A Report on Non-Ionizing Radiation

News & Comment

All Plaintiff Experts Barred in
Cell Phone Brain Tumor Lawsuits

Twenty-Two Years and Counting

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Last updated May 11, 2023

In a big win for the telecoms, and Motorola in particular, a judge has disallowed testimony from the entire slate of expert witnesses who were scheduled to support claims that cell phones can lead to brain tumors.

Judge Alfred Irving Jr. of the Washington DC Superior Court issued the ruling on April 25 in a set of 13 cases collectively known as Murray v Motorola.

The Murray litigation has been going on for a long, long time —think Jarndyce. The original claim was filed more than 20 years ago.

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Will WHO Kick
Its ICNIRP Habit?

Non-Thermal Effects Hang in the Balance
Repacholi’s Legacy of Industry Cronyism

Monday, November 4, 2019

Last updated April 20, 2023

UPDATE: With no public notice or any formal announcement, the World Health Organization (WHO) held the first meeting of its RF Working Group in Geneva March 14-16, 2023.

The group is preparing a review of health effects, as part of a process that has been ongoing for close to a decade.

For the latest on this continuing story, “RF Review Shrouded in Secrecy,” is posted here.

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After eight years of work, the WHO is reopening its review of the health effects of RF radiation for a summary report intended to serve as a benchmark for its more than 150 member countries. The report will be used as a guide to respond to widespread concerns over the new world of 5G.

The WHO issued a public call in October for detailed literature reviews on ten types of RF–health impacts from cancer to fertility to electrohypersensitivity. Some see the move as a sign that the health agency is interested in opinions beyond those of its long-time partner, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). They hope that the WHO is finally ready to recognize evidence of low-level effects, in particular the link between cell phones and cancer. Others are far from convinced.

The skeptics see the new reviews as little more than a ruse.

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IARC Will Soon Reassess RF Cancer Risk — Or Maybe Not

Director Sends Mixed Signals

Monday, December 12, 2022

Last updated April 21, 2023

UPDATE: Other meetings have now been scheduled for March and June 2024. Next possible slot for RF radiation is October 2024.

On November 23, Elisabete Weiderpass, the Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), revealed that a new assessment of the evidence linking radiofrequency (RF) radiation to cancer would likely take place in early 2024. A formal decision could come within a few months.

Calls for a new IARC evaluation have been mounting for some years following the release of two large animal studies showing elevated tumor counts after lifelong exposure to RF radiation. Many believe that the animal experiments leave the Agency little choice but to increase the cancer risk classification at least one notch to “probable” from the current “possible,” or perhaps to its highest classification, a known human carcinogen.

But, as Weiderpass made clear on making the announcement at a conference in Paris, the RF–cancer risk might instead be downgraded and the “possible” classification removed.

The stakes are high.

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Time To Invoke the Precautionary Principle for RF, Say Senior Scientists

Why Don’t the Tenets of Toxicology Apply?

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

The precautionary principle should be applied to public exposures to RF radiation. So say four senior academic scientists —including the former director of the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP)— in a strongly worded appeal, published today.

Writing in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Research, Paul Ben Ishai, Linda Birnbaum, Devra Davis and Hugh Taylor point to a “plethora of both experimental and epidemiological evidence establishing a causal relationship between EMF and cancer and other adverse health effects.”

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New Challenge to ICNIRP

Dissident Scientists Seek Tighter Health Limits

Will They Succeed Where Others Failed?

Tuesday, November 1, 2022

Last updated April 4, 2023

An international group of research scientists has come together to challenge ICNIRP, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.

The new panel wants a complete revision of ICNIRP’s guidelines for exposures to radiofrequency (RF) radiation. The researchers are demanding the adoption of more scientifically rigorous standards, which better protect public health and the environment.

“We are calling for an independent evaluation of the limits,” said Joel Moskowitz of Berkeley Public Health.

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Short Takes

Pulsed RF: Plausible Cause of Havana Syndrome

March 30, 2023

A newly declassified, though heavily redacted, report from the intelligence community has put renewed emphasis on the possibility that the condition known as “Havana Syndrome” could be caused by pulsed RF energy.

“Electromagnetic energy, particularly pulsed signals in the radiofrequency range, plausibly explains the core characteristics [of Havana Syndrome, also called ‘anomalous health incidents’] although information gaps exist,” the intelligence panel concluded.

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David Carpenter Reinstated

February 21, 2023

Last updated February 22, 2023

The University at Albany in New York State has closed its investigation of Professor David Carpenter, the director of its Institute for Health and the Environment, without taking any disciplinary action.

After being barred from going to his office most of last year, Carpenter may now once again “teach and conduct research on campus,” according to a statement released by the University on Tuesday evening.

