Electro-hypersensitivity: is it necessary to be afraid of the wave?

"What do you need to believe us!"A former 57-year-old technico-commercial today in disability due, according to him, to his electro-hypersensitivity, Rémy is clearly angry.“Scientific studies attest to the health dangers of exposure to electromagnetic waves are increasing.As well as the number of victims.And yet the public authorities and the medical institution continue to minimize the problem.»»

Rémy's frustration and bitterness are understandable.Tinnitus, insomnia, fatigue ... For the past fifteen years he has lived a real ordeal."Before becoming hypersensitive, I was a big user of the mobile phone, especially for my work," he explains.At the rate of two and a half hours daily, I calculated that it was a cumulative 4,500 hours in ten years.One day the body says stop and you become intolerant.Relay antennas, wifi, telephone ... In the crisis phase, everything is attacking you.The electromagnetic fields use your body.I was wiped out, I cried all day.»»

Anxiety, palpitations and insomnia

The case of Rémy is far from an exception, the problem would concern almost 5% of the world's population.Even if not all of them experience their hypersensitivity in an acute as Rémy, the figure is considerable.But, for the time being, we still have very few certainties on the way in which this phenomenon is triggered.And above all, if it is truly caused by electromagnetic fields (CEM).

Most of the symptoms that patients like anxiety, palpitations, insomnia are complained, are so -called "non -specific" and could come from elsewhere.In the absence of a coherent clinical picture and irrefutable evidence, the medical authorities classify these disorders in the register of idiopathic environmental intolerances - in other words, of unknown origin.In fact, work stoppages are often established under the cover of burnout or depression.For electro-hypersensitives (EHS) however, the source of their ills is no doubt.

A blinded eyes test

"At the beginning, we do not necessarily make the link between night awakenings, palpitations, fibromyalgia and electromagnetic waves," explains Sophie Pelletier, president of the PRIARTEM collective (to bring together inform Act on the risks linked to electro -magnetic technologies).Then the click occurs.In the case of this environmental engineer, he made himself when her husband was connecting her new mobile phone in her living room."I felt like a flash cross my brain," she says.

Faced with the skepticism of her family, she agrees to submit to a test: a car circuit near relay antennas.“Blinded eyes, I managed to detect each time you missed a transmitter."Certainly not enough to establish the facts scientifically.But still disturbing!"In times of crisis we have an almost instantaneous feeling of the waves," she says.

Barricades

Intolerance can manifest itself gradually or trigger overnight.And everyone is not necessarily sensitive to the same frequencies.Emeline is especially at the lowest, those from electric current."It is only after declaring my hypersensitivity that I made the link with having slept for ten years above an electric transformer present in the cellar located under my apartment," explains the professor56 -year -old math, today on long -term leave.

For all, the only way to reduce symptoms is to take shelter from CEM.But returning to the phone and the wired computer is not always enough.Many use geobiologists to identify the sources of broadcast in their living space.Including those coming from outside, such as the wifi of neighbors.Then everyone barricades themselves as they can.Emeline had anti-wave shells installed at her windows and extended an aluminum survival blanket at the head of her bed.

Still too high levels

By protecting themselves, the EHS manage to lower the intensity of the symptoms, but never heal completely.They must learn to live with it.So when he dine with friends, Rémy asks them at least to cut wifi.Emeline found autonomy by taking over her car that she had abandoned for fear of crossing too strong electromagnetic fields.But like Rémy or Sophie, as soon as she exposes too much during the day, she pays him in the evening or the next day.

Everyone will suit it, no one wants to experience this.It is therefore legitimate to wonder if the multiplication of electromagnetic fields (CEM) is also harmless as we ensure.Tresholds according to the frequencies have been established on the faith of the recommendations issued by an International Scientific Commission (ICNIRP), taken over by WHO and the European Commission.But for Sophie Pelletier, these levels supposed to be sheltered from the danger are far too high: "They only take into account the risk of tissue warm -up and integrate neither the long -term effects nor the cumulation of sources of'TRADINGS that increase its intensity.»»

Usage time and emission time

The regulator considers them, on the contrary, far too weak to have an impact on health.With technical progress these emissions would even, in absolute terms, tend to drop."The GSM of yesterday emitted 50 times more than the 2G and 3G phones that have succeeded them," says Joe Wiart in charge of the Chair Characterisation, Modeling and Mastery of the Exhibition at the Electromagnetic Champs of Télécom ParisTech - funded in particular by Orange, Tdf or anfr.

This mining engineer concedes that we use our smartphones much longer than GSM, "But it is often to surf the internet with the device in hand.However in this position the emissions are divided by 100 ”.In short, according to him, we must not confuse usage time and emission time.Likewise, according to it, it would be useless to turn off your wifi box at night.“Outside transmission, the signal is so low that it can be considered negligible, especially beyond 1.50 m.»»

Master the Environment of Tests

A whole reassuring rhetoric that makes EHS camp scream.For them, when in an apartment we capture a good dozen wifi, it is anything but harmless."The results of the statements we do in schools, businesses or individuals and which take into account all sources of emission, are in our opinion often disturbing," says Catherine Gouhier, vice-president of the research center andindependent information on electromagnetic radiation (Criirem).EHS also call into question the way measures in "loyalist" laboratories are carried out.

Failing to be able to make in vivo experiments, we indeed use "ghosts", a sort of shells filled with a liquid, supposed to react as a human skull.Telecom operators are advancing a mass argument to put the waves out of cause: the results of so -called provocation studies.These tests consist of asking EHS to guess whether or not they are in the presence of an electromagnetic field, activated and deactivated without their knowledge.However, for the moment, none has proven to be conclusive.Again, the EHS disputes the methodology.

