Numbers 140 & 141
January/February 1998
March/April 1998

A Publication of The Bioelectromagnetics Society

IN THIS ISSUE...
 

The Board of Directors of BEMS held the Winter Board Meeting on Saturday February 7, 1998 at the International Room of the Hotel Lombardy in Washington, DC. Members present were Martin Blank (President), Betty Sisken (Vice President), Paul Gailey (Secretary/Treasurer Elect), Ben Greenebaum (Editor-in-Chief), Richard Luben (Past President), Frank Barnes, Janie Blanchard (Directors for Engineering/Physical Sciences), Eugene Goodman, Henry Lai, Rosemonde Mandeville (Directors for Biological/Medical Sciences), and Jukka Juutilainen (At Large Director). Ex-officio members Mary Ellen O’Connor (Newsletter Editor) and Bill Wisecup (W/L Associates) as well as Gloria Parsley (W/L Associates) were also present.

Administrative information
The Twentyfirst Annual Meeting of BEMS in 1999 will be in Long Beach, California at the Hyatt Regency Long Beach. The Twentysecond Annual Meeting in 2000 will be held in Germany and several sites are under consideration. In 2000 there will also be a special regional meeting in Christchurch, New Zealand at the end of October or early November.

1998 Annual Meeting Program
Betty Sisken reported that the program for the 1998 meeting in St. Pete Beach, FL is nearing completion. (Highlights of some of the program appear in this issue). Bill Wisecup reported that the administrative details have been fixed, several satellite meetings have been organized and the programs should be in the mail in March. Registration before May 8, 1998 will be US $260 for members, $325 for non-members, $75 for students and emeritus members and one day $100. After May 8th the fees will be $340 members, $405 non-members, $100 students and emeritus and $130 for one day.

Report of Secretary/Treasurer
Paul Gailey reported that the Society is in fine fiscal condition and the budget for 1998-99 was approved by the Board.

Report of Strategic Planning Committee
Betty Sisken reported that the Strategic Planning Committee met on November 8, 1997 in San Diego, CA. The committee was chaired by Greg Lotz and members were Betty Sisken, Mats-Olof Mattsson, Jack Sahl, Joseph Salvatore and Bill Wisecup (Ex-officio). The plan was presented to the Board who recommended that the section on the homepage should be expanded but approved the plan as a whole. The plan will be mailed to the general membership after the revisions are added.

Reports of Standing Committees
The Awards Committee did not present a recommendation regarding the d'Arsonval Medal. The Development Committee suggested that the Society explore the feasibility of hiring a public relations firm to put out information about bioelectromagnetics research. There also may be private institutions or individuals with a special interest in bioelectromagnetics issues who could be approached for endowed research fellowships or projects. The Election Committee reported that the Society’s recent election endorsed a change in Article IV of the constitution of the Society to split the office of Secretary and Treasurer. Paul Gailey will continue as Treasurer and the Nominating Committee will find two candidates for Secretary in the upcoming election of officers and board members.

The Inter-Society Affairs Committee reported on various activities of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI), Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS), European Bioelectromagnetics Association (EBEA), Society for Physical Regulation in Biology and Medicine (SPRBM), Bioelectrochemistry Society (BES), National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP), Radiation Research Society (RRS), and ICNIRP. The winter meeting of URSI could possibly be used to replace the Annual Review meeting. A new liaison is needed for EMBS. The next meeting of EBEA will be in Zagreb, Croatia in October or November of 1998. The next meeting of SPRBM will be at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, California on November 11-14, 1998. At the next meeting of BES, one topic will be bioelectromagnetics and J.C. Skou, Nobel Laureate for chemistry in 1997, will be addressing the group. The NCRP has reactivated Committee 89.5 to update the recommendation on radiofrequency, but Committee 89.4 on pulsed and modulated fields has not been reactivated. Committee 89.3 on electric and magnetic fields appears to be dormant since the leak of their draft report and the publication of their draft recommendations in Microwave News. BEMS should send a letter to NCRP inquiring about what has happened to Report 89.3.

The Journal Committee reported on changes to the Editorial Board and the replacement of Associate Editor, Peter Semm, by Jukka Juutilainen. The Membership Committee reported that we had 732 dues paying members for 1997. One hundred twelve members did not renew from 1996. The Sustaining Members for 1997 were Kent Jaffa of Pacificorp, Robert W. McCourt of Public Service Electric and Gas Company, John M. Osepchuk of Full Spectrum Consulting, Altan Stalker of Group W Network Services, Bruce Simon of Electro-Biology Inc., Richard Sorgnard of CERA International, James Z. Tatoian of Research and Development Labs, and Anthony R. Valentino of the IIT Research Institute. The Nominating Committee is in the process of selecting a slate of candidates for Officers and Board positions.

