THE BIOELECTROMAGNETICS SOCIETY

The Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) has been resurveyed by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and awarded accreditation for two probationary years as a sponsor of continuing medical education for physicians. A re-evaluation will take place at the conclusion of the probation period.

ACCME accreditation seeks to assure both physicians and the public that continuing medical education activities sponsored by BEMS meet the high standards of the Essentials & Standards for Accreditation as specified by ACCME.

The ACCME rigorously evaluates the overall continuing medical education programs of institutions according to standards adopted by all seven sponsoring organizations of the ACCME. These are: the American Board of Medical Specialties; the American Hospital Association; the American Medical Association; the Association for Hospital Medical Education; the Association of American Medical Colleges; the Council of Medical Specialty Societies; and the Federation of State Medical Boards.

**ERROR IN BIOELECTROMAGNETICS DURNEY SUPPLEMENT**

There is an error in the printing of the Durney supplement that the publisher will be doing their best to correct. It affects reprints that authors receive to send out, but they are taking action to minimize its effect on listings in the on-line and print abstracting services and similar situations. Errata and an explanation will be published in the journal.

Supplement 4 of Bioelectromagnetics, containing papers presented at the symposium honoring Carl Durney's retirement, contains a potentially serious publishers' error in the bibliographic citation that is printed at the top of the first page of each article. The correct citation for an article in the Durney supplement is: Authors' names. (1999) Title. Bioelectromagnetics, Suppl. 4: first page-last page.

The top of the first page of each article should include the information, "Bioelectromagnetics, Suppl. 4: first page-last page (1999)." That way a reprint or photocopy of the page will include all needed information for future citations. Unfortunately, the page as printed reads, "Bioelectromagnetics 20: first page-last page (1999)." Therefore, an unwary reader would look for the paper in the corresponding pages of our regular issues of Vol. 20, rather than in the supplement.

Reprints ordered by authors will be revised and new copies furnished by Wiley. Errata will be published in our journal and the information will be sent to all abstracting services. Unfortunately, scientists citing these articles from the original volumes or photocopies must take personal responsibility to ensure that they use the correct information. The publisher and editors deeply regret the oversight.

Ben Greenebaum, Editor-in-Chief

EDITOR'S NOTE

As we prepare for the 1999 meeting in Long Beach a number of Society members have expressed concern about future funding for bioelectromagnetics research. Over the past year, President Betty Sisken and Past President Martin Blank anticipated these concerns and contacted several agencies in the USA. Replies from the US Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences are printed in this Newsletter to provide members with factual agency opinion to refer to in conversations and sessions regarding funding issues at least within the US.

REMINDER: SPECIAL PANEL SESSION

Research Funding Panel

Who Has the Money & How to Apply

Wednesday, June 23rd, 5:00-6:00 PM

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; E-mail: mary-oconnor@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; E-mail: 75230.1222@compuserve.com

BEMS Web Site:

http://www.bioelectromagnetics.org

IN MEMORIAM

HARVEY DAVID COHEN

By Charles Graham and Mary Cook

Harvey David Cohen, longtime member of the bioelectromagnetics community, died peacefully in his sleep on March 5, 1999, one week before his 70th birthday. Harvey was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 12, 1929. He received a B.A. degree in psychology from Brooklyn College in 1952, and did graduate work in biomedical sciences at Columbia University in New York. His professional career as a physiologist and biomedical engineer spanned the era from the vacuum tube to the computer chip.

From 1959 to 1974, Harvey served in various capacities as an Instrumentation Designer, Research Associate, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, and Acting Head of the Human Psychophysiology Department at four medical research institutions: Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, the SUNY Downstate Medical Center, the Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia, and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. He made important contributions to: the problem of oxygenating premature babies maintained in hospital incubators; techniques for the quantification of thoracic and abdominal respiratory patterns; development of instrumentation for measuring blood flow changes specific to sexual arousal in both men and women; studies of brain (EEG) electrical activity during human sexual arousal; and research on sleep and dreaming.

Harvey moved to Midwest Research Institute (MRI) in Kansas City, Missouri in 1974 to help found the Biobehavioral Sciences Laboratory. Starting in 1982, Harvey helped lead the human exposure research program at MRI. He designed and constructed the first comprehensive test facility for the study of human exposure to power-frequency electric and magnetic (EM) fields. He conceived and built the first automated system capable of presenting EM fields under true double-blind control. Harvey also developed instrumentation to obtain artifact-free recordings of human physiology during active exposure to 60 Hz electric fields as high as 15 kV/m.

Harvey also found time to become an accomplished silversmith and served as President of the Kansas City Sterling Guild. Harvey retired as MRI's Principal Biomedical Engineer in 1995, but continued his association as a consultant. He was a member of BEMS, the IEEE Biomedical Engineering Group, the Society for Psychophysiological Research, and Sigma Xi.

During his retirement he taught adult education classes in science and computer education and was active in the Uncertainty Group which held monthly meetings to discuss scientific and social issues.

