"Dirty electricity" studies fail to stand up to serious scrutiny

Perhaps you've heard about the so-called "dirty electricity" that's supposedly used by compact fluorescent lamps, among other things, that will make your willy fall off or your body to break out in tumours or something like that. When I heard that story I was immediately suspicious, perhaps because I was reminded on an unconscious level of Andrew Wakefield's allegations about vaccines causing autism. Well, it seems my suspicions were justified:

In an ongoing attempt to keep Canadian politicians informed about the true state of scientific evidence surrounding microwave radiation for communications, the kind used in cell phones and wireless networks, the Committee for the Advancement of Scientific Skepticism (CASS) at the Centre for Inquiry (CFI), Canada submitted a brief to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health (HESA) last Monday, November 8^th. This year, HESA has been investigating the possible effects of low-level microwave radiation on public health and has deposed many different speakers. The transcripts to two of the interesting depositions can be found here and here, the latter having been conducted just a few weeks ago on October 28^th.

Last week, we published a critique by CFI science advisor Lorne Trottier and electronics engineer Harvey Kovsky of the most recent “scientific” study by Magda Havas, promoter of the idea of “dirty electricity” and electro-hypersensitivity syndrome. This week, on the heels of the reportage by the CBC and an article this Saturday in the Montreal Gazzette, we present another critique, this time of an article that appeared originally in a Canadian National Research Council publication the Environmental Reviews. In this review, B. Blake Levitt, a science journalist who has published 2 books on EHS and the supposed dangers of EMF, and Henry Lai, an original author of the now debunked Bioinitiative Report, present a re-hashing of old science and try to make their case that there is such a thing as EHS and that we should be worried about low-level microwave radiation, an idea that has been refuted by Health Canada and several other agencies.

It is suspected , because Lai, Levitt, and Havas have not had much success in promoting these ideas and have been denied legislative change in the United States, that any adoption of changes to the laws in Canada would strengthen their case in other, larger, jurisdictions. CASS is determined to not let this happen in Canada, and copies of the Havas and Levitt and Lai critiques have been sent to HESA in an effort to counter the fallacious claims being made by these purveyors of bad science.

From Skeptic North (h/t Startled Disbelief). I find it fascinating how these things seem to take hold of societies. A conspiracy theorist would suggest that the promotion of this idea is a plot by the coal industry to keep CFL sales down, but I don't think it's anything that complex (and how would you explain the similar phenomenon with Wakefields' claims about vaccines?) I suspect it's the same sort of thing that makes other urban legends thrive; a tendency to want to believe that the experts are wrong. (Of course, sometimes the experts are wrong, but that's another story). The thing is, unlike most urban legends (or even this guy's strange claim to have developed a reactionless drive), these stories have the potential to do real harm. Indeed, Wakefield's nonsense has been blamed for a dramatic drop in vaccination against polio, and according to some may have undermined efforts to eradicate that disease. And scaring people away from CFLs is potentially worse, given how much we're going to have to reduce our energy consumption in the future.

That said, there is one well-established problem with CFLs, and that's the fact that they contain a small amount of mercury. This is certainly nothing to sneeze at, but just to put things in perspective, coal also contains mercury. In fact, even assuming the worst case scenario where the CFL is tossed in the garbage (no, please don't do this), the CFL is still the lesser evil, if coal is a significant part of the power grid:



That said, from a purely selfish point of view, you might prefer the incandescent bulbs, because if you break a CFL it's you who gets exposed to the mercury.

Experimental MS treatment called into question

Interesting, but unfortunate:

A controversial theory about the cause of multiple sclerosis that has given new hope to thousands of patients suffered a setback as two new studies for the first time threw doubt on the findings.

Pioneered by Italian physician Paolo Zamboni, the theory suggests that MS is a vascular disorder caused by vein blockages that lead to a buildup of iron in the brain, rather than an autoimmune disease, and can be treated by a simple surgical procedure – angioplasty. While the procedure has yet to undergo clinical trials in Canada, MS patients here have shelled out thousands of dollars for the unproven and experimental treatment in countries such as India and Poland. Last week, Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall announced his province would finance clinical trials, despite caution expressed by other premiers, the MS Society of Canada and others in the medical community.

New research from Germany and Sweden that provides the first negative medical evidence on Dr. Zamboni’s theory could bolster the campaign of critics. The studies, published Monday in the Annals of Neurology, found no unusual blockages in the veins of MS patients compared with control groups.

From the Globe and Mail. Of course, the perfectly natural question to ask is "but what about the people the procedure has helped?" Quite possibly a placebo effect, according to some:

The PTA work did not use a control group. As a result, it is likely - given what we know about the placebo effect in MS patients who enter studies of novel treatments - that all of the benefits were the result of the powerful belief in the treatment, rather than anything related to improved blood flow.

From the Montreal Gazette. It should be noted that the study mentioned above may not be conclusive either, but a lot of people have been suspicious of this before (for instance, no province except Saskatchewan is funding the treatment in Canada).

One thing's clear; if it turns out that Zamboni's procedure is a placebo it would be a bummer to find out about it, because this would cause a previously effective treatment to stop working -- especially if you'd already spent a bundle of cash to get it done.

'Explosive' at California airport found to be honey

Oops:

LOS ANGELES, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Authorities shut down a California airport on Tuesday after a suspicious amber liquid in a passenger's bag tested positive for explosives -- only to ultimately determine that the substance was honey.

Francisco Ramirez, a 31-year-old gardener who had been visiting family in the central California city of Bakersfield, was allowed to return home to Milwaukee.

"The substances in the bottles did turn out to be honey. They tested negative for all explosives and narcotics. It is nothing but honey," FBI spokesman Steve Dupre told Reuters.

Source (h/t GRG55 in this iTulip thread). What's particularly interesting about this case, though, is the following:

When the bottles were opened, two of the screeners smelled a strong chemical odor, complained of nausea and were rushed to a local hospital, where they treated and released, Kern County Sheriff's spokesman Michael Whorf said.

The placebo effect is a powerful thing. I've also heard a story (for which I have yet to find confirmation, mind you) of people in Europe complaining about a cell tower causing headaches and such, not realizing that it wasn't yet operational. (If anyone can confirm or deny this story, please let me know in the comments!) For these reasons I also have to wonder about those reports of people getting funny sick feelings around wind turbines, especially with all the FUD surrounding this subject.