"It would have been necessary to select individuals in the acute phase of their intolerance and much better control the environment of the test," protested Sophie Pelletier.We are still not bulbs capable of blinking at the slightest signal!»»

Stress ... tomatoes

The president of Priartem prefers to emphasize the studies that have highlighted the impact of CEMs on the living cell, such as that produced by Gérard Ledoigt at the University of Clermont-Ferrand."We have noticed unrevitedly that a ten-minute exposure to the frequency of a laptop was enough to trigger oxidative stress on tomato cells," said this teacher-researcher today.We can therefore no longer say that these frequencies are neutral.»»

Same conclusion of Amandine Pelletier, lecturer at the University of Amiens, who this time took as a guinea pig for rats."If we give them the choice, these rodents are preferentially oriented, to sleep, towards a space not exposed to electromagnetic fields," she explains.In addition, compared to a control group, the rats exposed to CEMs display a more fragmented paradoxical sleep and a greater feeling of cold.However, it cannot yet be said that this impact has long -term harmful consequences on their body, ”lays the scientist.

What evidence?

The diagnosis of Professor Dominique Belpomme is much less nuanced (1).This former cancerologist who has specialized for fifteen years in the effects of CEM on health, claims that electro-hypersensitivity is caused by a cerebral neuro-inflammation which can be highlighted with specific biological markers,as the histamine level.But the scientific community criticizes him for never having published anything in this area."He never responded to our hearing requests," points out Olivier Merckel in charge of this subject to the National Health Safety Agency (ANSES).

Another point of discord, the classification in 2011 of CEMs by the International Center for Research on Cancer as possibly carcinogens.Some see it as a patent proof of the risks linked to electromagnetic waves;The others put into perspective, by evoking coffee, meat or barbecue cooking, which have been stored in the same group.

To cut short all speculation, ANSES has carried out a meta study synthesizing everything that has already been published on electro-hypersensitivity.If it recognizes the suffering of the patients and invites to a better health care, this sum revealed last year, maintains the fundamental observation: if we stick to the conditions required by scientific protocols, nothing provesThe link between the disorders mentioned by EHS and electromagnetic fields.

Push out

Olivier Merckel still admits two advances.Primo: Several studies report concordant effects on brain function.Second: although it cannot be excluded that it is linked to a persistence of the symptoms, it has not been able to demonstrate that the Nocebo effect (trigger or amplification of symptoms by negative anticipation) is the cause of this intolerance.EHS see it as an additional reason to go further in research.ANSES has an envelope of 2 million euros per year to invest in this type of study."But it is difficult to find good projects to finance," says Olivier Merckel.

The subject is hardly in the smell of holiness in the scientific community.Many EHS conclude "that we are not really trying to know".In short, uncertainty may last a while.Since there is a little chance that the regulator applies the precautionary principle and thus gives a brake to the deployment of 5G, it is therefore up to everyone to determine, considering if applicable, orNot, to impose a form of electromagnetic hygiene on a daily basis.

Regain control

Naturopath, author of the Les Ondes Book, 5G and our health (appear at Editions Exuvie), Florence Rolando did not wait to be EHS to take precautions.At home the landline and the computer have become wired again.She has not banished the laptop;But it takes care to use it as little as possible by monitoring its "consumption" thanks to an ad hoc app.This quinqua went so far as to install organic breakers upstairs in her house where the bedrooms are, to cut the electric current overnight.

"The reduction of this 'electro-semog' has had beneficial consequences on the health of the whole family and in particular on our sleep," she says.But beyond that, this approach was for me the opportunity to regain control over the use of technology that has invaded our lives.»An inspiring example that could… shine!

(1) Professor Dominique Belpomme, who had declined our interview request, asks us to specify that "the international scientific community recognizes its work since these, published in collaboration of other university professors, some of whom are officially inCharge of a collaborating center with WHO, are accepted by scientific newspapers with a reading committee ”.

An electromagnetic wave, what is it

Electromagnetic waves make it possible to transport information and energy, and propagate at a speed close to that of light.They are characterized by their frequency.The most dangerous are said to be ionizing - X -rays or gamma rays - because they have the capacity to transform the cell structure.But most of those around us would have other dangers than to warm up human tissues in high doses.It is in this spectrum that microwaves are found (ovens, wireless fixed phones, radars, wifi, etc.), radio frequencies (mobile phones, televisions, radio transmitters, etc.) and low frequencies (electricity transport cables).

Start of case law

EHS are starting to score points on the legal front.Two courts in Versailles and Cergy-Pontoise have just recognized exposure to electromagnetic waves as a cause respectively "work accident" and "occupational disease".On the Linky file, the new connected electric meters, the EHS have also won some successes.In Tours, Toulouse and Bordeaux some complainants obtained from Enedis the installation of filters.In particular those who have managed to present medical certificates.However, in the vast majority of cases, justice has dismissed them.

Anti-wave underwear

Absorbing shells, anti-wifi paintings, Faraday's cage-like Baldquin beds and even slips woven with silver wire supposed to prevent electromagnetic radiation from sperm of sperm when the laptop is stored in the pants of the pants ... A real market ofWave protection is being born.Note that, seeking to block the signal we push the transmitter to function as much as possible of its power!The best way to protect yourself is therefore to move away from the source by calling, for example, in speaker mode.And above all do not sleep with the laptop placed on his bedside table, open WiFi.