{"id":382,"date":"2011-02-03T18:45:41","date_gmt":"2011-02-03T18:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sagereports.com\/smart-meter-rf\/?page_id=382"},"modified":"2011-02-05T23:55:39","modified_gmt":"2011-02-05T23:55:39","slug":"seletun-scientific-statement","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/sagereports.com\/smart-meter-rf\/?page_id=382","title":{"rendered":"Seletun Scientific Statement"},"content":{"rendered":"

Download the Press Release \"\"<\/a>
\nDownload the Statement \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Karolinska Institutet<\/strong><\/p>\n

Department of Neuroscience<\/p>\n

Experimental Dermatology Unit<\/p>\n

Stockholm, 2011-02-03<\/p>\n

Scientists Urge Halt of Wireless Rollout and Call for New Safety Standards: Warning Issued on Risks to Children and Pregnant Women<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scientists who study radiofrequency radiation from wireless technologies have issued a scientific statement warning that exposures may be harming the development of children at levels now commonly found in the environment. Pregnant women are cautioned to avoid using wireless devices themselves and distance themselves from other users.<\/p>\n

The Seletun Scientific Statement has now been published in Reviews on Environmental Health (2010; 25: 307-317). The article recommends that lower limits be established for electromagnetic fields and wireless exposures, based on scientific studies reporting health impacts at much lower exposure levels. Many researchers now believe the existing safety limits are inadequate to protect public health because they do not consider prolonged exposure to lower emission levels that are now widespread.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrent US and ICNIRP standards for radiofrequency and microwave radiation from wireless technologies are entirely inadequate. They never were intended to address the kind of exposures from wireless devices that now affect over 4 billion people.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Olle Johansson, professor, The Experimental Dermatology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, and The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden)<\/p>\n

The combined effect of cell phones, cordless phones, cell towers, WI-FI and wireless internet place billions of people around the world at risk for cancer, neurological disease and reproductive and developmental impairments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are already seeing increases in health problems such as cancer and neurobehavioural impairments, even though these wireless technologies are fairly new in the last decades or so for the general public. This finding suggests that the exposures are already too high to protect people from health harm. Evidence suggests there are special risks for persons with occupational exposures to RF\/MW as well as ELF.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Elihu Richter, assoc. professor, Unit of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel)<\/p>\n

Safety standards also ignore the developing fetus, and young children who are more affected.<\/p>\n

\u201cPregnant women and children of all ages should avoid using cell and cordless phones given the health effects we are seeing already.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Yuri Grigoriev, professor, Dr of Med Sci, Chairman of Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, Moscow, Russian Federation)<\/p>\n

Many countries are promoting wireless communications on a community-wide scale for energy management and conservation. The SmartGrid concept could require every home to have a wireless electric and gas meter in place of their existing meters. If implemented, it will greatly increase the intensity of new wireless emissions in homes, schools and every other building that uses electricity and gas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWI-FI routers, DECT phones and other wireless devices like baby monitors produce radio frequency emissions that will affect millions of people and babies in their homes, and should be halted until other, less harmful options are investigated.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Lukas Margaritis, professor, Department of Cell Biology and Biophysics,?Faculty of Biology,?University of Athens, Athens, Greece)<\/p>\n

The Scientific Panel urges a halt to the rollout of new wireless technologies, especially those that cause exposures for pregnant women and for children.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew, biologically-based exposure limits are crucial to guide new technology development toward solutions that are not harmful to health. The global rollout of wireless technologies has outpaced both health studies and calls for more restrictive public safety limits.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Cindy Sage, co-editor of The Bioinitiative Report, MA, Sage Associates,?Santa Barbara, CA, USA)<\/p>\n

Copies of the Seletun Scientific Statement [Fragopoulou A, Grigoriev Y, Johansson O, Margaritis LH, Morgan L, Richter E, Sage C. \u201cScientific panel on electromagnetic field health risks: Consensus points, recommendations, and rationales. Scientific Meeting: Seletun, Norway, November 17-21, 2009\u201d, Rev Environ Health 2010; 25: 307-317] can be obtained from the Karolinska Institute. Contact: Prof. Olle Johansson.<\/p>\n

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Download the Statement\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

REVIEWS ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0VOLUME 25, No. 4, 2010<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scientific Panel on Electromagnetic Field Health Risks: Consensus Points, Recommendations, and Rationales<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scientific Meeting: Seletun, Norway, November 17-21, 2009<\/strong><\/p>\n

Adamantia Fragopoulou,[1] Yuri Grigoriev,[2] Olle Johansson,[3] Lukas H Margaritis,[1]<\/p>\n

