combi hos
personer med funktionsnedsättningen elöverkänslighet”, (=”Description of symptoms as well as occurrence
of IgE and positive Phadiatop Combi in persons with the physical impairment electrohypersensitivity”, in
Swedish), Medicinsk Access 2005; 1 (5): 58-63
Medicinskaxess.se/nr5/eloverkanslighet5.pdf
Johansson O, ”The effects of radiation in the cause of cancer”, The Charity Canceractive, Nov 6, 2005
Canceractive.com/page.php?n=967
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Alzheimer mortality – why does it increase so fast in sparsely populated areas?”,
Europ Biol Bioelectromag 2005; 1: 225-246
Guan X, Johansson O, ”The sun-shined health”, Europ Biol Bioelectromag 2005; 1: 420-423
Rajkovic V, Matavulj M, Johansson O, ”Light and electron microscopic study of the thyroid gland in rats
exposed to power-frequency electromagnetic fields”, J Exp Biol 2006; 209: 3322-3328
Johansson O, ”Hur ska vi bemöta den ökade mängden luftburen strålning?” (=”How shall we cope with the
increased amount of airwave radiation?”, in Swedish), Medicinsk Access 2006; 2 (5): 76-78
Medicinskaccess.se/nr5_2006/debatt_5_2006.pdf
Johansson O, ”Electrohypersensitivity: State-of-the-art of a functional impairment”, Electromag Biol Med
2006; 25: 245-258
Johansson O, ”How shall we cope with the increasing amounts of airborne radiation?”, J Aust Coll Nutr & Env
Med 2006; 25: 5-6
Johansson O, ”Ökad bestrålning gör oss utslitna” (=”Increased irradiation wears us down”, in Swedish),
Ljusglimten 2006; 17 (4): 9-11
Belpoggi F, Blackman CF, Blank M, Bobkova N, Boella F, Cao Z, Allessandro AD, Emilia ED, Del Giuduice E, De
Ninno A, De Salles AA, Giuliani L, Grigoryev Y, Grimaldi S, Hardell L, Havas M, Hyland G, Johansson O, Kundi
M, Lai HC, Ledda M, Lin Y-P, Lisi A, Marinelli F, Richter E, Rosola E, Salford L, Seyhan N, Soffritti M,
Ramazzini B, Szmigielski S, Zhadin M, “Benevento Resolution 2006”, Electromag Biol Med 2006; 25: 197–200
Rajkovic V, Matavulj M, Johansson O, ”Histological studies of the thyroid gland in rats after combined
exposure to electromagnetic fields and the endocrine disrupting compound atrazine”, 8th International
Congress of the European BioElectromagnetics Association (EBEA) 2007, Bordeaux, France, April 10-13, 2007
(abstr.)
Sage C, Johansson O, Sage SA, “Personal digital assistant (PDA) cell phone units produce elevated extremely-
low frequency electromagnetic field emissions”, Bioelectromagnetics 2007; 28: 386-392
Sage C, Johansson O, ”Response to Comment on ”Measuring ELF fields produced by mobile phones and
personal digital assistants (PDAs)””, Bioelectromagnetics 2007; 28: 581-582
Sage C, Johansson O, ”Response to Comment on ”Personal digital assistant (PDA) cell phone units produce
elevated extremely-low frequency electromagnetic field emissions””, Bioelectromagnetics 2007; 28: 584-585
Johansson O, ”Kronisk trötthet, utbrändhet, sköldkörteln samt funktionsnedsättningen elöverkänslighet”
(=”Chronic fatigue, burnout, the thyroid gland and the impairment electrohypersensitivity”, in Swedish),
Läkartidningen 30/8 2007
Lakartidningen.se/includes/07showComments.php?articleId=7346#881
Blackman CF, Blank M, Kundi M, Sage C, Carpenter DO, Davanipour Z, Gee D, Hardell L, Johansson O, Lai H,
Mild KH, Sage A, Sobel EL, Xu Z, Chen G, “The Bioinitiative Report—A Rationale for a Biologically-based
Public Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF and RF)”, http://www.bioinitiative.org, 2007 [For
the press release, see: ”Serious Public Health Concerns Raised Over Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields
(EMF) from Power Lines and Cell Phones”
Bioinitiative.org/press_release/docs/august31_2007.pdf]
Johansson O, “Evidence for effects on the immune system”, In: The BioInitiative Report: A Rationale for a
Biologically-based Public Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF and RF) (eds. CF Blackman, M
Blank, M Kundi, C Sage), 2007, Section 8, http://www.bioinitiative.org
Johansson O, ”Fredrik Reinfeldt, now that you are Sweden’s prime minister, are you prepared to listen?”, J
Aust Coll Nutr & Env Med 2007; 26: 19-20
Lindkvist L, Johansson O, ”SSI lägger ansvaret för skadorna av mobilstrålningen på dig” (=”The Swedish
Radiation Protection Authority puts the responsibility for the mobile phone radiation damages on you!”, in
Swedish), Arbetarbladet 23/10 2007
Arbetarbladet.se/utskrift.php?id=576016&avdelning_1=103&avdelning_2=122
Cohen A, Carlo G, Davidson A, White M, Geoghan C, Goldsworthy A, Johansson O, Maisch D, O’Connor E,
”Sensitivity to mobile phone base station signals”, Env Health Perspect 2008; 116: A63-A64
Lindkvist L, Johansson O, ”Utan trådlöst för barnens skull!” (=”Without wireless for the sake of the children”,
in Swedish), Dalarnas Tidningar 6/2 2008
Dt.se/opinion/debatt/article276988.ece
Lindkvist L, Johansson O, “Utan trådlöst för barnen skull” (=”Without wireless for the sake of the children”, in
Swedish), Nerikes Allehanda 12/2 2008
Lindkvist L, Johansson O, ”Utan trådlöst – för barnens skull” (=”Without wireless – for the sake of the
children”, in Swedish), Corren 20/2 2008
Corren.se/archive/2008/2/19/jlhjeylx6ecdgcx.xml
Johansson O, ”Rena (tomat)soppan om strålning” (=”Unadulterated (tomato) garbage about radiation”, in
Swedish), Södertälje Länstidning 2/4 2008
Lt.se/index.asp?kat=re&i1=index_red_2007.asp&i2=1&Id=25736&isp2=hela
Johansson O, ”Mobilstrålning en dödssynd” (=“Cellular radiation is a mortal sin”, in Swedish), Norrbottens-
Kuriren 7/4 2008
Kuriren.nu/debatt/artikel.aspx?articleid=3457430
Johansson O, “SSI ger fel besked om mobilstrålning” (“SSI (=The Swedish Radiation Protection Authority)
misinforms about mobile radiation”, in Swedish), Eskilstuna-Kuriren 8/4 2008
Ekuriren.se/ekuriren/standard_artikel.php?id=665985
Johansson O, “Vilken strålande tomatsoppa!” (=“What a radiant tomato soup!”, in Swedish), Västerbottens-
Kuriren 10/4 2008
Vk.se/Article.jsp?article=180540
Nilsson M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Johansson O, ”Vilseldedande om mobilmaster” (=”Misleading information
about mobile masts”, in Swedish), Helsingborgs Dagblad 18/4 2008
Hd.se/ledare/2008/04/18/vilseldedande-om-mobilmaster/
[Se även replik från Mjönes L, ”Mobilmaster orsakar inte skadliga hälsoeffekter”,
Helsingborgs Dagblad 29/5 2008
Hd.se/ledare/2008/05/29/mobilmaster-orsakar-inte-skadliga/
samt replik från Johansson O, Nilsson M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, “Svepande formuleringar om mobilmaster”,
Helsingborgs Dagblad 5/6 2008
Hd.se/ledare/2008/06/05/svepande-formuleringar-om/]
