Bad Science Goes Bananas!

Ben Goldsmith aka "Bad Science" appears to have completely lost the plot with the recent Panorama programme dedicated to Wi-fi. He made some scurrilous accusations about Powerwatch's Alasdair Philips without backing up his claims with anything more than his own "bad science". Maybe he should stick to medical issues - he is at least trained in them!

He claimed that:-

1. Powerwatch is not independent and campaigns to stop WiFi and promote the products of Alasdair Philips' linked EMFields products.
2. Alasdair Philips is not a suitable person to advise or take measurements.
3. The instruments used (especially the COM monitor) were unsuitable.
4. What we measured and how it was measured was bad science.
5. The content of the programme was badly biased against WiFi.
6. Where is the scientific evidence of possible harm?
7. Where is the scientific evidence for Electrical Sensitivity?

Read Alasdair's reply that dismisses all of Ben Goldacre's claims here.

We got a reply back from Ben Goldacre, as follows:-

[1.] Powerwatch is not independent and campaigns to stop WiFi and promote the products of Alasdair Philips' linked EMFields products.
true, would you have been impressed if they used an engineer from t-mobile?
[2.] Alasdair Philips is not a suitable person to advise or take measurements.
true, he's a great person to commentate, i like him, he's a sensible lobbyist (with one very worrying recent slip which i suspect he is addressing) but not to take measurements, clearly not.
[3.] The instruments used (especially the COM monitor) were unsuitable.
they absolutely were, he designed it, he designed what "red" was. even kenyon accepts this.
[4.] What we measured and how it was measured was bad science.
yup. right up next to the computer while it was downloading a large file is not a real world measure of day to day exposure, as i said.
[5.] The content of the programme was badly biased against WiFi.
of course it was. i don't believe anyone would doubt that for one moment
[6.] Where is the scientific evidence of possible harm?
i am very happy with the idea that concerns have been raised and that further research should be done, as i have made very clear
[7.] Where is the scientific evidence for Electrical Sensitivity?
the symptoms are very real and very distressing, they deserve research effort and practical support as they receive in sweden, but there is little evidence to show that these symptoms are caused by EM. most unforgivably of all , the program completely misrepresented the evidence that does exist. this is completely unacceptable. i don't think your case needs to rest on misleading people about the evidence, i think you can make a perfectly good case without doing that.
Ben Goldacre

We say:-

[1] , [2] You could argue the case either way for these points. When does an 'Independent' stop being an Independent and become otherwise, once they realise the dangers of such devices as Mobile Telephoen Masts and Wi-fi? There are 1 or 2 retired experts who do not have a related income, so maybe they should have been used, but their experience isn't as great. I would say ALL experts are polarised either For or Against, so an accusation of bias was always occur.
[3] The COM meter as I recall was only being used to illustrate signal strengths in Norwich from the city-wide Wi-Fi, it wasn't part of the "Scientific" part of the programme. The "red" is illustrative and corresponds well to the scale that Alasdair mentions. The COM meter as a whole scales well with the levels set by the Scientists in Salzburg a few years ago for safe(r) mobile phone usage indoors and out. It is a consumer device and doesn't fully measure 3G signals, but is professionally calibrated, and correctly illustrates signal strength.
From personal experience a COM meter is OK to measure with, but is not ideal as it does not recognise 3G fully. I would have liked to see the COM meter used with the Acousticom [sound] meter or, ideally, a more complex professional unit. Even so, the COM meter gives correct or lower readings for illustration purposes.
[4] The measurements taken were not stated as constant, but are realistic for the levels found when files are being downloaded from the internet or the school's server - which would certainly be some or a lot of the time - the transcript excerpt below illustrates what was ACTUALLY said:-
"PHILIPS: Absolutely, yes that was definitely higher than I expected. It's only there.. not there continuously but it's obviously there quite a lot of the lesson if you're downloading files from the internet.

KENYON: So we took the first measurement here in what's called the beam of greatest intensity from the mast. The advice from Sir William Stewart to the government was that this beam shouldn't fall on any part of a school's grounds, unless the school and the parents agreed. But the levels of radiation inside the classroom were far higher, three times the strength of the nearby mast - not continuously but during downloads. These are controversial findings that must be repeated and verified."

[5] The content of the programme was, rather, bringing to the public's attention information that is not forth-coming regarding the emissions from Wi-fi and its connections to Mobile Telephone Masts. The program was straight talking using facts, rather than just using ridicule. In doing so, it has helped in a small way to redress the balance of other programmes which heavily promote wireless like the BBC News, Click and other tie-ins to Product launches such as the recent launch of "The Cloud" in the City of London.