The Public Affairs Committee reported that a draft letter prepared by Martin Blank concerning the National Institute of Health article in the New England Journal of Medicine was forwarded to the Committee for action. However, a copy of the letter appeared in Microwave News without the permission of the Committee or the Society. The Committee consists of the current and previous five Past Presidents of BEMS and it is difficult to react quickly to public and emergent issues. The Board established a new policy that the President of the Society, in consultation with the Executive Committee, can provide immediate response on behalf of the Society when such public issues arise. The Publications Committee recommended that the Society buy the website. A survey of Past Presidents indicated that many are interested in developing a Newsletter that pulls the Society together. The Newsletter Editor reported that there is considerable effort being expended to get the Newsletter on schedule and encouraged members of the Board and Society to provide more input.

A meeting of the NATO Advanced Study Institute is being planned in the area of bioelectromagnetics and the organizers have requested financial assistance from the Society. It has been BEMS policy for quite some time not to fund meetings of other organizations. An Education and Outreach Committee has been formed to set guidelines to follow when educational opportunities are considered.

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The day-to-day operations of BEMS are efficiently handled by our Executive Director and his staff, so there are relatively few items that need the attention of the Executive Committee between Board meetings. This year, the Executive Committee acted on a number of items by email, and also got together at the DOE meeting (in November), prior to the winter Board meeting, to discuss the following issues:

— the impact of the July 3, 1997 New England Journal of Medicine editorial on the Linet et al EMF-Leukemia study. As a result of the letters and other criticism (Nov. 13, 1997), the NEJM essentially disowned their editorial. In our Sept/Oct 1997 Newsletter, Nancy Wertheimer reviewed the origin of the 2mG criterion generally used as the cutoff in all EMF epidemiology studies, showed that it was arbitrary, and that an examination of published papers suggests a 3mG cutoff is more appropriate. If this analysis is valid, then the Linet study in NEJM has a positive conclusion.

— the Strategic Plan, which has now been approved by the Board and sent to all members. As you can see, we have set our goals for the near future, and would appreciate your suggestions and help in implementing them. Suggestions can be made at the Annual Business Meeting, or at Meet the Board, in June.

— the Newsletter, which has a new editor for the last few issues. We are coping with the problems of transition, and are all trying to help the process along. I hope that we will soon be up-to-date and running smoothly.

— a request to help fund a meeting that is not part of BEMS. We had written in support of the idea behind the meeting, to help the organizers in their request for funds to an outside agency. We thought the meeting was a good idea, but BEMS has never funded an outside meeting. This issue has pointed out the need for defining an education and outreach program, with a clear indication of BEMS priorities, so that we will use our resources most effectively. I have asked Indira Nair to chair the Education and Outreach Committee, and to develop guidelines for presentation to the Board. A full report will be given at the Annual Business Meeting in St. Pete.

Martin Blank
BEMS President, 1997-98

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We went to the town of Galvani,
whose biological sense was uncanny.
He launched bioelectricity,
with a frog leg's complicity,
long before the birth of your granny.

Its university's old as they come,
where academic traditions are from.
All the latest is here,
in the old atmosphere,
an old-new, town-gown conundrum.

We had plenty of posters and lectures,
good lab data, solid conjectures,
symposia galore,
reports by the score,
from cell phones to healing bone fractures.

Bologna got our food always right,
with restaurants to serve day and night,
our banquet was great,
plus no speech to orate,
and the big cake was a tasty delight.

It's a city where churches abound,
and organs make heavenly sound,
I can only declare,
that when notes filled the air,
our spirits soared up from the ground.

Bologna was fun, let's not knock it,
except for thieves swift as a rocket,
markets full of good stuff,
and costs high enough,
without putting their hands in your pocket.

One serious matter, no joking,
was exposure to second-hand smoking.
They would light their small fire,
and we'd have to inspire.
I frequently felt I was choking.

On the whole, I've a positive feeling,
‘twas scientifically and socially appealing.
The site served us well,
from the start till the bell,
and nostalgia has set my head reeling.

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All members of the Society were recently mailed a copy of the Strategic Plan adopted by the Board of Directors at their February Board meeting. The plan revised the Society’s Mission Statement and included ten goals and strategies for achievement of these goals for the Society over the next three to five years.

