Helsinki Appeal

Dear Member of the European Parliament,

We, undersigned physicians and researchers, feel great concern about the Precautionary Principle not being sufficiently applied to the electromagnetic fields, especially in the radio- and microwave frequency bands.

New applications of wireless technologies are continually being introduced, regardless of the fact that there are plenty of qualified scientific reports reporting possible health risks. According to several studies, both in the cell and animal studies, mobile phone and other RF radiation can induce various disturbances, such as increasing the permeability of the blood-brain-barrier. Also disorders of EEG (electroencephalography) and cognitive functions and in the production of the cell proteins have been reported. The latest epidemiological study by Stefan Lönn, with the wellknown Swedish professor Anders Ahlbom as a co-author, suggests that the risk of acoustic neurinoma (a nerve tumour in the ear) may increase more than three-foldafter 10 years of the mobile phone use.

Unfortunately, the consequences of these disturbances for common health are an open question. This is a matter of great concern.

The present safety standards of ICNIRP (International Commission of Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) do not recognize the biological effects caused by non-ionizing radiation except those induced by the thermal effect. In the light of recent scientific information, the standards recommended by ICNIRP have become obsolete and should be rejected. Especially children and other persons at risk should be taken into account when re-evaluating the limits. This was also suggested in the Freiburg Appeal of 2002, which was signed by more than 3000 European colleagues.

We appeal to you as a member of the European Parliament to act promptly for the adoption of the new safety standard in the European Union.

Another question of importance regards the REFLEX study (Risk evaluation of potential environmental hazards from low-energy electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure using sensitive in-vitro methods), which is carried out by 12 research teams from European universities and other organizations. For example, the REFLEX study showed evidence of genotoxic effects of mobile phone radiation. EU has partly funded REFLEX. The REFLEX study has not been published in the scientific publications, nor refunded. It is absolutely necessary that the REFLEX project will be continued. However, the project should be targeted more to the non-thermal effects and be involved with those researchers, who have already been working in the field of the biolgical, non-thermal effects.

The European Community should take prompt measures for solving the refunding of the NEW
REFLEX project.