BEMS Newsletter #143, July/August 1998

The increased use of mobile phones in Australia has raised public interest in possible health issues associated with electromagnetic emissions from handsets and base stations (including towers and antennas).

The information in this and other fact sheets has been prepared to help explain the current thinking on this issue, and is based on substantiated scientific research.

Because current policies are linked to scientific research, some of the terms used in these facts sheets are necessarily scientific. If anything is unclear, or you would like more information please don't hesitate to use the contact details provided.

What is the Government Doing?

The Government has provided $4.5 million over four and a half years for the Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Energy Program (the RF EME program) which will support research into and provide information to the public about health issues associated with mobile phones, mobile phone base stations and other communications devices and equipment.

The program has three elements:

1) an Australian research program (through the National Health and Medical Research Council - NHMRC) to conduct research into RF EME issues of relevance to Australia and to complement overseas research activities;
2) continuing Australian participation in the World Health Organisation's International Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Project assessing the health and environmental effects of EME exposure; and,
3) a public information program (for example, publishing these fact sheets, taking measurements at nominated base stations around the country and providing information to the public and the media).

The program is coordinated by the Committee on Electromagnetic Energy Public Health Issues, which includes representatives from the Department of Communications and the Arts, the Department of Health and Family Services, the Australian Radiation Laboratory, the Australian Communications Authority (ACA), the Therapeutic Goods Administration, and the [Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation] CSIRO.

A Reference Group of representatives from consumer organisations, the telecommunications industry, the health sector, universities, local government and community groups has been established to provide community input to the EME Committee.

Research

The weight of national and international scientific opinion is that there is no substantiated evidence that living near a mobile phone base station or using a mobile phone causes adverse health effects. There is no evidence of a link between exposure to RF EME and adverse health effects in humans at levels below the limits specified in the Australian Standard AS/NZS2772.1(Int). A few cell or animal studies which have reported positive results (i.e. some biological effects) have yet to be replicated (i.e. the results have not been duplicated by subsequent studies which are part of the process of substantiating scientific research).

Continuing research will ensure that public health policies are based on the most up-to-date information as communications technology continues to develop and scientific methods improve.

The Australian research program recognises public concern, and the need to ensure standards and public health policies continue to be based on the best available scientific information. The program will fund studies on RF EME human health issues, particularly those of relevance and interest to the Australian community.

In late 1997, the NHMRC advertised for expressions of interest in the national press. This followed a period of public consultation regarding priority research areas. (A copy of the discussion paper is available from the EME Committee's website, the address of which is on the cover of this fact sheet.) An Expert Committee of the NHMRC was set up to oversee the research funding process. Funding decisions are expected to be finalised in mid 1998.

Australia is also participating in the World Health Organisation's International EMF Project which is investigating the health and environmental effects of exposure to electric and magnetic fields in the frequency range from 0 to 300 GHz. This project is: establishing a database on research literature, scientists and projects; publishing interim reports on substantiated, important findings as soon as they are available; preparing detailed international scientific reviews and guidance documents on radiofrequency fields, risk communication and management as well as public and occupational health policy; and publishing information brochures.

Further information on the WHO International EMF Project can be obtained from WHO's website at http://www.who.ch/peh-emf/index.htm#index

Public Information

Up until June 30, 1998, this and other fact sheets covering a range of RF EME public health issues are available from the Department of Communications and the Arts.

From 1 July, 1998, this information will be available from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), Department of Health and Family Services. These fact sheets will help keep interested members of the public informed about RF EME public health issues. They will be updated as necessary and additional fact sheets will be published as information becomes available. Information and briefings are also provided to local governments, health and community centres and the media.

Other fact sheets in the series are:

Electromagnetic Energy and its Effects
The Standards Making Process and AS/NZS2772.1(Int):1998
About Mobile Phones.
About Mobile Phone Networks.
Potential Interference of Mobile Phones with Pacemakers, Hearing Aids and Other Devices.
What About Telecommunications Towers, and are There any Health Effects?

May 1998

Note: The term RF EME incorporates electromagnetic radiation, radiofrequency fields and radiofrequency radiation

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Comments to: webmaster@dca.gov.au. Copyright Commonwealth of Australia 1996. Last update: Tuesday, 26-May-98 14:41:38. This page is located at http://www.dca.gov.au/responsi/eme/fact1.html

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Meeting #70 of the Board of Directors

The 70th meeting of the BEMS Board of Directors (BOD) took place on Sunday, June 7, 1998 at the TradeWinds Resort in St. Pete Beach, Florida. 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 and Janie Blanchard (Engineering/Physical Sciences), Henry Lai and Rosemonde Mandeville (Biological/Medical Sciences), and Niels Kuster and Greg Lotz (At Large). Also present were ex-officio members Mary Ellen O'Connor (Newsletter Editor) and Bill Wisecup (Executive Director). Gloria Parsley of W/L Associates was present and Damijan Miklavcic was the liaison representative from the European Bioelectromagnetics Association (EBEA).