Harvey was a warm and giving person who worked throughout his life for world peace, justice, and the equality of all people. He is lovingly remembered by his wife, Helen Cohen of Kansas City, MO; his children, Charlotte Cohen and Rachel DeSario, of New York, N.Y. and William Cohen, of Washington, D.C.; two grandchildren, Dante and Lorenzo DeSario; and many loving friends and relatives who will miss him dearly.

NEW MEMBERS JOIN THE PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE AND INTER-SOCIETY JOURNAL COMMITTEE

By Asher Sheppard

Our Society's journal, Bioelectromagnetics, is the most important and permanent record of our scientific work. Perhaps that is reason enough to have three committees to support the journal and its editors: the Editorial Board, Journal Committee, and Publications Committee.

The Editorial Board, which directly supports the Editor-in- Chief in processing manuscripts and maintaining the high quality scientific of published articles, is the largest and best known of the three. But fewer know of the Journal Committee and Publications Committee, each of which has several newly appointed members. Although some overlap of responsibilities is inevitable, each group has a distinct role to play.

The Journal Committee is an inter-society group formed to coordinate the interests of the three societies that cooperate in publishing Bioelectromagnetics as their official journal. Maila Hietanen (Finnish Institute of Occupational Health) and Ulf Bergqvist (National Institute for Working Life) were newly appointed to serve on the Journal Committee by European Bioelectromagnetics Association President Paolo Vecchia. Working with them are Raphael Lee (University of Chicago) and R. Lane Smith (Stanford University Medical Center), representing the Society for Physical Regulation in Biology and Medicine of which Dr. Smith is President. The BEMS representatives are Martin Blank (Columbia University) and Asher Sheppard (Asher Sheppard Consulting), who serve in their capacities as immediate Past-President and Publications Committee chair, respectively. The most important function of the Journal Committee is to recommend to BEMS nominees for Editor-in-Chief and, in consultation with the Editor-in- Chief, positions as associate editor and on the Editorial Board. In addition, the Journal Committee advises, oversees and monitors the scientific function of the journal. In this role the committee can recommend changes to enhance the value of the journal to the membership of each of the cooperating societies and to promote scientific scholarship in the variety of scientific disciplines found in the pages of Bioelectromagnetics.

The BEMS Publications Committee reports to the BEMS Board of Directors on policy issues concerning not only Bioelectromagnetics, but also The Bioelectromagnetics Society web page, and this newsletter. BEMS President Sisken appointed Board member Asher Sheppard chairperson of the Publications Committee. Continuing committee members are past chairperson Janie Page Blanchard (Bechtel Corporation), John Male (National Grid Company), and Lee Rosen (National Institutes of Health). New members are Johnathan Kiel (Air Force Research Laboratory) and Shoogo Ueno (University of Tokyo). The committee works closely with Editor-in-Chief Ben Greenebaum, web page editor Richard Luben, and newsletter editor Mary Ellen O'Connor, each of whom is an ex-officio committee member. Matters the committee brings to the Board range from recommendations on items affecting publication budgets, to policy interpretations that may arise, for example, with special topical issues of the journal. Other policy issues can involve format and content of each publication, and various administrative or personnel issues on which advice may be sought by one of the editors.

If you have any suggestions to improve our publications, do not hesitate to contact a committee member or editor. Each is interested in the best possible communications among our members and in the greater scientific community. Your participation is a vital element in achieving that goal.

Asher Sheppard Consulting

Redlands, CA 92373-4719

Tel: 909 798 7791; Fax: 909 307 5810

E-mail: AsherSheppard@compuserve.com

REPLY FROM DR. OLDEN OF NIEHS

The following letter was received by Betty Sisken, President of BEMS, from Dr. Kenneth Olden, Director of NIEHS

February 12, 1999

Dear Dr. Siskin (sic.):

Thank you for your letter of February 5 expressing concern over the recent EMF-RAPID Program Report. As you mention, the draft report released on December 15, 1998, was intended to only cover the EMF-RAPID related research, but the wording was somewhat misleading for many of the reasons you have mentioned. The report is being redrafted and should be available soon.

I want to repeat something that Dr. Portier made clear when the draft EMF-RAPID Program Report was released; the draft EMF-RAPID Program Report is not my report to Congress summarizing our findings on the potential for health effects from exposure to ELF-EMF. The Congressional Report is separate.

I look forward to receiving your suggestions concerning data gaps and future research. If I receive this document prior to completing the report to Congress, I will be certain to consider it along with other evidence.

UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY OFFICE OF

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT RESPONDS TO RESEARCH CONCERNS OF BEMS

The following is a reply to a letter from President, Betty Sisken, and immediate Past President, Martin Blank, regarding concern of the Society for the future of bioelectromagnetics research.

OCT 6, l998

Dear Dr. Sisken:

Administrator Browner has conveyed the letter sent by you and Dr. Martin Blank on July 10, 1998 to my office for response. Please note that this response is intended for both you and Dr. Blank. In that letter you urged the EPA to commit to an extramural grants program to support basic research on bioelectromagnetic interaction mechanisms. Your letter was based on the concern of your Society's membership for termination of funding for bioelectromagnetics research by the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Research and Public Information Dissemination (RAPID) Program.

