The Ecologist: Mobile Headache

ECOLOGIST

Mobile Headache
In the middle of a meeting in Westminster Silvia Wilter stood up, in
tears, pleading for a doctor that could diagnose and treat her
daughter's health problem.

Author:Maggie King

Silvia's daughter has grown up next to a cell phone tower, and over
the years she has suffered from a severe rash, fever, headache,
nausea, and strong buzzing noises in her ear. Ms. Wilter has recorded
the times of day during which the cell phone tower is active, to find
that it corresponds directly to when her daughter suffers from these
symptoms.

In the US today, seven lawsuits are pending against the cell phone
industry, brought by sufferers claiming to have been affected by the
radioactive waves created from wireless and cell phone technologies.
However, with the growing popularity of cell phones and wireless
internet technologies across the world, who is responsible for
addressing these health problems, funding treatments, and preventing
the increased risks?

The Safe Wireless Initiative is a foundation in the United States
which investigates the relationship between wireless and cell phone
radiation and human heath. They have found evidence that the
information carrying waves associated with all of these technologies
can form tumors in the human brain and eyes. Their work also suggests
that the waves may help break the blood brain barrier, causing other
serious health problems.

The increase in popularity of wireless internet technologies has led
to concern over the correlation between cell phone radio waves and
areas with wireless internet. Both areas with cell phone towers and
areas with installed wireless internet contain information carrying
radio waves. Dr. George Carlo, a leading expert in electromagnetic
radiation, argues that proteins in the human body recognize the
information carrying radio waves as an unnatural intruder.

In the 1990s, several cell phone companies commissioned Dr. Carlo to
research the relationship between wireless radioactive waves, such as
those in cell phones, and human health. The research determined a
direct correlation between tumors and radio waves, and eventually led
to the foundation of the Safe Wireless Initiative. However, despite
the fact that the findings of Dr. Carlo were peer reviewed by the
Harvard Medical Journal, the cell phone industry rejected his papers.
It was claimed that the research was `non-conclusive' on the basis of
its theoretical approach.

Today wireless and cell phone companies are not held responsible for
emitting these radio waves across cities, schools, and natural
landscapes. Dr. Carlo is calling for the UK to establish a foundation
similar to the Safe Wireless Initiative in the US, which would
attempt to regulate the emission of harmful electromagnetic
radiation. Carlo urged UK citizens to write to their local MP, asking
him or her to support the establishment of a foundation that will
protect the lives of UK citizens from the potential health effects of
wireless and cell phone technologies in the future.

Dr. Carlo told the Ecologist:
"We know enough about the disease process to be able to intervene to
prevent these conditions. That's what we need to do."