Report of the President

Martin Blank reported that he had summarized the last year by looking at progress toward the Strategic Plan that was adopted at the last meeting of the BOD. The three upcoming meeting sites are Long Beach, California USA, and Munich, Germany for the twenty-first and twenty-second Annual Meetings of BEMS and a satellite meeting in 2000 in Christchurch, New Zealand. These meeting sites fit the stated objective of serving the international BEMS membership. The BEMS representatives to the Third World Congress Committee are Richard Luben, Mats-Olof Mattsson, and Betty Sisken. In other areas Blank noted that educational outreach needs more attention and the Journal, Newsletter and Website are doing well. BEMS has not been effective at the political level as we are always reacting to some issue rather than creating our own news. The letter to Congress that appeared in the Newsletter and on the Website does not seem to have been widely used. BEMS needs to tell the media and Congress about the importance of the upcoming National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Working Group Report. BEMS members should be urged to read the whole report - not just the press release. Paul Gailey and Richard Luben, who are members of the NIEHS Working Group, will draft a letter to be sent by incoming President, Betty Sisken, to media representatives about the report. (The full report of the President as presented at the Annual Business Meeting appeared in issue 142 and the NIEHS press release is in this issue on page 9.)

Report of 1998 Annual Meeting

Betty Sisken reported that the Technical Program Committee received approximately 200 abstracts and many were placed in the poster sessions. The session on Tuesday morning has a special historical meaning as many prominent BEMS members will attempt to predict the future for bioelectromagnetics research and the Society. Wednesday morning is a trial session for the Society's application to award Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits at future meetings. The T-shirts that she will be selling will provide more financial support for student participants.

Bill Wisecup noted that there were 330 advance registrants. The Wednesday morning session starts at 7 am and Joe Salvatore has lined up some world class speakers for this session.

Report of the Secretary/Treasurer

Paul Gailey presented the financial statement prepared by our accounting firm for the fiscal year ended March 31, 1998. The total assets of the Society are $291,363.85 compared to $261,203.88 in 1997. The total income was $169,581.97 compared to $331,233.62 for the previous year resulting in $23,103.30 excess of revenues over expenses. The large reduction was due to participation in the Second World Congress in lieu of our Annual Meeting. The total fund balance is $253,474.66.

Report of the Newsletter Editor

Mary Ellen O'Connor reported that the Newsletter is back on schedule but that there is very little input from the membership in providing articles, comments, publications, etc. Material for the next issue (May/June) will be sent to the office for preparation the Friday following this meeting and the July/August issue is targeted for receipt by the members by the first of August. She specifically thanked Martin Blank and Ben Greenebaum for the material they provided throughout the year and encouraged other members of the BOD to contribute.

Report of the Editor-in-Chief

Of the 39 manuscripts received since January 1, 1998, five were rejected and 34 are being reviewed or are in revision. In 1997 at this time 41 manuscripts had been reviewed. Twenty-two manuscripts (56%) were submitted from North America and 17 (44%) from elsewhere. The field types were 25 (64%) ELF, 7 (18%) high frequency, 2 (5%) DC static, and 5 (13%) other.

Report of the Executive Director

Bill Wisecup reported that the Society is financially sound for now and membership appears to be steady. As a result of the lateness of the ballot and the deadline for return, the election is invalid according to the BEMS Constitution. The By-Laws allows resolution of such an issue at the Annual Business Meeting. The BOD voted to allow members to decide at the Annual Business Meeting on Wednesday afternoon if the ballots will be accepted or not. If the members do not choose to accept the election results, the BOD recommends a second mailing with a full ten weeks to respond.

Reports of Standing Committees

In the absence of Craig Byus, Lee Rosen will be acting as Chair of the Awards Committee for the reviews of student presentations. There is one award for platform presentation and one for poster. The awards do not have to be presented if the committee does not agree on the quality of the presentations.

Paul Gailey reported for the Budget Committee that the budget has been approved. The Development Committee had no report. The results of the election were already discussed.