As you know, EPA has not funded Electromagnetic Fields (EMFS) research in several years. Our most recent funding ($1,800,000) in this area involved a 1993 Interagency Agreement with NIEHS. These funds supported a number of EMF research grants that were concurrent with the RAPID program.

A result of the 1995 reorganization of the Office of Research and Development was a substantial enhancement of our grants program called the Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program and the emergence of a new process for targeting research areas. The STAR Program was established to encourage the scientific community to conduct research responsive to the environmental concerns of the nation. Although research on bioelectromagnetic interaction mechanisms related to environmental exposure to EMFs is not an explicit priority, the STAR Program through the Exploratory Grants Program does support investigator-initiated grants in broad areas of environmental health not supported through specific Request for Applications (RFAs). Investigators interested in bioelectromagnetics research may wish to submit research proposals to the Exploratory Grants Program. EPA is tentatively planning to release the next Exploratory Grants announcement in January 1999 depending on available resources. Specific information regarding how to submit an application to the Exploratory Grants Program and application deadlines can be found on our homepage (www.epa.gov/ncerqa) in January 1999.

The DOE/NIEHS RAPID Program and other EMF research efforts, such as the 1993 EPA/NIEHS Interagency Agreement, have supported research that is being evaluated in the current effort by NIEHS to prepare a report to Congress, mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 1992, on the health effects of EMFS. As part of this effort, the NIEHS Working Group has published a report called "Assessment of Health Effects from Exposure to Power Line Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields" (August 1998) that will be the subject of four public meetings during the period September 14 - October 5, 1998. The EMF RAPID Interagency Committee also must submit a report to Congress "stating the Committee's findings and conclusions on the effects, if any, of electric and magnetic fields on human health and remedial actions, if any, that may be needed to minimize any such health effects." These reports are expected to greatly influence the priority of future bioelectromagnetics research at the federal level, and we intend to follow closely the discussions surrounding these reports.

Thank you for bringing to our attention the interests and concerns of the Bioelectromagnetics Society.

Sincerely yours,

Henry L. Longset II

Acting Assistant Administrator

SATELLITE MEETINGS - BEFORE BEMS '99

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16

IEEE SCC34, Subcommittee 2 Meeting -- 8:00am-5:00pm, Shoreline A & B.

THURSDAY, JUNE 17

IEEE SCC34, Subcommittee 2 Meeting -- 8:00am-5:00pm, Shoreline A & B. (SCC34 only - pm.)

FRIDAY, JUNE 18

IEEE SCC28 Meeting -- 8:00am-5:00pm,

Regency D, E & F (SC2 - am; SC1 - pm)

IEEE SCC34, Subcommittee 3 Meeting -- 7:00pm-9:00pm, Shoreline A & B.

SATURDAY, JUNE 19

IEEE SCC28 Meeting -- 8:00am-5:00pm, Regency D, E & F (SC4 - am; SC3 - pm)

WTR Science Colloquium -- 8:00am-6:00pm, Regency B & C.

Public health impact of wireless technology. Will include presentations and discussions by investigators under contract to WTR and by selected other investigators. Registration with WTR required (202-785-3939 voice; 202-785-3940 fax or wtr@hesgroup.com email).

COMAR Meeting -- 7:00pm-11:00pm, Beacon B.

SUNDAY, JUNE 20

IEEE SCC28 Meeting -- 8:00am-12noon, Shoreline A & B.

BEMS Board of Directors Meeting -- 8:00am-5:00pm, Harbor Room.

WTR Science Colloquium -- 8:00am-6:00pm, Regency B & C. (See above for details.)

U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Workshop --

International EMF Dosimetry Project, Seaview Ballroom

1:00pm-4:00pm, Paper presentations

4:30pm-5:30pm, Discussion working group meeting

Both meetings are open to all interested scientists.

Registration & Informal Reception -- 5:30pm-8:00pm, Seaview Foyer & Rotunda

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES REPLIES TO RESEARCH

FUNDING CONCERNS

Public Health Service

National Institutes of Health

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

PO Box 12233

Research Triangle Park, NC 27709

July 27,1998

Dear Drs. Sisken and Blank:

Thank you for your letter of July I expressing the concerns of The Bioelectromagnetics Society for future directions for bioelectromagnetic research. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has historically funded 2 to 3 new grants each year related to the bioelectromagnetic fields, but apart from the RAPID Program, with a portfolio of approximately 6 to 12 grantees at any one time.

The NIEHS has always held that all scientific study should be subject to peer review and competition for funding; electric and magnetic fields (EMF) is no different. Drs. Mike Galvin, George Malindzak and Jerry Heindel, as well as other staff of the NIEHS Division of Extramural Research and Training, attended the last Bioelectromagnetics Society meeting where they conducted a workshop on grantsmanship and held individual sessions. The purpose of these efforts was to help EMF researchers develop hypothesis-based research proposals which are likely to be competitive for National Institutes of Health funding.