Nilsson M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Johansson O, ”Hög tid att lägga korten på bordet” (=”Now it is time to put
all the cards on the table”, in Swedish), Borås Tidning 27/4 2008
Bt.se/debatt/hog-tid-att-lagga-korten-pa-bordet(609680).gm
Johansson O, ”Mobilstrålning och hälsa: Rena rama (tomat)soppan!” (=”Mobile radiation and health:
Unadulterated (tomato) garbage”, in Swedish), Ljusglimten 2008; 19: 14-15
Nilsson M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Johansson O, ”Vilseledande om mobilmaster” (=”Misleading information
about mobile masts”, in Swedish), Gotlands Allehanda 6/5 2008
Helagotland.se/insandare/artikel.aspx?articleid=3596332
Johansson O, ”The functional impairment electrohypersensitivity and health effects of modern-life
electromagnetic fields: A neuroscientist’s views”, In: Proceedings of the First Hellenic Congress on the Effects
of Non-Ionizing Radiation, with International Participation (eds. LH Margaritis, SA Zinelis), Thessalonica,
Greece, 2008, pp 13-18
Multimedia.biol.uoa.gr/2008/Seminaria_Diplwmatikes%20k.a/Synedrio_Thess/thesaloniki-emf-2008-
proceedings-12-05-08-TELIKOeng.pdf
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Ohälsan tycks öka sedan 1997 – beror det på förbättrad diagnostik eller på en
försämrad miljö?”” (=”Ill-health seems to increase since 1997 – is it because of better diagnostics or is it due
to a deteriorated environment?”, in Swedish), Medicinsk Access nr. 4/5, 2008
Avino P, d’Alessandro A, Bedini A, Belyaev I, Belpoggi F, Blackman C, Blank M, Bobkova N, Bruno B,Cinti C,
Cristaldi M, Dasdag S, De Ninno A, Del Giudice E, de Salles A, Doull S, Georgiou C, Goodman R, Grimaldi S,
Giuliani L, Hardell L, Havas M, Hyland G, Lisi A, Ieradi L, Johansson O, Khurana VG, Lai H, Margaritas L,
Marinelli F, Markovic V, Maxey E, Oberfeld G, Phillips J, Richter E, Salford L, Scalia M, Seyhan N, Shalita Z,
Soffritti M, Szmigielski S, Udroiu I, Verduccio C, Zeyrek M, Zhadin M, Zinelis S, Zucchero A, Goldsworthy A,
“The Venice Resolution 2008”, Icems.eu/resolution.htm
Dämvik M, Johansson O, “Försiktighetsprincipen ställer krav på rapportering av osäkra risker” (“The
Prudence Avoidance Principle demands reporting uncertain risks”, in Swedish), Läkartidningen 2008; 105:
2274-2275
Dämvik M, Johansson O, ”Förklaring av riskbedömningsmetod” (”Explanation of risk assessment method”, in
Swedish),Miljömagasinet 2008; 28/40, 17
Johansson O, “Mobilstrålning och hälsa: Rena rama (tomat)soppan!” (=”Mobile radiation and health:
Unadulterated (tomato) garbage”, in Swedish), tf-Bladet 2008; (3): 20-21
Johansson O, “Stödet från Hjärntrusten Deje välkomnas – Replik till “Pseudokritik av elöverkänsliga”” (“The
support from the Brain Trust Deje is welcome – Reply to “Pseudocriticism of electrohypersensitive persons””,
in Swedish), Miljömagasinet 2008; 28/51-52, 17
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Ohälsan tycks öka sedan 1997 – beror det på förbättrad diagnostik eller på en
försämrad miljö?”” (=”Ill-health seems to increase since 1997 – is it because of better diagnostics or is it due
to a deteriorated environment?”, in Swedish), Ljusglimten 2008; 19/4, 17-19
Johansson O, “Mobilstrålning och hälsa: Rena rama (tomat)soppan!” (=”Mobile radiation and health:
Unadulterated (tomato) garbage”, in Swedish), Nya AnnonsX:et 2008; 20: 6-7
Johansson O, “Mycket tveksamma energivinster” (“Very questionable energy gains”, in Swedish),
Miljömagasinet 2009; 29/1-2, 13
Johansson O, ”Electrosensitivity in Sweden”, EMFacts 2009-02-09, http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/?
p=1036
Johansson O, ”On electrosensitivity”, EMFacts 2009-02-26, http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/?p=1049
Johansson O, ”Sluta ignorera mobilstrålning” (”Stop ignoring mobile radiation”, in Swedish), Västerbottens-
Kuriren 9/3 2009
Vk.se/Article.jsp?article=259212
Dämvik M, Johansson O, ”Gör upp arvet efter SSI” (”Closure of the legacy of the now-defunct Swedish
Radiation Protection Authority”, in Swedish), Borås Tidning 18/3 2009
Bt.se/debatt/gor-upp-arvet-efter-ssi(1216430).gm
Dämvik M, Johansson O, ”Gör upp arvet efter SSI” (”Closure of the legacy of the now-defunct Swedish
Radiation Protection Authority”, in Swedish),Växjöbladet 27/3 2009
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, “Apparent decreases in Swedish public health indicators after 1997 — Are they due
to improved diagnostics or to environmental factors?”, Pathophysiology 2009; 16: 43-46
Johansson O, “Disturbance of the immune system by electromagnetic fields — A potentially underlying cause
for cellular damage and tissue repair reduction which could lead to disease and impairment”,
Pathophysiology 2009; 16: 157-177
Johansson O, “The London Resolution”, Pathophysiology 2009; 16: 247-248
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, “Why is there a left laterality of melanoma andbreast cancer? 7th World Congress
on Melanoma, Vienna, Austria, May 12-15, 2009 (abstr.)
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, “Why is there a left laterality of melanoma and breast cancer?”, 2nd World Cancer
Congress 2009, Beijing, China, June 22-25, 2009 (abstr.)
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, “Cancer and broadcasting radiation. Facts from radio engineering and cancer
epidemiology”, 2nd World Cancer Congress 2009, Beijing, China, June 22-25, 2009 (abstr.)
Gullbrandsson A, Johansson O, “Strålning – ett svek mot våra barn” (”Radiation – a betrayal of our children”,
in Swedish), Aftonbladet 30/5 2009
Aftonbladet.se/debatt/article5259200.ab
Gullbrandsson A, Johansson O, ”Ständig strålning hot mot våra barns hälsa” (“Constant radiation is a threat to
our children’s health”, in Swedish), Sundsvalls Tidning 14/6 2009
St.nu/opinion/debatt/1.1119926
Gullbrandsson A, Johansson O, ”Nya ”allemansrätten” värnar inte våra barn” (”The new ”right of common
access” does not take responsibility for our children”, in Swedish), helahälsingland.se 16/6 2009
Helahalsingland.se/asiktstorget/insandare/1.1127738
Hallberg O, Johansson O, “Sleep on the right side – Get cancer on the left?”, Pathophysiology 2010; 17: 157-160
Dämvik M, Johansson O, ”Gör upp med arvet efter SSI” (”Closure of the legacy of the now-defunct Swedish
Radiation Protection Authority”, in Swedish), tfBladet 2010; (1): 22
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, “Lung cancer risk in Sweden and USA versus Japan – a lifestyle matter?”, 3rd World
Cancer Congress 2010, Singapore, June 22-24, 2010 (abstr.)
