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Scientists serious about 'electricity sickness' claims
The Daily Telegraph (UK) ^ | January 24, 2005 | by Nic Fleming, Health Correspondent

Posted on 01/23/2005 7:05:01 PM PST by aculeus

Scientists and health advisers are taking the claims of people who say electricity makes them ill seriously for the first time.

The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) is carrying out a review of existing scientific studies into "electromagnetic hypersensitivity" (EHS).

Two studies into the condition, funded with £750,000 from the Department of Health and the telecommunications industry, are already under way.

Sir William Stewart, the government's adviser on radiation, has called for more research into the issue.

Some researchers believe a proportion of the population suffers ill health, with symptoms including fatigue, severe headaches and skin problems, because of exposure to electromagnetic fields. Other scientists say there is no evidence.

The Swedish government, which recognised EHS as a physical impairment in 2000, calculates that 3.1 per cent of its population – 200,000 people – suffer from the condition. A recent warning by Sir William, head of the NRPB and the Health Protection Agency, that parents should limit their children's use of mobile phones received widespread publicity.

However, his suggestion that another section of the population, as well as the young, could have extra sensitivity to exposure to either radio frequency fields from mobiles or electromagnetic fields in general did not.

The NRPB has commissioned Dr Neil Irvine, of the Health Protection Agency, to carry out a review of existing scientific literature on EHS.

His report, focusing on symptoms, prognosis and treatment, will be published in the summer.

The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research programme, funded by the Government and the telecommunications industry, is spending £8.6 million on 29 studies, two of which will investigate EHS.

A team at King's College, London, is looking at whether mobile phones cause symptoms such as headaches, nausea and fatigue in those who claim to be hypersensitive and those who do not.

Researchers at the University of Essex are exposing two groups of volunteers to signals from a mobile mast to test if cognitive functions such as attention span and memory are affected. Half will be people who say they suffer EHS.

Dr David Dowson, a former GP who is now a complementary medicine specialist based in Bath, said he had seen around 10 patients he believed to be suffering from EHS. "I think the condition is increasing in prevalence, because we are living in a more electrically polluted environment."

Olle Johansson, associate professor of neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, has been studying EHS for 20 years.

He has shown in experiments that there is an increase in the number of mast cells near the surface of skin when exposed to electromagnetic fields, a similar reaction to that when it is exposed to radioactive material.

He said: "If you put a radio near a source of EMFs you will get interference. The human brain has an electric field so if you put sources of EMFs nearby, it is not surprising that you get interference, interaction with systems and damage to cells and molecules.''

Others say the condition is in the mind.

Information appearing on telegraph.co.uk is the copyright of Telegraph Group Limited and must not be reproduced in any medium without licence. For the full copyright statement see Copyright


TOPICS: Extended News; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: electricity; emfs; energy; environment; junkscience; mentalhealth; psychosomatic
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Comment #101 Removed by Moderator

To: LibertarianInExile
Booga booga.

Aw, c'mon man! If you're going to use 'tech-speak' in your posts...ya gotta get it right.

The proper phrase is "boogity-boogity".

102 posted on 01/26/2005 1:15:27 PM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (Is it merely a coincidence that ALLAH and SATAN both have five letters in their names?)
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To: aculeus

Hey, for £750,000 I'll take them seriously too!


103 posted on 01/26/2005 1:17:38 PM PST by RobRoy (I like you. You remind me of myself when I was young and stupid.)
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To: clee1

>>I can easily believe that long-term exposure to EM emissions, even on low power, can be damaging to your health.<<

I look at it this way: too much exposure to water can get you killed too, especially if you're wearing cement overshoes.


104 posted on 01/26/2005 1:20:56 PM PST by RobRoy (I like you. You remind me of myself when I was young and stupid.)
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To: clee1; spunkets
Those familiar with the fundamental concepts of quantum theory will remember our old friend Planck's law, which describes the essential concept of the quanta of electromagnetic energy. Planck's law states that the quantum of energy, E, associated with an electromagnetic field is given by E = hv, where h is Planck's constant and v is the frequency of the electromagnetic radiation. If you express Planck's constant in joule-seconds and the frequency in hertz, the energy units fall out in joules.

Anything in the frequency of x-rays and above produces ionization directly through absorption or scattering of the incident photon, which is harmful, in sufficient quantities, to biological systems, because of the inhibiting of essential biochemical reactions, and the breakdown of long-chain molecules. Direct ionization requires incident energy quanta sufficient to remove electrons from the atoms they are bound to. Below a given threshold, ionization will not occur, but thermal effects, as noted in earlier posts, can be significant if field strengths are high enough. RF can produce ionization (like in the ion bottles of accelerators) but that is essentially a thermal effect. The free electrons are accelerated to high velocities by the oscillating field and collisions eventually strip other electrons from their associated atoms.