The reports from the Inter-Society Affairs Committee included the information that the next General Assembly for the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) will be in Canada in August, 1999. The Commission on Man and Radiation (COMAR) which reports to Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) has a committee chaired by Charles Polk and Ruth Douglas Miller that has been trying to develop a Technical Information Statement (TIS) on ELF. The committee is divided with regard to the statement. Damijan Miklavcic reported that the EBEA will meet in November in Zagreb. In addition to the regular sessions they will have a roundtable discussion on setting standards. BEMS is asked to co-sponsor a session at EBEA. The next COST244 meeting will be in Paris. He thanked BEMS for the $5000 for the October 12-16, 1999 NATO meeting in Slovenia. A new Board will be elected and announced. The Society for Physical Regulation in Biology and Medicine (SPRBM) will meet November 11-14, 1998 on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. Martin Blank reported that the Bioelectrochemistry Society (BES) held a meeting in Denmark that included a symposium on electromagnetic effects with good representation from both the positive and negative viewpoints. The next meeting will be in France in 1999. There is a Gordon Conference at New England College on July 19-24, 1998 that will include electroporation, drug delivery and sensory perception as topics. Luben reported that the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements (NCRP) is financially solvent again and Committee 89-5 on radiofrequency has been reactivated. Committee 89-3 on ELF is showing signs of renewed vigor. ICNIRP last met in Tokyo in April of 1998. Niels Kuster said he would be willing to attend in the future and report to the BOD. The Journal Committee had no action and the Nominating Committee reported earlier. The Membership Committee proposed Bo Holmberg, Sheldon Thaler and Richard Shepard for Emeritus status.

Richard Luben suggested that the Public Affairs Committee be ready for the NIEHS report and press release. An ad hoc Task Force of Rosemonde Mandeville and Frank Barnes will identify key science writers to be addressed before the NIEHS report comes out. Janie Blanchard reported that the Publications Committee approved a special edition of the Journal for the World Health Organization (WHO). BEMS will ask WHO to pay the page charges and ask for an additional sum of money for eight extra pages. These special editions and financial arrangements need to be decided by the BOD on a case by case basis. The Newsletter and the Website are very different venues. Members are encouraged to send copies of other newsletters they receive to the BEMS Editor for ideas. The Webpage has grown considerably and there was a good response to having the meeting abstracts available before the meeting.

Task Force and Ad Hoc Committee Reports

The International Advisory Task Force is being organized by Kjell Hansson Mild and Indira Nair has resigned as the chair for the Educational Outreach Task Force. The February Workshop held the day before the BOD meeting was attended by approximately 50 people. The new BOD and committee members should read the Strategic Plan and track the progress through the next year. The members of the Second World Congress Committee will meet Sunday evening after the social and the members for the Third World Congress (Richard Luben, Mats-Olof Mattsson, Betty Sisken) will also attend.

Unfinished Business

Richard Luben reported that he is investigating the purchase of a unique domain name for the Webpage. Bioelectromagnetics is available but BEMS is already taken. He suggested that we establish an account with Internet Service Provider as a small business site. The BOD voted to add the Webpage Editor as an ex-officio member of the BOD. Frank Barnes reported that the University of Colorado is setting up a new center to study the process of creating standards.

New Business

With assets increasing each year, the BOD could dedicate more financial support for student travel to the Annual Meeting. The BOD assigned this project to the Budget Committee to investigate within the guidelines of the Strategic Plan and report in February.

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LETTER TO BEMS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

by Richard Luben

The NIEHS Working Group finished its deliberations yesterday (June 24, 1998). Both myself and Paul Gailey (as well as a number of BEMS members) were on the panel.

The finding of "possible" carcinogenicity was based almost entirely upon epidemiological findings of positive associations for childhood leukemia in residences and for adult CLL in occupational settings. "Inadequate" evidence was found for all other cancers and other diseases. [Please note that the Linet article was used by this panel as a POSITIVE finding for association of childhood leukemia with measured magnetic fields, and as a positive finding with regard to establishing dose-response behavior.]

The panel also found that animal studies currently provide "inadequate" evidence for carcinogenicity, while in vitro mechanistic studies provide "moderate" support for carcinogenicity in general (but the evidence specifically supporting a mechanism for leukemias was considered weak). The adjectives in quotes are derived from the IARC categories and have strict definitions. IARC's criteria are quite conservative, so this finding can be viewed as a very solid statement that EMF is a potential hazard to human health. This panel's findings are being treated by NIEHS in its press contacts as being considerably more supportive of a carcinogenic potential of EMF than was the NAS panel two years ago.

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LETTER FROM THE 1998 TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIR

The Annual Meeting of The Bioelectromagnetics Society was held in St. Pete Beach, Florida, from Sunday, June 7 to Thursday, June 11. Although the weather was very hot and very humid, the attendance at the sessions was high and the discussions lively.