Johansson O, “Aspects of studies on the functional impairment electrohypersensitivity”, In: Proceedings of
Electromagnetic Phenomena and Health – A Continuing Controversy? (ed. IA Jamieson & P Holdstock). A one
day international conference organised by the Electrostatics Group of the Institute of Physics and held at the
Institute of Physics, London, UK, on September 10, 2008. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental
Science, IoP Publishing, Bristol/Philadelphia, 2010, Volume 10, pp 1-7
Lauria G, Hsieh ST, Johansson O, Kennedy WR, Leger JM, Mellgren SI, Nolano M, Merkies IS, Polydefkis M,
Smith AG, Sommer C, Valls-Solé J, “European Federation of Neurological Societies/Peripheral Nerve Society
Guideline on the use of skin biopsy in the diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy. Report of a joint task force of
the European Federation of Neurological Societies and Peripheral Nerve Society”, Eur J Neurol 2010; 17: 903-
912
Joint Task Force of the EFNS and the PNS, “European Federation of Neurological Societies/Peripheral Nerve
Society Guideline on the use of skin biopsy in the diagnosis of small fiber neuropathy. Report of a joint task
force of the European Federation of Neurological Societies and Peripheral Nerve Society”, J Peripher Nerv
Syst 2010; 15: 79-92
Rajkovic V, Matavulj M, Johansson O, “Studies on the synergistic effects of extremely low-frequency
magnetic fields and the endocrine-disrupting compound atrazine on the thyroid gland“, Int J Radiat Biol
2010: Early Online, pp 1–11
Rajkovic V, Matavulj M, Johansson O, “Combined exposure of peripubertal male rats to the endocrine-
disrupting compound atrazine and power–frequency electromagnetic fields causes degranulation of
cutaneous mast cells: A new toxic environmental hazard?”, Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 2010; 59: 334–341
Dämvik M, Johansson O, “Hälsoriskbedömning av EMF – en konflikt mellan försiktighetsprincipen och
miljömedicinsk metodik” (“Health risk assessment of electromagnetic fields: A conflict between the
precautionary principle and environmental medicine methodology”, in Swedish), Newsmill 2/10 2010
Newsmill.se/artikel/2010/10/02/h-lsoriskbed-mning-av-emf-en-konflikt-mellan-f-rsiktighetsprincipen-
och-milj-medi
Fragopoulou A, Grigoriev Y, Johansson O, Margaritis LH, Morgan L, Richter E, Sage C, “Scientific panel on
electromagnetic field health risks: Consensus points, recommendations, and rationales. Scientific Meeting:
Seletun, Norway, November 17-21, 2009”, Rev Environ Health 2010; 25: 307-317
Dämvik M, Johansson O, “Health risk assessment of electromagnetic fields: A conflict between the
precautionary principle and environmental medicine methodology”, Rev Environ Health 2010; 25: 325-333
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Dämvik M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L, ”Strålningen ger oss
hjärnskador” (=”Brain damage from radiation”, in Swedish), Arbetarbladet 3/2 2011
Arbetarbladet.se/torget/debatt/1.2716095-stralningen-ger-oss-hjarnskador
[Se även replik från Mjönes L, ”Mobilstrålning orsakar inga skadliga hälsoeffekter” (=”Mobile radiation does
not cause adverse health effects”, in Swedish), Arbetarbladet 12/2 2011
Arbetarbladet.se/torget/debatt/1.2748239-mobilstralning-orsakar-inga-skadliga-halsoeffekter
samt replik från Dämvik M, Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L,
”Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten vilseleder, (=”The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority misleads”, in Swedish),
Arbetarbladet 22/2 2011
Arbetarbladet.se/torget/debatt/1.2781186-stralsakerhetsmyndigheten-vilseleder]
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Dämvik M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L, ”Strålningen ger oss
hjärnskador” (=”Brain damage from radiation”, in Swedish), Affärer 3/2 2011
Affarer.cc/start/1.2716095-stralningen-ger-oss-hjarnskador
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Dämvik M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L, ”Strålningen ger oss
hjärnskador” (=”Brain damage from radiation”, in Swedish), Tandvårdsskadeförbundet 7/2 2011
Tf.nu/nyhet/stralningen-ger-oss-hjarnskador1
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Dämvik M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L, ”Ohälsan ökar i takt med
strålningen” (=”Ill health increases with radiation”, in Swedish), Borås Tidning 14/2 2011 [pdf]
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Dämvik M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L, “Stoppa blindbocksleken om
riskerna med strålning” (=”Stop the blind man’s bluff game regarding the risks of radiation”, in Swedish),
HelaHälsingland 14/2, 2011
Helahalsingland.se/asiktstorget/insandare/1.2746475-stoppa-blindbocksleken-om-riskerna-med-stralning
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Dämvik M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L, ”Försiktighetsprincipen har
satts ur spel” (=”The precautionary principle has been eliminated”, in Swedish), Bohusläningen 18/2 2011 [pdf]
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Dämvik M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L, “Blindbocksleken med vår
hälsa måste stoppas” (=”The blind man’s bluff game with our health must be stopped”, in Swedish),
Teknikdebatt.se 18/2, 2011
Teknikdebatt.se/debatt/blindbocksleken-med-var-halsa-maste-stoppas
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Dämvik M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L, ”Sanningens ord!? Strålning
ger oss hjärnskador! Ohälsan ökar i takt med strålningen!” (=”Words of truth!? Brain damage from
radiation! Ill health increases with radiation!”, in Swedish), Nya AnnonsX:et [sid. 2] 23/2 2011
Annonsxet.se/uppdatera/tidning_pdf/xet_nr4.pdf
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Dämvik M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L, ”Försiktighetsprincipen har
satts ur spel” (=”The precautionary principle has been eliminated”, in Swedish), Norran 24/2 2011
Norran.se/asikter/debattartiklar/article1138034.ece
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Dämvik M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L, ”Ska ekonomin gå före vår
hälsa?” (=”Should the economy take precedence over our health?”, in Swedish), Piteå-Tidningen 14/3 2011
Pitea-tidningen.se/debatt/artikel.aspx?ArticleId=6032380
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Increasing melanoma – too many skin damages or too few repairs?”, Hudcancer.nu
3/4 2011
Hudcancer.nu/PDF/MelanomaProblemA.pdf
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Dämvik M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L, ”SSM uppmanar: Använd
“handsfree för säkerhets skull”!” (=”The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority warns: Use “handsfree for sake of
safety”!”, in Swedish), Tf-bladet 2011; (1): 20-21
Johansson O, Fagerholm U, Rundgren Å, Sjögren P, ”An integral link”, Brit Dent J 2011; 210: 344
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, Dämvik M, Hallberg Ö, Hellberg K, Lindkvist L, ”Strålning ökar ohälsan”
(=”Radiation increases ill health”, in Swedish), Österbottens Tidning 11/4 2011
Manzetti S, Johansson O, ”Kreftframkallende monstermaster. Store kraftmaster kan direkte påvirke
menneskers helse” (”Carcinogenic monster masts. Large power line towers can directly affect human health”,
in Norwegian), Dagbladet 6/6 2011
Dagbladet.no/2011/06/06/kultur/debatt/debattinnlegg/helse/elektromagnetisk_straling/16810726/
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, “Increasing rates of head melanoma in Nordic Countries”, Pathophysiology 2011; 18:
313-315
Johansson O, Holmboe G, “Magnetfält kan orsaka astma” (=”Magnetic fields can cause asthma”, in Swedish),
Österbottens Tidning 18/8 2011
Johansson O, Holmboe G, “Magnetfält kan leda till astma” (=”Magnetic fields can lead to asthma”, in
Swedish), Teknikdebatt.se 18/8, 2011
Teknikdebatt.se/debatt/magnetfalt-kan-leda-till-astma
Johansson O, Holmboe G, “Kan magnetfält vara orsaken till barns astma?” (=”Could magnetic fields be the
cause of childhood asthma”, in Swedish), KatrineholmsKuriren 24/8, 2011
Kkuriren.se/ledareasikter/debatt/1.1160202
Johansson O, Holmboe G, “Atjoo, prosit, magnetfält” (=”Sneezy, God bless, magnetic fields”, in
Swedish), Norran 31/8, 2011
Norran.se/asikter/debattartiklar/article1194929.ece
Johansson O, Holmboe G, “Atjoo! Prosit! …Magnetfält?” (=”Sneezy! God bless! …Magnetic fields?”, in
Swedish), Eskilstuna-Kuriren 30/8, 2011
Johansson O, Holmboe G, “Atjoo! Prosit!! …Magnetfält?” (=”Sneezy! God bless!! …Magnetic fields?”, in
Swedish), Tf-bladet 2011; (3): 20-21
Johansson O, Foster S, ”Beware of that which is not discussed”, United Nations meeting follow-up letter,
Citizens for Safe Technology 20/9 2011
Citizensforsafetechnology.org/Beware-of-That-Which-is-Not-Discussed,2,1345
Johansson O, Foster S, ”Beware of that which is not discussed”, United Nations meeting follow-up letter, The
Health Professional 20/9 2011
Thehealthprofessional.ca/articles/beware-of-that-which-is-not-discussed
Johansson O, Foster S, ”Beware of that which is not discussed”, United Nations meeting follow-up letter,
Mast-Victims.org 23/9 2011
Mast-victims.org/index.php?content=news&action=view&type=newsitem&id=5388
Johansson O, Foster S, “Akta dig för det som inte diskuteras!” (=”Beware of what is not discussed!”, in
