Swisscom Admits that Wi-Fi Can Harm People ?

UPDATE 18 February 2017:  In a recent letter, the CEO of Swisscom,  Mr. Urs Scheppi, states:
"Swisscom distances itself in every form from the claims in the justification for Patent WO / 2004/075583 and has consequently withdrawn this. We regret that this passage with the false statement found its way into one of our patents and has led to misunderstandings."  (Google translate)  

Full paragraph of original text in German: 
"Das von Ihnen erwähnte WLAN-Patent WO/2004/075583 wurde tatsächlich 2004 an Swisscom erteilt. Die darin gemachten Aussagen zur Schädlichkeit von drahtlosen Netzwerken sind aus einer einzeinen Publikation. Diese Einzelaussage wird weder durch den damaligen noch durch den aktuellen wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisstand gestützt: Vershiedene Ubersichtsstudien kommen zum Schluss, dass es unter Berücksichtigung aller qualitativ genügenden Studien keine robusten Belege für eine Gesundheitsgefährdung bei Einhaltung der gültigen Grenzwerte vorliegen (z.B. SCENIHR, 2015). Das patentierte Verfahren erläutert lediglich die Prinzipien einer Leistungsoptimierung bei WLAN-Sendestationen. Seit 2004 ist keine technische oder kommerzielle Unsetzung des Patents erfolgt. Vor dem Hintergrund der technischen Entwicklung kann das Patent als überholt betrachtet werden. Swisscom distanziert sich daher in jeder Form von den Assagen in der Begründung zum Patent WO/2004/075583 und hat konsequenterweise dieses zurückgezogen. Wir bedauern, dass diese Textstelle mit der Falschaussage Eingang in eine unserer Patentschriften gefunden und zu Missverständnissen geführt hat."

ARTICLE Re-posted 2 February 2014:  Swisscom reveals the true DANGER of WiFi in a patent application filed in September 2004 (click here for full text). Swisscom is the leading telecom provider in Switzerland. It devised a way to reduce the microwave radiation from WiFi (also known as WLAN or wireless local area network). In its patent application, Swisscom clearly states the elevated risk of cancer and genetic damage from the constant low level microwave/RF exposure from WiFi. Below are excerpts from page one and page two. (This summary was made available on “Media-withtank.com”.)

The information concerning the dangers of mobile telephony do not appear on Swisscom's site nor on the site of the Swiss Federal Office for Public Health (OFSP). The population is being systematically misinformed in the interest of business of the telecoms operators. What is far more serious is that the authorities do not care about the health of their citizens, in continuing to deny the risks of mobile telephony radiation, to quote from their site:  (Keep in mind that the Swiss Government still holds a majority of shares in Swisscom, the nation's major telecoms operator.)

"Many studies have investigated the biological and health effects of GSM radiation. Owing to inconsistent results or uncertainty over their relevance to health, it is not currently possible to make a conclusive health assessment in the case of the results listed":  effects on the hormonal and immune systems, brain activity, perception and processing of stimuli, hearing, cardiovascular system, well-being, sleep, brain and other tumors in adults, brain tumors in children, attention deficit disorders, spermatozoa, interference with implants, and car accidents. (See next post for details.)

Following are excerpts from page one and page two concerning Swisscom's patent. (This summary was made available on “Media-withtank.com”.):



"Limits and guidelines alone will not suffice, however, to further contain the electrosmog in WLANs since the development in WLANs runs in exactly the opposite direction... WLANs even represent zones in which people usually spend longer periods of time (place of work, Internet, network games, etc. ) and are therefore to be considered as particularly problematic with respect to radiation impact…"

Switzerland’s lower electromagnetic radiation limit values do not make this technology “safer”.  There is no safe limit for this type of radiation.  Although Swisscom began in 2002 to equip schools with free Internet access, this does not mean the access is wired.  In January 2011, I wrote the CEO of Swisscom, who asked one of his colleagues to reply:  “our services end at the school router … This means that it is the school’s governing body or the canton that decides whether to opt for a wired or wireless solution.”  

Excerpts from Swisscom patent application

"The influence of electrosmog on the human body is a known problem. The health risk from mobile radio transmitters (WiFi base stations) mobile phones and DECT telephones has been an explosive subject among the general public...To meet the concerns of science from the legislative side, the permissible limit values have thus been lowered several times (in

Switzerland) and technology has been increasingly focused on this problem.  The risk of damage to health through electrosmog has also become better understood as a result of more recent and improved studies. When, for example, human blood cells are irradiated with electromagnetic fields, clear damage to hereditary material has been demonstrated and there have been indications of an increased cancer risk.

(Mashevich M., Folkman D. , Kesar A., Barbul A. , Korenstein R. , Jerby E. , Avivi L.,

Department of Human Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, TelAviv, Israel, "Exposure of human peripheral blood lymphocytes to electromagnetic fields associated with cellular phones leads to chromosomal instability," Bioelectromagnetics, 2003 Feb. , 24 (2): 82-90).

 

"Control experiments (without microwave/RF radiation) carried out in the temperature range of 34.5 to 38.5 °C showed that elevated temperature is not associated with either the genetic or epigenetic alterations…These findings indicate that the genotoxic effect of electromagnetic radiation is elicited via a non-thermal pathway. Moreover aneuploidy is to be considered as a known phenomenon in the increase of cancer risk."

"Thus it has been possible to show that mobile radio radiation can cause damage to genetic material, in particular in human white blood cells, whereby both the DNA   itself is damaged and the number of chromosomes changed. This mutation can consequently lead to increased cancer risk. In particular, it could also be shown that this destruction is not dependent upon temperature increases, i.e. is non-thermal."

From page 5, section 25:

"Despite increasingly strict national (Swiss) guidelines with respect to legally specified limits, the impact of electrosmog in WLANs on the human body can be  considerable. Moreover it is to be expected that this impact will continue to increase in the future for many people...First, more and more applications require additional, usually higher-energy frequency bands in order to be able to meet the growing need with respect to transmission rate."

From page 6, sections 5-15:

"There has been a lot of effort put into providing evidence for the detrimental effects of electrosmog and setting corresponding limits. Limits and guidelines alone will not suffice, however, to further contain the electrosmog in WLANs since the development in WLANs runs in exactly the opposite direction, as mentioned above. WLANs even represent zones in which people usually spend longer periods of time (place of work, Internet, network games, etc. ) and are therefore to be considered as particularly problematic with respect to radiation impact…This means that even when the WLAN is not being used at all, an underlying stress from electromagnetic radiation remains for persons in the Basic Service Area of an access point of the WLAN. For example, in the case of WLANs at places of employment, such as offices, etc., there exists therefore permanent stress from electrosmog from the WLAN on the employees of the company or organization."