2. Improve and expand meetings and educational outreach.

3. Identify opportunities for members to successfully compete for research funds.

4. Continue to improve the quality of the Society's journal.

5. Provide a quality Newsletter that meets the needs of the membership. Of particular importance are content, timeliness and audience focus.

6. Maintain an electronic web site that allows access to BEMS information by the worldwide Internet community, and which can serve as a means of rapid two-way communication between the Society and its members.

7. Identify, monitor and disseminate scientific information, and respond to public issues related to bioelectromagnetics.

8. Increase international representation and participation.

9. Maintain the financial solvency of the Society.

10. Develop and maintain an organizational structure responsive to members’ needs.

The Board will monitor the Society’s progress in meeting these goals at upcoming Board meetings. Members are encouraged to read and reflect on this plan and provide input to the Board before the next Board meeting that will precede the Annual Meeting in June in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Members are particularly encouraged to share strategies that have been successful in other societies in which they are members.

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The NTP Board of Scientific Counselors’ Technical Reports Review Subcommittee, complemented by three expert reviewers, met on March 11, 1998 to peer review the draft Technical Reports of two-year toxicology and carcinogenesis studies of rats and mice exposed to 60 Hz magnetic fields, as well as three breast cancer initiation/promotion studies in rats using both 50 Hz (European frequency) and 60 Hz magnetic fields. Copies of the draft reports can be obtained by contacting Central Data Management, NIEHS, PO Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 (Tel: 919-541-3419, Fax: 919-541-3697, e-mail: CDM@niehs.nih.gov).

Agenda and roster of Subcommittee members and expert reviewers and summary minutes can be obtained by contacting the Executive Secretary, Dr. Larry G. Hart, PO Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 (Tel: 919-541-3971, Fax: 919-541-0295, e-mail: hart@niehs.nih.gov).

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The following is a draft letter that can be sent to your Congressional Representative and U.S. Senators, or used as an example for your original letter.

Authorization for federal funding for EMF research at DOE, EPA and NIEHS has essentially ended and Congress says it will not decide whether it should be reauthorized until after the EMFRAPID report is submitted later this year. IT IS CRITICAL for Congress to hear how important it is for the Federal government to continue funding EMF research.

The following letter, drafted by Meg Allen of E. Del Smith, can be used as is or as an example.

Her advice to those who write original letters is - keep them simple. The staffers who read these letters are much more receptive when they are clear (they may not understand scientific terms) and concise (two pages or less).

The addresses provided in the heading are adequate. Please notice that the House of Representatives and Senate have different zip codes. Also, please be sure to send copies of your letter(s) to the listed people on the Appropriations and authorizing committees as they will ultimately make decisions regarding EMF research funding. The more letters they receive in support of continued funding, the more likely they will be to make a decision in our favor. PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS NOW!

The Honorable________________
U.S. House of Representatives / U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20515 / Washington, D.C. 20510

SUBJECT: Funding for Electric and Magnetic Fields Research

Dear Representative/Senator____________________:

Failing Congressional action, this fiscal year will see the demise of essentially all Federally funded research related to possible adverse health effects of environmental electromagnetic fields. As my Representative/Senator, I respectfully request your support of continued funding.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) CORE program has operated for over two decades as a closely integrated, multi-institutional, interscientific effort. It is acknowledged as a world leader because of the contributions it has made in new knowledge on fundamental mechanisms of interactions of electric and magnetic fields with biological systems which have important implications to diagnostic and therapeutic applications in breast cancer, leukemia and neurological disorders.

The scientific contributions made by the CORE program over the last 20 years were achieved on a relatively modest annual budget of around $4 to $6 million and were the foundation for the Congressionally mandated 5- year RAPID program (1992 National Energy Initiative) administered by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

A report on the RAPID research is due later this year and is expected to reach the same conclusion as the National Academy of Sciences report on the same subject - there is need for further research. However, because the program was only authorized for 5 years, Federal funding for it is being terminated before Congress receives the report. Unfortunately, funding for the CORE program is being discontinued at the same time.

Termination of the programs means the disbandment of talented multidisciplinary scientific teams and a loss of unique electromagnetic facilities which, together, are a national resource. Furthermore, the advent of proliferating cellular communications and other technology has increased the need for research which deserves Federal support.