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Abe Liboff Dies at 95

January 12, 2023

Last updated March 21, 2023

Abraham Liboff, a biophysicst and journal editor, died on January 9 at the age of 95.

Abe was a wonderful and generous man. On the occasion of his 90th birthday, I wrote an appreciation of his work. You can read it here.

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French Health Agency Seeks RF Research

November 16, 2022

ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, has issued a request for proposals for studies on RF radiation.

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RF Health Review, Paris in November

October 19, 2022

Last updated October 31, 2022

Two influential health agencies, both based in France, will host a one-day meeting on RF–health research, November 23 in Paris. The public is invited to attend in person or online. Registration is free.

The conference, organized by ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety, and IARC, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, will focus on potential effects of RF radiation on the brain and on cancer risks. The theme is “Research in a Fast-Moving Environment.”

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The MW Debate Continues
—in Norwegian

July 14, 2022

Last updated July 15, 2022

Close to 40 years after its first publication, The Microwave Debate, Nicholas Steneck’s history of research and regulation of microwave health effects, is back in print —this time in Norwegian.

The new translation comes with an epilogue by Thomas Butler, a professor at Ireland’s Cork University Business School, who has contributed seven chapters —about 30,000 words— to bring Steneck’s story up to the present.

The translation is the brainchild of Einar Flydal ...

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Hot new papers & articles

“EMF Exposure on Fetal and Childhood Abnormalities: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Open Medicine, May 12, 2023. “Fetal and childhood abnormalities were more common in parents who have been exposed to EMFs compared to those who have not.”
“EMFs Disrupt the Pollination Service by Honeybees,” Science Advances, May 12, 2023. Strong conclusion: “Our study provides conclusive evidence of detrimental impacts of [power-frequency] EMF on honeybee’s pollination behavior, leading to negative effects on plant community.” From Chile; open access.
“RF Health Safety Limits and Recommendations,” IEEE Microwave Magazine, June 2023. Jim Lin offers his most stinging criticism to date of the FCC, IEEE and ICNIRP exposure limits for RF and 5G radiation.
“900 MHz EMF Exposure Relieved AD-Like Symptoms on APP/PS1 Mice: A Potential Non-Invasive Strategy for AD Treatment,” Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, May 28, 2023. “The present results indicated that long-term microwave radiation can retard AD development and exert a beneficial effect against AD, suggesting that 900 MHz microwave exposure may be a potential therapy for AD.” From the Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine. Open access.
“Cellular and Molecular Effects of Non-Ionizing EMFs,” Reviews on Environmental Health, April 7, 2023. The latest review by Henry Lai and Blake Levitt. “The goal was to synthesize a hypothesis on their mechanisms of action.”
“Cell Phone Radiation Exposure Limits and Engineering Solutions,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, April 4, 2023. Latest from ICBE-EMF. Open access. More here.
“Epigenetic Modification of Gene Expression in Cancer Cells by Terahertz Demethylation,” Scientific Reports, March 26, 2023. “THz radiation can affect biological activity in living cells, although it is non-ionizing radiation that does not damage DNA sequences...THz demethylation...may have potential applications in molecular therapy for cancer.” From Korea. Open access.
“Wireless Technologies, Non-Ionizing EMFs and Children: Identifying and Reducing Health Risks,” Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, March 23, 2023. “We conclude that consistent with advice in pediatric radiology, an approach that recommends that microwave radiation exposures be As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) seems sensible and prudent.” Open access. Last month, many of the same authors recommended precauction in a separate paper. This paper runs 49 pages and is open access.
“The Relationship Between RF EMF Radiation from Cell Phones and Brain Tumor: The Brain Tumor Incidence Trends in South Korea,” Environmental Research, March 10, 2023. Meningioma rates in South Korea went up by >35%/year from 1999 to 2018. Is that all attributable to better detection or might RF radiation from wireless phones play a part?
“Theta Band Brainwaves in Human Resting EEG Modulated by Mobile Phone RF,” International Journal of Radiation Biology, March 3, 2023. From INERIS (France). Concludes: “This work contributes to the growing literature that suggests the potential modulation of human spontaneous EEG by exposure to RF-EMF.”

A Report on Non-Ionizing Radiation

News & Comment

Twenty-Two Years and Counting

Non-Thermal Effects Hang in the BalanceRepacholi’s Legacy of Industry Cronyism

Director Sends Mixed Signals

Why Don’t the Tenets of Toxicology Apply?

Dissident Scientists Seek Tighter Health Limits Will They Succeed Where Others Failed?

Pages

Short Takes

Hot new papers & articles

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Microwave News Reading

Microwave News is...

Non-Thermal Effects Hang in the Balance
Repacholi’s Legacy of Industry Cronyism

Dissident Scientists Seek Tighter Health Limits

Will They Succeed Where Others Failed?