Introduction to the United Nations EMF Appeal Delivered by Martin Blank, PhD, Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics, Columbia UniversityI’m here with disturbing news about our favorite gadgets: cell phones, tablets, wi-fi, etc. Putting it bluntly, they are damaging the living cells in our bodies and killing many of us prematurely. I’m Dr. Martin Blank, from the Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University. It is distressing for me, and more than 160 colleagues, who today are petitioning the United Nations requesting that they address this problem. We are scientists and engineers, and I am here to tell you – we have created something that is harming us, and it is getting out of control! Before Edison’s lightbulb, there was very little electromagnetic radiation in our environment. The levels today are very many times higher than natural background levels and are growing rapidly because of all the new devices that emit this radiation. An example that a lot of us have in our pockets right now is the cell phone. One study shows that as cell phone usage has spread widely, the incidence of fatal brain cancer in younger people has more than tripled. We are putting cellular antennas on residential buildings, and on top of hospitals, where people are trying to get well. Wireless utility meters, and cell towers, are blanketing our neighborhoods with radiation. It’s particularly frightening that radiation from our telecommunication and powerline technology is damaging the DNA in our cells. It is clear to many biologists that this can account for the rising cancer rates. Future generations – OUR CHILDREN – ARE AT RISK. These biologists and scientists are not being heard on the committees that set safety standards. The BIOLOGICAL facts are being ignored, and as a result, the safety limits are much too high. THEY ARE NOT PROTECTIVE! More protection will probably result from full disclosure of possible conflicts of interest between regulators and industry. Rising exposure to electromagnetic radiation is a GLOBAL problem. The World Health Organization and international standard setting bodies are not acting to protect the public’s health and well-being. International exposure guidelines for electromagnetic fields must be strengthened to reflect the reality of their impact on our bodies, and in particular, on our DNA. Although we are still in the midst of a great technological transformation, the time to deal with the harmful biological and health effects is long overdue. We are really all part of a large biological experiment, without our informed consent. To protect our children, ourselves, and our ecosystem, we must reduce exposure by establishing more protective guidelines. And so, today, scientists from around the world are submitting an Appeal to the United Nations, its member states and the World Health Organization, to provide leadership in dealing with this emerging public health crisis. Details of The Appeal can be found at EMFScientist.org
1PRESS RELEASEInternational Scientists Petition U.N. to Protect Humans and Wildlife from Electromagnetic Fields and Wireless TechnologyNew York, NY, May 11, 2015.An Appealhas been submitted today by190scientists from 39nations to the United Nations, requesting the World Health Organization (WHO) adopt more protective exposure guidelines for non-ionizing electromagnetic fields(EMF) in the face of increasing exposures from many sources. Called the International EMF Scientist Appeal, the petition calls on the United Nations and its organizations to encourage precautionary measures and conduct an environmental assessment; for the WHO to educate the public about health risks, particularly to children and pregnant women; and for the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) to assess the potential impact of EMF exposure on all living organisms. EMF–a general term that includes frequencies along the electromagnetic spectrum–is generated in the radiofrequency bands (RF/EMF) by popular wireless devices like cell phones, cordless phones, baby monitors, tablets, Wi-Fi enabled computer equipment, cell phone towers/antenna arrays, radio/television broadcast facilities, and wireless smart meters, among others. EMFs are also emitted in the extremely low frequency band (ELF/EMF) by electrical appliances, electrical wiring, and powerlines; and in the intermediate frequency (IF) range by electronic devices that generate high frequency transients on electrical wiring (dirty electricity). Some electrical current flows along the ground and scientists have documented health effects on both livestock and farmers. In fact, all of nature is threatened —peopleand, animals, as well as trees and other plants. The signatories of the International EMF Scientist Appealhave all published papers in peer-reviewed journals on the biological or health effects of EMF and note that the overall weight-of-evidence strongly supports greater precaution. Non-ionizing electromagnetic fields are the fastest growing forms of environmental pollution. Numerous scientific publications have found that EMF affects living organisms at levels far below international exposure guidelines adopted by most industrialized nations. There is discrepancy in how this matter is considered at the WHO, however. While WHO accepted its International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)’s recommendation that classifies both ELF/EMF and RF/EMF as Group 2B “Possible Carcinogens,”it also, in direct contrast to these warnings, recommends the adoption of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection’s (ICNIRP)guidelines for exposure standards. These guidelines, developed by a self-selected
2independent industry group, have long been criticized as not protective given the science now established. ICNIRP guidelines set exposure standards for high-intensity, short-term tissue heating thresholds, considered not applicable for the long-term, low-intensity, chronic exposures we typically experience today. Furthermore, ICNIRP standards are written with only human health in mind. There are no standards for the natural environment. Given the existing body of published research, many scientists, doctors, engineers and public health officials globally are now calling for IARC’s classification of EMF to be upgraded to a Group 2A “Probable Carcinogen.”Today’s International EMF Scientist Appealcalls for the WHO to take heed of the urgency of this and go further. According to published research, the effects of low-intensity EMF include: increased cancer risk, cellular stress, free radical formation, increased permeability of the blood brain barrier, and genetic damage. Other potential effects include learning and memory deficits, neurologic/neurotransmitter disorders, reproductive effects, and negative impacts on general well-being. Moreover, there is growing evidence of harmful effects on plant and animal life. The Appealthus calls upon all member nations of the United Nations to:Protect children and pregnant women from EMF;Make EMF standards more protective;Encourage manufacturers to develop safer technology;Require electric utilities to maintain adequate power quality and ensureproper electrical wiring to minimize harmful EMF emission;Inform the public about the potential health risks from EMF and teach people how to reduce risks;Train medical professionals to diagnose and treat patients with electromagnetic sensitivity;Fund training and research on EMF that is independent of industry and mandate industry cooperation with researchers; Establish EMF-free areas; and Encourage the media to disclose experts’ financial relationships with industry when citing their opinions regarding the safety of EMF-emitting technologies.To view an introductory announcement about the Appealby Dr. Martin Blank,go to https://vimeo.com/123468632. To read the Appeal and the list of signatories, go toEMFscientist.org.Elizabeth Kelley, MA, who directsthe Appeal Committee, said, “Solutions must be found that place the highest priority on protecting people and the planet over the powerful economic forces driving new technologies without thought for biology. We canhave both innovation and public safety, if there is political will. This transcends national boundaries. WHO and UNEP are the best organizations on earth to make these recommendations.” Joel Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Family and Community Health in the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley,and a member of the
3Appealcommittee, said “There has been strong supportfrom the international scientific community, even from scientists who feared jeopardizing research funding, or who believe scientists should not take public policy positions. Some have taken personal risks to sign the appeal because this is a public health issue that affects everyone now, as well as future generations.”***Press Contacts: Elizabeth Kelley: Email: info@EMFScientist.org Joel Moskowitz: Email: jmm@berkeley.eduPhone: 1-510-643-7314
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