News
July 12, 2011
Statement of Franz Adlkofer when asked by a French organization to support the creation of a microwave-free environment for electrosensitive people:
It is a real tragedy that thousands of people in Europe who suffer from effects of various forms of electromagnetic fields (EMF) are considered to be mentally ill only because science is not able yet to understand the basic mechanisms leading to electrosensitivity. Medical doctors who are consulted by more and more people with symptoms which do not fit to any known disease feel as helpless as their patients do, who suffer in a way that their hardship cannot be ignored anymore. After the control of EMF-research by industry and politics for decades serving exclusively their own vested interests, scientific knowledge on possible risks of EMF to the health of people is still rather poor. These shortcomings in the present state of knowledge are indeed used to do injustice to the people plagued by electrosensitivity.
Not to understand the mechanism which may cause electrosensitivity does in no way mean that this phenomenon is a product of fantasy. In the meantime, it is well known that low and high frequency electromagnetic fields generate biological effects in isolated human cells far below the safety limits. Effects such as changes in gene and protein expression and damage to the DNA may derange the metabolism of cells and organs, thus, contributing to the development of any disease. Science is at present unable to understand the underlying mechanisms of the biological effects promoted by this kind of radiation. To accept any kind of a potential disease-causing effect that has been demonstrated below the safety limits, however, would demolish the present safety regulations. Since industry and politics are very much interested in maintaining these regulations due to economic reasons, they still refuse to acknowledge the existence of biological effects far below the safety limits.
From what we already know it must be concluded that our societies are obliged to assist people plagued by the symptoms of electrosensitivity to live their life as normal as possible. An environment where they are protected from this kind of radiation - if at all still available - is the least what we should offer them. According to the fundamental law valid in the European democracies it does not seem to be acceptable that the beneficiaries of this technology make enormous profits, while the burden of it is laid down primarily upon the shoulders of an unfortunate minority.
Franz Adlkofer
Le 12 juillet 2011
Il est tragique que des milliers d’Européens qui souffrent des effets des champs électromagnétiques (CEM) soient considérés comme atteints de maladies mentales simplement parce que la science n’est pas encore capable de comprendre les mécanismes de base qui conduisent à l’électrosensibilité. Les médecins qui sont consultés par un nombre croissant de personnes dont les symptômes n’entrent dans le cadre d’aucune pathologie connue se sentent aussi démunis que leurs patients. Ces derniers vivent des souffrances qui ne peuvent plus être ignorées. Après des dizaines d’années de contrôle de la recherche sur les champs électromagnétiques par l’industrie et les politiciens au service exclusif de leurs propres intérêts, la connaissance scientifique au sujet des risques possibles des CEM pour la santé est encore relativement pauvre. Ces lacunes des connaissance actuelles sont utilisées pour commettre des injustices envers les personnes atteintes d’électrosensibilité.
Ne pas comprendre les mécanismes pouvant provoquer l’électrosensibilité ne signifie en aucun cas que ce phénomène est un produit de l’imagination. D’autant qu’il est bien connu que les champs électromagnétiques basses et hautes fréquences génèrent des effets biologiques sur des cellules humaines isolées bien au-dessous des normes de sécurité. Les effets tels que des modifications dans l’expression des gènes et des protéines et des dommages à l’ADN pourraient déséquilibrer le métabolisme des cellules et des organes, contribuant ainsi au développement de maladies. La science est pour le moment incapable d’expliquer les mécanismes profonds des effets biologiques promus par ces radiations. Admettre quelque effet potentiel que ce soit sur la santé – même démontré – au-dessous des limites de sécurité reviendrait à démolir les normes actuelles. Pour des raisons économiques, l'industrie et les politiques ont tout intérêt à maintenir la réglementation en vigueur et ils refusent toujours de reconnaître l'existence d'effets biologiques bien au-dessous des limites de sécurité.
