Electrosmog

The term is currently in the news because of a dispute between the Italian government and the Vatican over the intensity of the signal from Vatican Radio. Rome’s expansion means that the area around the transmitters, almost unpopulated 50 years ago, now has some 100,000 inhabitants. The Vatican, a sovereign state, allows itself higher field strengths from transmitters than does Italy. Though this dispute has publicised the term, it has actually been around for some time, in a relatively specialist way, to refer to the sea of electromagnetic radiation from broadcast and mobile telephone transmitters in which we involuntarily bathe. Back in 1996, a firm in Durham, North Carolina, responding to concerns about the health implications of such radiation, manufactured a cybercap out of metallic fabric that was supposed to shield the wearer from the electrosmog, so described, that was given off by wireless networks.

Angered by constant references in the Italian media to “electrosmog” coming from his radio station, Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican Radio’s director of programmes, said in a statement: “We consider it immoral to foment unjust accusations and cause alarm in the population”.

New Scientist, Apr. 2001

Environment Minister Willer Bordon has told the Vatican to either reduce electromagnetic transmissions by two-thirds or face a blackout. He says “electrosmog” from the radio’s powerful transmission towers is causing high levels of cancer and other problems among residents who live near them.

USA Today, Apr. 2001