I would like to thank all of the members of the Technical Program who reviewed the abstracts and made suggestions for the program. Special thanks to the Speakers at the Tuesday session on the future directions of The Bioelectromagnetics Society, and to Asher Sheppard who worked so diligently in putting this session together.

Deserved thanks of appreciation to the panel members who worked to make the medical CME-practice session on Wednesday morning a resounding success.

Of course our thanks are extended to Bill Wisecup and his staff who ran this entire meeting as efficiently as ever.

Betty Sisken

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BEMS NEW WEB SITE

The BEMS web page is now set up at its new server site:

http://www.bioelectromagnetics.org

This site can also be accessed using www.bioelectromagnetics.com
The previous site is still in service but has not been updated, and will soon be removed (except for a link to the new site).

The web page has added a new discussion forum which allows for multiple threads including private discussions, moderated discussions and mass e-mailings. This provides an excellent opportunity to contribute your opinion regarding the NIEHS report prior to the Tucson meeting.

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ROOTS: FOUNDING OF THE BIOELECTROMAGNETICS SOCIETY

by Carl Blackman and Tom Rozzell

During the recent Business Meeting of the Society in St. Pete Beach, FL, the image of the "founding fathers" was mentioned to support a particular debating point during a discussion. I subsequently asked several long-time members if they knew who the founders of The Bioelectromagnetics Society were and those members could not give complete answers. It occurred to me that the newer members of BEMS would be even less aware of the historical beginnings of the Society. Tom Rozzell and I prepared the following history which we hope will be informative.

On February 23rd, 1978, Tom Rozzell of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) convened a meeting with five other scientists at the offices of Richard Burke, Executive Director of the Radiation Research Society as well as three other societies, to investigate the issues associated with creating a multi-disciplinary membership society devoted to studying the interaction of electric and magnetic fields with biological systems.

Before discussing the details covered in the meeting, it is useful to establish the historical context that lead to the meeting. There was interest in the biological effects of radio waves and microwaves in the 1950s and early 1960s that was funded by the three military services in the US, which convened a series of Tri-Service Conferences to discuss and disseminate research findings. This was followed by a time of little interest that was altered by work on low intensity effects reported at a Richmond, Virginia symposium in 1969, sponsored by the Bureau of Radiological Health (now part of the US Food and Drug Administration). The next meeting in this subject area was held at the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS) in 1974, and was organized by Paul Tyler of the US Navy. This meeting showed greatly renewed interest in the research area and brought many new researchers into the field. The NYAS meeting was followed by three successive meetings, the first two sponsored by Commission A of the International Union of Radio Scientists (URSI); held in Boulder, CO in 1975, Amherst, MA in 1976, and one independently sponsored meeting in Airlie, VA in 1977. At this time it was apparent that conditions were favorable for the development of an organization that could offer membership status, and would be fundamentally a biologically based society. One major sponsor of previous meetings was URSI, but it was not a membership organization as it drew its membership via nomination from members of engineering societies. The URSI journals for publication of findings were engineering oriented, or were isolated proceedings or supplements (e.g., Radio Science) with no regular publication dates. This form of publication did not allow other potentially interested biologists easy access to published reports.

At the February 23rd meeting, the economies of creating a financially successful scientific society were explained by Richard Burke. There were several other options discussed, including expansion of the charter of the International Microwave Power Institute (IMPI), or the development of a "Council" composed of representatives of all existing societies in the field (primarily the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technique Society, Radiation Research and IMPI) to hold annual symposia, workshops and publication of a journal, perhaps a section in the Journal of Microwave Power. It was eventually decided that the research field would be best served by the creation of a society that had a broad representation of biological sciences, with sufficient representation of the physical and engineering sciences required to investigate biological problems. Ties would be maintained with the engineering societies to maintain information exchange.