A 20-year Federal investment in scientific studies to determine possible health effects of environmental electromagnetic fields is in jeopardy. Please let your colleagues on the Appropriations Committee know that specific Federal funding should be provided to keep this important program alive.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

For House Members
cc: Chairman Bob Livingston, Appropriations Committee
Chairman John Porter, Labor, HHS and Education Appropriations Subcommittee
Chairman James Sensenbrenner, Science Committee
Chairman Ken Calvert, Energy and Environment Subcommittee

For Senators:
cc: Chairman Ted Stevens, Appropriations Committee
Chairman Arlen Specter, Labor, HHS and Education Subcommittee
Chairman Frank Murkowski, Energy and Natural Resources Committee
Chairman Don Nickles, Energy Research and Development Subcommittee

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*Days

*8 manuscripts from one author

ISI Impact Factors
The 1996 ratio shows the average number of citations, in any journal, of articles from the 1994 or 1995 issues.

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The Annual EMF Research Review will be held on September 13 -16, 1998, at the InnSuites, Tucson, AZ, to provide the EMF community an opportunity to comment on the EMF RAPID Working Group Report. This document completes the NIEHS Risk Assessment process and is the major input for the RAPID Program’s report to Congress.

The meeting will include technical presentations, reviews of key sections of the Working Group Report and scheduled time for discussion and comments from attendees. Members of the Working Group and NIEHS staff will attend and participate in the discussions.

Annual Review participants, researchers and others are urged to take advantage of this opportunity to interact with NIEHS staff and comment on the Working Group Report which is an important component of the message that will go to Congress and the public.

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The Newsletter is starting a new section to try and get more input from the members of BEMS. BEMS members have diverse backgrounds and conflicting views on many controversial issues of much concern to the future of the Society and bioelectromagnetics research. It is difficult to generate genuine, constructive dialogue regarding these issues and controversies in formal peer reviewed publications. We will publish a question for the members in one Newsletter issue and then publish the comments received in the next issue. Members are asked to sign the comments, but names can be withheld upon request. The first question that we are posing for comment is:

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The 1998 Annual Meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society will be scientifically interesting and exciting. The Society is at a critical point regarding the continuation of some research areas. Special care was taken in planning the program to reflect this critical point in time and to provide opportunities for open discussion among the members.

On Sunday, June 7, from 2:00-5:00pm a special workshop will be held on grantsmanship. The workshop titled "Getting Funded, an Insiders Guide to Grantsmanship" will be presented by faculty from the National Institute on Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and is sponsored by BEMS. This will be an interactive workshop where participants will receive feedback on their grant applications. Participants should bring an NIH format abstract, hypothesis and specific aims for the application to be evaluated. Dr. Michael Galvin will speak on "You Can Judge a Grant by It’s Cover", Dr. George Malindzak will present "Where’s the Hypothesis", Dr. Jerry Heindel will discuss "Selling Your Idea", and Dr. Dave Mineo will conclude with "The Road to Funding or How an Application is Assigned." The workshop will be followed by one-on-one meetings on Monday with participants and the NIEHS faculty. Sign-up sheets for the one-on-one Monday meetings will be available.

Following the Opening Session on Monday, June 8, at 8:00am, the first Plenary Session on "Normal and Cancer Cell Biology: Probable Sites for Interaction with ELF/EMF" will open the Technical Program. Dr. D. Binninger of Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL will present "Normal Cell Biology and Probable Sites for Interaction with ELF/EMF" and Dr. J. Salvatore of the Phoenix Veterans Administration Medical Center in Phoenix, AZ will present "Cancer Cells and Probable Sites for ELF/EMF Interactions."

On Tuesday, June 9 at 8:00am, a session the "Planning for Bioelectromagnetics Research in the Third Decade of the Society" will be followed by a Roundtable Discussion. The session features focuses on both high and low frequencies and includes some of the original members of the Society along with some newer members. The session speakers will be Ray Neutra of the California Department of Health Services, Tom Tenforde of Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Ken Foster of the University of Pennsylvania, Ross Adey of the University of California, and Don Justesen, retired from the Veterans Administration Medical Center. The Roundtable Discussion will be led by Richard Luben of the University of California, Eleanor Adair of Brooks Air Force Base, and Martin Blank of Columbia University.

Prior to the Social event at the resort, Dr. Lee Rosen of the US National Institute of Health, will lead a discussion on potential funding for bioelectromagnetics research. The discussion will be from 5:00-7:00pm on Tuesday, June 9, and will most likely continue on into the night.

On Wednesday, June 10 from 7:00am-12:20pm, a model session in support of the BEMS application for Continuing Medical Education (CME) Credits will be chaired by Dr. Joe Salvatore. The learning objective is to present participants with the latest information on applications and techniques of electromagnetic fields in clinical use. The session is open to all interested persons, but attendees must sign in and complete an evaluation of the session.

