Washington-Conference: An appeal to support
21.08.2009 (31.07.2009)
CONFERENCE ON CELL PHONES AND HEALTH:
SCIENCE AND PUBLIC POLICY QUESTIONS
WASHINGTON, USA 14-15.09.2009
Aufruf vom 31.07.2009
Appeal
On September 14 and 15, 2009, a scientific conference will take place in Washington D.C., USA, at which the status of cell phone research and the resulting political consequences will be discussed. The conference takes place under the patronage of Arlen Specter, the five-term Senator from Pennsylvania being one of the most influential politicians and a member of the Senate's Committee on the Judiciary. CNN and other media did already announce their interest to report on the event. The conference is organized by Devra Lee Davis, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh, and Christopher Portier, Director for Risk Assessment at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, both USA. Dr. Davis is the author of the international bestseller The Secret History of the War on Cancer, in which she describes how industry and politics, in the last century, did succeed to maximize their profits at the expense of the health of the people.
Current Organizing Committee:
Melissa Bondy, Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas; David Servan-Schreiber, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Siegal Sadetzki, Tel Aviv Medical University & Israel Radiation Protection Branch, Israel; Lennart Hardell, University Hospital, Orebro, Sweden; Devra Lee Davis, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; David Gee, European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, Denmark; Dariusz Leszczynski, Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Helsinki, Finland; Christopher Portier, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, North Carolina; William Chambers, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, Georgia; Franz Adlkofer, Verum Foundation, Munich, Germany; Elizabeth Kelly, International Commission on Electromagnetic Safety, Venice, Italy.
Quite surprisingly the organizers of the conference in Washington had to take note that the already confirmed funds cannot be made fully available for this event. There is fear that the undertaking shall be stopped at the last minute. Whenever scientific investigations indicate that a highly profitable technology could be the cause for diseases, there is an inevitable uproar of the critics that are worried about economic interests. More encouraging is that politics in the USA under President Obama seems to be ready to increasingly consider the opinion of independent scientists – this in contrary to other nations.
An appeal to support the conference
The Competence Initiative (Kompetenzinitiative e.V.) speaks out in favor of the realization of the event:
If the conference in Washington fails for financial reasons, this would mean to miss a great chance that independent research is heard in the political field. The conference is of special international importance as it brings together top researchers and secures the necessary public attention to new findings. The possible political and legal consequences are significant also beyond the USA. If the attitude of American politics towards the discussed risks of cell phone radiation changes, European governments cannot proceed as they do up to now, and this especially as also the European Parliament demands a reassessment. Therefore, we Europeans too have good reasons to support the conference.
For the time being, the average citizens, scientists and physicians cannot counter the cooperation between political power, industrial financial strength and helpful "experts". Even the still required 25.000 Euro for the realization of the conference in Washington is an amount difficult to raise. It is only when a large number of us comes to the conclusion that we want a more honest and future-conscious health and environment policy, and that we can achieve a lot with our small contribution. At the same time, we also make clear that we demand the turn towards an understanding of democracy that is not deformed by economic interests.
The Competence Initiative for the protection of mankind, environment and democracy is currently involved in the establishment of a foundation for independent research. Its aim is the elimination of a research monopoly of government and industry, which in the passed was used more to prevent than to accelerate the gain in knowledge. As the establishment including the acknowledgement of the non-profit status takes a while, the new foundation cannot be considered for support of the conference already in September. Therefore, the non-profit Competence Initiative has established a special account with the aim to realize this conference.
The undersigned kindly ask everyone who feels addressed by this appeal – whether fellow citizens, colleagues or sponsors engaged in health and environment – to contribute to the realization of the conference by a donation as high as possible. Receipts will be written on request. Any surplus will go as a donation to the then newly established foundation for independent research.
Kompetenzinitiative e.V.
BLZ: 733 699 02
Konto-Nr: 101020102
IBAN: DE86733699020101020102
BIC GENODEF1KM1
REFERENCE: Washingtonconference
