Some People May be 'Allergic' to Cell Phones, Computers

[Celebration]

http://www.physorg.com/news161605664.html

How exactly does the radiation from electromagnetic fields (EMF) affect the human body? Is it possible that cell phones, computer monitors, TVs, and other electronic devices - which operate within current EMF safety standards -cause illnesses, or are the people who claim to be sensitive to these devices just paranoid? The topic is one of the most controversial subjects in technology today, having important consequences in politics, consumerism, human rights, and health costs.

Olle Johansson, an associate professor and head of the Experimental Dermatology Unit, Department of Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, has been investigating the effects of electromagnetic fields on human physiology since the early ‘80s. Johansson’s research has led him to become an outspoken supporter of the view that the dangers of EMF radiation from our gadgets are real, and that existing safety standards, which are based on acute thermal effects only, do not adequately protect public health.

In a review to be published in an upcoming issue of Pathophysiology, Johansson has summarized the results from dozens of studies that have investigated the effects of EMFs on the immune system in particular. As he explains, EMFs can act like an allergen, disturbing immune function by eliciting various allergic and inflammatory responses. Johansson hopes that this review, along with the reviews in the extensive Bioinitiative Report published in 2007 that have identified harmful effects from wireless technologies, will urge policymakers to create new public safety limits and limit the future deployment of untested technologies.

“The paper acts like a very strong warning signal and should evoke action,” Johansson told PhysOrg.com, noting that the Bioinitiative Report has already had an influence. For example, in the “European Parliament resolution of 4 September 2008 on the mid-term review of the European Environment and Health Action Plan 2004-2010 (2007/2252(INI)),” the European Parliament acknowledges that exposure levels need to be based on biological factors, not just heating effects. A report from the European Parliament on February 23, 2009, “On health concerns associated with electromagnetic fields,” also investigates stricter exposure.

[Mythsaje]

1. How 'bout we just say "sensitive" rather than "allergic."

I'm allergic to grasses and pollens. My eyes itch and try to swell shut. I'm sensitive to certain chemicals, like that Simple Green shit. Being around it makes me sicker than a dog. But I'm not going to call it an "allergy," which has certain biological reactions that simply don't apply.

Other than that, I'm not surprised. Wow--microwaves bother some people? Go figure.

[madaboutharry]

2. I love his name:

Olle Johansson.

I actually think I am allergic to the modern world.

[tigereye]

3. that's very interesting - and food for thought about the effects of such

technologies on the immune system.

[kimmerspixelated]

4. One thing to consider is

we are all electric beings. Just like signals sometimes getting jammed when electronics meet or merge, so do our cells. We won't know the real damage until years later, methinks.

[zbdent]

5. here's a sudafed for your brain tumor ...

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. Someone made a movie about this sort of thing but they took it

to the extreme.

[trotsky]

7. "EMFs acting as antigens"

Ah, this reeks of pseudo-science. Could some people be sensitive to EMF? Perhaps. No conclusive studies have proven it, however. And studies such as the one finding no increased rate of breast cancer among women who lived under or near power lines tend to disprove it. But how exactly is an electromagnetic wave supposed to have an effect like a protein, toxin, bacteria, or virus? These are all known antigens for the immune system. They are physical substances, not subatomic particles.

Johansson doesn't seem to propose a mechanism by which EMF affects the immune system. He, similar to pseudo-scientists, starts with a belief (EMF is bad) and builds a case based on the belief. Since physics has shot down the old mechanisms proposed by EMF chicken littles (tissue damage caused by heating, cellular damage caused by radiation), it looks like this is the latest attempt at straw-grasping.

[cosmik debris]

8. I'm sure you noticed,

He did not do original research. He merely re-interpreted old research to agree with his pet theory.

[trotsky]

9. Surprise, surprise.

Another common tactic.

[hedgehog]

10. Robert Heinlein proposed this in 1942!

Keep reading , I promise there's a connection


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waldo_(short_story)

[mizz pibb]

11. I won't go near them...No way, no how. n/t