Poster sessions are scheduled for Wednesday and members have the opportunity to meet the current members of the Board of Directors, including the Editor-in-Chief and Newsletter Editor, from 6:00-6:45pm. Member ideas on the future goals of the Society, topics for future meetings, and "what do you want your Society to be doing?" will be open for discussion.

Other satellite committee meetings, workshops and poster sessions are available to the participants.

TradeWinds at St. Pete Beach, Florida is a four-diamond island beach resort. St. Pete Beach is a gulf coast barrier island 7 miles long and 1/4 mile wide. The resort spans 18 tropical acres dotted with meandering waterways, white footbridges and Victorian gazebos. It is the largest beach front meeting facility on Florida’s central west coast. Four swimming pools are on site, with tennis and complete fitness centers plus miles of white sandy beach. Charter excursions for fishing and sailing are available. Golf privileges are available on one of the areas finest private yacht and country clubs just 3 miles away. The average day/night temperatures in June are 83.5oF (~25o C)/68.9oF (~18oC). Informal attire is appropriate for participation in the Technical Sessions and beach/resort attire is appropriate for resort activities. The TradeWinds is several miles from Tampa International Airport.

The four diamond accommodations and excellent meeting facilities and amenities will provide an ideal atmosphere for sharing the scientific excitement and camaraderie of the participants.

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The past several decades of scientific research will be remembered for the dramatic expansion of our understanding of the biochemical nature of living organisms. From the secrets of the genetic code to the dynamics of protein folding, the fundamental building blocks and processes of life are being revealed at a dizzying pace. But even with these incredible successes, an even greater challenge lies ahead: How can we understand the relationship between the building blocks, biochemistry, and static "codes", and the dynamic processes we call life? Using the language of nonlinear dynamics, we might ask the question as follows: How do living systems self organize?

This fascinating question is relevant at nearly all levels of organization. At the molecular level, we might ask how cellular lipid membranes form and stabilize, and then ask the same questions about natural and artificial pores in these membranes. At the cellular level, we are faced with the incredible orchestration of gene expression and questions about how single cells recognize and respond to environmental changes. In development, the questions are even more daunting. How is the symmetry of a single cell broken and re-organized to produce the complex symmetry of an organism? How do the cells at a specific location know to differentiate into a specific organ or tissue? Moving up to the organism level, we can ask how cells migrate to the site of a wound during the healing process.

Through dedicated research by a number of investigators around the world, these preliminary questions are beginning to yield answers. Organization of simple components into complex, coherent systems requires communication between the components. In many cases, such signals are based on biochemicals, but a broad spectrum of recent work is revealing that long-range coherence often depends on the generation and sensing of electric and magnetic fields. For example, electric fields generated by wounds serve to guide keratinocytes to the proper location for repair processes. Electric fields generated during embryogenesis appear to be critical to proper development.

Understanding the role of fields in biology requires that we add a new paradigm for interactions to our repertoire of biological phenomena. Fortunately, biology offers us the ideal starting point. Many organisms depend on their ability to sense electric and magnetic fields for their survival. In most cases, the details of these sensing processes are now beginning to be understood. Excellent research into the field-sensing abilities of sharks, birds, sea slugs, and newts, for example, is beginning to provide clues into the mechanisms behind these phenomena. Studies of these sensory systems promise to provide deep insights into the fundamentals of field interactions in biology.

While this fundamental work is underway, other investigators are applying newly gained knowledge of such interactions to potential therapies. Field-generating devices for bone healing are already available, and current work is focusing on the use of electric fields for treating other types of medical problems including cardiac fibrillation and epilepsy. At the cellular level, recent advances in our understanding of the processes associated with electroporation are leading to improved methods for targeted drug delivery.

The 1998 Gordon Research Conference on Bioelectrochemistry is designed to help advance this shift to a greater understanding of the mechanisms and functions of electric and magnetic field interactions in biology. All of the speakers will present the latest experimental findings offering participants an opportunity to explore the cutting edge of this important research area. The conference is also well attended by theorists, and ample time for informal discussion and investigation of new ideas will be available. Due to space limitations, attendance at this conference will be limited to just over 100 participants. Be sure to submit your registration application early to insure consideration before the conference is full. We hope to see you there!

