According to the pollen forecast by the Met Office, it is very bad for hayfever sufferers right now with the high – very high pollen count 13 – 17 June 2022. Bearing in mind hay fever is usually worse between March and September, when it’s warm, humid and windy, when the pollen count is at it’s highest. This condition is acknowledged not only through the pollen count monitoring network that combines Met Office weather data with expertise from organisations such as the National Pollen and Aerobiological Unit – to produce pollen forecasts for 5 days ahead across the whole of the UK; but also by the medical fraternity. The NHS, local GPs and pharmacies put out copious information and advice online and off line of what causes hayfever, how to check if you have it, how to treat yourself and when to seek medical help. Unlike EHS or electrohypersensitivity. Only on the surface do sufferers of hayfever and electrohypersensitivity have much in common…
EHS evolves to IEI-EMF
Now stop for a moment and imagine a group of people at risk 24/7 and equally as sensitive but to #EMFs or electromagnetic frequencies, so electro hyper sensitive #EHS yet without any support whatsoever! This is simply because the media alleges man-made radio frequency radiation tech is on the rise and is ubiquitous, through installation of masts, manufacturing and supply of Wi-Fi devices etc. many of which do not carry sufficient warnings. Sadly, most governments still do not recognise the adverse health and biological effects of this big tech because of its money-spinner capability via private sector telcos et al. So unlike hayfever that also arises from various sources, Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a condition defined by the attribution of non-specific symptoms to electromagnetic fields (EMF) of anthropogenic origin. Despite its repercussions on the lives of its sufferers, and its potential to become a significant public health issue, it remains of a contested nature.That situation led experts for the World Health Organization, over 10 years ago, to recommend abandoning the term EHS in favor of an etiologically neutral designation: Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance attributed to EMF or shorthand, IEI-EMF.
British papers analysed
Subsequently and as expected, content analysis of British Newspaper Reports of c. 10 years ago on Idiopathic Environmental Intolerance Attributed to Electromagnetic Fields, found the mismatch between scientific evidence and media reporting to be disappointing. “In Britain, newspaper reporting about IEI-EMF is substantially out of step with the current scientific evidence about the condition” shows research. In 2005, two systematic reviews assessing the evidence from dozens of well-designed double-blind experimental studies concluded that no convincing evidence existed to show that IEI-EMF was related to the presence of electromagnetic fields. Since then, several additional experiments have added strength to this conclusion. Yet around three quarters of newspaper reports over same period have conveyed the opposite message to the public: that IEI-EMF is probably caused by exposure to man-made electromagnetic fields. The poor nature of the reporting that was identified was not restricted to any one sector of the British press: broadsheets, tabloids and regional or local newspapers were equally likely to present an electromagnetic cause for IEI-EMF and to describe disproven or untested interventions. The results should have encouraged scientists working in controversial areas such as this to stay actively involved with the media since then as the gap was indeed filled by an industry.
Snake Oil Industry spawned
Little wonder “Snake oil” products claiming to protect humans from radio waves became common as fears of radiofrequency radiation grew throughout the 20th century. The rise of radios, microwaves, and cell phones each triggered a new wave of fears about radiofrequency radiation. Even though these products are pushed on people who believe they’re suffering from EHS, and who have very real physical symptoms, they aren’t helping them. They’re just taking advantage of people who feel like they have few other places to turn. And, if the marketing hype works well enough, these patients are left spending more and more money to try more and more devices — which can keep them from getting the medical care they need – as products target people who think they have electromagnetic hypersensitivity. This happens alongside a tech industry keen to cash in on the burgeoning demand.
By the early 2000s, as cell phones and Wi-Fi became common in most homes and public controversies about their safety emerged, profiteers jumped at the opportunity to create “protective” cell phone patches and stickers. The Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer warning about the products in 2011. That hasn’t dissuaded groups from pushing out similar products, which became more numerous throughout the 2000s and 2010s as cell phones became ubiquitous. Consumers can spend thousands ($487–$5,600) on devices that claim to “shield” the body from EMFs: radiation-blocking underwear ($45); silver-infused hats ($45); pendants ($99); and cell phone stickers ($69) — the latter of which is one of the most common accessories on the market. Crystals made from orgonite, a substance based on pseudoscientific theories from the 1940s, are popular on sites like Etsy and Amazon for their claims to “balance out” energy like EMFs. At no other time in history have those products — and the people who claim they work — been so accessible and easy to sell, says Peter Knight, a professor of American Studies at the University of Manchester. As influencers spread misinformation about radiation online, “They’re able to put links to Amazon and other sites that allow them to very easily monetize the idea that they’re selling,” he says.
