BioEM2015
Annual Meeting of the Bio electromagnetics Society
Asilomar Conference Center, California, June 14-19, 2015
“In light of this evidence and the widespread exposure to this agent, IARC should consider convening a Working Group to re-evaluate the classification of RFR. Educational and public health institutions should be encouraged to reduce exposures, especially of young children, to RF devices.”
In the opening plenary session, Kurt Straif, the head of the Monographs Program at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the WHO will raise the question, “Should IARC’s Classification of RF-EMF Invoke the Precautionary Principle?.”
“The Precautionary Principle Should be Invoked for RF-EMF,” will be provided by Christopher Portier, former Director of the National Center for Environmental Health and the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at CDC. Prior to his work at CDC, Dr. Portier was the Associate Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at NIH and Associate Director of the National Toxicology Program. Dr. Portier served as the CDC expert on the 31-member IARC expert working group that declared radiofrequency radiation “possibly carcinogenic” to humans in 2011.
Plenary 1-3. Christopher Portier. The Precautionary Principle Should be Invoked for RF-EMF.
One of the most widely accepted definitions for the Precautionary Principle is from the Rio Conference in 1992 where Principle 15 states: “Where there are threats of serious or irreversible damage, lack of full scientific certainty shall not be used as a reason for postponing cost-effective measures to prevent environmental degradation.” A key aspect of invoking the Precautionary Principle is what, if any, actions that should be taken. For example, in California, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (Proposition 65) is invoked if “an Authoritative Body” declares a chemical to have sufficient evidence for carcinogenicity (in animals and/or humans). When invoked, the chemical is added to the Prop 65 list and
warnings are required to protect the general public. If RF EMF were a chemical, then California would require labeling of RF EMF devices for a possible cancer risk because IARC “is designated as authoritative for the identification of chemicals as causing cancer (Section 25306(m)).” In the EU, the February 2000 Communication from the Commission on the Precautionary Principle states that “Recourse to the precautionary principle presupposes that potentially dangerous effects deriving from a phenomenon, product or process have been identified, and that scientific evaluation does not allow the risk to be determined with sufficient certainty.” In addition, they state that action should be “proportional to the chosen level of protection” and “In some cases, the right answer may be not to act or at least not to introduce a binding legal measure.” Thus, invoking the precautionary principle does not immediately mean actions should be taken. In my support for the resolution, I will demonstrate that a careful review of the scientific literature demonstrates there are potentially dangerous effects from RF EMF, and that the data is insufficient to allow the risk to be determined with certainty.
Until 2013, Dr. Portier was the Director of the US National Center for Environmental Health and the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prior to CDC, Dr. Portier was the Associate Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH) and Associate Director of the National Toxicology Program. He has over 250 scientific publications.
“As the premier international conference in the area of bioelectromagnetics, BioEM2015 is expected to stimulate further research in this field through the exchange of ideas and lively debate on state-of-the-art knowledge, as well as gaps to be filled.”
“With the increased presence of electromagnetic fields (EMF) in our everyday lives, the meeting aims at presenting and advancing high quality research in basic and applied aspects of bioelectromagnetics to address the medical applications, health concerns, and regulations associated with EMF. BioEM2015 will feature invited plenary talks by world-renowned scientists, a variety of special sessions and panel discussions aligned with the most pressing issues in the field of bioelectromagnetics, as well as informative technical sessions, poster sessions, and social functions.”
