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Newsletter
NFP 57 Newsletter
Issue 1/2008, 18 March 2008
News on the Swiss National Research Programme on risks related to electromagnetic radiation
1st workshop
NRP 57 news
Switzerland
International
Great interest in the first scientific workshop
The first of four scientific NRP 57 workshops was held on January 11, 2008 in Zurich. The workshop topic, «Dosimetry meets epidemiology», met with great interest by professionals in the field. The list of participants, the speakers’ presentations and a summary of the final panel session can be downloaded at the NRP 57 Web site.
See the documents
The second scientific workshop, «Towards a mechanism-based framework in EMF research», which will focus on the NRP 57 module on cell biology, is planned for May 5-6, 2008. Further details in brief will soon be available at NRP 57 Website.
NRP 57 news
Martin Röösli of the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at the
University of Bern and head of an NRP 57 project spoke on «Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS): State of research today» at Science Brunch 7 held by the Swiss Research Foundation on Mobile Communication.
See the presentation (in German)
For the Swiss Cancer League, Martin Röösli also conducted a scientific evaluation of the much discussed environmental epidemiological study of cancer incidence in two municipalities in Austria that was commissioned by the Provincial Government of Styria (Steiermark).
See the commentary (in German)
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Cardis, a member of the NRP 57 Steering Committee, is leaving the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at the end of March 2008 to join the Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) in Barcelona.
Prof. Dr. Dariusz Leszczynski (a member of the NRP 57 Steering Committee) and colleagues at Finland's Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) have found changes in protein expression in the human skin induced by mobile phone exposure. While the implications of these changes are as yet unknown, it is an important finding indicating biological effects in the human body in vivo, and it is raising hopes that eventually a biological marker for an EMF-specific response will be found. Prof. Leszczynski will participate as a speaker and chair at the NRP 57 workshop in May.
See the press release
COST has approved a new Action BM0704 on «Emerging EMF Technologies and Health Risk Management». It builds on the results and experiences of previous COST Actions and aims to create a structure in which researchers in the field of EMF and health can share knowledge and information on electromagnetic fields. Swiss interest in participation in the COST Action is great and has been expressed by the NRP 57 and other institutions and organizations, such as the Federal Office of Public Health and the Swiss Research Foundation on Mobile Communication.
More information
Switzerland
The Federal Office of Public Health has updated the fact sheet on mobile phones as a source of electromagnetic fields (EMFs). The fact sheet advises taking a precautionary approach regarding mobile phones until reliable research results are available. Exposure to electromagnetic fields in particular of the head should be kept as limited as possible.
See the fact sheet
International
New recommendations on the use of EMF sources have also been published in other countries. In Germany, the Federal Environment Ministry (BMU) and the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) recommended as a precaution in February that people keep their emissions exposure as low as possible. The Ministry of Health in France made a similar recommendation in January based on the advisory council of the Fondation Santé et Radiofréquences, with a special warning against long use of cell phones by children. Similar recommendations are made by the UK Health Protection Agency.
See the BMU/BfS-recommendations (in German)
See the press release from the Ministère de la Santé, de la Jeunesse et des Sports (in French)
A summary of the recommendations by various authorities concerning mobile phones and children is available at the Web site of the Mobile Manufacturers Forum (MMF).
See “Viewpoint – Mobiles and Children”
In February, an update on the long-awaited results of the INTERPHONE Study was released. The update provides a summary of published findings by the multinational epidemiological study on the use of mobile phones and brain tumour risk. The update also announces that the project is soon to be concluded.
See the update
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