(DUBLIN) An eminent Swedish professor at the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Stockholm is being blocked from completing replication experiments aimed at seeking a definitive answer to the effects of electromagnetic frequencies on the human body.

Prof. Olle Johansson (in happier times on a visit to London)

Prof. Olle Johansson, a long-time critic of wireless communications technology based on his research, has been informed that his offices and lab are required for other purposes, effectively blocking privatelysupported experiments scheduled for August and September. Johansson is associate professor and head of department at the Experimental Dermatology Unit in the institute’s Department of Neuroscience in Stockholm. He is also a professor with the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology.

Johansson first came to the attention of the public when his work led to improved computer screens to protect office workers from what he found as the adverse effects of radiation emitted from monitors.

Next month’s planned experiments are intended to replicate the experiments of Dr. Magda Havas of Trent U University, Canada whose work led to the cancellation of wi-fi in San Francisco and the recent new law requiring warning labels on mobile phones. San Francisco has yet to address the issue of radiation from mobile phone and other telecommunications masts.

Observers claim the current controversy at the Karolinska Institute follows Johansson’s efforts to assist activists in Ireland opposed to the proliferation of telecommunications masts to protect children who absorb up to 75 percent of this type of radiation into their brains. During a visit to Ireland he was quoted as saying “No level of radiation is safe.” The cash-strapped Irish government through the communications regulatory body, ComReg, has introduced what it calls “Test and Trial”, a program where companies are invited to test their wireless equipment in a live environment.

Most recently, Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications giant conducted tests in the 2.3GHz band at speeds of up to 80MBits/sec using a license issued under ComReg’s Test and Trial licensing program. The experiment used TD-LTE, originally promoted by China Mobile using paired spectrum with separated channels as a competitior to Intel’s Wimax, signal. The TD-LTE technology provides high-speed broadband services which can be used to support services such as high-definition TV, video conferencing and many others”  without the need for new devices. Ericsson has two Irish addresses: one in Dublin and its Software Campus at Athlone, Co. Westmeath, the company’s first R&D lab outside Sweden.

The test was conducted using a “large black box” broadcasting from a taxi. No mention of public safety of the test was made by Ericsson.

Two weeks ago, the city of San Francisco passed the first law in the US requiring retailers to display the amount of radiation given off by mobile phones. In retaliation after the vote, the CTIA wireless trade group called off its Autumn show, set for San Francisco. The city stands to lose $80 million in economic activity generated by the 3-day Enterprise and Applications Show, attended by 68,000 visitors. The show has been staged In San Francisco five of the last seven years

Last week U.S. President Barack Obama signed a memorandum doubling the number of frequencies available for wireless devices. The move is intended to create jobs and boost investment in the $153 billion wireless market over the next 10 years. The availability of a bigger chunk of wireless spectrum would allow faster delivery of data and video onto smart phones and other next-generation devices. Digital television is generally regarded as particularly dangerous by the physics community due to the large volume of information incorporated into the carrier waves.

Obama’s memo jump-starts an effort to make available over the next 10 years 500 megahertz of government and commercial spectrum, which reflects a recommendation by the Federal Communications Commission in its National Broadband Plan released in March. In the nation's largest cities, local TV stations use about 150 megahertz, according to the National Broadband Plan.

Researchers such as Dr. George Carlo, of the Science and Public Policy Institute at the Institute for Healthful Adaptation in Washington, D.C. assert that it is not the microwaves but microwaves which carry information that are the cause of the drastic increase in a number of diseases. In Ireland, for example, in a request for funding infection-free examination rooms for cancer patients, the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (RCPI) predicted last week that by the year 2025, half the population will suffer from some form of cancer.

In April, The European Academy for Environmental Medicine issued the Wuerzberg Appeal, outlining the increasing prevalence of chronic multisystem illnesses such as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FMS) as well as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative diseases, auto immune diseases and cancer. These multisystem diseases are considered chronic inflammatory processes influenced by environmental factors including chemical pollutants, biological infectious agents and electromagnetic field (EMF) triggers.

Johansson’s difficulties began last year when he was approached by Staffan Cullheim, head of the neuroscience department, who informed the professor he was to vacate his premises immediately because they were to be used as an “animal house for ferrets”.

Johansson refused point blank and the issue was dropped. The professor became ill and required surgery. Still convalescing, he returned to work and was again confronted by Cullheim, this time with plans to use his office and lab for an imaging facility.

Commenting on the Karolinska Institute’s attempted closure of Johansson’s research facilities, Dr. Carlo, said, "Olle Johansson's lab is one of the few remaining places in the world where independent, non-industry funded research on EMR health effects is being

done. It would be a tragedy if he were to be suppressed from carrying on his work."

