International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Jul 2021)
The Critical Importance of Molecular Biomarkers and Imaging in the Study of Electrohypersensitivity. A Scientific Consensus International Report
- Dominique Belpomme,
- George L. Carlo,
- Philippe Irigaray,
- David O. Carpenter,
- Lennart Hardell,
- Michael Kundi,
- Igor Belyaev,
- Magda Havas,
- Franz Adlkofer,
- Gunnar Heuser,
- Anthony B. Miller,
- Daniela Caccamo,
- Chiara De Luca,
- Lebrecht von Klitzing,
- Martin L. Pall,
- Priyanka Bandara,
- Yael Stein,
- Cindy Sage,
- Morando Soffritti,
- Devra Davis,
- Joel M. Moskowitz,
- S. M. J. Mortazavi,
- Martha R. Herbert,
- Hanns Moshammer,
- Gerard Ledoigt,
- Robert Turner,
- Anthony Tweedale,
- Pilar Muñoz-Calero,
- Iris Udasin,
- Tarmo Koppel,
- Ernesto Burgio,
- André Vander Vorst
Affiliations
- Dominique Belpomme
- Association for Research Against Cancer (ARTAC), 57/59 rue de la Convention, 75015 Paris, France
- George L. Carlo
- The Science and Public Policy Institute, Washington, DC 20006, USA
- Philippe Irigaray
- Association for Research Against Cancer (ARTAC), 57/59 rue de la Convention, 75015 Paris, France
- David O. Carpenter
- European Cancer and Environment Research Institute (ECERI), 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- Lennart Hardell
- European Cancer and Environment Research Institute (ECERI), 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- Michael Kundi
- Center for Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Igor Belyaev
- European Cancer and Environment Research Institute (ECERI), 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- Magda Havas
- European Cancer and Environment Research Institute (ECERI), 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- Franz Adlkofer
- Verum-Foundation for Behaviour and Environment c/o Regus Center Josephspitalstrasse 15/IV, 80331 München, Germany
- Gunnar Heuser
- Formerly UCLA Medical Center, Department of Medicine, P.O. Box 5066, El Dorado Hills, Los Angeles, CA 95762, USA
- Anthony B. Miller
- Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S, Canada
- Daniela Caccamo
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Dental Sciences and Morpho Functional Imaging, Polyclinic Hospital University, 98122 Messina, Italy
- Chiara De Luca
- Department of Registration & Quality Management, Medical & Regulatory Affairs Manager, MEDENA AG, 8910 Affoltern am Albis, Switzerland
- Lebrecht von Klitzing
- Medical Physicist, Institute of Environmental and Medical Physic, D-36466 Wiesenthal, Germany
- Martin L. Pall
- School of Molecular Biosciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
- Priyanka Bandara
- Oceania Radiofrequency Scientific Advisory Association (ORSAA), P.O. Box 152, Scarborough, QLD 4020, Australia
- Yael Stein
- Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
- Cindy Sage
- Sage Associates, Montecito, Santa Barbara, CA 93108, USA
- Morando Soffritti
- Istituto Ramazzini, via Libia 13/A, 40138 Bologna, Italy
- Devra Davis
- Environmental Health Trust, P.O. Box 58, Teton Village, WY 83025, USA
- Joel M. Moskowitz
- School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- S. M. J. Mortazavi
- Medical Physics and Medical Engineering Department, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz P.O. Box 71348-14336, Iran
- Martha R. Herbert
- A.A. Martinos Centre for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Neurology, MGH, Harvard Medical School, MGH/MIT/Harvard 149 Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
- Hanns Moshammer
- Center for Public Health, Department of Environmental Health, Medical University of Vienna, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Gerard Ledoigt
- European Cancer and Environment Research Institute (ECERI), 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- Robert Turner
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA
- Anthony Tweedale
- Rebutting Industry Science with Knowledge (R.I.S.K.) Consultancy, Blv. Edmond Machtens 101/34, B-1080 Brussels, Belgium
- Pilar Muñoz-Calero
- Foundation Alborada, Finca el Olivar, Carretera M-600, Km. 32,400, 28690 Brunete, Spain
- Iris Udasin
- EOHSI Clinical Center, School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA
- Tarmo Koppel
- AI Institute, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA
- Ernesto Burgio
- European Cancer and Environment Research Institute (ECERI), 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- André Vander Vorst
- European Cancer and Environment Research Institute (ECERI), 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22147321
- Journal volume & issue
-
Vol. 22,
no. 14
p. 7321
Abstract
Clinical research aiming at objectively identifying and characterizing diseases via clinical observations and biological and radiological findings is a critical initial research step when establishing objective diagnostic criteria and treatments. Failure to first define such diagnostic criteria may lead research on pathogenesis and etiology to serious confounding biases and erroneous medical interpretations. This is particularly the case for electrohypersensitivity (EHS) and more particularly for the so-called “provocation tests”, which do not investigate the causal origin of EHS but rather the EHS-associated particular environmental intolerance state with hypersensitivity to man-made electromagnetic fields (EMF). However, because those tests depend on multiple EMF-associated physical and biological parameters and have been conducted in patients without having first defined EHS objectively and/or endpoints adequately, they cannot presently be considered to be valid pathogenesis research methodologies. Consequently, the negative results obtained by these tests do not preclude a role of EMF exposure as a symptomatic trigger in EHS patients. Moreover, there is no proof that EHS symptoms or EHS itself are caused by psychosomatic or nocebo effects. This international consensus report pleads for the acknowledgement of EHS as a distinct neuropathological disorder and for its inclusion in the WHO International Classification of Diseases.
Keywords
- electrohypersensitivity
- provocation test
- electromagnetic field
- radiofrequency
- extremely low frequency
- diagnostic criteria
