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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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To: Grant Ellis
My "specialty" is bulk power distribution.

What about rf engineering?

Bill Gates put stainless steel plates around, on top of and everywhere on his new mansion. Like a Gaussian sphere - you can't beam in or out = great protection from most RF as in TV, Radio, Cell phone, Mobile radio and any other low level cosmic RF.

In our RF engineering test labs we had special rooms lined with copper and with soldered seams. You could blast away and not create anything in the way of interference.

Like radiation - rf is invisible and undetectable to the naked eye. But it's still there causing problems.

61 posted on 01/23/2005 8:18:17 PM PST by Podkayne (What's obvious to the casual observer is invisible to the main street media)
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To: aculeus

Maybe some people could go back to living in caves.


62 posted on 01/23/2005 8:20:50 PM PST by sheik yerbouty
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To: staytrue

Several years ago, some bright politician introduced a bill in Oregon to ban electromagnetic radiation as a response to some of these wild theories. I went to the hearing expecting it to be laughed out of the committee. When it seamed like it might pass, I spoke up. I told the committee that sunlight is electromagnetic radiation and I know Oregon is short on that commodity, but I didn’t think they really wanted to ban sunlight. It was tabled for further study and died in committee.


63 posted on 01/23/2005 8:22:18 PM PST by ORECON (Condi Rice/Ann Coulter - 2008)
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To: Podkayne

"Bill Gates put stainless steel plates around, on top of and everywhere on his new mansion"

More likely to prevent electronic eavesdropping, than for health concerns.


64 posted on 01/23/2005 8:22:27 PM PST by staytrue
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To: Podkayne
In our RF engineering test labs we had special rooms lined with copper and with soldered seams. You could blast away and not create anything in the way of interference.

Those rooms were there to calibrate receivers away from the ambient levels of radiation. They were not used to blast anything.

65 posted on 01/23/2005 8:26:13 PM PST by ORECON (Condi Rice/Ann Coulter - 2008)
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Comment #66 Removed by Moderator

To: clee1

Um, because they aren't the same thing at all, except to lawyers and those prominently wearing tinfoil?

Gamma rays kill you. The sun's rays don't. They're both radiation. Booga booga.

67 posted on 01/23/2005 11:31:29 PM PST by LibertarianInExile (NO BLOOD FOR CHOCOLATE! Get the UN-ignoring, unilateralist Frogs out of Ivory Coast!)
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To: FoxInSocks

Ah-HA! It must have been electricity that caused his death, NOW I understand.


68 posted on 01/23/2005 11:32:09 PM PST by LibertarianInExile (NO BLOOD FOR CHOCOLATE! Get the UN-ignoring, unilateralist Frogs out of Ivory Coast!)
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To: Kirkwood

Yeah, but you know how statistics can be manipulated. Why, you don't even show the study you're drawing that data from! /sarcasm


69 posted on 01/23/2005 11:34:31 PM PST by LibertarianInExile (NO BLOOD FOR CHOCOLATE! Get the UN-ignoring, unilateralist Frogs out of Ivory Coast!)
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To: TWohlford

Pure bunk is right on the money.


70 posted on 01/23/2005 11:35:57 PM PST by RadioAstronomer
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To: staytrue

Sounds like he was building a feriday cage to protect his electronics and computers in case of a eletromagnetic pulse weapon.


71 posted on 01/23/2005 11:40:04 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: RadioAstronomer

I don't know. I had a grandmother who couldn't wear a watch. It's not that the watch hurt her. But the watch would stop functioning with 24 hours.

So if she can kill a watch, maybe some people are hurt by electricity.

But I don't think there should be any monetary awards. There has been no negligence here.


72 posted on 01/23/2005 11:42:31 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: ORECON; Podkayne

Faraday cage. :-)


73 posted on 01/23/2005 11:45:19 PM PST by RadioAstronomer
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To: DannyTN

I have heard of that. WOW!


74 posted on 01/23/2005 11:46:03 PM PST by RadioAstronomer
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To: LibertarianInExile

All the data is inconclusive. That's not to say they're looking for something and couldn't find it or that they found something and are trying to cover it up. It just means that statistical tests are showing different conclusions, particularly in regards to childhood cancers.


75 posted on 01/23/2005 11:47:49 PM PST by durasell (Friends are so alarming, My lover's never charming...)
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To: RadioAstronomer
Faraday cage. :-)

Yes, technically. Every one I have worked in was called "the screen room."

76 posted on 01/24/2005 10:09:32 AM PST by ORECON (Condi Rice/Ann Coulter - 2008)
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To: aculeus
"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."

Then they must have one heck of a time living here on earth.

77 posted on 01/24/2005 10:19:18 AM PST by MEGoody (Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.)
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To: ORECON

We have a screen room here to prevent interference in
precision calibration.


78 posted on 01/24/2005 10:41:17 AM PST by jusduat (I am a strange and recurring anomaly)
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To: jusduat
We have a screen room here to prevent interference in precision calibration.

The definition of a precision measurement electronics laboratory technician: Measure it with a micrometer, mark it with chalk, and cut it with an ax.

79 posted on 01/24/2005 1:10:27 PM PST by ORECON (Condi Rice/Ann Coulter - 2008)
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To: durasell

They're looking for something and can't find it.

This is a direct move on the part of the environmentalists to attack electric power. It's that simple. They've been spouting this crap with absolutely no foundation since I can remember. And that the press gives them any credence at all is due 100% to their political bent. 100%.

If you can find a credible scientist that backs any of this with a study, one who hasn't got his career/grant money in their clutches or a history of being in their corner, I would be very surprised.


80 posted on 01/24/2005 1:57:16 PM PST by LibertarianInExile (NO BLOOD FOR CHOCOLATE! Get the UN-ignoring, unilateralist Frogs out of Ivory Coast!)
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