The Karolinska Institute has a long history of intellectual scientific rigor as well as honours. Each year the Nobel Assembly of 50 Karolinska professors collates the nominees for the world famous Nobel awards in the fields physiology or medicine.

Prof. Harriet Walberg-Henriksson, president of the Karolinska Institute, and Prof. Bernd Huber, chairman of the League of European Research Universities, have not responded to queries regarding Johansson’s status, research or the timing of the proposed closure of his lab.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) today sent out a press release with the above claim.

They say they have reviewed over 800 studies.

However the studies number in the 100,000’s so it would be interesting to see the whole analysis and why they chose these particular studies and who funded them.

With the government advisory body the Stakeholder Advisory Group on ELF-EMFs (SAGE) about to release its second interim report could the IET press release be a smokescreen to offset any ‘bad’ news?

The SAGE group found that exposure to magnetic fields from sources such as powerlines above 0.04 microTesla leads to doubling of the risk of childhood leukaemia.

The UK follows the ICNIRP guidelines who  have set the limit at 100 microT.

Members of the SAGE committee want to limit building houses within 100m of a powerline. However this would be expensive for the industry.

Prof Denis Henshaw of the radiation Effects Group at Bristol University[i][1] and a member of the SAGE committee says: “The IET continues to provide extremely poor advice on the health effects from electromagnetic fields (EMF’S). In the case of Powelines adverse health effects are well known and well documented as are the underlying ways in which EMF’s can adversely effect health”

Mobile phones and brain tumours

On May 18th the industry funded study on the risk of brain tumours was released. Despite its many flaws leading to an underestimation of risk, the evidence still showed a 40% increase in risk of glioma after 10 years use of ½ hour per day. [2]

Other research by a team in Sweden has showed a marked increased risk of 5 times for children after 10 years use. [3]

Dr Andrew Goldsworthy, Hon lecturer in Biology at Imperial College is puzzled by the IET conclusions. He says: “But we know that cells in the body react to electrical currents. When you apply an alternating electrical current across cell membranes they vibrate and can literally be broken up by a strong field such as that emitted from mobile phones. This can release enzymes normally locked up within each cell that can damage its DNA. There are many studies showing double strand DNA breaks from radiation emitted from mobile phone signals. The European REFLEX study was one such.

A practical application of this can be seen in a new technique used for treating cancer. Recent research by Dr Yoram Palti, shortly to be published, has found that the damage done to the DNA of dividing cells by electromagnetic radiation of the same strength as that emitted from a mobile phone is so great as to be equivalent or better than that of ionising radiation from radiotherapy (

http://tinyurl.com/38rv2tw ). Dividing cells are more sensitive to DNA and chromosome damage than other cells because, when the cell divides, fragments of broken chromosomes (which contain the DNA) can be lost so that the daughter cells are genetically incomplete and die. This is why ionising radiation can cure cancer.

However, less serious DNA damage from lower doses of either ionising or non-ionising radiation can result in hitherto healthy cells becoming cancerous in later life. The rapidly dividing cells of the foetus and growing children may be particularly at risk. What can cure can also kill.”

Mast Sanity calls upon the government to stop listening to the industry and look to public protection.

The French government on 11^th May voted to ban the use of mobile phones by children in schools and put warning labels against excessive use on mobile phones. [4]

The Mast Sanity Press Office can now be contacted on 0844 443 5750.

www.mastsanity.org

Registered UK Charity no. 1109757

Calling for Environmentally and Biologically safe communications networks and radio frequency devices

There have been a number of cases where electrosensitive individuals have been badly affected by smoke alarms, when they develop severe symptoms of electrosensitivity that seem to last longer than those from exposure to weak non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. The most likely cause is that the cheap “ionizing” type of smoke alarm contains a radioactive isotope (Americium-241) that gives off small amounts of gamma rays that can trigger electrosensitive responses.

Americium-241 emits both alpha particles and gamma rays. The alpha particles ionize the air in a chamber inside the device, which allows it to conduct electricity from the battery. When smoke enters the chamber, it combines with these ions to neutralise them, which reduces the flow of current and sets off the alarm. The alpha particles cannot travel far through air and are contained within the casing of the alarm, but the gamma rays are more penetrating and escape to the outside.

Gamma rays damage the fatty components of cell membranes (in effect they go rancid) and the membranes leak. When this occurs in sensory cells, they trigger the release of neurotransmitters, which stimulate neighbouring nerve cells to send false signals to the brain. This then gives symptoms of electrosensitivity. Electrosensitivity to non-ionizing electromagnetic fields; e.g. from mobile phones, is probably due to membrane leakage caused by the temporary removal of some of the calcium ions that normally stabilise them, and is more rapidly reversed.