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The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the Department of Energy (DOE) are coordinating the implementation of the Electric and Magnetic Fields Research and Public Information Dissemination (EMFRAPID) Program. The EMFRAPID Program was established by the 1992 Energy Policy Act (Section 2118 for Public Law 102-486) which was signed in October 1992. This five-year effort is designed to determine the potential effects from exposure to 60 Hz extremely low frequency (ELF) EMF (especially those produced by the generation, transmission and use of electric energy) on biological systems. DOE is responsible for characterizing field exposures that may be hazardous. The NIEHS is responsible for the development and implementation of a research program on the possible adverse human health effects of ELF-EMF. The EMFRAPID Program requires the NIEHS to report on the extent to which exposure to electric and magnetic fields adversely affects human health.

The report development process combines a critical evaluation of the scientific literature with an assessment of the strength of the evidence for human health effects resulting from EMF exposures. To accomplish the initial part of this process, the NIEHS has organized a series of open, public science review symposia (SRS) on science related to EMF exposures and their biologic effects as follows:

The first symposium was held March 24-27, 1997 in Durham, North Carolina on "theoretical mechanistic and in vitro research findings." Written reports summarizing the deliberations of breakout group discussion sessions are currently available and can be obtained by contacting the address below.

The second symposium on "epidemiological results" was held January 12-14, 1998 in San Antonio, Texas. Breakout reports from this symposium are being prepared and will be available by contacting the address below.

The third symposium on "clinical and in vivo studies" was held April 6-9, 1998 in Phoenix, Arizona. The symposium targeted clinical and in vivo laboratory findings from studies of EMF exposures at frequencies associated with power delivery and use. The program consisted of plenary overview lectures on "Cancer Mechanisms", "EMF Exposure Metrics", "Summary of EMF Science Review Symposium on Epidemiological Studies", "A summary of In Vitro EMF Science Review Symposium", and "Risk Assessment." Topics for the in-depth breakout group sessions included breast cancer, leukemia, immunotoxicity, tissue healing, neurobehavioral disorders, electromagnetic hypersensitivity, brain cancer, animal and clinical data in risk assessment, reproduction and development, physical theory and melatonin.

Scientists from multiple disciplines will meet June 15-24, 1998 at the Northland Inn in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, with the task of writing a comprehensive review of the literature on the potential for ELF-EMF to affect human health. The WG will use information from the symposia’s discussions as well as perform an overall critical evaluation of the literature. The report they produce will draw conclusions on the strength and robustness of the data and its implications for human health effects and disease etiology. This report will be publicly available for comments.

Public review and comment on the WG report will be a priority for NIEHS prior to preparing a final report to Congress. It is anticipated that the WG report will be available for public review by late July/early August. A 45-day comment period on the WG report is planned and will be broadly announced. It is anticipated that the NIEHS will meet with the National Electric and Magnetic Field Advisory Committee (NEMFAC) in mid to late September to discuss the WG report and the public comments received. To be placed on the mailing list to receive a copy of the report and request for comments, please contact the EMFRAPID Program at the address below.

The NIEHS will use the final report of the working group, information obtained from the SRS, all comments received, and other relevant information to prepare a report to Congress on the potential for human health effects from exposure to ELF-EMF resulting from the production and distribution of electricity.

It is anticipated that the NIEHS Director will submit a Report to the Secretary, Department of Human Health Services (DHHS) by November 1998.

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Electrical phenomena have been known since the ancient Egyptians ("electric" fish in the Nile) and later friction electricity was used for charging of Leyden jars (1). However, the systematic research started in 1780 by the "triumvirat": Aloisius Galvani (1737-1798), practical anatomist in Bologna, Italy; Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), physicist in Pavia, Italy; and Johann W. Ritter (1776-1810), physicist in Jena, Germany (2).

After the discovery by Galvani in 1786 (3) of contractions in frog leg muscles during flash discharges, many combinations between muscles, nerves and metals were tested combined with several inventions such as the Voltaic pile and Ritter’s charge pile (4, 5). The fundamental papers are collected in "Ostwalds Klassikern der Exakten Wissenschaften" (6, 7). Galvani, Volta and Ritter created their own theories for the origin of galvanic action:

Galvani believed that the electricity was generated in the organism itself as "animal electricity", analogous to the electric fish (3, 6). Volta thought that the electricity directly arises from the contact of different metals as "contact electricity". Ritter postulated generally that an ordered continuous galvinism accompanies healthy life processes (8). However, Ritter was able to explain all of Galvani’s and Volta’s experiments as chemical reactions at the phase boundary between metal and muscle or nerve - a similar process as for the voltage difference between metals in ionic solutions (i.e., "electrochemistry") (5, 7, 8). Given Ritter’s fundamentally correct explanation in 1798, he is therefore the founder, not only of scientific electrochemistry (1, 2), but consequently also of bioelectrochemistry because he determined the response of the sense organs of Mimosa pudica (7) by electrostimulation using his charge pile, a kind of accumulator.

