International Doctors Appeal 2012
- 0 Comments
10 Years after the Freiburg Appeal:
Radio-frequency Radiation Poses a Health Risk. Physicians Demand Overdue Precaution.
More than 1000 physicians signed the “Freiburg Appeal” in 2002. It was translated into many
languages. As many as 36,000 people from all over the world support its warning about the
dangers of radio-frequency radiation. Today—ten years later—we as physicians and scientists
call again on our colleagues and the wider global community, but also on all politicians around the world.
As physicians and scientists, we hereby call on our colleagues; on the leaders of federal,
state, and local governments; but also on the wider community to take action and
implement the following precautionary strategies, which also include fundamental human
rights:
- Protect the inviolability of the home by minimizing radio-frequency exposure levels, which penetrate through the walls of one’s own home.
- Ensure considerably lower radio-frequency radiation exposures as well as exposure limits that reliably protect humans and nature from adverse biological effects of electromagnetic fields. Any further expansion of wireless technologies is irresponsible.
- Prefer wired solutions for home use and public institutions, especially at preschools, schools, colleges, universities, nursing homes, and hospitals.
- Cutback and reprogram continuously emitting devices such as cordless phones, wireless Internet access (Wi-Fi), and wireless smart meters so that they only operate and emit radio-frequency radiation on demand when being used.
- Provide special protection for children and adolescents: Children below the age of 8 should not use cell phones and cordless phones; children and adolescents between the ages 8 and 16 should also not use cell phones or only use them in the case of an emergency. Devices for mobile and wirelesscommunication for children and adolescents may not be advertised.
- Attach clearly visible warning labels and safety guidelines for lowering the radiation exposure on cell phones and other wireless devices, including instruction manuals. An important reminder: do not carry a cell phone right next to your body when it is turned on.
- Identify and clearly mark protected zones for electrohypersensitive people; establish public areas without wireless access or coverage, especially on public transport, similar to smoke-free areas for nonsmokers.
- Promote the development of communication technologies and electricity use that is more compatible with health. Prefer wired solutions for home use and public facilities. Expand fiber-optic networks as the foundation of a modern, sustainable, and performance-based technology that meets the ever-increasing demand for higher data transmission rates.
- 9. Provide government funding for industry-independent research and education that do not dismiss strong scientific and medical findings of potential risks, but rather work to clarify those risks.
At the same time, we also call on everyone who cares about health and the environment:
Make wise consumer choices and thus help reduce exposure levels. Favor wired
communication technologies. Inform yourself and pass this knowledge on to your family,
neighbors, friends, and politicians. Get involved and make a difference so that the
protection of human health and the environment is not left to and limited by commercial
interests.
Read the full appeal by downloading the document below.