- Swiss shortwave
transmitter study sounds warning
- Reviewed by Dr. Neil
Cherry
-
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- Study on Health Effects of the Shortwave
Transmitter Station of Schwarzenburg,
Berne, Switzerland (Major Report)
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- Background:
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- A short wave transmitter was installed at
Schwarzenburg, near Berne, Switzerland,
in 1939. An star antenna was added in
1954 with three 150 kW outputs
(6.1-21.8Mhz). and a 250 kW LOG PER
antenna was added in 1971. The final
transmitter is only used occasionally.
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- Since the Seventies, health complaints
have been reported by the population in
the surroundings of the transmitter, and
associated with its activity. On the 2nd
March 1990, a petition seeking a
scientific evaluation of the health
damage allegedly cause by the transmitter
was handed by a group of inhabitants to
the Swiss Federal Department of Traffic
and Energy (SFDTE). In October 1990, the
Head of SFDTE commissioned a study. It
was carried out by 15 doctors and
scientists, primarily from the University
of Berne, but also from 4 other agencies.
Their report, Altpeter et al. (1995), was
published in August 1995.
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- Altpeter et al. (1995) carried out an
extensive evaluation of health affects,
using a carefully crafted health diary
survey. They found significant changes is
various indicators which increased with
proximity to the mast and were
significantly worse in elderly people.
They included nervosity (restlessness),
difficulty in falling asleep, difficulty
in maintaining sleep, general weakness
and joint pains, Figure 1.
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- Sleep difficulty was especially
disturbing. This leads on to increasing
fatigue and reduced feelings of
well-being. Observed nocturnal sleep
changes occurred in association with the
nocturnal exposure levels in Table 1.
Hence the sleep disturbance is associated
with a maximum exposure of 1.85uW/cm2 and
a mean nocturnal Zone A exposure of less
than 0.7 uAW/cm2.
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- People living in a mean RF exposure of
3.8 uW/cm2, which is about 100 times
higher than an unexposed group, have a
significantly elevated level of
restlessness, sleep disruption, aches and
pains and phlegm problems, all problems
which were significantly worse for those
aged over 45 years.
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- The following table lists the complaints
which were significant with a probability
of being random at less than the p=0.05
level between the three zones.
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- There is a clear trend for those over 45
years to show more significant reactions
in association with increased shortwave
RF exposure from the Schwarzenburg mast.
The later six symptoms are added to those
which already show a significant Odds
Ratio.
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- The variables "Nervosity and inner
restlessness", "General
weakness and tiredness" and
"Difficulties in falling
asleep" are strongly related and
therefore collapse into one variable,
which could be termed "Chronic
fatigue syndrome".
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- This study reveals statistically
significant association between an
extremely low intensity RF field (Zone A
(High intensity) average = 0.236 uW/cm2)
and a wide range of health and well-being
variables. While this does not constitute
"proof" of effects, in public
health epidemiology, a statistically
significant association which is not
weakened by confounders, is sufficient
avoidance action to be taken to reduce or
eliminate the risk. Hypochondria was
tested for and was not found.
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- Interim Conclusion:
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- "Insomnias and joint pains,
especially in the elderly, were more
frequently reported in Zone A than in
Zones B and C. They showed a
dose-response relationship with the
logistic regression and they were not
related to a health-worry personality.
Further studies are of need to establish
a biophysical mechanism.
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- The Schwarzenburg Study was extended
because of the significance of the
initial findings. Melatonin secretion in
people and cows was studied in relation
to the sleep disorders identified, blood
pressure was studied in relation to the
health issues raised and the performance
of school children was assessed in
relation to brain disturbance indication
such as difficulty in concentrating.
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- Sleep disturbance and melatonin:
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- Sleep difficulty was especially
disturbing. Significance was added to the
association when the transmitter was
turned off unexpectedly and unknown to
the residents, in the middle of the
study. Affected sleep patterns recovered
until the transmitter was turned on
again, when they deteriorated again.
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- Melatonin, a neurohormone produced by the
pineal gland to regulate the daily
sleep/wake pattern was studied in a
sample of people, without finding
significant changes, However, saliva
melatonin concentrations from exposed
cows showed a strong higher nightly peak
level compared to the average when
nightly peak which the transmissions were
on. The overall median melatonin levels
for the five tested exposed cows was 17.7
pg/ml (sd=1.25) while it was 19.0 pg/ml
(sd=1.32) for the non-exposed ones. This
exposed cows had lower melatonin levels
but not necessarily significantly lower.