Before the next meeting, which was held at ONR on March 13, 1978, draft goals and structure, and sample constitutions were assembled and distributed. There were a number of issues discussed at this meeting. Among the more important issues was the selection of the constitution of the American Society for Photobiology as a basis for the development of the new society's constitution, and the selection of a name for the society. There were at least ten recorded options for possible names of the society. The draft society name was the International Society for the Study of Electromagnetic/Biological Interactions (IS EMBI) [honest, it is in the notes]. Carl Blackman had a cogent argument for a different name, and he had the advice of his wife, Carolyn Miller, a professor of communications, that we should sacrifice precision for recognition and mnemonic value. The group agreed to the name, the BioElectroMagnetics Society. Note that the vector symbols, the E and the M with a bar over each, were implied in BEMS: thus the pronunciation is "beams"; but for some reason this pronunciation never caught on. Members for the Charter Board of Directors and new officers of the society were selected at this meeting, to be present at the first Board meeting on April 24th, 1978, in Ross Hall at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Present at the First Board Meeting were Board Members Edward L. Alpen, of Donner Lab of Medical Physics, University of California, Berkeley (President); Ernest N. Albert, George Washington University (Vice President); Edward L. Hunt, Walter Reed Army Institute for Research (Secretary-Treasurer); Carl F. Blackman, US Environmental Protection Agency; Stephen F. Cleary, Virginia Commonwealth University; Allan Frey, Randomline, Inc.; Richard Johnson, Roswell Park Memorial Institute; James L. Lords, University of Utah; C. David Lytle, Bureau of Radiological Health; Maria A. Stuchly, Environmental Health Centre; Karl Illinger, Tufts University; Elliot Postow, Naval Medical Research and Development Command; and Saul W. Rosenthal, Polytechnic Institute of New York. Also on the Board but not present for the first meeting were Arthur W. Guy, University of Washington; Rochelle Medici, University of California, Los Angeles; and Fred Rosenbaum, Washington University. Thomas C. Rozzell, Office of Naval Research was also present at the meeting. Major actions of the Board were to appoint Elliot Postow as Editor-in-Chief for the journal, a position he held for ten years while establishing the journal as a first class scientific publication, and Tom Rozzell as Executive Director of the Society. The contract for the society's journal, Bioelectromagnetics, now in its 19th volume, was negotiated with Alan R. Liss Publishers by Tom Rozzell and Ernie Albert. Recruitment of society members was set to occur at the IMPI-IEEE-URSI Bioeffects Meeting in Ottawa, Canada, held in June 1978. The first meeting of the society was co-sponsored by the URSI Bioeffects Symposium in 1978 at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, in conjunction with the Antenna Propagation Society meeting. In June, 1979, the society held its first independent meeting in San Antonio, TX, with extensive help in local arrangements by John Mitchell and his staff at Brooks Air Force Base.

After an executive council meeting of the Society on May 30th, 1978, where the incorporation text was approved, the six founding members of the society soon thereafter signed the Articles of Incorporation and the papers were duly filed as a District of Columbia Non-profit Corporation. The founders, who met on the 23rd of February 1978, and on subsequent days leading to the creation of the Society, are: Thomas C. Rozzell, Edward L. Hunt, Ernest N. Albert, Carl F. Blackman, Allan Frey, and Saul W. Rosenthal. Ernest N. Albert and Saul W. Rosenthal are deceased.

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TRIAL SYMPOSIUM FOR CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION AT ANNUAL MEETING

by Joseph Salvatore

The Bioelectromagnetics Society brought its effort to become a Continuing Medical Education (CME) granting agency for health care professionals to the 1998 Annual Meeting in St. Pete Beach, FL. The Society has, over the past few years, developed a CME Committee, initiated the application process for accreditation, and now presented the first in a series of symposia designed to meet CME criteria at the Annual Meetings.

The Society strategic plan of 1997 has called for the expansion of educational outreach and the development of a program to award Continuing Medical Education credit. The authority to award CME credit will increase physician membership to the Society, attract non-member physicians and other health care professionals to the Annual Meeting, and help develop programs in medical application of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (NIEMF) which balance the Society's interest in NIEMF as a hazard.

The presentations offered at this year's CME Symposium, entitled "Clinical Applications of EMF and New Techniques", highlighted the broad range of application of non-ionizing EMF in medical diagnosis and treatment. Attendance was excellent and meeting attendees participated in vigorous discussion with the speakers after each talk, during the breaks, and well after the end of the session.

The program began with Dr. Jim Lin of the University of Illinois at Chicago discussing the treatment of abnormal heart rhythms with radiofrequency fields (RF). His discussion gave considerable insight into both abnormal cardiac physiology and the interaction of RF with the cardiac electrical system. Dr. Lin's data demonstrated that some abnormal cardiac rhythms can be well-controlled with this method.

Dr. Art Pilla from Columbia University in New York reviewed the use of pulsed electromagnetic signals in therapeutic medical applications, especially in the reduction of pain and edema (the medical term for excess accumulation of fluid). Many of the applications were for healing of soft tissue and musculoskeletal injuries including post-surgical, post-traumatic (such as ankle sprain and whiplash), and chronic non-healing wounds. Dr. Pilla provided a fascinating look at the theory and EM signals used in these techniques.

The application of EM fields to orthopedic surgery was discussed by Dr. Roy Aaron of Brown University. Dr. Aaron reviewed both the basic science of the interaction of EM fields with cartilage and bone, and the application of these fields and techniques to the treatment of non- union bone fractures and other orthopedic problems. The presentation showed an almost seamless transition between lab and clinic, emphasizing how EM fields can be tested and applied in clinical medicine.

