Seminar “Radio frequencies and Health”

Seminar “Radio frequencies and Health”

Madrid | 

Date: 24/11/2008

The Asociación Española de Comunicación Científica (AECC) (Spanish Association of Scientific Communication) and the Comité Científico Asesor en Radio frecuencias y Salud (CCARS) (Scientific Advisory Committee on Radio Frequencies and Health) organised the seminar “Radio Frequencies and Health” in Madrid on 24 November for the purpose of providing specialist journalists with a current vision of the state of science as regards these issues.

The seminar was presented by Manuel Toharia, president of the AECC, and Emilio Muñoz, president of the CCARS. In his talk, Manuel Toharia, a well-known scientist and the present director of the Príncipe Felipe science museum in Valencia, laid special emphasis on the importance of obtaining information from authorised sources, in order not to confuse the public, and on the difficulty at times of making scientific studies public due to people’s preconceived ideas. Emilio Muñoz, honorary research professor of the CSIC and former president of this entity, gave a brief talk on the relationship that should exist between science and society, highlighting the importance of multidisciplinary approaches in research. Finally, Emilio Muñoz explained the work done by the CCARS in one area, the possible repercussions of radio frequencies on health, which is the cause of some unease among the public.

The talks were given by the members of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Radio Frequencies and Health Antonio Hernando Grande and Francisco Vargas Marcos.

Antonio Hernando, recipient of the Dupont Science Prize 2008, Professor of Magnetism of Matter in the Complutense University of Madrid and Director of the “Salvador Velayos” Institute of Applied Magnetism, gave a talk entitled “Electromagnetic fields: nature and effects” in which he stressed the immense knowledge that science currently has of electromagnetic fields in comparison with other scientific fields and the fact that electromagnetism is inherent in matter just as other physical forces, such as gravitation. In this regard he stated that “we can’t ask whether electromagnetic fields are bad or not, just as we wouldn’t think of asking whether water is bad”. Hernando explained that the question one must ask is whether the levels of electromagnetic fields are the right ones or not. In the course of his talk he gave examples of several experiences that exemplified the failure to apply scientific criteria when dealing with these problems, social issues sometimes taking priority over safety: “sometimes, the public asks for power cables to be buried when a cable 11 metres above the ground would generate a much smaller field than if it were buried at a depth of 1 metre; as you can’t see it, people feel more reassured”.

Francisco Vargas, Technical Adviser in the General Directorate of Public Health in the Ministry of Health, gave a talk entitled “Radio frequencies and health, the position of the scientific community”; this focused more on the possible repercussions of electromagnetic fields on health. One of the main ideas expressed in the talk was “it’s the dose not the poison that kills”; just as taking one aspirin is not harmful whereas taking forty can cause death due to kidney failure, radio frequencies are not harmful below the limits set by the WHO and the European Union. Doctor Vargas denounced companies that frighten the public and then sell them electromagnetic protection devices, and the partisan use made by politicians who, regardless of their ideology, manipulate the public’s fear of radio frequencies when they are not in government.

Very interesting issues were addressed in the subsequent discussion such as the possible health repercussions of not observing the established limits, the studies being conducted on the long-term effects and the reason why there are minimum distances from sensitive areas.