Date: 19 March 2011

Prof. Andrew Wood on “Low-level Effects, Cheshire Cats and Junk Science:- How do we prove that everyday technology is ‘safe’?

Venue: John and Jillian Quartel's home, 2a Barloa Road, Mont Albert Vic 3127

Come at 6:30pm for dinner (bring your own food to share). The meeting will start at 8:00pm.

Presentation Details:
For the last 30 years I have been researching the effects of electric and magnetic fields (EMFs) on tissue. Although it is agreed that large EMFs will produce nerve stimulations and other well understood effects such as heating, the link of low level fields with serious disease is more controversial. The WHO acknowledges power-frequency magnetic fields as ‘possible carcinogenic’ and a similar evaluation of mobile phone-type EMFs is about to begin. How does one deal with large amounts of conflicting data? How can one set these possible risks in a spectrum of everyday risks? Having trained as a physicist, with early research experience in membrane physiology and biological modelling, I will talk about my perspectives on these issues with important sociological consequences, and the place my Christian faith has played in all of this.