Magnetic fields in the treatment of pain and epilepsy was discussed by Dr. Michael McLean of Vanderbilt University. Dr. McLean described his work with static magnetic fields produced by an array of four permanent magnets used in vitro and in vivo, and presented encouraging results in models of both pain and seizure disorder. Dr. McLean's talk generated significant discussion about both the basic science and the clinical applicability of the use of these static magnetic fields.

Dr. William Richards of the University of Arizona presented a novel approach to the treatment of a very difficult group of cancers to treat (i.e., neoplasms of the brain) using microwave hyperthermia techniques. During his talk, the attendees learned about the technique of hyperthermia, types of brain neoplasms treated with this technique, and outcome of some of the applied therapy. A highlight of this talk was the computer modeling of temperatures inside the cranial vault and the tumors under treatment.

The use of EM fields in the treatment of depression was discussed by Dr. Robert Post of the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Post described the use of repeated transcranial magnetic stimulation of the brain as a treatment modality for this disorder, and the impressive treatment results. The presentation of the history and future of the treatment of this disorder with transcranial magnetic stimulation generated considerable interest and discussion, and hope for continued successful treatment of this disorder.

Following the scheduled talks of the Symposium, we were able to add a presentation by Dr. Richard Rogachefsky of the University of Miami. He discussed the use of tectonic permanent magnets in orthopedic practice and showed excellent results using these magnets to aid fracture and would healing.

Within a few hours of the completion of our symposium, the CME Committee met to begin planning the next symposia. The efforts of the CME Committee are major steps toward our Society's accreditation. Thanks go to Dr. Bill Wisecup for his efforts in this endeavor.

The members of the CME Committee are: Roy Aaron, Raphael Lee, Michael McLean, Janet Walker, and Joseph Salvatore (Chair).

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STUDENT AWARDS PRESENTED TO MICHAEL BURKHARDT AND AMIT SHAH

There were 38 student papers either as platform or poster presentations at the Annual Meeting in St. Pete Beach, FL. The students represented Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. The awards were won by Michael Burkhardt of Switzerland for the platform presentation. Michael is a student of Niels Kuster at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The poster presentation award was given to Amit Shah, a student of Betty Sisken at The University of Kentucky. The abstracts of these two papers are printed below:

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NIEHS WORKING GROUP PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 24, 1998
CONTACT: Bill Grigg, 301-402-3378, 919-541-3665, Home: 301-652-1864

PANEL EVALUATES ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS FOR HEALTH EFFECTS

An international panel of experts convened by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reported to the institute today that electric and magnetic fields like those surrounding electric power lines should be regarded as a "possible human carcinogen."

The panel vote of 19 to 9 was based largely on epidemiological evidence in the face of animal and other laboratory studies that the panel agreed did not support or refute the population studies. Because of the conflicting studies, eight members found the EMF fields not classifiable as to carcinogenicity, while one member of the panel said EMF probably is not carcinogenic to humans.

Two long-term studies in rodents demonstrated no carcinogenic response, while one showed an equivocal response in one sex of one species. The panel said that neither these studies or other lab work proved or refuted the epidemiology.

The epidemiological studies showed a slight increase in childhood leukemia risk from power line/residential exposures and an increase in chronic leukemia risk in adults in electricity-intensive industries.

"This report does not suggest that the risk is high," chairman Michael Gallo, Ph.D., professor and center director at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Medical School in Piscataway, NJ. "It is probably quite small, compared to many other public health risks. However, I strongly believe that additional hypothesis-driven, focused research should be pursued to reduce uncertainties in this arena."

The scientists' report will be utilized by NIEHS in preparing a report to Congress and the federal regulatory agencies surveying the state of research on the potential health effects from exposure to power-line frequency electric and magnetic fields.

The panel found inadequate evidence in various studies for a link to such non-cancer diseases as Alzheimer's, depression and birth defects, and no clear evidence of danger of abortion from video display terminals. "There is inadequate evidence," the panel said, "for carcinogenicity to adults of residential exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields." And the panel found the data linking children's cancers other than leukemia to be inadequate.

Convened by the National Institute of Environmental Health Science, one of the National Institutes of Health, the panel was comprised of about 20 researchers in electrical and magnetic fields, or EMF, and ten scientists from other fields.

Hundreds of studies in animals and cells were considered in the evaluation as part of the evidence for potential human effects. Many of these studies showed little or no effect, raising questions about the weak associations seen in some epidemiologic studies. But the international criteria agreed upon gave great weight to human carcinogenicity.