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- Lower levels of melatonin with exposure
to RF radiation would be consistent with
depressed nocturnal melatonin observed
with ELF exposure, Reiter (1992). In
other studies reduced melatonin has also
been related to elevated incidence of
breast cancer, Demers et al. l (1991).
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- Blood Pressure Reporting:
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- A small number of inhabitants reported
noticeable changes in heart beat
(irregular, palpitations, pounding with
effort). Individually these factors were
not significant but they indicate a
possible, more serious, health issue to
do with stresses on the heart. The
researchers therefore surveyed for blood
pressure differences. When asked about
their blood pressure only 55% in Zone Z
and 56% in Zone B said they had normal
blood pressure compared to 74% in Zone Z.
The differences are significant at the
p=0.01 level. In addition, arterial
hypertension was reported more frequently
in Zone A (14%) than in Zones B (8.4%)
and C (7.9%).
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- School children's performance:
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- Rates of promotion of children in a
school near the transmitter were compared
with unexposed schools nearby. The number
of school children at the highly exposed
school is too small for conclusive
studies of a probable effect of
electromagnetic fields. However, the
accumulated promotion from primary to
secondary school since the 1950s, is
lower in the exposed school than a
control school. They conclude: "An
effect of the transmitter is a possible
explanation, but other influences
including socio-economic differences
cannot be excluded".
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- Hence a potential effect on children's
performance does exist in association
with the RF transmissions from the tower.
This is consistent with human brain EEG
disruption found by Von Klitzing (1995)
and the reported symptom of
"difficulty in concentration".
"restlessness" and
"difficulty of falling asleep"
and "maintaining sleep", as
reported by significantly more of the
adults in Zone A compared to Zones B and
C.
- Conclusions:
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- This is a very significant study which
records statistically significant
associations, with dose-response
relationships for many of the factors,
factors which are fundamental to human
health and well-being, which have adverse
effects in association with increased RF
shortwave radiation at mean and median
exposure levels about 1000 times lower
than the so-called "public safety
standard". This proves the total
inadequacy of the standard for protecting
the pubic from the significant disruption
to their health and well-being identified
in this study. The authors of the
Schwarzenburg Study conclude:
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- "Our results indicate a higher
frequency of disorders of a
neurovegetative nature among residents up
to about 1000 m from the transmitter, and
are highly suggestive of a direct effect
of the radio shortwave transmitter on
sleep quality".
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- More on the Swiss Shortwave
Transmitter study.
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- In a letter to the New York based
publication Microwave News, Dr. Josef
Mayr, a swiss consultant in
electromagnetic compatibility, points out
that that the actual risks may have been
understated in this study. His letter is
partly reproduced as follows:
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- "The objective of the study was to
find possible relationships between RF/MW
exposures and health problems - not
between living in certain zones and
health problems. Why then did the
researchers present nearly all the
results in terms of the geographic zones?
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- Given such misclassification of
exposures, much stronger correlations
between RF/MW radiation and health
problems - for example, irritability,
headaches, tiredness and sleep problems -
would have to be expected, if the study
population had been classified according
to field strengths rather than geographic
zones. In the meantime, it has been
announced that researchers will take a
new look at the data and the conclusions.
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- Nevertheless, the results of the study
are sensational. In a May 29, 1996,
letter, an expert group at the Swiss
Federal Office for Environment, Forests
and Landscape (known by its German
acronym, (BUWAL) admitted that severe
sleep disorders were correlated with
RF/MW exposures, even though the IRPA
limits were never exceeded.
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- Sleep disorders and the other complaints
reported in the study may seem innocuous
compared to the cancers reported in other
epidemiological studies. But if such
disorders remain for years their
long-term effects could be quite serious,
particularly among children and the
infirm.
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- The lesson of this study is that the safe
level of RF/MW radiation exposure should
be lowered to those found between zones B
and C. This implies a reduction from
IRPA's 0.2mW/cm2 (200uW/cm2) to
approximately 0.002uW/cm2 - a reduction
by a factor of 100,000.
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- Another important conclusion is that the
grounds on which the IRPA recommendations
are based (i.e., neglecting non-thermal
effects) are entirely wrong. Exposure
limits for low-and high-frequency
electromagnetic fields and radiation (0Hz
- 300GHz) should be revised."
(Microwave News, Sept/Oct 1996, page 14)
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