[6] The volume of Scientific evidence of possible harm is already large and is growing all the time - it just isn't artificially pigeon-holed as "wi-fi" / "this" or "that" - it's the same sorts and strengths of microwave emissions at the same frequencies which produce low-level elctromagnetic fields. Wi-fi ticks many of the same boxes for many of the Scientific research programs already carried out. You do not need to start entirely from scratch with each and every device as and when it comes out if it uses similar technology - Wi-fi's characteristics are the same as many other wireless technologies including Mobile Telephone Masts.

Why should we be subjected to a huge experiment in the mean time? A post-code lottery of wireless hot-spots and Mobile Phone Masts shouldn't be turning residents into lab rats.

[7] The whole of human history is littered with precedence of changing lifestyles causing new diseases to become more common.

In the Agricultural revolution a diet of wheat led to diseases such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and other problems from eating foods for which our bodies had not evolved.

In the Industrial Revolution new pollutants led to the rise in diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and other problems linked to industrial pollutions.

In the "Modern Age" of electricity from the 1920's onwards diseases such as Leukaemia and other similar cancers have become more widespread.

Now mobile/wireless/microwave communications are bringing their sets of problems for our bodies to cope with - more rare cancers are becoming increasingly common - the types predicted many years ago by Dr. Cherry before these technologies were widely deployed. Electrosensitive (EHS) people are an extreme reaction to this latest "leap into the unknown" that we are all taking with Wi-fi and similar technologies.

I am in contact with several EHS people who were not even aware that Wi-fi etc. had been installed by neighbours or employers until their lives were turned upside down by pains and suffering. Many sufferers can "sniff-out" wireless access points without COM meters. Their symptoms wear off when they are not in proximity to wireless devices or transmitters. This is not psychosomatic - this is very real. It is down to an environmental pollutant and that common pollutant in the case of EHS is EM.

Many so-called "double-blind" tests carried out to date on EHS sufferers have NOT taken the source of EM down to zero for the supposed "OFF" test. Would you hold a pilot light near to the skin of a burns victim? No, of course not. The cynic in me would say that such tests were designed to fail to cast "FUD" (fear, uncertainty, doubt) on EHS sufferers. By discrediting EHS sufferers - the extreme of microwave damage - you can keep the cash rolling in for the wireless industry.

I counter by asking you Ben -

6. Where is the scientific evidence of safety for Wi-fi etc.?
7. Where is the scientific evidence to explain away Electrical Sensitivity?

Ben - If you want to find out about EHS for real I can introduce you to real sufferers - real people are much less easy to explain away than statistics.

Bill Blog - Off Again Defending WiFi

Hey Bill,

Are you off on another rant to defend WiFi?

That dihydrogen monoxide sounds bad - why don't you campaign against if you believe it is so dangerous?

Then you could leave us to campaign against what we believe is so dangerous - wireless.

I'm a bit disappointed that you didn't reply to me about my complaint to the BBC about your previous article -

you obviously didn't read the evidence and links that I sent you.

I know what, why not answer it now? - ( the links work at my version )

EVIDENCE - check
MECHANISM - check

Let's not leave it so late that we're counting the body bags for WiFi etc. as you obviously are for DHMO...

Good old Guardian - The old physicists' inverse square law - it doesn't matter if the small amounts getting through are harmful over time - Paddy Regan, University of Surrey - never heard of him.

BBC Online - you can rely on them too - "Not Proven" says Prof. Challis - "Not Proven" also extends to the risks of smoking, yet the risks are now widely accepted and smoking bans are coming into force...

By the way, I'll soon be meeting up with an ex-colleague of mine who is electrosensitive (not so much to TV and radio - different frequencies and wave forms, apparently). He said "If you fancy a beer in a quiet DECT/dimmer free pub somewhere not too far away I'd be up for it."

Isn't it sad that he has problems going out - and you don't care.

I spoke to an electrosensitive lady last week - she told me "My problems began several months ago when my neighbours directly through the wall installed wireless broadband. It nearly drove me crazy as I am electrosensitive." ... [usual list of many EHS symptoms including rapid and irregular heart beat, headaches, burning on legs, sleeplessness, loud ringing in her ears, feeling suicidal etc.] ... "Most of these symptoms clear up when away from the house. During a 10 day trip away in March I felt completely relaxed and normal and symptoms came back on my return. When in the house for prolonged periods I feel like I'm going to die and would welcome that as I would be released from this torture." ... "I sleep in the car as it's the only place I can get a decent nights sleep. I feel much better if I sleep in the car than if I sleep in the house. The neighbours are aware of the situation but do not seem to care."