The panel began this review six months ago when members prepared summaries of the data. They convened ten days ago in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, where they debated the quality and meaning of the scientific evidence. Some of the expert panel members came from Sweden, Japan, Italy and France. After a further public comment period, NIEHS Director Kenneth Olden, Ph.D., will use the report as he prepares his own report to Congress on the issue.

Congress and industry have accelerated EMF research over the past six years, with Congress appropriating $23 million and the electrical industry matching it. NIEHS used an additional $10 million of its own appropriated funds to supplement the research as needed.

Public concern about EMF and cancer was stimulated by a 1979 study in Denver, Colorado, that found that a group of children who had died from leukemia and other cancers were two to three times more likely to have lived within 131 feet of a high current electrical transmission or distribution line. A 1995 publication lists 14 such studies -- eight of them showing a possible link to some cancers but only four of them at levels considered statistically significant. The nine studies considered best by the panel were used for their evaluation.

The concern eventually encompassed electric blankets for children and other appliances, as well as the wiring in homes and the very high levels of EMF in some industries. (Electric blankets and some other appliances have been redesigned, greatly reducing their EMF.)

Although the Department of Energy and the NIEHS, a part of the National Institutes of Health, already had been conducting and supporting some EMF-related research, Congress accelerated the work under a program called EMF/RAPID.

While epidemiological studies continued to try to clarify possible effects in people, EMF/RAPID concentrated on studies in biological systems, fowl and rodents that might support or contradict an EMF effect.

Other studies considered by the panel of experts were performed on cells, and computer simulations were also used.

A copy of the report, or a non-technical summary, will be available in late-July and can be requested by writing EMF/RAPID, NIEHS, PO Box 12233, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. The report and summary will also be on the NIEHS web site: http://www.niehs.nih.gov/emfrapid/home.htm

Public comments on the report agreed to today will be sought for two months. There will also be hearings for public comment in San Francisco, Chicago and Washington in August (planning continues) and in Tucson, Arizona, September 14-15.

Research on EMF-related issues is likely to continue. Its focus may be re-directed on the advice of the expert panel and others. NIEHS Director Olden's report to Congress is not required by law to follow the views of the experts but their views, requested by NIEHS, are likely to get great weight.

Arnold L. Brown, M.D., of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, was vice chair. The panel was convened and organized by Christopher J. Portier, Ph.D., Chief of the Laboratory of Computational Biology and Risk Analysis at the NIEHS, with advice from the National EMF Interagency Committee chaired by Shirley D. Linde of Los Angeles, and the National EMF Interagency Committee representing 11 federal regulatory agencies. Some of the experts have done research on EMF while others have distinguished themselves in other research fields. The scientists were assembled from organizations in Sweden, France, Japan and Italy as well as from Battelle Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati, Ohio, Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee, the Midwest Research Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Members of national advisory groups, members of the public and the press observed the discussions throughout the lengthy, open meeting.

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IMPORTANT REMINDER:

ANNUAL REVIEW OF RESEARCH ON BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC FIELDS FROM THE GENERATION, DELIVERY & USE OF ELECTRICITY

TUCSON, ARIZONA, SEPTEMBER 13-16, 1998

SCHEDULED PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE NIEHS WORKING GROUP REPORT

The Annual EMF Research Review will be held on September 13 -16, 1998 at the InnSuites in Tucson, AZ. This meeting provides 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 begin with a reception and registration on Sunday afternoon. In addition to the regular platform and poster presentations, two special sessions for public comment on the NIEHS EMF Working Group Report will be held. Copies of the report will be available but hard copy or CD-ROM can be obtained in advance by contacting EMFRAPID Program, NIEHS, PO Box 12233, MD A3-06, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-2233, USA (Fax: 919-541-1479, e-mail: emf-rapid@niehs.nih.gov). Monday afternoon will be set aside for public comment on the EMF Working Group Report-In vitro topics and Tuesday afternoon will provide public comment on in vivo topics.

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.

There is no registration fee but advanced registration is requested. For further information see the announcement in the Calendar Section on this page.

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FOSTER COMMENTS ON CONFIRMATION

In the latest Newsletter (#142), Blackman and Blanchard proposed refinements to the idea what it means to "confirm" a report of an effect of electromagnetic fields. They credit my talk at the last BEMS meeting (June 1998 in St. Pete Beach, FL) - and surely improve my comments.

But a larger issue is at stake here. Philosophers and sociologists of science have long debated what it means to "confirm" an observation, and have pretty much concluded that the issue is fruitless. It is fundamentally impossible to replicate any experiment. And arguments whether an experiment has "confirmed" another one can go on forever without resolution, because of what philosophers call experimenters' regress.

