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Link to the original post – https://norad4u.blogspot.com/2019/02/risk-conception-of-wifi-and-rf-on.html
“Risk conception of WIFI and RF on Israeli public and media” – Study and conference 02-2019
On the last Sunday, the 10/02/2019 I took part of a conversion in Tel Aviv Center for Science Education (HEMDA – Schwartz-Reisman Science Education Center – http://www.hemda.org.il/). The reason for this conversion was a study on the Conception of the risk from wireless radiation by the public and in particular of the risk from WIFI infrastructure in schools. The study was funded by the Ministry of Technology and Science in Israel. The Study was set to examine the conception of the risk from wireless radiation and WIFI routers in the public the the influence of the Media, mainly TV over the public conception of the risk, and the way this conception appears on the online media. The researchers said again and again that this is not a study on the risk but on it’s conception by the public and appearance on the Israeli media and TV.
It is important to note that the organizers of the convention knew who I am and what my views are and since the conference was opened to the public they did not block me from taking part.
In the picture above – The introduction to the convention
Article about the study (Hebrew origen, google translated to English) press here…
YNet article about the study (Hebrew origen, google translated to English) press here…
A Hebrew recording of some of the conversion – https://youtu.be/F79DJuMX5ic
The study
From reading the study, and the article about it in the press, it is very clear that the opinion of the study team is that there is no possibility that RF radiation can cause damage or health risks.
The Conference itself also started according to this concept and according to it, until it was revealed that it might not be the case.
The climate in the conference was that the Television media was to blame for the misconception of the risk from EMF in the public eye. In particular, one show from 2016, took fire ( I took part in this TV article alongside other EHS people, activists, and scientists, please see with English CC at – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpJsIWuV-PA&feature=youtu.be). This TV article had a big echo in Israel, and lots of EHS people understood the source of their pain and contacted me and other members of the Israeli EHS community to seek help and support.
I see the study and the conference as an attempt to do 2 things:
1. Put pressure on the media not to broadcast more Tv articles about EMF risk, cell phone risk, WIFI risk and EHS.
2. Make a point that there is no possible health effect to EMF exposure (once again) and to put those that argue that there is in a shady light.
ENG Moshe Netzer
The conference started with the lecture of ENG Moshe Netzer, who is a leading Israeli Radiation specialist who has worked in this field for more than 40 years and is regarded as one of the top professionals in the technical field of EMF measurement and protection. It was very clear from his lecture that Moshe does not support the possibility that EMF can push any danger in the low levels of WIFI. He did, however, admit in a way that it is almost impossible to measure WIFI in classes, but he linked that to the low level of the radiation and not to the use of slow RF meters with 2-5 samples each second.
Eng. Netzer also told the crowd that he was able to convince a local city council to install WIFI routers in schools when he presented them with the very low levels of RF measured from WIFI routers.
In the picture above – Eng Moshe Netzer
PhD Uri Lerner
The next lecture was from PhD Uri Lerner about the precautionary principle, and about the possibility that warning the public might cause more damage than the polluter itself (Nocebo effect).
In the picture above – PhD Uri Lerner (Behind on the left)
Prof’ Stelian Gelberg
The next lecture was by Prof’ Stelian Gelberg about the approach and way that the Ministry of Environment Protection handles this issue. Prof’ Stelian is the head of the Radiation and Noise Department in the Ministry of Environmental Protection in Israel. Prof’ Stelian said in the past, to a Knesset committee that non-ionizing radiation can cause biological damage but in his lecture, there was almost no sign of this understanding. Those with a good ear could find some clues to that in their answers to the open questions.
In the picture above – Prof’ Stelian Gelberg
PhD graduate Keren Daliot
The next lecture was by PhD graduate Keren Daliot who conducted the study. He lecture was on the study and the results. Again it was clear that the study was done based on the assumption that WIFI radiation and RF radiation can cause not health effects.
In the picture above – PhD graduate Keren Daliot
Expert Panel
At this point, the lecture part of the night was over and the panel members were introduced and took their sit on the stage. The panel was hosted by Miss Sivan Klingbail from the TV show “Osut Hesbon” (“Making the Math” a TV consumer show that did several reports of EMF and cell phone radiation last few years). The guest speakers were Prof Barak Fishbain, Prof’ Ayelet Barnea-Tzubery, the journalist Aviv Lavi (who did several articles on EMF and EHS in the last few years), and Miss Hadas Wagman from Tnuda (who should be working closely with Prof’ Sigal Sedesky),
At the beginning of the panel, it looked as if it is more of a tribunal judging the media about airing TV reports about EMF health risks and EHS. Most of the fire was aimed to the Ch2 from 2016 which got the popolistic name “How are we killing ourselves: Radiation” (please see link above). I see this criticism as an attempt to put pressure on the TV media not to bring forward future reports about the possible health risks of EMF and about EHS. I think that EHS in particular creates a lot of anger in people who don’t believe there can be any health risk to RF or EMF. If our condition is caused by exposure to EMF, it can be the prof they would not like to see, so they put the Nocebo effect as the cause of EHS and try to fight back when we try to warn others.
The panel, as the lectures before it, seemed to conduct the discussion under the assumption that there is no chance that EMF , RF or WIFI can cause a health risk. This was suddenly interrupted when Journalist Aviv Lavi said “But this is not what Sidesky said”. Lavi said that he had a lot of time with Sidesky during several interviews he did with her and that he had heard her say that there might be a risk, that we still don’t know how it is caused or how much the risk, that there is a debate about the possible risk and that giving a cell phone to a child is child abuse. This view of Prof’ Sedisky was brought to the public several times during TV Interviews with her (for example here – https://youtu.be/IVvfDNlZoaw?t=96 and here – https://news.walla.co.il/item/2965687 both in Hebrew).
From here on the discussion continued with that in mind. I think that this remark by Aviv Lavy stopped the attacks made on the media and the discussion moved to what we can do to reduce the exposure.
Open Questions
On the open question part, we (me and 2 other EHS/activists and one nonEHS activist) asked questions. My question to Prof’ Ayelet Barnea-Tzubery was “do you think your position that there is no possible risk to EMF exposure, which we now understand is not the opinion of all the scientists in this field, influenced the data gathering and processing in this study”, she answered a quick “No, we had to people examining the data in a binary way” , I replied “yes but both believe there is no risk.
The other activist also asked questions.
At the end of the panel discussion, the host asked Prof’ Stelian Gelberg to answer “Yes” or “No” to the question can she sleep with no worries about the WIFI use in schools. He paused for a few seconds and then gave a short lecture about the ministry activity in ELF-M, RF from mobile phone masts, and WIFI in schools, closing it up with “of course”. I understand his answers as “we are doing what we can”.
In the picture above – The Panel