Ritter presented his experiments to Goethe, the Duke of Weimar and later to the Bavarian Academy of Sciences at Munich (7). Since this beginning, many scientists such as Pfaff (1793), Aldini (1794), Humboldt (1797) and Davy (1804) studied and used this novel natural force. Soon the ideas were extended (1820-21) to include electromagnetism, the invention of Oersted (1777-1851), a friend of Ritter, and also by Farraday (1791-1867).

(1) Wilhelm Ostwald. Elektrochemie, ihre Geschichte und Lehre. Leipzig, Veit und Cie.(1896)
(2) W. Wetzels and J. Ritter. The beginnings of electrochemistry in Germany. In G. Dupernell and J. Westbrook (Eds), Selected Topics in the History of Electrochemistry, Princeton.(1978)
(3) Aloisius Galvani. De viribus electricitatis in moto musculari commentarius. Comm Bonon, Sci. et Art. T. 7.(1791)
(4) Allesandro Volta. Second Letter to Prof. Gren (Halle), In Brugnatelli’s Annali di Chimica 14. (1997)
(5) Johann W. Ritter. Physikalisch-chemische Abhandklungen in chronologischer Folge. Leipzig. (1806)
(6) A. Galvani. Abhandlungen uber die Krafte der Elektrizitat bei der Muskelbewegung. A. Volta: Untersuchungen uber den Galvanismus. Reprinted in A.v. Oettingen (Ed), Ostwalds Klassiker der Exakten Wissenschaften. v.Harri Deutsch, Frankfurt/M, Vol. 52, (1996)
(7) Johann W. Ritter. Entdeckungen zur Elektrochemie. Reprinted in H. Berg and K. Richter (Eds), Ostwalds Klassiker der Exakten Wissenschaften. Akad. Verlagsges. Geest & Portig, Leipzig. Vol. 271, (1986).
(8) Johann W. Ritter. Beweis, dass ein bestandiger Galvanismus den Lebensprozess in dem Thierreich begleite. Weimar. (1798).

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April 28-29, 1998. EMF Engineering Review Symposium: Status and Summary of EMF Engineering Research. Sheraton Charleston Hotel, Charleston, SC. Organized by the United States Department of Energy. Advance registration is required in order to receive pre-conference materials. Contact W/L Associates, 7519 Ridge Road, Frederick, MD 21702. (Tel: 301-663-1915, Fax: 301-371-8955, e-mail: 75230.1222@compuserve.com, web site: www.emf-data.org).

May 18-22, 1998. Electromagnetic Fields Research in Eastern Europe. Moscow, Russian Federation. Organized by the WHO International EMF Project. Contact Dr. Michael Repacholi, International EMF Project, EHG/EHR, WHO, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland. (Tel: +41 22 791 3427, Fax: +41 22 791 4123, e-mail: repacholim@who.ch).

May 23-29, 1998. Fourteenth International Symposium on Bioelectrochemistry and Bioenergetics. Vingstedcentret, Denmark. Contact S. Kwee, Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Aarhus, Building 170, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark. (Tel: +45 8942 2869, Fax: +45 8613 1160, e-mail: bes98@biokemi.aau.dk, Website: http://www.health.aau.dk/conf/bes98.htm).

June 7-11, 1998. Annual Meeting of The Bioelectromagnetics Society. The TradeWinds, St. Pete Beach, FL. Contact W/L Associates, 7519 Ridge Road, Frederick, MD 21702-3519. (Tel: 301-663-4252, Fax: 301-371-8955, e-mail: 75230.1222@compuserve.com, Website: http://www.bioelectromagnetics.org/index.html).

June 15-24, 1998. NIEHS Working Group. Northland Inn, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Contact EMFRAPID Program, LCBRA, NIEHS, NIH, PO Box 12233 MD EC-16, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. (Tel: 919-541-7534, Fax: 919-541-0144).

