The Economist—and the Truth About Microwave Radiation Emitted from Wireless Technologies

 

A Critique by Scientific Experts, Physicians and Oncologists

 Excerpt from the article

In its unsigned commentary on September 3, 2011, “Worrying about Wireless”, The Economistmakes a number of technical errors and misleading statements about microwave radiation that we write to correct. The governments of more than a dozen nations have issued precautionary advice and policies about wireless devices, including restricting cellphone use by children in France, India and Israel (See Worldwide Advisories at http://www.saferphonezone.com).  The Economist would do well to consult with experts in these and other tech-savvy nations to learn the science behind these countries’ decisions so that it can provide accurate reporting on wireless safety and health matters.

The Economist states:

“Let it be said, once and for all, that no matter how powerful a radio transmitter–whether an over-the-horizon radar station or a microwave tower–radio waves simply cannot produce ionising radiation. The only possible effect they can have on human tissue is to raise its temperature slightly.” 

This is a red herring.  Of course microwave radiation is non-ionizing radiation.  It has insufficient energy to directly break chemical bonds including mutating DNA. Independent studies show that microwave radiation from cellphones can damage genetic material and disrupt DNA repair without inducing heat.  Microwave radiation from cellphones can also increase the production of damaging free radicals, which can also indirectly damage DNA. ^[1a,b,c]

In 2000 the cellphone companies T-Mobil and DeTeMobil Deutsche Telekom Mobilnet commissioned the ECOLOG report.  This report acknowledged that microwave radiation damages genes, living cells, and the immune system.   Since then, the evidence base suggesting that prolonged cellphone use can harm human health has grown substantially.  In May 2011, after a rigorous review of the evidence, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radiation emitted by wireless devices including cellphones as “possibly carcinogenic.”

In addition, scientific studies carried out in Russia in the 1950s and 1960s and corroborated by European researchers more recently show that microwave radiation affects the heart, brain and liver, as well as the production of hormones and male human and animal fertility….

Read the entire article (medium long)

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