Scientists leading the charge
“Since 2009, we built up a database which presently includes more than 2000 electrohypersensitivity (EHS) and/or multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS) self-reported cases. This database shows that EHS is associated in 30% of the cases with MCS, and that MCS precedes the occurrence of EHS in 37% of these EHS/MCS-associated cases. EHS and MCS can be characterized clinically by a similar symptomatic picture, and biologically by low-grade inflammation and an autoimmune response involving autoantibodies against O-myelin. Moreover, 80% of the patients with EHS present with one, two, or three detectable oxidative stress biomarkers in their peripheral blood, meaning that overall these patients present with a true objective somatic disorder. Moreover, by using ultrasonic cerebral tomosphygmography and transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, we showed that cases have a defect in the middle cerebral artery hemodynamics, and we localized a tissue pulsometric index deficiency in the capsulo-thalamic area of the temporal lobes, suggesting the involvement of the limbic system and the thalamus. Altogether, these data strongly suggest that EHS is a neurologic pathological disorder which can be diagnosed, treated, and prevented. Because EHS is becoming a new insidious worldwide plague involving millions of people, we ask the World Health Organization #WHO to include EHS as a neurologic disorder in the international classification of diseases.”
In 2017, doctors and scientists launched a petition to stop the 5G rollout in the EU, citing cancer risks. One worry is that since 5G is so new, there hasn’t been time to properly test whether it’s safe. There’s also a lack of scientific analyses on the potential impacts of densely concentrated areas of 5G in populated cities or on chronic 5G exposure, some experts say. Many of the government-approved rules on radio frequency were established in the late 1990s and based on limited research. Scientists now don’t think the issue is so clear, and some aren’t staying quiet. To date, more than 3,500 physicians across preventive and environmental medicine, toxicology and other specialties have united against 5G, citing main associated risks of nonionizing radiation—according to peer-reviewed scientific literature—including cancer, cellular stress, genetic damage, reproductive changes and deficits and neurological disorders.
“Action must be taken now to reduce human exposure to nonionizing radiation to as low as can be achievable, including a moratorium on the introduction of 5G,” says Anthony B. Miller, M.D., professor emeritus at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health of the University of Toronto, in a 2020 statement from the Physicians Health Initiative for Radiation and Environment and the British Society for Ecological Medicine.
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) also notes that in the 1990s, some research found a possible link between EMF field strength and an increased risk of childhood leukemia, but the association was weak. Now, though, the organization notes, “in the age of cellular telephones, wireless routers, and the Internet of things, all of which use EMF, concerns persist about possible connections between EMF and adverse health effects. NIEHS acknowledges additional research is needed and recommends continued education on practical ways to reduce exposures to EMFs.” It is therefore delightful to note the progress made in 2019 when a hospital in Cyprus eliminated all wireless routers from their paediatric units to reduce radiation exposure. Routers were replaced with hard-wired Ethernet connections. Their 2019 Children’s Health Campaign to Reduce Direct and Passive Wireless Radiation Exposure to Children, so a new safety campaign, involved posters, leaflets and large scale signs on buses, See pressrelease https://lnkd.in/eGrqU9ti Isn’t it time we did the same for all our kids? Surely Living with Technology, Children’s Health Remains their Inexplicable Right and our Own Obligation? And as more is learned about 5G, more peer-reviewed studies and data published in various medical journals point to the possible negative effects it may pose to health? This is an emergent process after all…
On March 1 st , 2021, I sent out an email requesting volunteers to participate in the “Global EMF Monitoring” Project that we plan to start in April, 2021. As of today, we have almost 200 volunteers from 16 countries and we hope to increase that number over time.
Dr. Magda Havas, 31 March, 2021
Reasons for this GLOBAL EMF Project
“Governments establish guidelines for radio frequency radiation (RFR) but few governments monitor exposure on a regular basis. See article in Resource section by Dürrenberger et al 2014 or click here for link. That is like establishing a speed limit for traffic but not enforcing it. Consequently, unless you have your own meter you do not know what you are exposed to when it comes to radio frequency and microwave radiation. Few people are aware that RFR can be harmful to health. Consequently they respond to the ads encouraging them to buy more and more wireless devices and thus a growing population is inadvertently exposing themselves and their families to higher and higher levels of microwave radiation. They believe government officials who tell them people are safe provided that guidelines are not exceeded. However, based on the science we know that people are suffering from adverse health effects at levels well below existing guidelines. The political and the scientific information do not agree!”
EHS, IEI-EMF Beware…
#EMF is clearly bad and far worse than pollen for increasingly more vulnerable people who are bombarded 24/7 without respite irrespective of scientific evidence still! It makes no sense to generate so much activity and support around hayfever caused by a high pollen count that is only an issue for half the time when EHS as an adverse effect of IEI-EMF is with us all the time. The scientific case of making the invisible, visible will have implications for many, the cost of which must be born by the innovators in the telecommunications technology sectors. As French cultural and technology theorist, Paul Virilio aptly said:
“When you invent the ship, you also invent the shipwreck; when you invent the plane you also invent the plane crash; and when you invent electricity, you invent electrocution… Every technology carries its own negativity, which is invented at the same time as technical progress.“ — Paul Virilio
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