TEULE

GSM-Straling in strijd met Grondwet

Persbericht

GSM-STRALING IN STRIJD MET GRONDWET

De elektromagnetische straling, uitgezonden door mobiele telefoons en GMS/UMTS basiszenders, is in strijd met artikel 11 van de Nederlandse Grondwet. De straling veroorzaakt namelijk biologische effecten, waarvan een aantal schadelijk zijn, zoals onder andere ook uit het onderstaande persbericht van het ECOLOG instituut in Hamburg blijkt. Het landelijk dekkende netwerk van GSM basiszenders maakt het bovendien onmogelijk om de ongewenste straling uit de weg te gaan. Het Grondwetsartikel 11 stelt, dat iedere Nederlander recht heeft op de onaantastbaarheid van het lichaam. De ons lichaam binnendringende bestraling, die op korte of lange termijn biologische effecten veroorzaakt en waaraan niemand zich kan onttrekken, valt daarom onder dit wetsartikel. Iedere Nederlander heeft het grondwettelijke recht om te zeggen: 'Ik wens niet kunstmatig bestraald te worden, wat de gevolgen ook zijn'.

Over dit thema verschijnt in mei/juni een boek, getiteld: 'GSM straling en het grondwettelijke recht op lichamelijke onaantastbaarheid'. In dit boek wordt dieper ingegaan op het Grondwetsartikel 11 en op de biologische inwerking van de GSM stralingen. De Nederlandse stralingsnormen gaan, evenals de ICNIRP normen, uit van een limiet van ca. 1000 microwatt per vierkante cm. Daarbij wordt echter alleen gelet op eventuele
verwarmingsverschijnselen door energieoverdracht van hoogfrequente stralingen, d.w.z. alleen acute schade wordt vermeden. In het boek, en ook in het onderstaande ECOLOG bericht, wordt een drastische verlaging van de zendersterkten bepleit, omdat ook al bij veel lagere zendersterkten biologische effecten optreden die op langere termijn schadelijk kunnen zijn voor de gezondheid. De stralingen zijn kankerbevorderend, ze verzwakken het immuunsysteem en ze beïnvloeden het centrale zenuwstelsel en cognitieve functies.

De aanbevolen normstelling in het ECOLOG persbericht is 0,01 W/cm2 en dat komt overeen met één microwatt per vierkante centimeter, een factor 1000 lager dan de Nederlandse normstelling. Tijdens de Salzburg conferentie in juli 2000 over straling en gezondheid werd een nog lagere sterkte van maximaal 0,1 microwatt per cm2 aanbevolen. Pas dan zou er enige zekerheid ontstaan over de onschadelijkheid van de biologische effecten. Merkwaardig is, dat ECOLOG om redenen van technische haalbaarheid bij de huidige stand van de techniek aanbeveelt de limiet voorlopig te stellen op 0,5 W/m2 (50 microwatt per cm2). Kennelijk gaat ook hier weer het geldelijke gewin boven de gezondheid. Wel stellen zij, evenals de Engelse Stewart groep, dat een GSM telefoon zeker geen kinderspeelgoed is, omdat bij kinderen en schooljeugd hun lichaam nog volop in ontwikkeling is. Landen als Italië en Zwitserland hebben de consequenties van deze scherpere normstellingen al in hun wetgeving opgenomen.

Boekgegevens:

'GSM straling en het grondwettelijke recht op lichamelijke onaantastbaarheid', Gerrit Teule, Sigmapress, Tilburg. (Een excerpt van dit boek is via email te verkrijgen bij de auteur.)

'GSM straling, nieuwe feiten en inzichten', Gerrit Teule, Sigmapress, Tilburg

Adresgegevens:

Uitgeverij Sigmapress
Postbus 259
5000 AG Tilburg
Email: info@sigmapress.nl
Website: www.sigmapress.nl

G. Teule
Buitenweg 26
8414 MA Nieuwehorne

0513-542481
Email: teuleger@wxs.nl



Persbericht van het ECOLOG Instituut, Hannover

Cellular telephones and health

The ECOLOG-Institute, Hannover, has analysed and evaluated the present scientific level of knowledge on possible health effects of the electromagnetic fields emitted by cellular telephones and their base stations under the criterion of precautionary health protection. The results and recommendations of the comprehensive study carried out by order of the German T-Mobil, in which physicists, medical scientists, and biologists took part, are present now.

