Original English Abstract (
some explanatory terms added in (italics)
)
of the German Report by the IFS Berlin on Russian EMF studies
As submitted to the Biological Effects on Humans of Electromagnetic Fields In The Frequency
Range 0 to 3 GHz. Hans-Ullrich Balzer, MD., Karl Hecht, M. D. There is a great deal of controversy about the biological and psycho-biological effects of electromagnetic fields on human beings. In the discussions of results of studies of western countries, which usually take place over a time period of only 1 to 3 years, Russian medical literature is neglected to a great extent. We analyzed about 1500 original works of Russian medical literature from the years 1960 to 1996, in which the effects of electromagnetic fields on humans, animals, and plants were studied. The following evaluation summary has to do to a large extent with examinations carried out by company physicians involving several thousand industrial workers subject to effects from electromagnetic fields, radar stations, and high-voltage plants, where the periods of influence spanned a range of up to 20 years The following symptoms are characterisitc and appeared much more often and intensly in relation to the number of years of service by the worker in a plant Objective findings: Neurasthenia, neurotic symptoms Subjective symptoms reported by the patients: Exhaustion, weariness A three-stage symptom complex was determined: Wheras the symptoms at stages 1 or 2 can subside into remission, they become unremitting (chronic) at stage 3. In extensive supplementary experiments on test animals, it was determined that the biological effects of electromagnetic fields depend on a number of factors: Duration of subjection to influence It also depends on the particular wavelength (when the dose is the same): mm-waves cause hardly any biological effect at all, It has also been shown from the results of animal experiments that electro-magnetic fields (depending on the factors previously mentioned) trigger an unspecific biological reaction over a longer period of time (along the lines of Hans Selye) that later usually remain at a hypotonic level. Comparisons were made between the symptom complex caused by electro-magnetic fields and by CFS. |