Swedish), Österbottens Tidning 24/9, 2011
Johansson O, Foster S, “Akta dig för det som inte diskuteras” (=”Beware of what is not discussed”, in
Swedish), Norran 25/9, 2011
Norran.se/asikter/debattartiklar/article1203808.ece
Johansson O, Foster S, “Akta dig för det som inte diskuteras!” (“Beware of what is not discussed”, in Swedish),
Dalarnas Tidningar 6/10 2011
Dt.se/opinion/debatt/1.3975751-akta-dig-for-det-som-inte-diskuteras-
Johansson O, Foster S, “Akta dig för det som inte diskuteras!” (“Beware of what is not discussed!”, in
Swedish), Hudiksvalls Tidning 13/10 2011 and at
Helahalsingland.se/insant/insandare/1.3994928-akta-dig-for-det-som-inte-diskuteras-
Johansson O, Foster S, “Om hotet från mobilstrålningen” (=”About the cellular phone radiation threat”, in
Swedish), Helsingborgs Dagblad 17/10, 2011
Johansson O, ”Uppkopplad mot Telia = ett brev på Posten?” (=”Connected to Telia = a letter in the mail?”, in
Swedish), Tf-bladet 2011; (4): 14-16
Manzetti S, Johansson O, “Radiation and health”, J Aust Coll Nutr & Env Med 2011; 30: 19
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, “Comparing lung cancer risks in Sweden, USA, and Japan”, International Scholarly
Research Network (ISRN) Oncology 2012; 2012: 687298. doi: 10.5402/2012/687298
Johansson O, “Läsplatta, ja, men varför ingen förståelseplatta?” (=”A reader, yes, but why not an
understander?”, in Swedish), Tf-bladet 2012; (1): 16-18
Johansson O, “Bättre med förståelseplatta än läsplatta” (=”Better an e-understander than an e-reader”, in
Swedish), Bohusläningen 18/4 2012
Johansson O, “Läsplatta, ja, men varför ingen förståelseplatta…?” (=”An e-reader, yes, but why not an e-
understander…?”, in Swedish), Teknikdebatt.se 18/4, 2012
Teknikdebatt.se/debatt/lasplatta-ja-men-varfor-ingen-forstaelseplatta
Johansson O, “Läsplatta, ja, men varför ingen förståelseplatta…?” (=”An e-reader, yes, but why not an e-
understander…?”, in Swedish), Hudiksvalls Tidning 20/4, 2012
Johansson O, “”Förståelseplatta” bättre än läsplatta” (=”An “e-understander” is better than an e-reader”, in
Swedish), Sundsvalls Tidning 22/4, 2012
St.nu/opinion/debatt/1.4632566–forstaelseplatta-battre-an-lasplatta
Johansson O, ”Förståelseplatta före läsplatta” (=”An e-understander before an e-reader”, in
Swedish), Norrbottens-Kuriren 23/4 2012
Johansson O, ”Läsplatta, ja, men varför ingen förståelseplatta?” (=”An e-reader, yes, but why not an e-
understander?”, in Swedish), Norran 26/4 2012
Norran.se/2012/04/debatt/lasplatta-ja-men-varfor-ingen-forstaelseplatta/
Johansson O, “Barn och elektromagnetiska fält” (=”Children and electromagnetic fields”, in
Swedish), Vasabladet 30/4 2012
Johansson O, “Förståelseplatta hellre än läsplatta” (=”An e-understander rather than an e-reader”, in
Swedish), Österbottens Tidning 11/5, 2012
Johansson O, “Läsplatta eller förståelseplatta?” (=”E-reader or e-understander?”, in Swedish), Skaraborgs
Allehanda 11/5 2012
Johansson O, ”Surfplatta kan vara hälsofara” (=”An e-reader can prove to be a health hazard”, in Swedish),
Uppsala Nya Tidning 14/5 2012
Unt.se/debatt/surfplatta-kan-vara-halsofara-1744247.aspx
Johansson O, ”Varför inte förståelseplatta?” (=”Why not an ‘e-understander’?”, in Swedish), Eskilstuna-Kuriren
14/5 2012
Ekuriren.se/ledareasikter/debatt/1.1434808-varfor-inte-forstaelseplatta-
Johansson O, Foster S, “Om global ohälsa: Akta dig för det som inte diskuteras!” (“About global illness: Beware
of what is not discussed!”, in Swedish), Tf-bladet 2012; (2): 15
Johansson O, “Strålningsrisk måste gå före pedagogiska fördelar” (=”Radiation risks must be dealt with before
discussing pedagogic advantages”, in Swedish), Sydsvenskan 20/8 2012
Manzetti S, Johansson O, “Global electromagnetic toxicity and frequency-induced diseases: Theory and
short overview”, Pathophysiology 2012; 19: 185-191
Johansson O, Gullbrandsson A, “Har vår försiktighetsprincip möglat?” (=”Has our Precautionary Principle
mouldered away?”, in Swedish), Bohusläningen 24/8 2012
Hagström M, Auranen J, Johansson O, Ekman R, “Reducing electromagnetic irradiation and fields alleviates
experienced health hazards of VDU work”, Pathophysiology 2012; 19: 81-87
Reiver E, Thurén H, Johansson O, “Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten förvränger sanningen” (=”The Swedish
Radiation Safety Authority distorts the truth”, in Swedish), Teknikdebatt.se 12/11, 2012
Teknikdebatt.se/debatt/stralsakerhetsmyndigheten-forvranger-sanningen
Reiver E, Thurén H, Johansson O, “Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten förvränger sanningen” (=”The Swedish
Radiation Safety Authority distorts the truth”, in Swedish), Arbetarbladet 14/11 2012
Arbetarbladet.se/torget/debatt/1.5292416-stralsakerhetsmyndigheten-forvranger-sanningen
Reiver E, Thurén H, Johansson O, “Säkerhetsmyndighet förvränger sanningen” (=”Safety Authority distorts
the truth”, in Swedish), Hudiksvalls Tidning 19/11, 2012
Reiver E, Thurén H, Johansson O, “Säkerhetsmyndighet förvränger sanningen” (=”Safety Authority distorts
the truth”, in Swedish), Söderhamns-Kuriren 19/11, 2012
Reiver E, Thurén H, Johansson O, “Säkerhetsmyndighet förvränger sanningen” (=”Safety Authority distorts
the truth”, in Swedish), Ljusdals-Posten 19/11, 2012
Reiver E, Thurén H, Johansson O, “Säkerhetsmyndighet förvränger sanningen” (=”Safety Authority distorts
the truth”, in Swedish), Ljusnan 19/11, 2012
Reiver E, Thurén H, Johansson O, “SSM förvränger sanningen” (=”SSM distorts the truth”, in Swedish), Norran
20/11, 2012
Norran.se/2012/11/debatt/ssm-forvranger-sanningen/
Reiver E, Thurén H, Johansson O, “Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten förvränger sanningen” (=”The Swedish
Radiation Safety Authority distorts the truth”, in Swedish), Nya Dagbladet 23/11, 2012
Nyadagbladet.se/debatt/stralsakerhetsmyndigheten-forvranger-sanningen/
Reiver E, Thurén H, Johansson O, “Mobiltelefonins hälsorisker: Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten har rådgivare från
Ericsson” (=”The health risks of mobile telephony: The Swedish Radiation Safety Authority uses an advisor
from Ericsson”, in Swedish), Newsvoice.se (by Torbjörn Sassersson) 23/11, 2012
Newsvoice.se/2012/11/23/mobiltelefonins-halsorisker-stralsakerhetsmyndigheten-har-radgivare-fran-
ericsson/
Reiver E, Thurén H, Johansson O, “Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten förvränger sanningen” (=”The Swedish
Radiation Safety Authority distorts the truth”, in Swedish), Skånska Dagbladet 26/11, 2012
Reiver E, Thurén H, Johansson O, “Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten förvränger sanningen” (=”The Swedish
Radiation Safety Authority distorts the truth”, in Swedish), Ölandsbladet 8/12, 2012
Manzetti S, Johansson O, ”Vi endrer oss, uten at vi merker det” (=”We change without noticing it”, in
Norwegian), Bergens Tidende 12/12, 2012
Johansson O, “Mobilstrålningstesterna missar den farligaste strålningen” (=”The mobile radiation tests miss
the most dangerous radiation”, in Swedish), Nya Dagbladet 20/12, 2012
Nyadagbladet.se/debatt/mobilstralningstesterna-missar-den-farligaste-stralningen/
(Som svar på: Augustsson T, ”Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten besvarar kritiken” (=”The Swedish Radiation Safety
Authority responds to the criticism”, in Swedish), Nya Dagbladet 13/12 2012
Nyadagbladet.se/debatt/stralsakerhetsmyndigheten-besvarar-kritiken/)
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, “Decreasing rates of brain cancer – A worrying trend?”, Open Access Scientific
Reports, 2012; 1: 499-501, doi:10.4172/scientificreports.499
Kato Y, Johansson O, “Reported functional impairments of electrohypersensitive Japanese: A questionnaire
survey”, Pathophysiology 2012a; 19: 95-100
Kato Y, Johansson O, “The situation of electrohypersensitivity: Symptoms, EMF sources, economic and social
problems, and precautionary approach”, Jap J Clin Ecol 2012b; 21: 123-130
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, ”Increasing melanoma – too many skin cell damages or too few repairs?”, Cancers
2013; 5: 184-204
Reiver E, Thurén H, Johansson O, “Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten förvränger sanningen” (=”The Swedish
Radiation Safety Authority distorts the truth”, in Swedish), Tf-bladet 2013; (1): 18-19
Manzetti S, Johansson O, ”Teknologi-utvikling kan være en evolusjonær avsporing” (=”The current
technology development could turn out to be an evolutionary diversion”, in Norwegian), Sogn Avis 2/4, 2013
Panagopoulos DJ, Johansson O, Carlo GL, ”Evaluation of specific absorption rate as a dosimetric quantity for
electromagnetic fields bioeffects”, PLoS ONE 8: e62663. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0062663
Cammaerts M-C, Johansson O, “Ants can be used as bio-indicators to reveal biological effects of
electromagnetic waves from some wireless apparatus”, Electromag Biol Med 2013; early online: 1-7. DOI:
10.3109/15368378.2013.817336
Johansson O, “KI-forskare: porta skolpolitiker som vill ge hälsofarliga läsplattor – utan bevisat pedagogiskt
värde – till eleverna” (=”A scientist at the Karolinska Institute says: Lock school politicians out who want to
give hazardous e-readers – without proven educational value – to pupils”, in Swedish), Newsvoice.se 23/1,
2014
Newsvoice.se/2014/01/23/ki-forskare-porta-skolpolitiker-som-vill-ge-formodat-halsofarliga-lasplattor-
till-eleverna/
Johansson O, “Snart för sent? Cancern förväntas öka med 70% nästa 20 år enligt WHO” (=”Soon too late?
