Dr Franz Adlkofer, former executive director of the VERUM Foundation for Behavior and Environment, has spoken out at a Harvard Law School Center for Ethics event about the difficulties scientists face when presenting studies with evidence about the carcinogenic effects of the electromagnetic fields emanating from cell phones.

He described what happened after he presented research that concluded that low frequency as well as radio frequency electromagnetic fields below the allowed exposure limits displayed gene-damaging potential. Adlkofer found himself the target of allegations of fraud and questions about the validity of his research – all of which accusations an ethics panel dismissed – however Dr Adlkofer is still battling for his reputation.

If the International Agency for Research on Cancer had taken studies like Dr Adlkofer’s into account, then high frequency electromagnetic fields including mobile phone radiation would have been classed as “probably” carcinogenic, instead of ”possibly”.

Given that nearly five billion people use mobile phones on the planet, the implications of Dr Adlkofer’s experiences are of enormous concern.

Read more research on mobile phones and masts

First Published in November 2011

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