June 17-20, 1998. The Wound Healing Society Eighth Annual Meeting. Little America Hotel, Salt Lake City, Utah. Contact The Wound Healing Society, 1550 S. Coast Highway, Suite 201, Laguna Beach, CA 92651. (Tel: 888-434-4234, Fax: 714-376-3456

July 11-15, 1998. 33rd Microwave Power Symposium. Inter-Continental Hotel, Chicago, IL. Sponsored by the International Microwave Power Institute. Contact Richard Gedye, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Laurentian University, Sudbury, ON P3E 2C6 Canada. (Tel: 705-675-1151 x 2104, e-mail: Rgedye@nickel.laurentian.ca).

July 12-16, 1998. 43rd Annual Meeting of the Health Physics Society. Minneapolis, MN. Contact Richard J. Burk, Jr., Health Physics Society, 1313 Dolly Madison Blvd., McLean, VA 22101. (Tel: 703-790-1745, Fax: 703-790-2672, e-mail: hpsburkmgt@aol.com).

July 19-24, 1998. 1998 Gordon Conference on Bioelectrochemistry, Electric and Magnetic Fields in Biology and Medicine. New England College, Henniker, New Hampshire. Contact Paul Gailey, Electric and Magnetic Fields Biological Effects Research Program, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PO Box 2008, 3147, MS-6070, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6070. (Tel: 423-574-0419, Fax: 423-674-5227, e-mail: pg7@ornl.gov, http://www.ornl.gov/emf/gordon.htm).

September 13-16, 1998. The Annual Review of Research on Biological Effects of Electric and Magnetic Fields From the Generation, Delivery and Use of Electricity. InnSuites, Tucson, AZ. Contact W/L Associates, 7519 Ridge Road, Frederick, MD 21702-3519. (Tel: 301-663-1915, Fax: 301-371-8955, e-mail: 75230.1222@compuserve.com).

September 14-18, 1998. International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility. University of Rome "La Sapienza", Rome, Italy. Contact Daniela Fioramonti, EMC ‘98 Roma, AEI- Ufficio Centrale, Piazzale R. Morandi 2, 20121, Milano, Italy. (Tel: +39 2 77790 1, Fax: +39 2 79 88 17, e-mail: conferencesaei@aei.it).

September 27-30, 1998. Third Congress of International Association of Biologically Closed Electric Circuits in Biomedicine and 2nd International Symposium on Electrochemical Treatment of Cancers. Beijing, China. Contact Dr. Xinchao Bao, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing 100029, China. (Tel: +8610 64227535, Fax: +8610 64217749, e-mail: gzliu@hns.cjfh.ac.cn). After the meeting, there will be a two day training course on Electrochemical Treatment.

March 22-26, 1999. Progress in Electromagnetic Research Symposium. Taipei International Convention Center, Taipei, Taiwan. One-page abstract must be received by September 1, 1998. Acceptance notification by October 10, 1998 and presenting author must pre-register by December 1, 1998. Advance registration fee (January 15, 1999) is US $300. Contact: Prof. Kun Shan Chen, PIERS 1999, Center for Space and Remote Sensing Research, National Central University, Chung-Li, Taiwan. (Tel: 886-3-425-7232, Fax: 886-3-425-5535, e-mail: dkschen@csrsr.ncu.edu.tw.

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The BIOELECTROMAGNETICS Society Newsletter is published and distributed to all members of the Society.  Information regarding the Society may be obtained by writing to BEMS, 7519 Ridge Road, Frederick, MD 21702-3519.  Institutions and libraries may subscribe to the Newsletter at an annual cost of $58.50 ($67.50 for overseas subscribers).  The Newsletter serves the membership and subscribers in part as a forum for the presentation of ideas and issues related to bioelectromagnetics research. All submissions to the Newsletter must be signed and reflect the individual views of the authors and not official points of view of the Society or of the institutions with which the authors are affiliated. The Society solicits contributions to the Newsletter from its members and others in the scientific and engineering communities.  News items as well as short research notes and book reviews are welcome. Advertisements inserted and distributed with the Newsletter are not to be considered endorsements.

Submit items for consideration to: M. E. O'Connor, University of Tulsa, Psychology Department, 600 S College, Tulsa, OK 74104-3189.  (Tel: 918-631-2838; Fax: 918-631-2833; Email: OCONNORME@centum.utulsa.edu)

M. E. O'Connor, Editor

For Newsletter items, contact the Editor.

For other Society business, contact: The Bioelectromagnetics Society, 7519 Ridge Road, Frederick, MD 21702-3519.  Tel. 301-663-4252; Fax 301-371-8955; Email: 75230.1222@compuserve.com.

BEMS Homepage:
http://www.bioelectromagnetics.org/index.html

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