And you don't care. But then she isn't in a body bag yet, is she?

Martin Sharp

Re: Wifi- why worry

(Copied to BBC Online Editors and Media Lens)

Dear Bill,

Re: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/6583815.stm "Wi-fi? Why worry?"

I found your answer somewhat glib and self-indulgent. I will answer your comments in order of "merit".

You state : "However there are no reputable studies to demonstrate any adverse effects from the use of wifi and, as I point out in my article, there is no credible model for how such effects could be caused."

Which Studies are you familiar with, and why do you dismiss them?
Is it simply because they aren't explicitly "wi-fi"?
I would argue that there are no credible studies which have actually proved there isn’t a health issue.

Have you read the research personally?
If not, on whom are you relying for the statement that there is "no credible research"?

What exactly are your qualifications for making your statements?
I can safely assume that you have no Biology or Bio-Physics qualifications.
By referring to "credible model" I can see that you are purely referring to the physics aspect. Biologists do not use this type of terminology.

CREDIBLE MODEL

Several highly "credible model"s exist and one such "credible model" has most recently been explained by Dr. Andrew Goldworthy, Honorary Lecturer in Biology from Imperial College, London (his biography is at http://www.hese-project.org/hese-uk/en/heseuk/profile.php?id=ag ) - a recent interviewee on the BBC's Newsnight program 2 weeks ago (* see later) - on just this subject. Weak Electromagnetic Fields are precisely what are created when you turn on a wireless LAN in wi-fi - otherwise wi-fi wouldn't work!

In fact he left a comment on the Newsnight part of the BBC website which reads :-

"Next time someone says that there are no known mechanisms by which weak electromagnetic fields can have biological effects, ask them to visit: -
http://www.electrosensitivity.org.uk/, You will find in it an article that I wrote recently explaining in non-mathematical but science-based terms just how such effects arise. It contains many references to work published in peer reviewed journals and explains most of the known biological effects from risks to fertility to interference with brain function. I don't ask you to believe it; just read it and make up your own mind. Andrew Goldsworthy BSc PhD Honorary Lecturer in Biology Imperial College London"

In his paper entitled "The Biological Effects of Weak Electromagnetic Fields" he explains in simple terms how such a credible model works. In the conclusion of this document (found at http://www.hese-project.org/hese-uk/en/papers/goldsworthy_bio_weak_em_07.pdf ) he states "In the latter part of this article, I have explained how weak electromagnetic fields can interact with cell membranes to weaken them and make them more permeable. As with all theories, it will be subject to modification and refinement as time goes by, but some facts are already inescapable. There is undeniable experimental proof that weak electromagnetic fields can remove bound calcium ions from cell membranes. There is also no doubt that bound calcium ions are essential for the stability of these membranes. Consequently, their loss will increase temporary pore formation under the mechanical stresses from pressure differences within the cell and abrasion by its moving contents. This very simple conclusion can account for virtually all of the known biological effects of electromagnetic fields, including changes in metabolism, the promotion of cancer, genetic damage, loss of fertility, deleterious [harmful] effects on brain function and the unpleasant symptoms experienced by electrosensitive individuals."

I have the details of 5 or 6 other "credible model"s which explain other specific mechanisms, but I won't put them all in this reply, if you want them you only have to ask.

I suspect that my reply to you will not be taken seriously since you have stated categorically that there is no evidence to date to show that non-ionizing radiation is any problem at all. This is clearly wrong.

You have clearly decided to discount the large body of evidence on non-ionising radiation just because you don't believe (or have been "encouraged" not to believe) that there is a problem. You appear to have completely ignored years and years of research in one statement just because it suits your lifestyle.

SYMPTOMS

Below are a long list of people who can not enjoy your lifestyle since it doesn't suit them, because it makes them ill. These are people who figure in the many cases of health problems triggered by Wi-Fi installations in school and elsewhere, for example John Fox (Teacher) , Robert Thinker (Home Owner) , Michael Bevington (Teacher) , Tony (Resident in flat) , Kate Figes (Author) , Ryan Warne (Furniture Worker) , Poppy Rhodes (Journalist) , David Dean (Councillor, London) , Sarah Dacre (former TV Executive) , Brian Stein (Chief Executive) ,

As reported by the Times Educational Supplement recently in a BECTA report from 2000, but never published, "some engineers complained of headaches at the end of the working days".