We appreciate your support of the public meetings in which the recommendations from the various review groups will be discussed and encourage your participation. I am certain that at the end of this process we will have a better idea of those areas which can benefit from additional research, and am hopeful that the bioelectromagnetics community will develop appropriate proposals that will meet the criteria for funding.

Sincerely yours,

Kenneth Olden, Ph.D.

Director

REVIEW OF THE DECEMBER DRAFT EMF-RAPID PROGRAM REPORT

This brief report was created to provide comment on the December draft EMF Rapid Program Report by a group of scientists from The Bioelectromagnetics Society, who served on one or both of the recent review panels: National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and NIEHS EMF-Rapid Scientific review symposia (SRS) and working group (WG). We offer the following assessment:

The information in the December draft EMF-Rapid Program report and its conclusions are presented in such a way as to inaccurately summarize, in some cases contradict, and largely dismiss a large body of literature that has been reviewed extensively, both by the NAS and by NIEHS itself. Indeed, it seems particularly curious, or even disingenuous, for the December draft RAPID Program report to entirely avoid reference to the large review effort funded by the RAPID Program. That review effort included substantive critique and evaluation of the EMF research by a broad range of scientists and engineers in three scientific review symposia (SRS) and the June 1998 EMF Working Group (WG). The participants in the NAS and NIEHS review efforts were comprised of both scientists active in the EMF research and those from outside the field.

The overview of the December draft Rapid report states, "This report is a compilation of the research supported by the NIEHS in response to this mandate, and includes projects funded by this Act (Section 2118) and by the NIEHS research appropriation (PHS Act, Section 301)." In light of that pronouncement of what the report is, the following difficulties arise:

1. Epidemiology - Although epidemiological studies in general and childhood leukemia in particular were not addressed under this program, the report states that in two studies conducted there were no reported links between EMF and cancer. It subsequently provides conclusions which are clearly misleading, stating, "this Program... did not specifically address possible effects of EMF exposures on the incidence of childhood leukemia. However, all forms of cancer (two), that were addressed by epidemiological studies supported under this Program were not significantly affected by EMF exposure..." "Thus to date, investigators have been unable to generate data that would support any of the epidemiological findings in the literature suggesting that EMF exposure increases cancer risk." The draft report glosses over the limited number of forms studied and the omission of any studies of childhood leukemia, the form most frequently implicated in the literature.

Furthermore, these conclusions do not seem to agree with the stated conclusions of one of those RAPID-funded studies, in which the authors state, "Overall, we see largely positive results with small effect sizes. The results are robust but there is considerable heterogeneity. If one chooses to use the summary estimate interpretation, they suggest perhaps as much as a 15 to 25 percent increase in the childhood leukemia rate and a increase no greater than about 10 percent in the childhood brain cancer rate for a 0.1 ut increase in magnetic field exposure..." (Wartenberg D. et al, 1998a).

In addition, the statements in the December Draft RAPID Program report are unduly dismissive of potential effects when considered in light of conclusions from the NAS report (which the draft report cites) as well as the NIEHS Scientific Review Symposium Report (#1) and the NIEHS Working Group Report (which are not cited).

In its epidemiological summary and conclusions, the NAS report states (page I 17): "Wire codes are associated with an approximate 1.5- fold excess of childhood leukemia, which is statistically significant." In the section on Risk Assessment (page 195): "There is a moderately consistent, statistically significant association between wire codes, and indirect measurement of electric- and magnetic-field exposure, and childhood leukemia." And "There is a moderately consistent, statistically significant association between indirect measurements of occupational exposure to magnetic fields and both leukemia and brain cancer."

The NIEHS SRS report notes a wide divergence of opinions with regard to EMF exposure and risk of various types of cancer. One of the summary statements on childhood leukemia is as follows (SRS on Epidemiological Research, p. 11): "A pattern of modestly elevated risks (i.e. approximately 1.5) is present for leukemia, at the higher exposure levels. However, at the high exposures, the calculated risk estimates are uniformly based upon a small number of exposed subjects and are often associated with broad confidence intervals."

In the published report of the NIEHS WG, the following conclusions are made regarding EMF exposure and cancer; For adult cancers: (page 129) "In a meta-analysis, a small but significantly increased relative risk for leukemia and its main subtypes was found for a broad group of electricity-associated occupants." (page 132) "There is limited evidence that occupational exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields is carcinogenic to adults. This evaluation is based on the results of studies of chronic lymphocytic leukemia [this conclusion was supported by 14 members of the WG, there were 11 votes for 'inadequate' evidence, 2 abstentions and 2 absent.]"