Lloyd Morgan,[4] Elihu Richter[5] and Cindy Sage[6]<\/p>\n

[1]<\/em>U<\/em>niversity of Athens, Athens, Greece; [<\/em>2]<\/em>Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, Moscow (Russian Federation); [<\/em>3]<\/em>K<\/em>arolinska Institute and The Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden ; [<\/em>4]<\/em>Bioelectromagnetics Society, Berkeley, CA, USA; [<\/em>5]<\/em>H<\/em>ebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, Jerusalem (Israel); [<\/em>6]<\/em>Sage Associates, Santa Barbara, CA, USA<\/em><\/p>\n

Su<\/em><\/strong>mm<\/em><\/strong>a<\/em><\/strong>r<\/em><\/strong>y<\/em><\/strong>: <\/strong>In November, 2009, a scientific panel met in Seletun, Norway, for three days of intensive discussion on existing scientific evidence and public health implications of the unprecedented global exposures to artificial electromagnetic fields (EMF). EMF exposures (static to 300 GHz) result from the use of electric power and from wireless telecommunications technologies for voice and data transmission, energy, security, military and radar use in weather and transportation. The Scientific Panel recognizes that the body of evidence on EMF requires a new approach to protection of public health; the growth and development of the fetus, and of children; and argues for strong preventative actions. New, biologically-based public exposure standards are urgently needed to protect public health worldwide.<\/p>\n

K<\/strong>eywords<\/strong>: EMF, wireless telecommunications technology, radiofrequency, non-ionizing radiation, non-thermal effects, long-term effects, public exposure guidelines, public health<\/p>\n

Correspondence<\/strong>: Professor Olle Johansson, The Experimental Dermatology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, 171 77 Stockholm, and The Royal Institute of Technology, 100 44, Stockholm (Sweden). E-mail:contact information available only in attached download<\/em><\/p>\n

B<\/strong>ACKGROUND<\/strong><\/p>\n

In November, 2009, a scientific panel met in Seletun, Norway, for three days of intensive discussion on existing scientific evidence and public health implications of the unprecedented global\u00a0 \u00a0exposures\u00a0 \u00a0to\u00a0\u00a0 artificial\u00a0 \u00a0electromagnetic fields (EMF).<\/p>\n

EMF \u00a0exposures \u00a0(static \u00a0to\u00a0 300 \u00a0GHz) \u00a0result from the use of electric power and from wireless telecommunications technologies for voice and data transmission, energy, security, military and radar use in weather and transportation.<\/p>\n

The Scientific Panel recognizes that the body of evidence on EMF requires a new approach to\u00a0protection of public health; the growth and development of the fetus, and of children; and argues for strong preventative actions. These conclusions are built upon prior scientific and public health reports \/1-6\/ documenting the following:<\/p>\n

1) Low-intensity (non-thermal) bioeffects and adverse health effects are demonstrated at levels significantly below existing exposure standards.<\/em><\/p>\n

2) \u00a0ICNIRP and IEEE\/FCC public safety limits<\/em><\/p>\n

are inadequate and obsolete with respect to prolonged, low-intensity exposures.<\/em><\/p>\n

3) \u00a0New, biologically-based public exposure standards are urgently needed to protect public health world-wide.<\/em><\/p>\n

4) \u00a0It is not in the public interest to wait.<\/em><\/p>\n

Strong concern has been voiced by the public, and by scientists as well as public health and environmental policy experts, that the deployment of technologies that expose billions of people worldwide to new sources of EMF may pose a pervasive risk to public health. Such exposures did not exist before the ?age of industry and information?. Prolonged exposure appears to disrupt biological processes that are fundamental to plant, animal and human growth and health. Life on earth did not evolve with biological protections or adaptive biological responses to these EMF exposures. Exceptionally small levels of EMF from earth and space existed during the time that all life evolved on earth on the order of less than a billionth to one ten-billionth of a Watt per meter squared. A rapidly accumulating body of scientific evidence of harm to health and well- being constitute warnings that adverse health effects \u00a0can \u00a0occur\u00a0 with \u00a0prolonged \u00a0exposures\u00a0 to very low-intensity EMF at biologically active frequencies or frequency combinations.<\/p>\n

The Seletun Scientific Panel has adopted a Consensus Agreement that recommends preventative and precautionary actions that are warranted now, given the existing evidence for potential \u00a0global\u00a0 health \u00a0risks. \u00a0We \u00a0recognize \u00a0the duty of governments and their health agencies to educate and warn the public, to implement measures balanced in favor of the Precautionary Principle, to monitor compliance with directives promoting alternatives to wireless, and to fund research and policy development geared toward prevention of exposures and development of new public safety measures.<\/p>\n

POINTS OF AGREEMENT<\/strong><\/p>\n