Cancer is supposed to increase by 70% during the next 20 years according to WHO”, in Swedish),
Newsvoice.se 12/2, 2014
Newsvoice.se/2014/02/12/snart-for-sent-cancern-forvantas-oka-med-70-nasta-20-ar/
Johansson O, “Experter och läkare varnar: Gravida kvinnor och barn bör ej utsättas för mobiltelefoni och
WiFi — Men vi människor står mest bara och pratar om detta, medan däremot myror och bin flyr fältet!”(=”Experts and doctors warn: Pregnant women and children should not be exposed to cellular telephony and
WiFi — But we humans are mostly just standing around, talking about this, whereas ants and bees are fleeingthe field!”, in Swedish), Newsvoice.se 14/10, 2014
Newsvoice.se/2014/10/14/experter-och-lakare-varnar-gravida-kvinnor-och-barn-bor-ej-utsattas-for-
mobiltelefoni-och-wifi/
Manzetti S, Johansson O, ”Vi må være på vakt. KRONIKK: En frihandelsavtale mellom EU og USA vil gi mer
genmodifisert mat på det europeiske og norske markedet” (”We must be alert. CHRONICLE: A free trade
agreement between the EU and the USA will result in more genetically modified food in the European and
Norwegian markets”, in Norwegian), Bergens Tidende 7/1 2014
Bt.no/meninger/kronikk/Vi-ma-vare-pa-vakt-3034061.html#.Usu7hLQg-mY
Manzetti S, Aall C, Johansson O, ”Genmodifisert kan være kreftfremkallende” (”Gene-modified can be
cancer-initiating”, in Norwegian), Aftenposten innsikt February 2014; 62-63
Johansson O, ”Snart är det för sent…?” (=”Soon it will be too late…?”, in Swedish), Österbottens Tidning 20/2
2014
Johansson O, “Hotet från de trådlösa apparaterna” (=”The threat from the wireless devices”, in
Swedish), Vasabladet 15/3 2014
Vivian LMH, Johansson O, ”First officially recognized case of the functional impairment
electrohypersensitivity in South Africa”, BMJ Open 2014; 3 (8): comment to Bogers et al. ”Design of an
ecological momentary assessment study of exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields and non-
specific physical symptoms”, BMJ Open 2013; 3:e002933 doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2013-002933
Bmjopen.bmj.com/content/3/8/e002933.full?sid=50e22bf9-15aa-495b-a6d4-ee95e67413f4
Johansson O, Flydal E, ”Trådløs helsefare (=”Wireless health risk”, in Norwegian), Dagens Næringsliv 29/3
2014
Redmayne M, Johansson O, ”Could myelin damage from radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure help
explain the functional impairment electrohypersensitivity? A review of the evidence”, J Toxicol Environ
Health B Crit Rev 2014; 17(5): 247-58. doi: 10.1080/10937404.2014.923356
Johansson O, “Experter och läkare varnar: Gravida kvinnor och barn bör ej utsättas för mobiltelefoni och
WiFi —Men vi människor står mest bara och pratar om detta, medan däremot myror och bin flyr fältet!”(=”Experts and doctors warn: Pregnant women and children should not be exposed to wireless radiation
…But we humans are mostly just standing around talking about this, whereas ants and bees are fleeing thefield!”, in Swedish), Newsvoice.se 14/10, 2014
newsvoice.se/2014/10/14/experter-och-lakare-varnar-gravida-kvinnor-och-barn-bor-ej-utsattas-for-
mobiltelefoni-och-wifi/
English translation:
takebackyourpower.net/news/2014/10/23/experts-and-doctors-warn-pregnant-women-and-children-
wireless/
Hallberg Ö, Johansson O, Horst E, ”A melanoma trend forecast from 2002 – what happened then?”,
Electromagn Biol Med 2014; Dec 23: 1-3, doi:10.3109/15368378.2014.992074
Hallberg Ö, Huttunen P, Johansson O, “Cancer incidence vs. population average sleep duration on spring
mattresses”, Adv Stud Med Sci 2104; 2: 1-15
Johansson O, “Electrohypersensitivity – In January 2015, how far from January 1945 were we?”, Newsvoice.se
24/2, 2015
http://newsvoice.se/2015/02/24/electrohypersensitivity-in-january-2015-how-far-from-january-1945-
were-we/
Johansson O, ”Häxjakt på elöverkänsliga” (=”Witch hunt of electrohypersensitives”, in Swedish), Tf-bladet
2015; (2): 16-17
Panagopoulos DJ, Johansson O, Carlo GL, ”Real versus simulated mobile phone exposures in experimental
studies”, BioMed Res Internat 2015, Article ID 607053, http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/607053
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REVIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH VOLUME 25, No. 4, 2010
© 2010 Freund Publishing House Limited 325
Health Risk Assessment of Electromagnetic Fields: A Conflict between the Precautionary Principle and Environmental
Medicine Methodology
Mats Dämvik1 and Olle Johansson2
1Unité Law Firm, Kungsbacka, Sweden and 2The Experimental Dermatology Unit, Department of
Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute and School of Architecture and the Built Environment The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
Abstract: The purpose of the precautionary principle is that legal requirements are to be made to safeguard against the possible health risks that have not yet been scientifically established. That a risk is not established cannot, therefore, be used as an excuse for not applying the principle. Yet, that rationale is exactly what is happening in the case of the possible health risks from exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). The scientists, representing both the World Health Organization and the European Commission, do not have at all the precautionary principle in mind when they report on health risks. Their starting point is instead to determine whether new research findings have been scientifically established and thus cannot be the basis for an amendment to the existing exposure limits. Uncertain indications of risk are ignored or played down. This approach is in conflict with European Union (EU) law, which requires that the degree of scientific uncertainty should be presented correctly. A thorough examination of the state of research shows many serious indications of possible health risks from exposure very far below existing limits for EMF. Case law, for other types of exposure, also shows that the precautionary principle can be applied on the basis of weaker evidence than that. Our investigation shows that the precautionary principle is not being used for its intended purpose in relation to exposure to EMF. The reason for this position is that decision-makers are being misled by inaccurate risk assessments. Keywords: precautionary principle, electromagnetic fields, EMF, risk assessment, risk management Correspondence: Mats Dämvik, Juristfirman Unité, Kyrkogatan 22 A, S-434 30 Kungsbacka, Sweden. Phone: +46 (0)300 10570, E-mail: mats@unite.se; Olle Johansson, The Experimental Dermatology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, S-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. Phone: +46 (0)8 524 870 58, E-mail: olle.johansson@ki.se
______________________________________________________________________________________________
1. BACKGROUND
Lawyers and scientists make different assumptions when assessing scientific evidence, often leading to communication problems. This disparity includes the formulation of health risk assessments to be used in trials of the precautionary principle. The problem occurs when evaluating the risks for many different types of exposures. Here we will deal with exposure to
electromagnetic fields (EMF), where the problem is clearly visible. Without going into detail on risk assessments, we will compare the authors‟ own statements on the condition for their reporting with the legal requirements for risk assessment.
