Associazione Per la Prevenzione e la Lotta all’ Elettrosmog
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Press release
Public Health. Cell Phones and Cancer: started a lawsuit to force the ItalianGovernment to launch an information campaign about risks and precautions forCitizens.
Padua-Turin, March 20, 2014. The A.P.P.L.E. Association and Mr. Marcolini have launched today a lawsuit, unprecedented in our country: asking the Lazio Regional Administrative Court to order to the Ministry of Health and the Government to immediately conduct a public a public information campaign on the risk of developing tumors by mobile phones’ use and how to eliminate or reduce exposure
A.P.P.L.E. (Association for the Prevention and Fight against Electrosmog) is based in Padua and has been involved for years in the dissemination of scientific studies on the possible health hazards from electromagnetic fields. Mr. Marcolini is a business executive from Brescia who won in 2012 a lawsuit in the Supreme Court against the INAIL, Workers Compensation Authority (Judgment no. 17438 of 12 October 2012): it was getting established causal link between cell phone’s use and the tumour that had struck him in the head.
Prof. Angelo Levis, vice president of Apple, formerly Professor of Environmental Mutagenesis at the University of Padua, was one of the experts consultants of Mr. Marcolini. The judgment Marcolini is the first and only in the world for the moment which established the relationship of cause and effect, and the first to have clearly identified the conflict of interest of many scientists who denied the damage and which were funded by manufacturers and mobile operators For Arch. Laura Masiero, President of APPLE, " legal recourse was inevitable because the Ministry of Health has received several intimations, even by our Association, but other than a laughable little page on the website, has refused to provide, despite international authorities have repeatedly invited to information. "
Mobile phones are technological devices that emit high frequency electromagnetic waves, and every day more than 40 million Italians use it.
The United Nations, on May 31st 2011, following the results of specific studies by IARC
(International Agency Research of Cancer) under aegis of WHO (World Health Organisation), classified radiofrequency radiation by mobile phones as possible carcinogenic agent (2B). for man, based on evidence from epidemiological studies. The incidence of risk of acoustic neuroma in the side of the head where you use the phone becames more than doubles in those who have had an exposure for 10 years and 16/32 minutes/day
On 31 May 2011, the WHO has issued an official recommendation to the adoption of protective measures to keep the phone away from the head: "... like, for example, use headphones or texting."
"Despite these warnings of international institutional source, and invitations to inform the population, Italy has done nothing of what was the bare minimum. And to say that nothing in our country is the most widespread of mobile phones but air and water," still makes note Masiero.
Mr. Marcolini says "as to the cause INAIL won in the Supreme Court, in this judgment I want to give my contribution because it is known that there is a link between the disease that I suffer and the use of cellular and cordless phones. I wanted then and want now more than ever, that this problem will become public domain because many people still do not know the risk they run long talking on a cell phone without using the headset or keeping it tucked in his pants pocket”
The appeal to the TAR was notified today to the following Ministries: Ministry of Health, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Education, University and Research. The lawsuit was prepared by lawyers Renato Ambrosio, Stefano Bertone and Chiara Ghibaudo of Ambrosio & Commodo Law Firm of Turin, for years involved in several court battles for the
protection of injured persons, such as victims of infected blood.
Lawyer Stefano Bertone said that "state and regional public authorities of different nations of the world for years cautioned the public of the risks of developing neoplastic diseases through the use of the phone. They did so for example, France, Russia, the City of San Francisco, and so on. But in Italy, up to now, the action of information and warning has been carried out instead by the administration, which has a legal obligation to do so, by private associations such as A.P.P.L.E., by
individuals, by doctors and journalists, I think for example that RAI3 TV with the program "Report" spoke very clearly in 2011. "
The plaintiffs claim that Lazio Regional Administrative Court applies the Precautionary Principle (Article 191 Treaty on European Union), also in the absence of certainty about definitive causal link, orders being urgency to the Government to make an information as a precautionary measure in the interest of the national community to prevent the occurrence of an event of catastrophic proportions, potentially to the detriment of public Health.
Lawyers’ opinion is that information campaign will be carried out also in the absence of definitive certainties "with forty million users in Italy exposed every day to electromagnetic waves of mobile phones - say lawyers - it is not acceptable to wait. Because the problem is not making the prevention campaign and then maybe find out that the risks were not real, but the opposite: does not do it and then find out that the risks are real and that for every hour of conversation on the phone millions of men women and children have been and are exposed to an increased risk of developing tumors in the head. The case of Mr. Marcolini confirms that such cases exist."
"It's required an entirely new perspective - continued Lawyer Renato Ambrosio - just remember that in the past in at least three cases of mass planetary disaster (asbestos, cigarette smoking, blood products), there were those who gave the alarm, calling for caution, with years ahead of policy decisions, and was accused of scaremongering by the various industry stakeholders. If he had been heard to time, the proportions of the damage on the population would be greatly minors."
A.P.P.L.E. Association and Mr. Marcolini ask the Administrative Court to order the Government as well as to realize the information campaign prevention of risks, specific requirements as to forbid forms of mobile advertising 'unlimited', the establishment of guidelines on the use of mobile phones to discourage all use for children under 16 years, the requirement of warnings on the outside of the packaging of new products on the possible carcinogenic risks and the need to use a precautionary measures to reduce exposure, starting with the option of no-use, as well as case for the packaging of tobacco products.
The hearing date will be announced in the coming weeks.
A.P.P.L.E.,
35141, PADOVA, Via Mentana, 23 c/o Levis –
www.applelettrosmog.it
contacts:
Arch. Laura Masiero, Prof. Levis, A.P.P.L.E. info@applelettrosmog.it
Mr. Innocente Marcolini: i.marcolini@libero.it
Avv. Stefano Bertone, Ambrosio & Commodo: bertone@ambrosioecommodo.it
Tel +39011.545054
