Part 1 of our series on electrosmog explained what is meant by the term electrosmog and why the topic is becoming increasingly important.
Now the question is: how dangerous is the radiation really and how does it affect people and the environment?
According to the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS), “given the current state of scientific knowledge, the protection of public health is guaranteed even in the case of long-term exposure if the limit values (specified in the 26th BImSchV) are adhered to”. 1 At the same time, however, it is pointed out that everyone should take certain “precautionary measures” “to take account of the scientific uncertainties regarding the health effects of these fields”.
It is also acknowledged that there are “indications of health risks at low field strengths” and that the “low-frequency fields to which the population is exposed should be as low as possible”. 1
You may rightly ask yourself why I should protect myself from something that apparently poses no danger if the limit values are adhered to!
It is best for everyone to form their own opinion on this.
More and more general practitioners from all over the world are concerned about the dangers of radio waves and electrosmog.
“Over 10 years ago, doctors concerned about the health of their fellow human beings issued the Freiburg Appeal to their colleagues, the public and those responsible in healthcare and politics. Their appeal, which urgently warns of the dangers of radio radiation and electrosmog, was translated into many languages and supported by over 1,000 doctors and more than 36,000 signatories worldwide.” 2 In 2012, there was a new appeal by doctors because the “evidence of serious risks has multiplied worldwide”. 2
The Kompetenzinitiative zum Schutz von Mensch, Umwelt und Demokratie e.V. is a non-profit association of scientists and doctors that deals with the effects of mobile and communication radio.
On their website, the doctors confirm a very clear connection between the “spatial and temporal proximity to radio pollution (especially through intensive cell phone use, DECT phones, WLAN and transmitting antennas) and the significant increase” in certain symptoms.2
Doctors report an increase in symptoms such as:
- Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep
- Chronic exhaustion
- Headache
- Migraine
- Dizziness
- Tinnitus
- Blood pressure derailments and arrhythmias
- Concentration and memory problems
- Learning and behavioral disorders
- More frequent occurrence of ADHD in children
The International Medical Appeal 2012 points out that “technically generated fields with their very low to very high frequencies can profoundly disrupt the biological metabolic and communication processes of cells.
With the help of finely tuned regulatory mechanisms, the organism’s self-healing powers can initially compensate for such disturbances.
However, persistent electromagnetic stress can lead to chronic damage to this biologically sensible organization of life, resulting in illness.
The disturbances to self-regulation have been scientifically proven many times over: increased permeability of the protective blood-brain barrier, changes in brain waves, disturbances in the release of neurotransmitters and hormones (especially the increase in stress hormones), damage to the immune system and genetic information and a reduction in fertility, to name just a few of the most striking examples.
Oxidative cell stress, a major cause of many diseases, is becoming increasingly apparent as a central mechanism of action of radiation exposure.
Children are particularly at risk as they absorb more radiation than adults due to their thinner skullcap.
The observations made by doctors worldwide are consistent and are confirmed by scientific findings. In some cases, these have been proving the damaging effects of electromagnetic fields and the associated fundamental impairment of biological control circuits far below the current limit values for decades. The report of the international ‘BioInitiative Working Group’ (2007) is well known, which documents manifold damage and hazards in an evaluation of over 1500 available studies. Numerous more recent studies have since confirmed the worrying results and at the same time show the unsuitability of the current limit values, which only consider damage due to thermal effects to be possible. In May 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified cell phone radiation as possibly carcinogenic due to the increase in the risk of brain tumors after several years of intensive cell phone use. And market-leading cell phone manufacturers substantiate the link when they justify patent applications with the argument of cancer risk.” 3
1 http://www.bfs.de/DE/themen/emf/nff/schutz/vorsorge/vorsorge.html
² http://freiburger-appell-2012.info/de/home.php 3http://freiburger-appell-2012.info/media/Internationaler_Aerzteappell_2012_11_21.pdf