Risk assessments are published by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the European Commission‟s Scientific Committee on Emerging
326 M. DAMVIK AND O. JOHANNSON
and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). This reporting tends to be very similar, which is a consequence of the flow of information from all these bodies being completely controlled by a few experts. For obvious reasons, those people are highly exposed to efforts by industry lobbyists, and their links with industry have often been criticized. We will not address this issue but will instead focus on showing how the reporting differs from the requirements of the precautionary principle. The issue will be discussed from the perspective of European Union (EU) law.
2. CASE LAW CREATED BY THE EU COURT OF JUSTICE
Of course, deciding on measures to protect against scientifically established health risks is possible, but this approach is not an application of the precautionary principle. Scientific uncertainty is a necessary condition for this principle to be invoked. A statement on the meaning of the principle, which the Court often repeats, is expressed as follows in Case C-24/00, paragraph 56:
“It is clear that … an assessment of the risk could reveal that scientific uncertainty persists as regards the existence or extent of real risks to human health. In such circumstances, it must be accepted that a Member State may, in accordance with the precautionary principle, take protective measures without having to wait until the existence and gravity of those risks are fully demonstrated (see to that effect Case C-157/96 National Farmers' Union and Others (1998) ECR I-2211, paragraph 63). However, the risk assessment cannot be based on purely hypothetical considerations (see Case C-236/01 Monsanto Agricoltura Italia and Others (2003) ECR I-0000, paragraph 106, and Commission v Denmark (C-192(01), paragraph 49).”
A purely hypothetical consideration means that the application has not in any way been preceded by a scientific assessment, as shown in Cases C-236/01 and C-192/01. A scientific risk assessment must, therefore, always be made. There is, however, considerable scope for discretion in the subsequent examination of the applicability of the precautionary principle. In this examination, no high levels of proof are demanded for a risk indicator to justify extensive precautionary measures.
In Case C-157/96 (BSE case), the Commission had decided to suspend all shipments of cattle, beef, and beef products from the United Kingdom to prevent the spread of BSE (mad cow disease). The ban was intended to cover all exports to EU Member States and the rest of the world. The decision was made, inter alia, on the basis of an assessment carried out by a scientific body, which found a very high level of scientific uncertainty. Nevertheless, as a result of theoretical hypothesis, the scientific body reached the conclusion, that the transmission of BSE was the most likely explana-tion for the emergence of a new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease that affects humans. In its ruling, the Court concluded that the Commission had applied the precautionary principle in a proper manner when it imposed the export ban.
3. PFIZER CASE
The Court of First Instance (now the General Court) provides in Case T-13/99 (Pfizer case) a good example of how the scientists‟ approach of rejecting uncertain indications of risk comes into conflict with the precautionary principle.
Pfizer Animal Health SA brought an action for an annulment of Council Regulation 2821/98/EC, in which the Council, relying on the precautionary principle, revoked its previously issued approval of virginiamycin, which Pfizer used as growth promoters in its feed. Virginiamycin is a strepto-
PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE IN EMF HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT 327
gramin antibiotic. The question was whether the scientific evidence was sufficient to refer to a risk of transmission of resistance to virginiamycin from animals to humans.
The Commission had requested an opinion from its Scientific Committee for Animal Nutrition (SCAN), on which Pfizer relied in support of its claim that the Council had incorrectly applied the precautionary principle. In SCAN‟s view, no evidence was presented to support the claim that resistance can be transferred in such a manner as to endanger the future use of medicines for human use. The SCAN also stated the conclusion that the use of virginiamycin as a growth promoter did not pose any immediate danger to public health.
The Council relied on two findings to waive the SCAN assessment. In the disputed regulation, recital 19 refers to an observation relating to a farmer and his poultry. Strains of virginiamycin with the same genetic code were found both in the farmer‟s feces and in feces from one of his turkeys. In this context, the Council stated,
“…even if general conclusions about the transfer of resistant enterococci from animals to humans should not be drawn from a single case, the Commission sees it as an indication that this might be confirmed by other cases in the future.” In recital 20 of the Regulation, the Council
refers to an experimental study in rats, which emerged after the SCAN had made its assessment. Following this study, the Commission sought an additional opinion from the SCAN, but their only response was a statement stating that the study did not provide any new information on the subject. In paragraph 297, the Court found that the study had a “lack of probative value, in SCAN’s submission, but some evidential value according to the Community institutions".
In paragraph 381, the Court held that SCAN‟s opinion is based on an incorrect interpretation of the precautionary principle. The Court then
argued that the precautionary principle would no longer serve any purpose if the decision-makers had to wait for evidence of such reliability as CAN had as a basis of its assessment. In paragraph 389 the Court states,
“In the light of the foregoing, the Court finds that the Community institutions did not exceed the bounds of the discretion conferred on them by the Treaty when they took the view that the various experiments and observations referred to in recitals 19 and 20 to the contested regulation were not mere conjecture but amounted to sufficiently reliable and cogent scientific evidence for them to conclude that there was a proper scientific basis for a possible link between the use of virginiamycin as an additive in feeding stuffs and the development of streptogramin resistance in humans.”
4. REQUIREMENTS FOR RISK ASSESSMENT
Primarily, case law provides the starting point for the requirements for risk assessment. Additional information is also available from other sources of law. Following the ruling in the BSE case, the Council authorized the Commission to draw up guidelines for use of the precautionary principle. In response to this action, the Commission published a communication on the precautionary principle, COM (2000) 1, in February 2000 /1/. The guidelines have since been adopted by the Council through a resolution /2/.
4.1 Acceptable Level of Risk Should Not Be Determined in the Risk Assessment
The Council resolution, paragraph 11, states that a functional separation should be made between risk assessment and risk management. This condition is explained further in the Commission´s communication COM (2000) 1.
328 M. DAMVIK AND O. JOHANNSON
The risk assessment is the scientific evaluation of risks carried out by scientists, whereas risk management refers to the political or legal application of the precautionary principle to be performed by decision-makers. Judging what is an „acceptable‟ level of risk for society is an eminently political responsibility. Therefore, this issue falls under risk management. The risk assessment is intended to serve only as a basis for that decision.
The Pfizer case, paragraphs 149-163, also confirms this. Paragraph 153 states,
“The level of risk deemed unacceptable will depend on the assessment made by the competent public authority of the particular circumstances of each individual case. In that regard, the authority may take account, inter alia, of the severity of the impact on human health were the risk to occur, including the extent of possible adverse effects, the persistency or reversibility of those effects and the possibility of delayed effects as well as of the more or less concrete perception of the risk based on available scientific knowledge.” In COM (2000) 1, the Commission also names
additional factors to be considered in risk manage-ment. Public concern is one such factor. Potential benefits and costs of action, or lack of action, should also be taken into consideration. To provide a comprehensive list that covers all relevant factors is impossible because the assessment must be made on the basis of each individual case. When the precautionary principle is examined by national authorities, often special circumstances must be considered under the applicable national laws. Application of the principle may therefore differ in different Member States.
Risk management therefore involves a global assessment of several factors. For this reason, to specify the level of risk that is acceptable to society in the risk assessment is not possible.
4.2 Degree of Scientific Uncertainty should Be Presented
The Commission's guidelines specify that all efforts should be made to determine the degree of scientific uncertainty as fully as possible in the risk assessment. The reason for this condition is that society‟s acceptance of the risk should not be determined in the risk assessment.
Case law provides examples of how low the set requirement of scientific evidence can be to lead to the application of the precautionary principle. The case law also provides guidance on how far the scientific risk assessment must be maintained in cases in which the scientific uncertainty is substantial.
According to the BSE case, the investigation should go so far that the most likely explanation for a health problem is determined, even if the scientific support is very weak. The Pfizer case indicates that the findings in a single study may be sufficient proof. An observation that concerns only one individual was also regarded as a sufficient indication of risk, which was invoked in support of an application of the precautionary principle. Such findings must therefore be reported, even if they have not been confirmed in other studies.
The risk assessment may, therefore, not introduce any threshold for how strong the evidence must be before being reported. The degree of scientific uncertainty should be presented correctly, which means that the indications of risk cannot be ignored or belittled.
4.3 Minority Opinions should Be Reported
In situations for which there is scientific uncertainty, sometimes disagreements arise between scientists. These different approaches are useful information for the trials under the precautionary principle. For this reason, paragraph 10 of the Council´s resolution states that minority opinions should be reported.
PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE IN EMF HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT 329
When a scientific committee gives an opinion on a risk, disagreement may arise among members, which means that they are unable to agree on a common conclusion. This minority opinion must then be highlighted in the report. The requirement for the presentation of divergent views, however, should go even further.