A partir de ce que nous savons déjà, nous devons conclure que nos sociétés sont tenues de prêter assistance aux personnes affectées par les symptômes de l’électrosensibilité pour qu’elles vivent aussi normalement que possible. Un environnement où elles sont protégées de ce type de rayonnements – si c'est encore possible – est le moins que nous puissions leur offrir. Selon la loi fondamentale en vigueur dans les démocraties européennes, il ne semble pas acceptable que les bénéficiaires de cette technologie fassent d’énormes profits alors que le fardeau qui en résulte est abandonné sur les épaules d’une minorité malchanceuse.
Franz Adlkofer
June 2011
Citizens’ protection from high-frequency radiation in Germany lies in the hands of scientific outsiders.
By Franz Adlkofer
In the end of May 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the WHO in Lyon classified high-frequency electromagnetic fields - to which mobile phone radiation belongs - as “possibly carcinogenic”. This classification shows that for IARC a causal link between radiation exposure and cancer development is plausible. The decision is based on a vote by 30 scientists from 14 countries that had been invited by IARC to Lyon between May 24 and 31, 2011, to assess the cancer risk of humans exposed to high-frequency radiation. The only dissenting vote came from a member of the German Commission on Radiological Protection (SSK). Before the meeting, participation of Prof. Alexander Lerchl, being the head of the Committee Non-ionizing Radiation in the SSK and, thus, Germany’s highest-ranking radiation protector, was rejected by the IARC on grounds that his closeness to industry and his pre-conceived position would not contribute to a balanced search for consensus. This shows that the SSK - members of which are appointed by politics - is in a scientific offside position. Under these circumstances, the politicians in Germany who are responsible for health issues have to ask themselves why they entrusted scientists with the citizens’ protection from high-frequency radiation, whose view is not supported by the state of international research.
Document >>> [111 KB]
March 2011
Attempts to Destroy Scientific Mobile Telecommunication Data at the Medical University of Vienna failed.
By Prof. Franz Adlkofer and Prof. Karl Richter
Pandora - Foundation for Independent Research – is presenting a documentation demonstrating which kind of measures Prof. Wolfgang Schütz, rector of the Medical University of Vienna, in close cooperation with Prof. Alexander Lerchl, head of the Committee for Non-ionizing Radiation in the German Commission on Radiological Protection, has taken aimed at removing scientific data from the scientific literature which had been obtained by Prof. Hugo Rüdiger’s research group at the Medical University of Vienna. The results showed that mobile phone radiation owns the potential to damage the genome of isolated human cells. Schütz’s and Lerchl’s allegation that these findings would with the highest probability be the result of scientific misconduct has been rejected by two commissions for scientific integrity. Even so, the respective publications have never recovered from the loss of confidence. It can be taken for sure that the two gentlemen pursued the goal to most elegantly destroy inconvenient scientific data by slandering in the interest of the mobile phone industry. Part I of the documentation shows that Prof. Schütz was not hesitant to apply methods in reaching his goal that are absolutely unworthy of the rector of a medical university, and how he failed. Part II describes which intrigues were used by Prof. Lerchl in order to get rid of the attacked data, and how he lost any personal credibility.
Press release >>> [102 KB]
A critical comment 1 >>> [328 KB]
A critical comment 2 >>> [124 KB]
February 2011
Control of mobile communication research by government and industry in Australia as archetype for the rest of the world
By Don Maisch, EMFacts Consultancy, Australien
Australia has a relatively long history in research on high frequency radiation, telecommunication and the development of health based standards for which the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) has been responsible over many years. In 2003, this organization was excluded from any involvement with non-ionizing radiation research by the federal government. Instead of the task was assigned to the newly created Australian Centre for Radiofrequency Bioeffects Research (ACRBR). Central to these changes has been a marked shift in emphasis in research priorities away from independent research to a research effort mired in partisan conflicts of interest that ensured conformity with both federal government and industry policy on telecommunications. Quite obviously, Australia is the microcosm of what has happened and is still happening globally with cell phone research.
Read the document >>> [346 KB]