105 posted on 01/26/2005 1:28:28 PM PST by chimera
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To: spunkets

"It's the other way around. The absorption ends up as heat and efficiency of absorption depends on the relationship of half wavelength to say radius of part absorbing. "

It's the "Magnetic" portion at lower frequencies......It's the "Electro" portion at higher frequencies. At least that's what the standard on electromagnetic exposure says.....



106 posted on 01/26/2005 1:39:22 PM PST by RFEngineer
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To: aculeus
Here's what it does to ya.... Image Hosted by ImageShack.us
107 posted on 01/26/2005 1:41:21 PM PST by Bean Counter (Revote or Revolt!)
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To: aculeus

Perhaps they need to readjust their tin-foil hats? The shielding effect is directly related to the fit, don't ya know.


108 posted on 01/26/2005 1:43:01 PM PST by TChris (Most people's capability for inference is severely overestimated)
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To: clee1
It has been know [sic] for over a century that high-power RF transmissions can have a harmful effect on humans.

Only if the human touches the wires. :-)

109 posted on 01/26/2005 1:44:34 PM PST by TChris (Most people's capability for inference is severely overestimated)
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To: TWohlford
We had a huge case of "stray radiation" case here in Michigan a
Correction: I believe those/that was termed "Stray Voltage".

"stray radiation" is a whole 'nother field ...

From Douglas J. Reinemann, Wisconsin Extension Engineer:

What Do We Know About Stray Voltage?

110 posted on 01/26/2005 1:46:13 PM PST by _Jim (<--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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To: clee1
It has been know for over a century that high-power RF transmissions can have a harmful effect on humans.
How did they develop those high-power "high-power RF transmissions" in 1905 anyway?
111 posted on 01/26/2005 1:48:07 PM PST by _Jim (<--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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To: clee1
Putting your hand 3 feet in front of the emitter would result in a warm, tingly feeling on your skin.
50 or 100 mW 3 feet out isn't going to be felt - it was your imagination and the 'power of suggestion' that did it!

(I've personally repaired the bias circuits that power those Gunn diodes (no joke - that's what they're called!) in models like the old MPH Industries model XR-10)

112 posted on 01/26/2005 1:51:50 PM PST by _Jim (<--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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To: aculeus

Good thing I have a grounding strap!


113 posted on 01/26/2005 1:54:57 PM PST by RetroWarrior ('I will guard my post from flank to flank and take no 'crap' from any rank')
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To: NotJustAnotherPrettyFace
Background of the HAARP Project
Have you ever heard HAARP?

Many dozens of people have, near 80 Meters and also near 40 M.

The March 1999 HAARP Listening Test

114 posted on 01/26/2005 1:55:50 PM PST by _Jim (<--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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To: clee1
This is the first I've heard of HAARP.

Sounds dangerous.

That was his intent - to scare!
115 posted on 01/26/2005 1:57:45 PM PST by _Jim (<--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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To: calex59
Why do you think they called the early ones radar ranges?
That was a TRADE NAME intentionally used by RAYTHEON.

Microwave Oven history

The Raytheon Corporation produced the first commercial microwave oven in 1954; it was called the 1161 Radarange. It was large, expensive, and had a power of 1600 watts. The first domestic microwave oven was produced in 1967 by Amana (a division of Raytheon).

116 posted on 01/26/2005 2:01:45 PM PST by _Jim (<--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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To: camas
if you were/are in communication, that is, working in a com-center you would know. a com-center in a screen room that keeps ALL signals inside the area.
Cite or reference please?
117 posted on 01/26/2005 2:04:07 PM PST by _Jim (<--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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To: Podkayne
Like radiation - rf is invisible and undetectable to the naked eye. But it's still there causing problems.
Hmmm ... like when nature lets loose with one of her real zingers?

Ka-pow! and there goes your static wire, the transmission class surge supressor and the potential transformer all in one shot!

118 posted on 01/26/2005 2:07:26 PM PST by _Jim (<--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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To: DannyTN
Sounds like he was building a feriday cage to protect his electronics and computers in case of a eletromagnetic pulse weapon.
Well, he'd better do more than just build the fabled 'Faraday cage' - he'd better build something to block that pesky H-field component as well!

(It's all the rage around the semi-elite techy types; mentioned 'Faraday cage' when discussing RF and you'll generate ooohs and aaahs and be regarded as a genius when the truth is any physicist will say that you have solved only half the problem - the E-field - with a Faraday cage!)

119 posted on 01/26/2005 2:13:10 PM PST by _Jim (<--- Ann C. and Rush L. speak on gutless Liberals (RealAudio files))
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

Sorry about that. I had been led to believe that "booga-booga" was an acceptable derivation by the local rep for ChickenLittle Corp. Obviously, they haven't been keeping up with company policy. :)


120 posted on 01/26/2005 2:14:28 PM PST by LibertarianInExile (NO BLOOD FOR CHOCOLATE! Get the UN-ignoring, unilateralist Frogs out of Ivory Coast!)
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