Sunday, April 05, 2015

Guest blog from Mona Nilsson on recent SCENIHR report


Guest blog from Mona Nilsson on recent SCENIHR report


This is the next in a series of guest blogs on BRHP. The opinions expressed in it are of Mona Nilsson herself. Publication of these opinions in BRHP does not imply that BRHP automatically agrees with or endorses these opinions. Publication of this, and other guest blogs, is an attempt to support an open debate and free exchange of opinions on RF-EMF and health.
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Text below is by Mona Nilsson
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The European Commission recently published a new expert report on the health risks from exposure to electromagnetic fields (SCENIHR). The brain tumour risks from mobile phone use are dismissed on the basis of a cohort study that is so biased that other scientists are surprised that it even got published in a scientific journal.
The EU-report SCENIHR a scientific fraud paving the way for business as usual.
On an issue where an increasing number of experts and scientists that are warning of growing evidence for serious health risks to the public, the European Commission appointed a small group of experts with 12 individuals that nearly all are known to peddle the thesis that there are no health risks from mobile phone use, radiation from mobile towers, wireless networks. Most of the 12 experts also have documented ties to the power or the telecommunications industry.
Chairman consultant to the telecommunications industry
The chairman of the SCENIHR working group serves as an example how the EU-commission handles an issue where there are huge economic interests in conflict with public health interests. It’s chairman Theodoros Samaras is a member of the IEEE which brings together representatives of the military, telecommunications and electrical industries and recommends standards for human exposure of great economic and strategic importance to the industry. In the years 2010-2012 Samaras was consultant to Vodafone Panafone a telecom operator in Greece. He is an advisor and a former employee of IT’IS a Swiss organization funded by the major telecom companies.
Of the other experts responsible for writing the report (working group), most of them also have some ties to the industry that would be very much affected by and conclusions about health risks. Several of them are also involved in the organization ICNIRP, that like IEEE sets limits of great economic and strategic importance to the industry.
The mobile’s brain tumor risks dismissed
The section on brain tumor risks from mobile phone use in the SCENIHR report can serve as an example of how the experts failed to present the available science in an objective and accurate manner and thus how the European Commission handles an issue where the potentially serious health risks for hundreds of millions of EU citizens stand against the risk for the economically powerful telecom industry that brain tumour risks are officially admitted.
The SCENIHR report claims (p 5):
“Overall, the epidemiological studies on mobile phone RF EMF exposure do not show an increased risk of brain tumours. Furthermore, they do not indicate an increased risk for other cancers of the head and neck region. Some studies raised questions regarding an increased risk of glioma and acoustic neuroma in heavy users of mobile phones. The results of cohort and incidence time trend studies do not support an increased risk for glioma while the possibility of an association with acoustic neuroma remains open.”
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