At a scientific conference on 27th November 2007 entitled-"Are Present ICNIRP EMF Exposure Recommendations Adequate?", hosted by Roger Coghill and Robert Verkerk, at the Royal Society, London, scientists endorsed the BioInitiative Report, extended the 2006 Benevento Resolution and resolved that:
"We, the undersigned, do call on theUKHealth Protection Agency (HPA), UK Government and all the health protection agencies and governments world-wide, to take note of the findings and recommendations in the Bioinitiative Report (2007) [1] and its predecessors the Benevento Resolution (2006) [2], the Catania Resolution (2002) [3] and the Salzburg Resolution (2000) [4] to immediately reduce the guidelines for exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RF) and extremely low-frequency electromagnetic1 fields (ELF-EMF) for the following reasons:
• The overwhelming evidence of adverse non-thermal health effects at exposures many times below the current guide lines.
• The near 100% penetration of the market in Europe, the USA and many other markets by mobile phones and increasing penetration elsewhere.
• The vast proliferation of wireless networks and devices beyond those envisaged at the time the current guidelines were set.
We call for the ICNIRP to reconvene as a matter of urgency to reassess the exposure guidelines and to develop and implement biologically based public safety limits reflecting the overall scientific evidence that existing ICNIRP guidelines are not sufficiently protective against health effects from chronic exposures to the rapidly increasing environmental-level ELF-EMF and RF.
Failing that
- We call for the setting up of an independent body to define new biologically based public exposure limits and/or preventative actions, for ELF-EMF and RF, that address reported biological effects, which, with prolonged exposure, can reasonably be presumed to result in adverse health consequences.
-
In the absence of such recommendations we suggest as
an intermediate step that the HPA and UK Government immediately implement the
ELF-EMF and RF recommendations of the BioInitiative Report 2007 and strive for
the recommendations of the Public Health Department of the Government of
Salzburg (2002) of 0.06 V/m for outdoor and 0.02 V/m for indoor RF exposure.
Based on the precautionary principle, children and vulnerable groups (such as
people with epilepsy and heart conditions)
should not be exposed to a risk of harm, thus we propose that
- Children under 16 should use mobile phones and cordless phones for emergency calls only.
- No Wi-fi, WiMax or other forms of wireless networking are placed in homes, schools or public areas or promoted for use thereof.
- That regular and frequent independent audits are undertaken of emissions to ensure that base stations ("masts") do not exceed the new biologically based guidelines at any locality either singly or by accumulation. Such audits should be widely publicised and made available for public scrutiny. The precautionary principle needs to be implemented."
Signed:
Dr. Christopher Busby, Subcontractor, Policy Interpretation Network on Children's Health and Environment (PINCHE), Liverpool/Aberystwyth, UK
Mr. Roger Coghill,MA(Cantab) C Biol Mi BiolMA(Environ Mgt), Coghill Research Laboratories, Pontypool,Wales, UK
Dr. AndrewGoldsworthy, Honorary Lecturer, Imperial College, London, UK
Dr. Lennart Hardell, University Hospital, Orebro University,Orebro, Sweden
Prof. Olle Johansson, Experimental Dermatology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Sweden, and The Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
Dr. Gerd Oberfeld, Public Health Department, Salzburg Government, Salzburg, Austria
Mr. Alasdair Philips, B.Sc. (Eng), Director, Powerwatch, Sutton in the Isle, UK
Mr. Graham Philips, MBCS, Technical Manager, Powerwatch, Ely, UK
Ms Cindy Sage, Co-Editor, BioInitiative Report, Santa Barbara CA, USA
Dr. JohnWalker, 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
The London Resolution has now been published here and here .
Prof Olle Johansson has published over 300 peer reviewed papers, many in the field of EMF bioeffects. He lectures frequently on this issue, and conducts experimental research on weak field effects on surface tissues. Sweden is the only country in the World that recognise EHS as a disability.
Dr Lennart Hardell is professor in oncology and cancer epidemiology at the University Hospital in Orebro, Sweden. Most of his research has been on risk factors for cancer such as exposure to pesticides and persistent organic pollutants. During recent years he and his co-workers have studied use of cellular and cordless telephones and the risk for brain tumours. This research is independently funded unlike the Interphone studies.
Roger Coghill has for over twenty years directed an independent bioelectromagnetics laboratory in South Wales, specialising on the interactions between the physical energies of electricity and magnetism and organic life.
Eileen O'Connor, a breast cancer victim, campaigns extensively for regulatory recognition of the adverse effects of cellphone masts.
Dr. Gerd Oberfeld is
responsible for environmental medicine and since 1994 has been
adviser for environmental medicine of the Austrian Medical
Association being responsible for the postgraduate course in
Environmental Medicine. His
Government warn that WiFi should not be used in schools. It also has
the lowest exposure guidelines in the World.
Dr. John Walker is a Chartered Physicist who lives in Sutton Coldfield
Dr
Christopher Busby, Subcontractor, Policy Interpretation Network on
Children's Health and Environment (PINCHE) - The PINCHE-project is a
Policy Interpretation Network on Children's Health and Environment
that is funded by the European Union for three years. The PINCHE
project is designed to provide decision makers, environmental health
professionals, and other stakeholders with information relevant for
policy development. This will help making decisions about issues in
the area of children's health and environment.
Dr Robert Verkerk is from The
Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) was founded in 2002 and is a
UK-based, internationally-active, non-governmental organization,
working to help positively shape the regulatory and scientific
framework affecting natural health.