In its communication on the precautionary principle (COM (2000), p. 16), the Commission states,
“Even if scientific advice is supported only by a minority fraction of the scientific community, due account should be taken of their views, provided the credibility and reputation of this fraction are recognized.”
The Pfizer case is an example of this condition. The decision to apply the precautionary principle in this case was based on the complex assessments that were the subject of considerable disagreement between scientists. Decision-makers chose to depart from the unanimous conclusion that the scientific committee had reported and instead based its decision on a different scientific assessment of risk. To ensure objectivity and as complete a risk assessment as possible, any dis-agreements within the scientific community should always be reported.
5. ICNIRP GUIDELINES FOR EMF
The ICNIRP was founded in 1992 and its guidelines, containing the basic restrictions and reference levels for EMF, were published in 1998 /3/. During this initial period, the work was led by Professor Michael Repacholi, who was chairman during the period 1992-1996, and has since served as Chairman Emeritus.
The EU requirements for risk assessment were not specified at the time that ICNIRP guidelines were drafted. Therefore, why ICNIRP has not complied with these EU requirements, at least for the initial period, may be understandable.
In addition, ICNIRP states that the restrictions are based only on established health risks. The guidelines provide, inter alia, that when children are exposed to weak magnetic fields from power lines for a prolonged period, there is a possible risk of leukemia. This risk has not been considered in the exposure limits because the findings were not fully established.
Another relevant factor is that the guidelines are based only on the adverse health effects that can be detected after a few minutes of exposure. This opinion should be seen against the following statement from the Commission:
“It is in situations in which the adverse effects do not emerge until long after exposure that the cause-effect relationships are more difficult to prove scientifically and that—for this reason—the precautionary principle often has to be invoked." (COM (2000) 1 p. 17). Furthermore, considering all aspects of the
precautionary principle through general exposure limits is not possible. The reason for this is that society‟s acceptance of risk is determined by reference to the circumstances of each individual case. In addition to exposure level, other factors must be taken into consideration in this risk management.
The limits also include a safety factor. The ICNIRP‟s intention is to protect against various factors that may make people more sensitive to the established effects. Other potential risks are not considered in any way.
Yet, there are those who argue that the safety factor indirectly provides good protection against risks other than those that have been scientifically established. This view is contradicted by the observation that research has found many serious indications of various health effects from exposure to levels well below the ICNIRP limits.
With regard to public exposure, the safety factor is 50 times. To be misled by this factor is easy, which must be considered in relation to other
330 M. DAMVIK AND O. JOHANNSON
factors like the ICNIRP limit for the 3G-frequency being one million billion (1015) times higher than the natural level of exposure to such EMF, to which man has adapted during evolution. In this context, the safety factor is virtually non-existent.
6. APPROACH OF THE WHO
The WHO began its International EMF Project in 1996. Between then and June 2006, the project was led by Professor Repacholi, who therefore had control of both the ICNIRP and WHO. The project resulted in several published papers. Some elements of the Commission‟s Communication on the precautionary principle (COM (2000) 1) were commented on in a handbook from 2002 /4/, but not the legal requirements for risk assessment design. Instead, the authors were of the view that the precautionary principle does not apply when setting requirements for exposure below the ICNIRP limits. The authors also warn authorities against using the precautionary principle at the lower levels of exposure, claiming it undermines the credibility of science and exposure limits!
In 2006, the WHO also published a model legislation, the aim of which is to assist countries in implementing the ICNIRP guidelines as law /5/. The legislation states that no precautionary measures may be taken that undermine the exposure limits! EU Member States have not used this model legislation, but unfortunately the idea that the precautionary principle cannot be applied below the ICNIRP limits received strong support.
As we have mentioned earlier, the precau-tionary principle is defined in such a way that it assumes the existence of scientific uncertainty, which leads to a logical conclusion. That a risk is not yet fully established scientifically cannot serve as an excuse for not applying the principle. The information of the WHO is thus incorrect. Because the ICNIRP limits are based only on established risks, the precautionary principle has its scope at lower levels.
In another publication from 2006, the WHO stated that they are working on producing a guide for decision-makers on how the precautionary principle should be applied /6/. The aim is to develop various proposals for measures to protect public health, which the WHO has already taken into account:
“…the degree of scientific uncertainty and the anticipated severity of the harm that might ensure, taking into account the size of the affected population and the cost”.
This should be done in such a way as not to undermine the basis for the scientific risk assess-ment and scientifically based exposure limits.
Although such guidance has not yet been presented, this statement does, however, raise questions. How can this goal be achieved without undermining the role of decision-makers to undertake a comprehensive assessment of all the relevant circumstances of each individual case? Does the WHO intend to comply with the EU requirement that risk assessment and management should be distinguished between? We should also note that EU law requires that both risk assessment and risk management should be transparent (see for example, Council resolution, paragraph 14).
The EU requirements on risk assessment do not change the criteria used to assess the strength of scientific evidence, such as the Bradford Hill criteria. The degree of scientific uncertainty, however, must be presented in a correct manner, which requires a fundamental change in the position of the WHO, but does not undermine the basis of the scientific risk assessment.
7. RISK ASSESSMENTS OF SCENIHR
The Commission‟s scientific committee, SCENIHR, has also appointed a working group to evaluate the health risk associated with EMF. Initially, the group was led by Professor Anders Ahlbom, who was for many years also a leading
PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE IN EMF HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT 331
figure in ICNIRP and actively involved in the work of the WHO. Along with Professor Repacholi, Professor Ahlbom is therefore one of those who coordinates the approach of these agencies to the risk assessment issue.
In the autumn of 2006, the working group presented a preliminary report. The work was then subjected to a public consultation, resulting in extensive criticism. Various researchers provided information on how important discoveries in their areas had been ignored or played down. They also pointed out that the working group had not followed the guidelines for the precautionary principle.
The criticism did not result in changes to any conclusions, but the working group appears to at least have been given the task of explaining the method they used in the evaluation. The final report, which was presented in 2007, included a new section on methodological issues /7/. This section, however, describes only the criteria for assessing the strength of the scientific proof. The requirements of EU law are not considered at all. A debate in a Swedish journal also indicates that Professor Ahlbom did not consider that the precautionary principle imposes any requirements on risk assessment /8,9/.
Some of the scientists who had previously expressed their views on SCENIHR‟s preliminary report published their own report in the Autumn of 2007 (BioInitiative Report) /10/. The report gives a very detailed picture of the risk indications that SCENIHR has ignored or belittled. SCENIHR published a new report in 2009 /11/. This report, however, did not address the disagreement within the scientific community as expressed in the BioInitiative Report, even though SCENIHR was well aware of these views. The reporting is also of such a nature that the precautionary principle cannot be used for its purpose, namely, to allow legal requirements for measures to protect against possible risks. The problem can be illustrated by an example.
The BioInitiative Report states that more than a dozen scientific studies have been done on how mobile phone usage affects the risk of cancer in users. The authors have carried out a total appraisal of these studies that indicate an increased risk of both brain tumors and auditory nerve tumors (acoustic neuromas). The conclusion is,
“For brain tumors, people who have used a cell phone for 10 years or longer have a 20% increase in risk (when the cell phone is used on both sides of the head). For people who have used a cell phone for 10 years or longer predominantly on one side of the head, there is a 200% increased risk of a brain tumor.”
The risk is said to be even greater for auditory nerve tumors.
In both reports, SCENHIR has spoken out in the same way on this issue, with this conclusion:
“The balance of epidemiologic evidence indicates that mobile phone use of less than 10 years does not pose any increased risk of brain tumor or acoustic neuroma. For longer use, data are sparse and conclusions therefore are uncertain. From the available data, however, it does appear that there is no increased risk for brain tumors in longterm users, with the exception of acoustic neuroma for which there are some indications of an association.” The dispute lies in the different assessments of
existing studies. SCENIHR has set a very high certainty requirement for its assessments and therefore filters out risks that are not yet established. The risk of brain tumors with more than 10 years‟ use of mobile phones is ignored, and the risk of acoustic neuroma belittled. This conclusion means that the degree of scientific uncertainty is not correctly reflected, with the result that the precautionary principle cannot be used for its intended purpose.
332 M. DAMVIK AND O. JOHANNSON
The scientists who formulate risk assessments for SCENIHR have exactly the same attitude as the ICNIRP and WHO. The starting point for their risk assessment is to determine whether new research has emerged, which means that existing exposure limits should be adjusted. Indications of risk that are not yet fully established are, therefore, dismissed. Decision-makers are misled by this, which must be perceived as particularly serious.
