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Global Scientists Rebuke Coming Decision on Carcinogenicity of Radiofrequency (RF) and Microwaves (MW) by WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Calling Any Opinion Rendered 'Irresponsible' Without Full Disclosure of the 2004 Interphone Study Results 

In collaboration with the International EMF Alliance (IEMFA), scientists from Europe, North America, Australia and Israel have sent an Open Letter to Dr Christopher Wild, Director of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), calling for a postponement of the forthcoming meeting May 24-31, 2011 in Lyon, France, "Non-Ionizing Radiation, Part II: Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field [includes mobile telephones]," at which determination of the carcinogenicity of cell phones and wireless technologies will be made.

The "Open Letter to the International Agency for Research on Cancer" http://iemfa.org/images/pdf/OpenLetter_IARC.pdf  signed by international scientists and public officials asserts:

1. No decision should be made by IARC on the carcinogenicity of radiofrequency radiation (RF/MW) until the Interphone Study's remaining results are disclosed. To date, only the pooled 13-country data for glioma and meningioma elements have been published. Though the Interphone Study data was collected by 2004, the overall analysis of the risk of acoustic neuroma, parotid gland tumours and tumours in the regions of the brain most highly exposed to cell phone radiation has yet to be published. Also, single-country Interphone studies have not yet been fully published for Australian, Canada, Finland, Italy and New Zealand. However, other individual country studies published show very significant risks for acoustic neuroma, parotid gland tumour and glioma.

International scientists say scientific conclusions will only be possible when all of the country results, and all of the overall pooled results, are fully published.

2. Telecom Industry Observers at the IARC Meeting Places a "Chilling Effect" on Grant Dependent Researchers, and Should Be Excluded. The presence of observers such as Joe Elder, representing the Mobile Manufactures Forum (previously a long-term Motorola Employee), Jack Rowley, representing the GSM Association (a previously long-term Telstra employee), and Mays Swicord representing the Cellular Telecommunication Industry Association (previously a long-term Motorola employee), create an environment of scientific intimidation and suppression through the presence of these influential corporate interests. A paper on the unsuitability of Professor Anders Ahlbom of the Karolinksa Institute in Sweden to Chair the IARC expert group on epidemiology which will judge on the carcinogenicity of RF/MW has separately been issued by France's Priartem and can be found at www.Priartem.fr  This report claims Professor Ahlbom has extreme conflicts of interest and intellectual bias favouring the telecommunications industry, and calls for Ahlbom's to be replaced.

3. IARC's Required Conflict-of-Interest Statements Should Be Made Public. Scientists say IARC, which calls itself 'transparent', must release the conflict-of-interest statements, as do scientific journals, but IARC Officer, Dr Robert Baan, who will head the upcoming IARC meeting, has refused to release the IARC expert's conflict of interest statements, claiming they are confidential. It is inappropriate, and lacking in transparency, for a publicly  funded organization, in this case funded with approximately 38 million Euros, to hide its conflicts-of-interests statements from public view.

A recently published paper by International EMF Alliance Co-founder, Don Maisch PhD of Australia, greatly elaborates on the conflicts of interest at WHO's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). See “Radiofrequency/Microwave Radiation and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)-The Problem of Conflict of Interest & Commercial Influence in WHO Agencies and the Need for Public Interest Representation", found at www.iemfa.org/index.php/publications/news

Media Contacts:

Alex Swinkels, Co-Founder, IEMFA, info@iemfa.org, +31-181-785587

Alasdair Philips BSc (Eng) DAgE Powerwatch UK, alasdair@powerwatch.org.uk, 011-44-1387-760-680

Sissel Halmoy, Co-Founder, IEMFA and Citizen's Radiation Protection, Norway, sissel@softworks. no, 0047-66904922

L Lloyd Morgan BS (available after 5/27), Environmental Health Trust, USA, Lloyd.l.morgan@gmail.com, 510-841-4362

Kerstin Stenberg, Priartem, France, international@priartem.fr, SMS +33 604 49 68 22

For Quotes read this more extensive document: http://iemfa.org/images/pdf/IEMFA_Press_Release_Final.pd