In the summary on childhood cancers (page 185) "The results of the studies when taken together, support all association between classification of exposure by wire codes and the incidence of childhood leukemia. "I (page 186) "The results of the studies, when taken together, support an association between exposure to calculated magnetic fields of varying precision, it is difficult to find an explanation other than exposure to magnetic fields for the consistency of the reported excess risks for childhood leukemia." (Page 188-189) "In sum, although the exposure metrics used as a surrogate for exposure to magnetic fields are of varying precision, it is difficult to find an explanation other than exposure to magnetic fields for the consistency of the reported excess risks for childhood leukemia in studies conducted in different countries under different conditions, with different study designs." (Page 189) "There is limited evidence that residential exposure to ELF magnetic fields are carcinogenic to children. [This conclusion was supported by 20 WG members; there were 6 votes for 'inadequate' evidence, 2 abstentions, and 1 absent.]

2. Neurophysiological and Behavioral Research-Studies funded by the RAPID Program to investigate effects of EMF on neurophysiological/ neuroendocrine parameters have included experiments on the hormone melatonin. The results of these studies appear to be mixed, with some studies showing a reduction in melatonin with exposure, but the subsequent studies not replicating the results. The EMF-RAPID-funded results are in agreement with other melatonin studies, as indicated by the WG members (page 252): "There is weak evidence that exposure to electric and magnetic fields alters the levels of melatonin in rodents. [This conclusion was supported by 14 members of the WG. There were 9 votes for 'moderate' support, 4 abstentions and 2 absent]." In humans, the results were mixed, depending on whether the study was conducted in the laboratory or as an occupational or residential study. From the WG report, (pages 311-312): "melatonin...in humans have been examined in 12 studies, six with exposure in the laboratory and six observational studies.... The results of five of the six laboratory studies were negative... (however) All six of the studies of occupational and residential exposure provide at least some evidence of field-related suppression of 6-OHMS, the major urinary metabolite of melatonin." However, the statement in the December draft RAPID Program Report, "Thus, melatonin is an unlikely mechanism for EMF biological effects," seems biased and not representative of much of the published work.

3. Cellular and Genetic Research-The studies conducted under the RAPID Program did seem to clear up a number of muddy areas of research showing effects or no effects, sometimes due to inadequate exposure methodology. However, the statement in the December Draft RAPID Report "It is interesting to note that all five of the cellular effects (ODC, gene expression, calcium flux, melatonin and growth of JB6 cells in agar) which were published in the literature at the initiation of the EMF-RAPID Program, were not reproduced," is incorrect. The work on MCF-7 breast cancer cells showing an effect of low level magnetic fields on the melatonin-based suppression of growth has been replicated in four laboratories, including one of the four regional exposure facilities.

It is also incorrect to imply that only the RAPID Program studies were "conducted under carefully controlled conditions". Studies conducted under the RAPID Program enjoyed important components of support in exposure system design and execution. However, the draft report is misleading in suggesting that the work done under the Rapid Program with negative results was more rigorous and thus "markedly improved" in quality of research, whereas, earlier or concurrent work (where some positive results were found) was significantly deficient in rigor and/or quality. The draft report, which claims improved exposure systems as key to improved quality of studies, fails to recognize that DOE and NIST have provided similar engineering and physics support to many studies outside of the RAPID Program. The draft report does not identify some instances where differences in protocol, assay or strain of organism have been identified that could have led to differences in outcome or suggest that such causes might exist. Indeed, studies reporting both positive and negative results are plentiful in the peer-reviewed literature, where the RAPID studies are now beginning to be published.

Wartenberg D., Diedrich F., Goldberg R., Poole C., Savitz D. (1998a). "A meta-analysis of studies of childhood cancer and residential exposure to magnetic fields. Final Report" Research Triangle Park, N.C. NIEHS, 53 pp.

Wartenberg D. (1998b). Residential magnetic fields and childhood leukemia: a meta-analysis. Am J Public Health 88 (12): 1787-1794.

RESEARCH INTO ELECTROMAGNETIC ENERGY

By John Holt

Microwave Therapy Centre

West Perth, Australia

The multiplicity of reports on electromagnetic fields, the disparities between them and the wide variety of opinions indicate to me that the scientific community has no idea where to begin to answer important questions.

May I point out that Professor William Joines and his co-workers provided categorical in vivo proof that the electrical conductivity of cancer cells was always better than non-cancer cells and that the factor may be as high as five or more to one.

Therefore every item of radiowave pollution will selectively and specifically deposit energy in the same ratio in cancer cells compared with normal cells. As a result, the cellular site of the increased electrical conductivity in cancer will be four or five times as hot as the rest of the cell. Specific experiments to demonstrate a non-thermal effect must be designed appropriately.

A non-thermal effect of 434 + 5 MHz on cancer cells can be readily demonstrated by a simple experiment. The radio sensitivity of a cancer cell exposed to 160 rads (1.6 Gray) can be made to differ by a factor of between zero and 100 or more to one by simply irradiating either before or after the microwave radiation has been delivered to the cancer. I demonstrated this (reported in the Journal of Bioengineering) and I believe it may have stimulated Professor Joines to measure the electrical parameters of cancer versus normal cells. Johnson et al. (1979), have confirmed this in the laboratory.

