Subject: Repacholi press conference......
Date: Tue, 23 Dec 1997 041102 -0600 (CST)
From: "Roy L. Beavers" <rbeavers@llion.org>
To: emfguru@hotmail.com
--------------------------------------------------
Hi everybody:
Yesterday, one of you forwarded the following Reuters news story.
As the sender suggested, the parallels between the "gist" of this
story and the contents of my "Blue World" commentary ... appear to
be too close to be entirely "coincidental."
We should be reassured at the interest the "international community"
(World Health Organization) is now taking in the EMF matter ... as
reported in the following story. And, in principle, I am!!!
But before you allow your enthusiasm too much leeway, ... be sure you look
into the record of the man in charge, Dr. Michael Repacholi.......
I suggest, indeed, that Dr. Repacholi's defense of the status quo
reflected below ... provides clear evidence that he is not undertaking
this project from an unbiased position.....
(A few additional comments follow within the article.)
Cheerio.......
Roy Beavers (EMFguru)
rbeavers@llion.org..............http://www.feb.se/EMF-L/EMF-L.html
................................It is better to light a single candle ...
than to curse the darkness...............................................
Questions have been raised because you have a radiating
antennae very close to the head.
Dr. Michael Repacholi, WHO
Reuters
G E N E V A, Dec. 19; The World Health Organization (WHO)
wants more research into whether mobile phones, power lines and radar
might cause diseases that include cancer and Alzheimer's.
Dr. Michael Repacholi, manager of the WHO's Electromagnetic Fields
Project, told a news conference that perceived risks from new
technologies has become a serious public health issue.
He expressed confidence that existing international standards are
adequate, but said studies are needed on the effects of low-level
exposure over longer periods.
[Many of you are already aware that "existing standards" ignore the
EMF -- non-heating -- effects. Existing standards are based on "heat"
exposure considerations and totally ignore the issues being raised by the
EMF evidence. -- guru]
Experts from 17 countries held a final seminar in Geneva this week
to identify the most important gaps in existing scientific knowledge,
the Australian expert said.
WHO's five-year program, launched in May 1996, is to pool studies
to assess risks linked to exposure to electrical and magnetic fields
in the frequency range of 0-300 Ghz.
Some $100 million will be spent on programs in [1]Australia, the
European Union, [2]Japan and the [3]United States over the next four
years to determine public health risks, Repacholi said.
Checking Out Suggestions
"There are key issues that still need to be resolved because there
have been suggestions that electromagnetic fields may produce cancers
or memory loss or other neuro-degenerative diseases, such as
Alzheimer's disease," he said.
"We have to seriously address this issue so that we can provide
public confidence one way or the other, that we've done as much as we
can.
"If there is a risk, we want to know how big is the risk so we can
balance that with the benefits that come from the technology,"
Repacholi said. "So it is a serious issue."
[There it is again!!! "If you install safety measures in the mine, you
will drive up the cost of coal." -- guru]
WHO has recommended further research into a possible connection
between exposure to high-frequency radio fields; from radio,
television, mobile telephones and radars; and brain and other
cancers, as well as leukemia and lymphoma.
"Questions have been raised as to whether mobile phone use leads
to brain or other head and neck cancers because you have a radiating
antenna very close to the head," he said.
No Evidence Yet
"While there is no scientific evidence for that, it is something that
needs to be addressed because it could be a major public health
concern if it was found that there was any causal relationship.
["No scientific evidence?" Repacholi here shows that he is even unwilling
to tell the public about some of his own research ... which is among the
most incriminating so far..... -- guru]
"Mobile phones have only been around for less than 10 years now,
and the incubation period for cancer is at least 10, maybe 15 years.
So we need to set up the studies so that if there is an impact, they
can be found in a reasonable time."
The United Nations agency is also coordinating studies into
possible links between low-frequency fields; power lines and
electrical devices; and three diseases: childhood leukemia,
breast cancer and central nervous system disorders.
"There has been a large number of epidemiological studies
conducted and there seems to be about a 50 percent greater risk of
leukemia for children living near power lines," he said.
[!!!!!!!! -- guru]
Leukemia Worries
"We are calling for a concerted effort to research this area, so that
we can resolve this problem, because leukemia is one of the most
prevalent cancers in children."
But studies have not determined whether the higher leukemia risk
might be due to other factors, including pollution, he said.
[Here Repacholi is conveniently forgetting to mention EPRI's most recent
attempt to show (unsuccessfully) that the other "confounders" are the
cause of the illness and not the EMF. That was reported at the recent
San Diego meeting. I believe he was not there, but I cannot believe that
he is unaware of the EPRI research.... -- guru]
There's "mixed evidence" that there may be some increases in
breast cancer from exposure to low-frequency fields.
Repacholi said there had been a lot of research already into
electromagnetic fields. "The evidence with which we can make
conclusions now indicates that you need quite high levels of fields
before you start getting any adverse health impact.
[The evidence is clearly refuting the _assumption_ that only "high levels"
of exposure can be harmful!!!! -- guru]
"The questions remain though, whether low-field frequency over
long periods can have any impact. Basic science suggests that probably
isn't going to be the case.
[Where you see the words "basic science" read: _theory_ of "some" in the
physics community. -- guru]
"It would seem that we don't need at the
moment any protective measures above what international standards have
already suggested. These are protecting against high levels."
[The purpose of this press conference was to defend the status quo in
order to protect the vested interests of industry. -- guru]
Copyright 1997 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Archive provided courtesy of WaveGuide, http://www.wave-guide.org
Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.feb.se/EMF-L/EMF-L.html