Open Letter of NGOs in support of independent research on EMF

- - Draft waiting to be approved and Innovation To the Directorate-General for Research of the European Commission

NGOs CONCERNED FOR FP7 ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH PROJECT DENIAL We are writing you regarding the letter to Prof. Olle Johansson Re: FP7 ENVIRONMENT 2013.6.4.2, 603806-1 - MEEE" that denies access to the second level of evaluation to the project MECHANISMS AND EFFECTS OF EMF EXPOSURES (MEEE) presented by the Karolinska Institutet. We, as NGOs concerned about the health effects of EMFs, are very disappointed to know that this project was rejected by the evaluators and we find that justifications supporting such decision were neither scientifically nor politically correct. The evaluators observed, in fact, that "... some references are missing that would provide a more balanced assessment of the current knowledge, e.g., as regards the stated increase of brain tumors in different countries.... We are perfectly aware that many studies on EMF health risks are designed not to find effects (for example using an incorrect classification of heavy and light users of mobile phones) and we find absolutely important that researched quote the studies in an analytic way. The MEEE researchers analyzed the scientific proves in depth, not accepting uncritically the conclusions of the studies, but evaluating the methods and the reliability of the data. It seems that the evaluators investigated the list of reference in order to deduce the political orientation of the authors and this looks as "a priori"-discriminating. We, as NGOs, find that in scientific evaluation it is vital to distinguish between industry funded studies and independent studies. We believe that industry funded studies should not be included in political evaluation of risk. We are particularly astonished to know that one of the reasons for denial was that the rough estimates of local outdoor RF levels could even bear the risk of misleading personal decisions and unjustified fear". Just change the following sentence: We wonder how it can be possible that the evaluators judge the estimate of local outdoor RF as "rough" and how they can suggest that EU citizens should not be allowed to know the level of exposure they are forced to live in and with everyday in order not to fear them. We believe that risk assessment for the general EU public had to be the real target of the FP7 Call project, while we find in this evaluation that it may be clearly the opposite! Concluding, we believe that the MEEE project was presented by some of the most distinguished scientists working on EMF biological effects who are well known for being independent. Given past cases of doubtful choice of scientific experts by the EU Commission, we are legitimately asking you to know if the evaluators who decided this denial can show the same level of independence from industry interests as the MEEE researchers. Kindest Regards, Francesca Romana Orlando A.M.I.C.A. - Association for Chronic Chemical and Environmental Injury

www.infoamica.it Maria Ruiz Zamacona S.O.S. EHS - EASC EKEUKO-COVACE Spain Andrea Boland State Representative Maine House of Representatives USA Ellen Marks California Brain Tumor Association USA cabta.org Etienne Cendrier Spokesman for Robin des Toits France www.robindestoits.org Bettina Mahner Brgerinitiative RisikoMobilfunkNordschwarzwald. Germany Bonita Poulin Canadian Coordinator Global Recognition Campaign for Multiple Chemical Sensitivity and other Chemically Induced Illnesses, Diseases & Injury affecting civilians and military personnel Canada www.mcsglobalawareness.com Cynthia Franklin President of Consumers for Safe Cell Phones USA consumers4safephones.com Arthur Firstenberg President of Cellular Phone Task Force www.cellphonetaskforce.org Silvana Lund EHS Foreningen af el-overflsomme (Association of electrosensitives in Denmark) www.ehsf.dk Eileen OConnor Director EM Radiation Research Trust

UK www.radiationresearch.org Anna Zucchero President of the Associazione Italiana Elettrosensibili Italia www.elettrosensibili.it Agnes Ingvarsdottir Representative of Mast Victims Belgium www.mast-victims.org Anton Fernhout Membre Comit de l'ARA Association Romande Alerte aux Ondes Electromagntiques Switzerland www.alerte.ch Vicky Fobel Director of MobileWise UK www.mobilewise.org Vibeke D Skelton FELO Norway www.felo.no Christine Hoch Center for Safer Wireless USA www.centerforsaferwireless.org Una St.Clair Executive Director Citizens for Safe Technology Society Canada and USA www.citizensforsafetechnology.org Arthur Firstenberg, President Cellular Phone Task Force USA www.cellphonetaskforce.org Wolf Bergmann, MD Germany www.wolfbergmann.de Sissel Halmy Chair of International Electro-Magnetic Fields Alliance (IEMFA)

Belgium www.iemfa.org Dr. L. Vriens Stop UMTS Netherlands www.stopumts.nl Sibylle Gabriel The Florida Coalition for Health Against Smart Meters--CHASM USA Deborah M. Rubin People Against Cell Towers at School--PACTS USA Francesco Prister Minerva PELTI Onlus Italy www.minervapelti.it Coordinamento dei Comitati Spontanei di Torino e Provincia contro l'elettrosmog sottoscrive Italy