Western Australia was the site of almost the last capitol city to broadcast TV in the Western world. Perth, its capital city, is surrounded by at least 1500 miles in every direction from any other source of man-made, land-based TV radiowave usage. Television services were introduced in 1960, when a population of approximately a third of a million lived there. From 1950 onwards the physicians and radiotherapists interested in the treatment of leukemia and allied disorders paid for two doctors as part time research workers to investigate all leukemia and allied disorders from that date to the mid-80's. These data were summarized by Woodliff and Dougan who then presented the data to the Cancer Council of Western Australia in 1975, as in Figures 1 and 2. Very similar curves apply to chronic myeloid leukemia in Western Australia for the same dates. My letter to the Medical Journal of Australia in 1980 was the only publication detailing some of these observations.

The capital city of New South Wales, Sydney, had TV transmissions for many years before Western Australia and Hocking's review (1966) could only directly relate the increasing incidence of chronic granulocyticleukemia to the dose received in proportion to the distance from the TV transmission towers. However, such a relationship does not exist for chronic myeloid leukemia. The only rational conclusion that I can draw from these surveys is:

Only the causes of chronic granulocytic (lymphatic) leukemia are in some way related to the intensity of electromagnetic radiation whereas causes for chronic myeloid leukemia are apparently not so related.

Both chronic myeloid leukemia and chronic granulocytic leukemia sufferers exposed to such radiation have a greatly reduced life span. From thermal effects alone this is what one would expect in view of the known conductivity of the malignant cell versus the normal cell. Mild heating is known as a growth promoter.

As a corollary of Joines' work one must assume that at some specific phase in the division of normal cells for the purposes of repairing our bodies, that their electrical characteristics must be the same as cancer cells. The possibility that this occurs in a time span as small as a fraction of a second indicates to me that the experimental conditions under which you would show these effects are extremely limited.

Eason in 1776 demonstrated that cancer was a good electrical conductor and Allison reported this again in 1880 when they reported that cancers were cured by lightning strikes.

The non-thermal radiosensitive effects of microwaves of approximately 70-cm wavelength were used to double or treble the cancer cure rate by Denier (1936) and Brunner-Ornstein (1937). I used their methods as a basis to prove in humans that 434 MHz has a specific radiosensitive effect associated with fluorescence whereby the cancer cell re-radiates at 434 + 1-5 MHz. Johnson et al. reported proof of non-thermal radiosensitivity at a 1979 meeting and this was later published. Johnson compared the cell kill with uniform doses of x-radiation after the cell was exposed to 434 MHz and other frequencies or non-electrical heating creating identical temperature before the x-rays were delivered.

It should be effortless for our best scientific minds to consider these items and derive a simple program in which the exact cause of the increased electrical conductivity of cancer could be pinpointed and from that we can derive the specific biochemical nature of the interaction between microwaves and cancer and all other dividing cells.

Joines W T, Tanabe E, Raymond U (1976): Determining the electrical properties of biological tissues in vivo, Proc IEEE Southeastern Conference 382-385.

Joines W T, et al. (1980): Microwave power absorption differences between normal and malignant tissues. Int Jl Rad Onc Biol Phys 6: 681-687.

Holt JAG (1977): Increase in X-ray sensitivity of cancer after exposure to 434 MHz electromagnetic radiation. Jl Bioengineering 1:479-485.

Johnson RJR, et al. (1979): American Society of Therapeutic Radiotherapists 21st Annual Meeting: Abstract number 199.

Johnson RJR, et al. (1979): In "Treatment of Radioresistant Cancers." Abe M, Sakamoto K, Phillips T L (Eds). Elsevier/North Holland Biomedical Press, pp 71-82.

Woodliff HJ, Dougan L (1975): Survival in chronic leukemia: A report of the Leukemia and Allied Disorders Committee to the Cancer Council of Western Australia, 334 Rokeby Road, Subiaco, Western Australia. 28 January 1975.

Holt JAG (1980): Changing epidemiology of malignant melanoma in Queensland. Med Jl Aust 1(12):619-620.

Hocking B, et al. (1966): Cancer incidence and mortality and proximity to TV towers. Med Jl Australia 165(11/12): 2.

Eason A (1776): An account of the effects of lightning in discussing a tumour of the breast. In "Miscellaneous or Philosophical Extracts", T Dolson (Ed), Philadelphia, Volume 2, pp 195-300.

Allison A (1980): Effects of lightning upon cancer. Lancet 1: 77.

Denier A. (1936): Essay on the radiotherapy of inoperable tumours made possible by microwaves. Arch d'Electric Med 44:403-410 (in French).

Brunner-Ornstein M, Randa K (1937): Research with a Magnetron UHF generator for medical radiation therapy. Strahlentherapie 59:267 (in German).

HIGHLIGHTS FOR BEMS 1999 — LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA

The 21st Annual Meeting of The Bioelectromagnetics Society will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Long Beach, California, 20-24 June 1999. The Program Committee has prepared an excellent program with plenary sessions, speakers, posters and workshops. Each day begins with a continental breakfast and plenary session with invited speakers.

