Press Conference from October 22, 2003 in Hemberg—Christoph Zweili

The Mediation Authority for Mobile Communication and Environment

Tagblatt

Thursday, October 23, 2003

Karim from Wonderland?

In Hemberg the electro-smog was tackled in an unconventional manner. Critics speak of swindle and hocus-pocus.

Hemberg BioGeometry, for critics, is a mere swindle. Electro-sensitive persons call the method of the Egyptian Ibrahim Karim a blessing. The Mediation Authority for Mobile Communication and Environment summed it up after a three months’ field-project. In spring the young birds returned from the warmer south, but migrated again after three days. Parents of swallows abandoned their brood, which starved to death miserably. Wagtails did not like it either in Hemberg anymore.

That was in June 2002, when Swisscom put their new 710-Watt mobile communication antenna into operation. All at once, a farmer had bad luck in the cowshed. There were a deformed calf and two abortions. Two dozen electrosensitive people complained of headaches, vertigo, exhaustion, sleeping disorders, fear and depression, down to inexplicable aggressive conditions. They felt that neither the family doctor nor the community authorities took them seriously. A dispute between the residents, authorities and Swisscom flared up and continued for months. The operators refused to switch off the legally installed antenna, which broadcasts under the set maximum limiting value.

All’s well that ends well

This was the case until 3 months ago. “Now we all enjoy life again,” says the 64 year-old Rosmarie Keller, spokesperson of the residents on Wednesday in front of the media. She and the President of the community, Walter Fischbacher, could look into each others’ eyes again. It was a blessing, that the Mediation Authority for Mobile Communication and Environment, established by Mobile communication providers, Swisscom, Orange and Sunrise, had the Egyptian Ibrahim Karim, graduated ETH- architect and Doctor of technical Sciences flown in by air. Karim installed his patented BioGeometry shapes and figures. made from wood and plexi-glass, in the homes of 6 families, as well as inside and outside the church. The Egyptian, who supervises worldwide serious research programs, that can be looked up on his homepage, ordered further production of area covering shape components for Hemberg, which were to be produced in Egypt and to be sent to Switzerland. Karim transformed twelve different sources of interference outside of Hemberg and seven in the church tower into positive energy. Enough to finalize the project. And hope for a continuation at another place—with a budget to make it possible for medical accompanying examinations and documentation through a university or laboratory.

“Hemberg is no individual case”

The Swisscom representatives at the Media conference seem satisfied. “We have an interest that our installations be acceptable for mankind and the environment,” says Claude Georges, Swisscom Directorr for Mobile Communication and Environment. Hans Ulrich Jacob expresses himself extremely critically against the Mediation Authority of Mobile Communication providers, represented by Erika Forster. Jacob acts in the name of his private organization, the Mediation mobile Communication and Health, for the interests of persons, in the Swiss community, affected by electrosmog. He speaks of the “plot of Hemberg” and calls Karim a charlatan who works with cheap plexi-glass shapes “which are available in every oriental bazaar”.

More articles about this subject in Tagblatt:

July 14, 2004:
No miraculous remedy, scientifically implausible

June 24, 2004:
Is the project BioGeometry going on?

June 11, 2004:
Karim contra Swisscom
August 29, 2004:
A village resorts to self-help

During the press conference, those participating in the experiment vehemently contested the suggestion of foul play. The transmission power has not been lowered during the experiment, as it has been claimed” says Claude Georges. To prove that, the data provided by Swisscom have been scrutinized by the Federal Authority for Communication, the supervising authority that made sure that both transmission power as well as limiting values were complied with. “Hemberg is no individual case”, Erika Forster says and refers to the antenna at Hirschberg. Here also the Mediation Authority is searching for solutions. Is she herself convinced of Karim’s method? “When I see the results, then something has to be behind it” she admits diplomatically. “I recommend further field experiments accompanied by scientific research.”

Catchword Electro-Smog

Mobile phones and basis-stations transmit and receive electro-magnetic radiation in the range of high frequency radiation between 900 and 1800 MHz. The installation in Hemberg has been approved for 1800 MHz—and so far transmitting only 900 MHz. The spectrum of frequencies of the electro-magnetic radiation is subdivided in ionizing and non-ionizing radiation (heat, UV radiation, light and electro-smog). There are only a few scientific secure perceptions about the impacts and effects of mobile communication installations. According to the Federal Authority for Health, some impacts have been proven: Thus the mobile telephone radiation can disturb sensitive appliances, such as hearing aids, instruments in the intensive care in hospitals or electronic devices in airplanes. Persons who frequently use a mobile phone complained of more headaches than those who used them less frequently.

Clarification Statement of the Mediation Authority

The rebuttals, according to which before Dr. Karim’s intervention the transmission power was increased and afterwards lowered, has caused the Mediation Authority to check this claim.

The Federal Authority for Communication has attested in writing on October 16, 2003, that during the experiment in Hemberg the transmission power was not raised at first and then lowered again afterwards.

Signed by Mr. Philippe Horisberger, Chief of the “Frequency Planning” Division.

Mediation Authority for Mobile Communication and Environment, November 25, 2004, R. Lüthi.