Results

There are a number of scientific findings from investigations on sub-populations with an elevated exposition to high frequency electromagnetic fields and from animal experiments that have to be taken seriously. These findings point on a cancer-promoting effect of high frequency electromagnetic fields used by cellular telephone technology. Experiments on cell cultures yielded clear evidence for geno-toxic effects of these fields, like DNA breaks and damage to chromosomes, so that even a cancer-initiating effect cannot be excluded any longer. The findings that high frequency electromagnetic fields influence cell transformation, cell promotion and cell communication also point on a carcinogenic potential of the fields used for cellular telephony. Moreover disturbances of other cellular processes, like the synthesis of proteins and the control of cell functions by enzymes, have been demonstrated.

In numerous experiments on humans as on animals influences on the central nervous system were proven, which reach from neuro-chemical effects to modifications of the brain potentials and impairments of certain brain functions. The latter effects for instance have been demonstrated by animal experiments and e.g. showed up as deficits in the ability to learn simple tasks when exposed to the fields. From experiments with volunteers, who were exposed to the fields of mobile telephones, there is clear evidence for influences on certain cognitive
functions. Possible risks for the brain also arise from an increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier to potentially harmful substances, observed in several experiments on animals exposed to mobile telephone fields.

The scientist at the ECOLOG-Institute also found some evidence for disturbances of the hormone and the immune system. High frequency electromagnetic fields cause stress reactions, showing up in an increased production of stress hormones in experimental animals and they lead to a reduction of the concentration of the hormone melatonin in the blood of exposed animals. The latter finding is important, because melatonin has a central control function for the hormone system and the diurnal biological rhythms and it is able to retard the development of certain tumours.

Comment

Dr. Peter Neitzke, co-ordinator of the working group at ECOLOG-institute:

'Our work focused on effects of the high frequency electromagnetic fields of cellular telephones on humans and animals, which occur at so small intensities that a thermal effect can be excluded. We critically checked the corresponding studies with respect to the applied methodology, completeness of the documentation, and strength of evidence of the results. During these checks it turned out that about 80 per cent of the papers published in scientific journals do not contribute anything to the evaluation of possible health risks due to the electromagnetic fields emitted by cellular telephones and their base stations. The remainder however, on which our assessment relies, is made so good and is in itself so consistent that we must take the findings referring to health risks seriously. In order to improve the protection of the public against the possibly harmful effects of the electromagnetic fields from cellular telephones and their base stations, we need much lower precautionary standards in Germany, as they already exist in some European neighbouring countries. The experiences
from these countries show that precautionary health protection and the use of the cellular telephone technology are compatible.'

Recommendations

The German safety standards for the frequencies used by cellular telephone systems range from 2 to 9 W/m2. These values only limit the warming up of the body due to the thermal effect of high frequency electromagnetic fields to a tolerable degree. From the point of view of the authors they are not suitable to exclude health risks for the public as pointed out in their study. They are therefore not compatible with the principles of precautionary health protection. The ECOLOG-institute recommends not to exceed a precautionary standard of
0,01
W/m2 when siting cellular telephone base stations in the proximity of dwellings, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, and similarly sensitive uses. ECOLOG recommends also that the cellular telephone operators keep this standard on their own immediately and that they not wait for the ratification of the revised version of the federal emission control law.

Keeping the standard recommended for the neighbourhood of cellular telephone base stations is not possible with the direct use of mobile telephones at the present state of the art, but in the opinion of the scientists at the ECOLOG-institute a reduction to max. 0.5 W/m2 should be urgently aimed at. They see a special problem in the use of mobile telephones by children and young people, since their organism is still developing and thus particularly sensitive. On the other hand meanwhile many adolescents are regular users of mobile telephones. ECOLOG recommends to stop at least advertising in this sub-population. Additionally special efforts should be undertaken in order to reduce the electromagnetic exposition when telephoning by technical modifications at the telephones. Also by the use of head sets or guarding pockets the intensity reaching the head can be reduced.

For further information contact:
Dr. H.-Peter Neitzke
ECOLOG-Institute for social-ecological research Bnieschlagstr. 26
D 30449 Hannover
Tel/Fax 49-511-92456-46/-48
Email emailbox@ecolog-institut.de
Internet www.ecolog-institut.de

10 mei 01 11:06