If you find you are affected by these devices, the best solution is to buy one or more “optical” smoke detectors. These contain no radioactive isotope. Instead, smoke entering the device interrupts a beam of infra red light and it is this that sets the alarm off. They are more expensive and the batteries may not last so long, but they are less likely to give false alarms when there is no significant smoke; e.g. from cooking or burning the toast.

Andrew Goldsworthy 2010

Interphone Study Design Flaws from ElectromagneticHealth.Org on Vimeo.

(See our (embargoed) Press Release (below) for an evaluation of the Interphone Study that is/was scheduled for release tomorrow.)

It is interesting that the same sources that just cut and paste the Press Release from the Science and Media Centre (or the Mobile Operators Association) - such as the Guardian, Mirror and the BBC - will be publishing a 'no adverse effects' story this evening and/or tomorrow whilst other publications have looked at the detailsof the study and noted that the actual trends in the small print of the conclusions of the studies published within the Interphone Study still show a significant tumour threat whilst the studies omitted from the Report are even more clear-cut in showing a link between mobile phone use and brain cancer risk.

"Cause for Concern"









Daily Mail
Daily Mail
Express
Express
The Scotsman
Sunday Times
Telegraph





















"No Adverse Effects"












BBC
Guardian
Independent
Mirror
The Times
The Times

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) are issuing only partial results of the Interphone studies on Tuesday ^[0] . These published resultsjust include gliomas and meningiomas. They leave out the results for salivary gland tumours and acoustic neuromas - the results of which are even more damning. ^[7,8,9]

The results of this 13 country study are 5 years overdue with reports of deep divides between researchers. Perhaps a case of "Do we cover up the bad news or do we tell the truth?”

The summary within the report claims that there is no overall increased risk. However,  the detail of the published results show a 40% increased risk for 1,640 hours use (10 years) for glioma and 15% for Meningioma, with more tumours on the side of the head where the mobile phone is held.

Previously a paper published in Pathophysiology^[1] details 11 design flaws in the Interphone study. These flaws even led to one study claiming that mobile phone use actually reduced brain tumour risk by 20%! This is clearly ridiculous and shows how skewed the design was. Could the large industry funding have played a part in the design of the study?

That even this skewed set of studies still throws up an increase in brain cancer risk after 10 years use should make people worry. Brain tumours are increasing at the rate of 2% every year. So much so that brain tumours are now the biggest cause of cancer death in young men and women in the UK ^[10].

Brain tumour studies have been conducted by 2 research groups only - Interphone and Prof Hardell at Obrero University in Sweden.

Last year 5 scientists reviewed all the published studies to date i.e. Interphone and Hardell’s independently funded studies. ^[2]

This report showed a doubling of brain tumour risk after 10 years use with a 5 times increased risk of brain tumours for children using a mobile before age 20. ^[3] The authors assume this was an underestimate due to the flaws in Interphone.

Australian Television interviewed 2 of the researchers - brain surgeons Dr Teo and Dr Khurana. This is what they had to say:

Dr Teo, says: "If the question is do I believe that mobile phones can cause brain cancer? The answer is yes, I do."

Dr Teo also gives this warning: "I'm incredibly worried, concerned, depressed at the number of kids I'm seeing coming in with brain tumours. Malignant brain tumours. Just in the last three or four weeks I've seen nearly half a dozen kids with tumours which really should have been benign and they've all been nasty, malignant brain tumours. We are doing something terribly wrong."

Dr Vini Khurana says "Long-term use of mobile phones is associated with a doubling of the risk of being diagnosed with certain brain tumours....I actually think it may be a conservative estimate."^[4]

According to Lloyd Morgan, B.Sc., lead author of the white paper, “Cellphones and Brain Tumors: 15 Reasons for Concern, Science, Spin and the Truth Behind Interphone” ^[5] "This data is already past its ‘sell-by’ date. Further delays in releasing the other data are not acceptable. In my opinion, the whole Interphone study has turned into a scandalous and expensive fiasco."

Mast Sanity calls upon (WHO/IARC) to come clean and admit that Mobile Phone use DOES cause Brain Cancer.

Furthermore, Mast Sanity call for an immediate release of all Interphone raw data to ensure transparency and complete disclosure, and the results of the unpublished studies to be made public.

[Note: This Press Release was Embargoed until 1.30am Tuesday 18th May 2010 and was clearly marked as such]