Powerwatch News - 22/07/2005 - German Doctors unite on RF health effects

A number of German doctors are combining together to put forward their observations of adverse health effects from pulsed high-frequency EMFs (microwave) to the Prime Minister of Bavaria, Dr. Edmund Stoiber. The health effects include headaches, tiredness, inability to concentrate and dizziness, and show an alarming trend.

The following is a foreword written by the doctor who is representing the group, Dr. Cornelia Waldmann Selsam:

"These reports show that the people for years have been ill due to pulsed high frequency electromagnetic fields, without the treating doctors recognising the cause. For that reason, people who are receiving the high frequency at home or at work have suffered and are suffering and they receive no therapy. The deciding [effective] therapy is to end the exposure.

"The continually repeated assertion in the media by the Radiological Protection Commission (Strahlenschutzkommission), that there is no proof for health risks under the present valid limits, has had the consequence that most doctors, (including myself until a year ago) have not drawn a relationship between the many unexplained illness patterns and high frequency radiation. The doctors do not know that at not one single mobile phone base station have investigations into the health-state of the people been carried out. Thus, the evaluation of the Strahlenschutzkommission in 2001 has no scientific basis.

"In Oberfranken, we have just evaluated the medical complaints of 356 people who have had long-term [radiation] exposure in their homes.

The pulsed high frequency electro magnetic fields (from mobile phone base stations, from cable-less DECT telephones, amongst others), led to a new, previously unknown pattern of illnesses with a characteristic symptom complex.
People suffer from one, several or many of the following symptoms: Sleep disturbances, tiredness, disturbance in concentration, forgetfulness, problem with finding words, depressive mood, ear noises, sudden loss of hearing, hearing loss, giddiness, nose bleeds, visual disturbances, frequent infections, sinusitis, joint and limb pains, nerve and soft tissue pains, feeling of numbness, heart rhythm disturbances, increased blood pressure episodes, hormonal disturbances, night-time sweats, nausea.
Even at 10µW/m² (only 0.06 V/m average) many people are becoming ill.
The symptoms occur in temporal and spatial relationship to exposure. It is no way only a subjective sensitivity disturbance. Disturbances of rhythm, hearing problems, sudden deafness, hearing loss, loss of vision, increased blood pressure, hormonal disturbances, concentration impairments, and others can be proved using scientific objective measures.
Some of the health disturbance disappears immediately the exposure ceases (removal of DECT telephone, temporary moving away from home, permanently moving away, using shielding).

"Therefore, the expansion must be stopped immediately. Mobile phone base stations, in whose fields people are exposed to more than 10µW/m² must be turned off.

"DECT telephones must be changed.

"Affected people, relatives and doctors must jointly commit themselves and work together with all their energy [to this end].

"Evaluation of symptoms of 356 people under long time home exposure to high frequency pulsed electromagnetic fields (DECT,telephones, mobile phone base stations) versus the level of the power flux density in microwatts per square metre."

Foreword - Documented Health Damage under the Influence of High Frequency Electromagnetic Fields
Dr. Cornelia Waldmann Selsam, Karl-May-Str.48, 96049 Bamberg

The results of the evaluations are as follows: (* See below the graph for the definitions of the "Symptom Groups")

It is worth explaining the indicated levels. The values convert approximately as follows:

Group 3: Headaches, restlessness, dazed state, irritability, disturbance of concentration, forgetfulness, learning difficulties, difficulty finding words.

Group 4: Frequent infections, sinusitis, lymph node swellings, joint and limb pains, nerve and soft tissue pains, numbness or tingling, allergies

Group 5: Tinnitus, hearing loss, sudden hearing loss, giddiness, impaired balance, visual disturbances, eye inflammation, dry eyes

Group 7: Other symptoms (Hormonal disturbances, thyroid disease, night sweats, frequent urge to urinate, weight increase, nausea, loss of appetite, nose bleeds, skin complaints, tumours, diabetes)

If true, this is a very clear trend. For those where it is under 10 µW/m² 70% of the sample (37 people) suffered no adverse health effects. For those where the power flux density is over 100 µW/m² only 5-6% of the sample (172 people) did not experience adverse health effects. Please look at this graph to see how these levels translate to exposure from a typical mast. Microwave signals are often above 0.6 V/m within 400 metres! There are no counfounding factors listed in the data, but the strength of the trend is extremely pronounced.

This is further evidence to support the potential adverse health effects that may be synonymous with the pulsed Microwave technology that surround us in everyday life. Those in the medical profession are beginning to voice their concerns, and it is worth bearing in mind that they have first hand experience of real people with real problems. It is important not to discard this evidence due to lack of experimental control, as it seems that a number of qualified professionals have independently found the same trends. At the very least this should call for more organised research into these findings.