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Sentenced to inform about the health risks of mobile use

Italian authorities are doomed to inform the public about the health risks associated with mobile use. When will we get such information in Norway and the Nordic countries?




(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)

A Rome court has ruled that authorities are obliged to inform the public about the health risks associated with the use of mobile phones and other wireless telephones (such as wireless landlines, DECT), and how to reduce the risk, including by increasing the distance to the telephone in use. The judgment refers, among other things, to the "right to health", which is enshrined in the Italian Constitution.

The authorities chose not to appeal the court's decision, which has now entered into force. According to the judgment, the imposed public information campaign on health risk and precautionary recommendations when using mobile phones and wireless telephony must start by 16. July.

Initiating campaign

In a joint press release, the three Italian Ministers for Health, the Environment and Research / Education write that they approve the decision, and that they recognize the need to increase the knowledge of the population and to promote preventive measures. They emphasize that the three ministries have started a collaboration to follow up on the order to prepare a campaign on how to use mobile phones "correctly".

Incorrect use of mobile and cordless phones can adversely affect human health.

Experienced Swedish cancer researcher Lennart Hardell, formerly a consultant at the cancer clinic at the University Hospital in Örebro, writes the following about the decision:

“The Italian verdict is a setback for the telecom industry, but a step forward for public health. Swedish authorities and the media do not disclose the risks associated with wireless technology. Knowledge of health risk already exists, but people in general are ignorant. Now it is up to the population to demand that everyone in Sweden is also informed about risk, not least with regard to the 5G technology being introduced. ”

May cause adverse effects

The Italian judgment states that documents from the scientific literature have been submitted stating that improper use of mobile and cordless phones, which result in exposure of parts of the human body that are sensitive to electromagnetic fields, can have adverse effects on human health, especially in the case of younger and more vulnerable individuals, which may have a negative impact on their mental and physical development. " It is further stated that the concerns about health risk "have not been effectively refuted" by the authorities.

In 2011, WHO and the UN's Cancer Cooperation Organization (IARC) classified all radiation from
wireless technology as "possible carcinogen".

In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC, WHO and the United Nations Cooperation Against Cancer Association) classified all radiation from wireless technology as group 2B "possible carcinogen", the same category as lead and DDT. Several scientists from the expert panel who approved the classification now believe it is time to introduce a stricter cancer classification based on cancer findings in several recent studies.

The verdict is the result of a lawsuit against the authorities of the nonprofit organization APPLE, which is fighting to protect the population from electromagnetic pollution ("electrosmog").

Occupational Injury Compensation

Earlier, the Italian Supreme Court upheld a claim for occupational injury to a businessman who claimed that his extensive use of cellphone at work for twelve years had caused a brain tumor. Gino Angelo Levis, who helped found APPLE, was one of the expert witnesses in that case.

Concerns for children's health and wireless technology development in recent years have prompted several countries and regions to enact laws that prohibit and / or restrict the use of wireless technology, such as WiFi, in kindergartens and schools. France and Cyprus are among the countries that have gone the longest, in line with, among other things, the Council of Europe's recommendations of 2011. Cyprus has already had a publicly funded information campaign aimed at reducing children's exposure to radiation from wireless technology.

If Norway is left very far behind when it comes to following the precautionary principle and protecting the youngest and most vulnerable against a possible health risk, Norwegian health authorities could face a serious explanatory problem.

Ingrid Wreden Kåss
Ingrid Wreden Kåss
Wreden Kåss is a writer and has a master's degree in philosophy from UiO, as well as a bachelor's degree in library and information science.

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