The EU has adopted the ICNIRP basic restrictions and reference levels in Council Recommendation 1999/519/EC. The EU stated that the recommendation is based only on scientifically established risk, but the Council‟s intention was to retrospectively incorporate aspects of precaution. The Commission is requested to,
“Keep the matters covered by this recommendation under review, with a view to its revision and updating, taking into account also possible effects, which are currently the object of research, including relevant aspects of precaution…” Despite this request, the Commission has
never proposed any amendment to the recommendation. The reason is stated in its report, COM (2008) 532, p. 10:
“In 2007, the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) reviewed the scientific knowledge on potential health effects of EMF and found no consistent scientific evidence showing a need for revising the basic restrictions and reference levels set out in the Council Recommendation.”/12/ SCENHIR‟s misleading risk assessment
therefore means that the Commission is guilty of the fundamental mistake of wrongly rejecting the precautionary principle on the grounds that the risks are not yet fully established scientifically!
8. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that both WHO and SCENIHR
are designing their risk assessments in such a way that the precautionary principle cannot be used for its intended purpose. The work of the WHO is not controlled by the EU. The WHO often disclaims any responsibility for information in the reports. We therefore advise against uncritical use of its risk assessments. In many cases, the information in its reports and fact sheets is wrong, because the data are based on a misunderstanding of the precautionary principle.
By ruling in the Pfizer case, the Commission has been criticized for their scientific committee had misunderstood the precautionary principle and based its statement on false assumptions. SCENIHR's reports on the health risks of EMF show that this problem persists and occurs more generally.
The Commission has announced internal instructions for its scientific committees, but these are inadequate. The appointed scientists have misinterpreted their mandate and seem to believe that it is up to them to determine what level of risk is acceptable to society. Because this viewpoint is concealed by the incorrect reflection of the degree of scientific uncertainty, the problem is very difficult for the decision-makers who are responsible for risk management to detect.
Knowledge of how risk management works is required for a risk assessment to be correct. We therefore propose that the working groups be supplemented with legal expertise. They must also be provided with substantially clearer instructions on the conditions of their mission.
REFERENCES
1. Commission of the European Communities, Communication from the Commission on the precautionary principle, COM(2000) 1 final. Available from: eur-lex.europa.eu
PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE IN EMF HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT 333
2. European Council, Presidency conclusions, Nice European council meeting 7, 8 and 9 December 2000, Annex III. www.consilium.europa.eu
3. International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). Guidelines for limiting exposures to time-varying electric, mag-netic, and electromagnetic fields (up to 300 GHz). Health Physics 1998;74(4):494-522. Available from: http://www.icnirp.de/documents/ emfgdl.pdf
4. World Health Organization (WHO). Establishing a dialogue on risk from electromagnetic fields, 2002. Available from: www.who.int/peh-emf/en/
5. World Health Organization (WHO). Model legis-lation for electromagnetic fields protection, 2006. Available from: www.who.int/peh-emf/en/
6. World Health Organization (WHO). Framework for developing health-based EMF standards, 2006. Available from: www.who.int/peh-emf/en/
7. Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). Possible effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on human health, 2007. Available from: ec.europa.eu/health/ ph_risk/committees/09_scenihr/scenihr_opinions_en.htm#4
8. Dämvik M, Johansson O. Försiktighetsprincipen ställer krav på rapportering av osäkra risker (The
precautionary principle puts demand on reporting of uncertain risks). Läkartidningen 2008;34: 2274-5. Available from: ltarkiv.lakartidningen. se/artNo35435.
9. Ahlbom A. EU-rapportens syfte var en riskvärdering (EU report's purpose was a risk rating). Läkartidningen 2008;34:2275. Available from: ltarkiv.lakartidningen.se/artNo35435
10. Blackman CF, Blank M, Kundi M, Sage C, Carpenter DO, Davanipour Z, et al. The Bio-initiative Report—A rationale for a biologically-based public exposure standard for electro-magnetic fields (ELF and RF), 2007. Available from: www.bioinitiative.org
11. Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR). Health effects of exposure to EMF, 2009. Available from: ec.europa.eu/health/ph_risk/committees/09_ scenihr/scenihr_opinions_en.htm#4
12. Commission of the European Communities, Report from the Commission on the application of Council recommendation of 12 July 1999 (1999/519/EC) on the limitation of the exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields (0 Hz to 300 GHz), COM(2008) 532 final. Available from: eur-lex.europa.eu.
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Related: HEALTH, ITALYLifestyle | Fri Oct 19, 2012 6:29pm EDT
Italy court ruling links mobile phone use to tumorROME
Italy's supreme court has upheld a ruling that said there was a link between a businessexecutive's brain tumor and his heavy mobile phone usage, potentially opening the door tofurther legal claims.
The court's decision flies in the face of much scientific opinion, which generally says thereis not enough evidence to declare a link between mobile phone use and diseases such ascancer and some experts said the Italian ruling should not be used to draw widerconclusions about the subject.
"Great caution is needed before we jump to conclusions about mobile phones and braintumors," said Malcolm Sperrin, director of medical physics and clinical engineering atBritain's Royal Berkshire Hospital.
The Italian case concerned company director Innocenzo Marcolini who developed a tumorin the left side of his head after using his mobile phone for 5-6 hours a day for 12 years. Henormally held the phone in his left hand, while taking notes with his right hand.
Marcolini developed a so-called neurinoma affecting a cranial nerve, which was apparentlynot cancerous but nevertheless required surgery that badly affected his quality of life.
He initially sought financial compensation from the Italian Workers' CompensationAuthority INAIL which rejected his application, saying there was no proof his illness hadbeen caused by his work.
But a court in Brescia later ruled there was a causal link between the use of mobile andcordless telephones and tumors.
Italy's supreme court rejected an INAIL appeal against that ruling on October 12 though its
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It said the lower court's decision was justified and that scientific evidence advanced insupport of the claim was reliable. Marcolini's situation had been "different from normal,non-professional use of a mobile telephone", it said.
The evidence was based on studies conducted between 2005-2009 by a group led byLennart Hardell, a cancer specialist at the University Hospital in Orebro in Sweden. Thecourt said the research was independent and "unlike some others, was not co-financed bythe same companies that produce mobile telephones".
(Reporting By Virginia Alimenti; Additional reporting by Naomi O'Leary and Kate Kelland inLondon; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
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Please also take the time to read Forcedto Disconnect, an eye opening accountof real sufferers surviving in Sweden.
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EHS in Swedenin Sweden, electrohypersensitivity (EHS) is an officiallyfully recognized functional impairment (i.e., it is notregarded as a disease).
The electrohypersensitive people have their own handicap organization, The Swedish Association forthe Electrohypersensitive. This organization is included in the Swedish Disability Federation(Handikappförbundens SamarbetsOrgan; HSO). HSO is the unison voice of the Swedish disabilityassociations towards the government, the parliament, and national authorities, and is a cooperativebody that today consists of 43 national disability organizations (where The Swedish Association forthe ElectroSensitive is 1 of these 43 organizations) with all together about 500,000 individualmembers. You can read more on http://www.hso.se (the site has an English short version).
In Sweden, impairments are viewed from the point of the environment. No human being is in itselfimpaired, there are instead shortcomings in the environment that cause the impairment (as the lack oframps for the person in a wheelchair or rooms electrosanitized for the person withelectrohypersensitivity). This environment-related impairment view, furthermore, means that eventhough one does not have a scientifically based complete explanation for the impairmentelectrohypersensitivity, and in contrast to disagreements in the scientific society, the person withelectrohypersensitivity shall always be met in a respectful way and with all necessary support with thegoal to eliminate the impairment. This implies that the person with electrohypersensitivity shall havethe opportunity to live and work in an electrosanitized environment.
This view can fully be motivated in relation to the present national and international handicap lawsand regulations, including the UN 22 Standard Rules (since 2007 turned into a UN Convention) andthe Swedish action plan for persons with impairments (prop. 1999/2000:79 "Den nationellahandlingplanen för handikappolitiken – Från patient till medborgare"). Also, the Human Rights Act inthe EU fully applies.
In essence, the impairment is not caused by the person, but by the deficient/inferior environment.
Best regards,Yours,Olle
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(Olle Johansson, assoc. prof.The Experimental Dermatology UnitDepartment of NeuroscienceKarolinska Institute171 77 StockholmSweden
&
ProfessorThe Royal Institute of Technology100 44 StockholmSweden)
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