In concrete terms, suppose Investigator A claims to have observed an effect, and Investigator B claims to have repeated the experiment, finding nothing of the sort. Investigator A can always reply that the follow-up experiment was done improperly, and B can retort that the original experiment was poorly designed in the first place. Sound familiar?

A broader perspective is needed. Eminent philosopher of science Philip Kitcher, in his book "The Advancement of Science" (Oxford Univ. Press 1993), proposes several criteria for a good scientific theory. These include independent testability ("the ability to test hypotheses independently of the particular cases for which they are introduced"), unification ("the result of applying a small family of problem-solving strategies to a broad class of cases") and fecundity ("when a theory opens up new and profitable lines of investigation").

The history of science abounds in newly reported effects and subsequent theories that meet, or fail to meet, these criteria. Small bumps in the current-voltage function in a superconductor become the Josephson effect, now the subject of thousands of scientific papers. Anomalies in thermophysical properties of water in capillaries led to polywater, a major scientific embarrassment.

In short, the important thing is not whether an effect has been "confirmed" but what a scientist makes of it. If you discover an effect that is real and significant, the world will beat a path to your door. If not, science will soon forget the discovery, and nobody will care whether it has been confirmed or not.

Arguments about "confirmation" seem to me to be useful only in the short term, since an investigator is more likely to succeed in following up reported phenomena that are likely to be real and significant.

Kenneth R Foster
Department of Bioengineering
University of Pennsylvania
220 S. 33rd St.
Philadelphia PA 19104-6392
215-898-8534
Fax 215-573-2071
President IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology, 1997-8; Chair, EMBS Committee on Man and Radiation, 1997 to present.

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CALENDAR

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, Arizona, USA. For special rate (59$ plus tax including buffet breakfast) make hotel reservations by August 13, 1998 (Annual Review-Contractors Review; Tel: 1-800-842-4242, 520-622-3000, Fax: 520-623-8922). 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 Floramonti, 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 24-25, 1998. Bristol University ELF Symposium on Possible Mechanisms, Powell Lecture Theatre, H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK. Contact: http://www.bris.ac.uk/Depts/Medphys/meeting.html

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: +86-10-64227535, Fax: +86-10-64217749, e-mail: gzliu@hns.cjfh.ac.cn). After the meeting, there will be a two day training course on Electrochemical Treatment.

October 1-6, 1998. First World Congress on Effects of Electricity and Magnetism in the Natural World, Casa de Luz, Museu de Electricidade, Funchal, Madeira. Contact: CRL Madeira Congress, Lower Race, Pontypool, Gwent NP4 5UH, Wales. (Tel: +44-1495-76338, Fax: +44-1495-769882, e-mail: cogreslab@aol.com).

November 11-14, 1998. Society for Physical Regulation in Biology and Medicine, Aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA. Contact: SPRBM, 7519 Ridge Road, Frederick, MD 21702-3519. (Tel: 301-663-4252, Fax: 301-371-8955, e-mail: 75230.1222@compuserve.com).

November 19-21, 1998. 4th EBEA Congress, Zagreb, Croatia. One page abstracts (100 words) must be received by July 10, 1998. Acceptance notification and final program by September 15, 1998. Advance registration by September 30, 1998 is 250 US$. Contact: 4th EBEA Congress Secretariat, FER, Unska 3, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia. (Tel: +385-1-6129-606, Fax: +385-1-6129-717, e-mail: 4thebea@fer.hr, Website: http://www.radio.fer.hr/cost244/4thebea).

January, 1999. Thirty-second Midyear Topical Meeting of the Health Physics Society, Albuquerque, NM, USA. Contact: Richard J. Burk, Health Physics Society, 1313 Dolly Madison Blvd., Suite 402, McLean, VA 22101, USA. (Tel: 703-790-1745, Fax: 703-790-2672, e-mail: hps@burkinc.com).

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: +88-6-3-425-7232, Fax: +88-6-3-425-5535, e-mail: dkschen@csrsr.ncu.edu.tw.

June 20-24, 1999. Twenty-first Annual Meeting of the Bioelectromagnetics Society, Long Beach, CA, USA. Contact: W/L Associates, 7519 Ridge Road, Frederick, MD 21702-3519, USA. (Tel: 301-663-4252, Fax: 301-371-8955, e-mail: 75230.1222@compuserve.com; Website: http://www.bioelectromagnetics.org).

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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: mary-oconnor@utulsa.edu)

M. E. O'Connor, 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://bioelectromagnetics.org

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Last updated: November 17, 2000

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Bioelectromagnetics Society Newsletter Number 143 July/August 1998

A Publication of The Bioelectromagnetics Society

Bioelectromagnetics Society Newsletter
Number 143
July/August 1998