On Monday, Paul Gailey will chair "ELF Research: Update on International Reviews". The internationally known speakers are Mike Repacholi of the World Health Organization who will present WHOs EMF Research Requirements, Chris Portier of the US National Institute of Health speaking on Do Extremely Low Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields Pose a Health Risk?, and Thomas Tenforde of Battelle, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on behalf of the US National Academy of Sciences presenting National Academy of Sciences Report on EMF Research Activities Completed Under the Energy Policy Act of 1992. In addition, Shoogo Ueno of the University of Tokyo will discuss ELF Research Activities in Japan and M. Dolan of Melbourne, Australia will speak on ELF Regulation and Policy in Australia.

Tuesday will begin with a continuation of Updates on International Review efforts focusing on RF frequencies, chaired by Larry Anderson and Mike Repacholi. The first speaker will be Bernard Veyret of the University of Bordeaux presenting European Research on Biological and Health Effects of RFR Related to Mobile Communications followed by Charles Meinhold of the US National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements with The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements - Who, What, Why and How? James Lin of the University of Chicago will present NCRP Recommendations for Exposure Criteria for Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields and D. Krewski of the University of Ottawa will conclude with Overview of The Royal Society of Canada Expert Panel Report on the Potential Health Risks of Radiofrequency Fields from Wireless Communication Devices.

Wednesday morning begins with the "Clinical Applications Session" available for Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit. The Introduction to this session will be given by session chair, Joseph Salvatore of the Phoenix Veterans Administration Medical Center, who also chairs the BEMS CME Credit Committee. The first speaker is Emanual Kanal of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center on MR SAFETY AND FERROMAGNETIC/METALLIC OBJECTS followed by Brian Rutt of the Robarts Research Institute, Imaging Research Laboratories in London, Ontario with MR GRADIENT TECHNOLOGY AND BIOEFFECTS OF SWITCHED GRADIENT FIELDS, Thomas Budinger of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on MR APPLICATIONS IN NEUROLOGICAL, MUSCULOSKELETAL, CARDIO-VASCULAR AND CANCER DISORDERS, Terry Thompson of the University of Western Ontario with SPECTROSCOPY: CLINICAL POTENTIAL AND APPLICATIONS OF NEW MR TECHNOLOGY, William Pavlovsky of the University of Western Ontario with MRI OF THE WRIST AND HAND: A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE USING A 2T SMALL BORE MAGNET and Dick Drost of St. Joseph's Health Centre presenting SITE PREPARATION: HOW NEW MAGNETIC DESIGNS ARE ALLOWING MORE WITH LESS. A panel discussion with participants and the audience will follow.

Plenary Session III chaired by Ken McLeod on Epigenetic Influences in Biological Systems will commence Thursday's program with Human Health Consequences of Environmentally-Modulated Altered Gene Expression: Epigenetic Versus Mutagenic Mechanisms of Diseases by J. Trosko of Michigan State University and The Human Genome Project Moves On: From Gene Reduction to Complex Systems by R. Strohman of the University of California, Berkeley.

A variety of special activities are included with the meeting. The d'Arsonval Award will be presented to Dr. Nancy Wertheimer during the luncheon on Monday. For the first time, this year the Student Awards will be presented during the Social Event on Tuesday evening permitting the attendees to meet and congratulate the student participants during the remainder of the meeting. A special research panel on research funding chaired by Alan Preece, Charles Rafferty, Lee Rosen, Mays Swicord and Bernard Veyret will be held from 5:00 to 6:00 pm on Wednesday and the Board of Directors of the Society will be available for question and comment from 6:00 to 6:45 pm.

The first poster session will be held on Monday afternoon from 3:15 to 6:15 pm and the second will be on Tuesday from 2:45 to 5:45 pm with the Journal Editors of Bioelectromagnetics available for questions and discussion. All posters will be on view during the 3:00 to 6:00 pm session on Wednesday.

Long Beach Also Offers —

Downtown there is international dining and a variety of night life and shopping in the heart of the financial district. Pine Avenue, downtown's primary retail and dining thoroughfare, features many shops, tantalizing cuisine and a variety of night life. The Hyatt Regency is on Pine Avenue in the heart of this area so meeting participants will be centrally located to many of the available activities.

About a mile and a half down Ocean Boulevard is bustling Belmont Shore, a 15 block-long seaside area for shoppers, strollers and sightseers. People watching is a popular pastime. Tucked just behind Belmont Shore is Naples Island, where Italian-style gondolas cruise the narrow canals in the backyards of picturesque, affluent homes.

Recently opened, the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, near the Hyatt Regency, is one of the biggest and most technologically advanced marine exhibitions in the world. Across the harbor from the aquarium is the historic Queen Mary where we will have our Tuesday evening social activity. An added feature at this year's social event will be the presentation of the awards for best student papers.

According to the Convention and Business Bureau, no other community in Southern California is as visitor friendly as Long Beach. The Passport shuttle service, which passes close by the Hyatt Regency, features complimentary transportation to all the downtown attractions and a ride to Belmont shore is just 90 cents. Friendly downtown guides patrol a 40 square block area and help visitors find restaurants, shops, and attractions. The Passport shuttle is recommended for quick transportation to Pine Avenue eateries at noon during BEMS 1999.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT....

