In These New Times

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Professor Franz Adelkofer, coordinator of the Reflex

report, considers that today we are playing with fire.

12’ 25’’ Professor Franz Adelkofer:

“This is real evidence that hyperfrequency electro

magnetic fields can have geno-toxic effects. And this

damaged DNA is always the cause of cancer. We’ve found

these damaging effects on the genes at levels well below

the safety limits, that’s why we think it is urgent to base

our safety limits on the biological effects not on the

thermic ones, they should be based on biology not on

physics.”

13’ 04’’ Journalist:

It’s true that the current level is fairly high because it

takes account only of the heating effect of microwaves,

the only one that international authorities recognize. At

present it is 41.6V per metre. In France it has been left

at 41.6V/m, in Belgium it has already been divided in

half. In Switzerland it has been reduced to 5V/m, a

precautionary measure that some people would like to

see copied in Belgium.

13’ 28’’ Journalist:

By coincidence it is in Switzerland, in Geneva, that the

World Health Organisation has its headquarters.           .

Dr Emilie van Deventer is Madame ‘electromagnetic

field’, she is the one who issues the recommendations.

These negative radio waves around mobile phones do not

seem to interfere with her line of thought.                    .

13’ 47’’ Dr Emilie van Deventer WHO:

“The exposure of the human being to this radiation is

much greater than it was previously, so it is important to

review these recommendations and –

13’ 58’’ Journalist:

“You think the limits really should be reviewed, and maybe reset at a lower level?”

14’ 02’’ Dr Emilie van Deventer WHO :

“No, no, I didn’t say that the limits should be reduced, but that the studies that have been

carried out already should be reviewed in depth to see if we should reduce the limits that are in

force at present. So we are going to review them all, and we are going to assess them in the way

the WHO assesses things.”

14’ 27’’ Journalist:

Assess them in the way the WHO assesses things – what does that mean? On the table there is

a hefty volume of 600 pages, the BioInitiative report. It summarises more than 2000 scientific

studies, with disturbing conclusions. So why are they going to redo the same work?

14’ 42’’ Dr Emilie van Deventer WHO :

“We are going to look at the same studies, we have already looked at the same studies as the

BioInitiative group.”

14’ 49’’ Journalist:

“And what are your conclusions?”

14’ 51’’ Dr Emilie van Deventer WHO :

“We are going to publish them in this monograph . . .”

14’ 56’’ Journalist:

“So in fact we’ll have to wait for 2 or 3 years to know?”

14’ 59’’ Dr Emilie van Deventer WHO :

“Yes, that’s so.”

15’ 01’’ Journalist :                                                  .

So it’s clear that here things are going round in circles.

We’re left not any the wiser, and intrigued by this

BioInitiative report.

It’s true that scientists from all over the world have

taken part in this work. We have a meeting at the

Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, in the department of

neuroscience to be precise, with Professor Olle

Johansson, one of the authors of the BioInitiative report,

and its conclusions are beyond question.

15’ 28’’ Professor Olle Johansson:                                                .

“We could clearly see that today’s exposure limits are

much too high, and we suggest that they should be

reduced by a factor of at least 1000, if not by 10,000.”

15’ 42’’ Journalist:                                                                     .

He is concerned about the worldwide invasion of this

radiation:

15’ 46’’ Professor Olle Johansson:                                                            .

“In all countries people are exposed round the clock, like

you, like me, we’ve been exposed even while we are

sitting here.

The exposure affects our whole body, we are bombarded continuously and we can’t get away

from it. And the question is, is our body equipped to face this sort of radiation? Has evolution

provided us with a shell that can protect us from this radiation coming from all sides? And

obviously the answer is no, we don’t have that kind of protection, so we are left to pray and to

hope that it isn’t dangerous, but it’s an empty hope.”

16’ 22’’ Journalist:                                                                                    .

Is there any connection between electromagnetic fields and health? The Interphone study is

supposed to enlighten us. It’s the most wide-ranging study ever undertaken in this field. For 8

years scientists from 13 different countries went over with a toothcomb the details of GSM phone

use by 14,000 patients who had brain cancer.

Only problem, the results promised in 2006 have still not been published because the scientists

are not on the same wavelength when it comes to interpreting the results.

16’ 50’’ Journalist:                                                                                                                                           .

Meanwhile it is ICNIRP, an international organization based in Munich, that has the final word on

matters of safety standards. For a start the WHO has relied on their calculations to establish

their recommendations. It goes without saying that Dr Bernhardt, the former president of ICNIRP,

is someone whose opinion has carried weight.

 

17’ 07’’ Dr Jürgen H. Bernhardt:

“There may be biological effects but in order to set

safety limits it’s important to know if these effects are

relevant for human health.”

17’ 20’’ Journalist:

“And in your opinion, are they relevant?”

17’ 24’’ Dr Jügen H. Bernhardt:

“At the moment there is no need to change the limits.”

17’ 30’’ Journalist:

“So for you, there are no problems for human health?”

17’ 33’’ Dr Jügen H. Bernhardt:

“I see no problem for the moment, maybe because the

safety factors were calculated with a wide margin.”