Thursday, July 15, 2010

Study: Word of God causes cancer in children.

Good thing the Church doesn't believe in electromagnetism. From Raw Story:
VATICAN CITY — A court-ordered study has found that electromagnetic waves beamed by Vatican Radio leave residents living near the station's antennas at a higher risk of cancer, Italian media said Wednesday.

"There has been an important, coherent and meaningful correlation between exposure to Vatican Radio's structures and the risk of leukaemia and lymphoma in children," the report said, according to the daily La Stampa.

The report also warned of "important risks" of dying of cancer for people who had resided at least 10 years within a nine-kilometre (5.5-mile) radius of the radio's giant antenna towers near Cesano, some 20 kilometres north of Rome.

The radio's director, Federico Lombardi, disputed the report, saying: "Vatican Radio is astonished to hear the news on the results of the study."

Lombardi, who is also the Vatican spokesman, added: "Vatican Radio has always observed international directives on electromagnetic emissions and since 2001 has observed more restrictive norms set by Italy to allay the concerns of the neighbouring populations."

Speaking on Vatican Radio, he said: "According to international scientific literature on the matter, the existence of a causal link like the one apparently hypothesised by the report had never been established."

A Rome judge ordered the report in 2005 as part of an investigation into a complaint filed in 2001 by Cesano residents who alleged health hazards posed by the electromagnetic waves.

Vatican Radio's then-president Roberto Tucci and director Pasquale Borgomeo were among defendants in a case that was thrown out last year after the statute of limitations expired.

At the time, Lombardi said he was not satisfied with the result since he had expected an acquittal.

The Vatican spokesman said the Holy See would soon publish its own experts' conclusion in the case.

A 2001 investigation by Italy's environment ministry showed that magnetic fields in the area were six times more powerful than allowed, while Rome's Lazio region estimated that the rate of deaths from leukaemia among children in the Cesano area was three times higher than in adjoining areas.

2 comments:

The God Botherers said...

Okay I get that the “Good thing the Church doesn’t believe in electromagnetism” line was an attempt at humor but why do so many people who make fun of the Church and Christianity in general need to create straw man lies to get their laughs? Surely there’s plenty of factual material to use? But then maybe there isn’t hence the need to resort to lies.

James Maxwell is credited with being the first to realize the connection between electricity and magnetism. From Wikipedia we have: “Ivan Tolstoy, author of one of Maxwell's biographies, remarked at the frequency with which scientists writing short biographies on Maxwell often omit the subject of his Christianity. Maxwell's religious beliefs and related activities have been the focus of several peer-reviewed and well-referenced papers. Attending both Presbyterian and Episcopalian services as a child, Maxwell later underwent an evangelical conversion (April 1853), which committed him to an anti-positivist position.”

Sure he was a Protestant not Catholic. But why would Catholics or any religious person not believe in electromagnetism? The evidence is clear and undisputed. But like I said I “get it” that anti-Catholics need to resort to straw man lies to get their laughs.

But to the actual story.
The Vatican has said previous studies have shown no connection between their transmitters and ill health and that they comply with international standards. I don’t know which side is right. But maybe the Italian Government should be sued for allowing people to build houses so close to the radio towers.

Link to Wikipedia entry on James Maxwell: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Clerk_Maxwell

Adam Coozer said...

I point out bad behavior of all religions. And that's only about 30 items out of 2,200 on here - we offer a little something for everyone. Especially if you like zombies and robots.