The April issue of Vitality (Vol 13, #4, April 1999) quotes from the Harvard Men's Health Watch: Rest easier. Scientists have disproved a few theories about what causes cancer. Cross these off your worry list: artificial sweeteners, coffee, microwave ovens, cellular phones, fluoride, irradiated foods and electromagnetic radiation from electric blankets and high voltage power lines.

The EPRI Journal (Spring 1999) published the article "Mouse Study Finds no EMF-Leukemia Link." The article reports that "The study was the largest life-span animal study ever sponsored by EPRI and one of the largest rodent studies ever conducted. Overall, the study found no evidence that magnetic field exposure either causes or promotes the development of leukemia in mice." Further information is available from Charles Rafferty, craffert@epri.com, (650) 855-8908.

The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements announced the results of the membership elections at the 1999 Annual Meeting on April 8, 1999. BEMS member, James C. Lin, University of Illinois at Chicago, was elected to a six year membership term.

Santini, R (1998): "Telephones Cellulaires Danger?" 39, Avenue du Centenaire, B 4053 Embourg, Belgium: Marco Pitteur. The book contains over 150 references, and is a synthesis of knowledge of cellular phones, biological risks for phone users and for people exposed to electromagnetic fields emitted from base stations. Advice for radio protection and for good use of cellular phones is given and information about legislation from different countries is developed. The book is prefaced by Dr. Paul Lannoye, European Deputy, Vice President of the Environmental Commission on Health and Protection of Consumers, European Parliament.

CALENDAR

June 19-20, 1999. Wireless Technology Research Second State of the Science Colloquium, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Long Beach, California. Contact: George Carlo, 1711 N Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC USA 20036-2811. (Tel: 202-785-3939, Fax: 202-833-2801, e-mail: wtr@hesgroup.com, Web Site: http://www.wtrllc.com)

June 20-24, 1999. Twenty-first Annual Meeting of The Bioelectromagnetics Society, Hyatt Regency Hotel, 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).

July 11-16, 1999. 1999 IEEE AP-S International Symposium and USNC/URSI National Radio Science Meeting, Renaissance Orlando Resort, Orlando, FL. For general information contact: Christos Christodoulou, Conference Chair. (Tel: 407-823-5831, Fax: 407-823-5835, e-mail: cgc@ece.engr.ucf.edu). For technical program inquiries contact: William Croswell, Technical Program Chair. (Tel: 407-729-3110) or Parveen Wahid, Technical Program Co-Chair (Tel: 407-823-2610, Fax: 407-823-5835, e-mail: eetpc99@mail.ucf.edu). Submission deadline is January 13, 1999 for hard copies or electronic copies (.pdf, .ps, .doc). FAX submissions will not be accepted. Address to: Parveen Wahid, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL. 32816 or eetpc99@mail.ucf.edu. Suggested topics and general information can be found in http://www-ece.engr.ucf.edu/apsursi99.

July 18-21, 1999. International Microwave Power Institute 34th Annual Microwave Symposium, Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Microwave Oven, Doubletree Hotel, National Airport, Arlington, VA, USA. Short Courses: #1 Modeling Oven Design and Performance for Food and Industrial Processing, Sunday, July 18th, 9:00 AM to Noon; #2 Modeling Oven Design and Performance for Consumer and Commercial Microwave Ovens, Sunday, July 18th, 1:30 to 4:30 PM; #3 Regulatory Compliance for Industrial Microwave Manufacturers and Users, Sunday, July 18th, 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM. Contact: IMPI, 10210 Leatherleaf Court, Manassas, VA 20111. (Tel: 703-257-1415, Fax: 703-257-0213).

August 13-21, 1999. XXVIth URSI General Assembly, Toronto, Canada. Contact: URSI GA '99 Secretariat, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A OR6, Canada. (Tel: +1-613-993 7271, Fax: +1-613-993 7250, e-mail: ursi99@nrc.ca, Web: http://www.nrc.ca/confserv/ursi99/welcome.html).

October 4-6, 1999. International Seminar on the Effects of Electromagnetic Fields on the Living Environment, Munich, Germany. Sponsored by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), World Health Organization (WHO), and the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS). Contact: Olaf Schulz, S2.5, Institute of Radiation Hygiene, Federal Office for Radiation Protection. (Tel: +49 89 31603 262, Fax: +49 89 31603 180, e-mail: oschulz@bfs.de).

April 9-14, 2000. Millennium Conference on Antennas and Propagation, Davos, Switzerland. Deadline for abstracts July 1, 1999. Contact: ESTEC Conference Bureau, PO Box 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands. (Tel: +31 71 5655005, Fax: +31 71 5655658, e-mail: confburo@estec.esa.nl, Web Site: http://www.estec.esa.nl/AP2000).

June 9-16, 2000. Twenty-second Annual Meeting of The Bioelectromagnetics Society, The University of Munich, Munich, Germany. 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).