In the Independent on Sunday (13/05/2007) published a letter from yet another sufferer entitled "Wi-Fi headache" it went on to say "I have worked in an IT environment for 20 years, suffering little more than the odd trip-up on trailing cables ("Scientists demand inquiry over Wi-Fi", 29 April). My organisation has used wireless routers on and off for a year. As soon as the device is booted up I sense a searing head pain that can last several hours. Using a mobile also causes headaches. My home network is wired." from David Williams, SALE, CHESHIRE .

Additionally, I personally know of several other examples where people have been made ill by the presence of Wi-fi and have recovered afterwards:-

1. A neighbour always ill in various ways over a long period of time whilst wi-fi was in the house recovered soon after it was turned off.
2.Family friend, also over a long period, often had a migraine when sat by the wi-fi router - he recovered when wi-fi was removed.
3.An ex-colleague who could not stand to stay in his office when wi-fi was introduced - had to give up his work there - his reaction was so severe that he is now electrosensitive and has to avoid all other forms of microwave emissions.
4.Another member under took a straw poll of parents and children leaving local school with wi-fi - 1/3 of children were described as often having headaches, migraines, sleep problems, nose bleeds and mouth ulcers.

None of these symptoms occurred before Wi-fi was installed, and all are commonly associated with findings from research into other comparable forms of microwave radiation.

Also everyone who is registered with the charity electrosensitivity will also not be able to go near Wi-fi.

THE BBC

People think that the BBC employ people who know what they are talking about.

By speaking within the BBC via its website you represent the BBC.

60 years on from the start of research into the effects of non-ionising radiation in the 1940s we DO understand enough about the nature of microwave emissions and weak electromagnetic fields to see how there can be a danger to human (and animal) health and YOU are foolhardy to placate public concern.

As is the BBC in not allowing Scientists with negative views on the technology publicise their views:

(*) Dr. Andrew Goldworthy was apparently given a rough time by the "unbiased" BBC - this is quoted from his e-mail found at ( http://www.electrosensitivity.org.uk/thisweek.htm )

"I was asked as a scientist to give a recorded interview for a BBC "Newsnight" programme on the safety of Wi-Fi in schools. I was subjected to hostile questioning (which I expected) but I was surprised to find that they were not at all interested in the science. The official line in the UK seems to be that there are no known mechanisms that can explain any deleterious effects on health and they would prefer not to have their views disturbed by scientific facts.

When I pointed out in the interview that there was now firm scientific evidence of serious effects on health and fertility from mobile phones (which share similar technologies with Wi-Fi) and some of this could be related to experimentally proven damage to DNA, the interview was brought to an abrupt end. I was escorted politely to my waiting taxi and advised that very little of the interview would be broadcast.

Instead the bulk of the science slot in the programme was given over to "scientists" offering soothing words about how little danger Wi-Fi presented because the signal level was lower than that from mobile phones. But to say that Wi-Fi is safe just because the signal is lower than that from mobile phones is meaningless unless they can also specify what a safe level is, and they have not established this. Despite this serious omission, they went on to say that any research to discover the health risks from Wi-Fi "should be given a very low priority.

So there we have it, it is down to our non-consenting children to act as guinea pigs to test the technology in the class room. The proposal by Lawrie Challis that the effects on their health may be monitored offers no comfort to their parents. "

Since your editor sees no reason to amend or withdraw the article I demand the right to reply to your article in a reply to your article as prominently as your article on the BBC News Online website.

I hope to hear from you and your editor soon.

Yours Sincerely,

Martin Sharp


Bill Thompson wrote:

Dear Mr Sharp

My editor has passed your comment on to me as I am the author of the column you have complained about and I have discussed the matter with him. It is clear that you and I have very different views on the issue, but it is rare to find that all readers agree with the views I express in my writing, but he sees no reason to amend or withdraw the article, which has been received poisitively by other correspondents.

My columns are clearly labelled as such, and I do not speak for the BBC. However there are no reputable studies to demonstrate any adverse effects from the use of wifi and, as I point out in my article, there is no credible model for how such effects could be caused. I stand by all the views expressed, and I rather hope that people do believe what I have written and check out the research for themselves. At the time of the BSE crisis we understood enough about prion chemistry and the nature of scrapie to see how there could be a danger of cow to human transmission, and Mr Gummer was foolhardy in his attempt to placate public concern. No credible model or mechanism is put forward by those who object to low-power non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, and so I have no worries about my daughter's health - or of mine as I write this on my wireless laptop.

yours sincerely

Bill Thompson