- Jul 2018
-
europepmc.org europepmc.org
-
On 2014 Aug 10, Alexander Lerchl commented:
None
This comment, imported by Hypothesis from PubMed Commons, is licensed under CC BY. -
On 2014 Feb 11, Franz Adlkofer commented:
Two papers from a research team at the Medical University of Vienna (MUV), the one above and a previous one [1], point to a genotoxic potential of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. Both papers result from the REFLEX project, a multi-national study on biological effects of electromagnetic fields funded by the European Union, which I coordinated [2]. About three years after REFLEX had been completed all of a sudden the claim was circulated that the Vienna results might have been faked. With this allegation the editors of the two peer-reviewed scientific journals should be forced to retract the respective papers. However, they carried out their own investigations, and in both editorial boards the outcome of a thorough scrutiny led to the conclusion that there is no evidence of fraud.
At the same time, the MUV mandated its Council for Scientific Ethics to investigate in detail how the Vienna REFLEX data were generated. This Council confirmed already at its first meeting and without any investigation the suspected fraud, and recommended the retraction of the two papers. By chance, it turned out that its chairman was a lawyer from the Austrian telecommunication industry. After his replacement the new Council came to the decision that the allegation is unfounded and that there is no reason to further pursue the case. Unhappy with this acquittal, the matter was finally transferred to the newly established Austrian Agency for Research Integrity that after a further scrutiny followed the Council’s decision [3].
Criticism of scientific data is absolutely necessary, but to claim fraud in order to get rid of them is unacceptable, whatever the reasons behind.
- Diem E, Schwarz C, Adlkofer F, Jahn O, Rüdiger HW (2005) Non-thermal DNA breakage by mobile phone radiation (1800 MHz) in human fibroblasts and transformed GFSH-R17 rat granulosa cells in vitro. Mutat Res 583:178-83.
- See „REFLEX Final Report“ in http://www.itis.ethz.ch/assets/Downloads/Papers-Reports/Reports/REFLEXFinal-Report171104.pdf
- See “Part I. A campaign to destroy scientific findings” in http://www.kompetenzinitiative.net/assets/broschuerenreihe_heft-5_eng_screen.pdf
This comment, imported by Hypothesis from PubMed Commons, is licensed under CC BY. -
On 2014 Jan 16, Franz Adlkofer commented:
None
This comment, imported by Hypothesis from PubMed Commons, is licensed under CC BY. -
On 2014 Jan 03, Alexander Lerchl commented:
None
This comment, imported by Hypothesis from PubMed Commons, is licensed under CC BY.
-
- Feb 2018
-
europepmc.org europepmc.org
-
On 2014 Jan 03, Alexander Lerchl commented:
None
This comment, imported by Hypothesis from PubMed Commons, is licensed under CC BY. -
On 2014 Jan 16, Franz Adlkofer commented:
None
This comment, imported by Hypothesis from PubMed Commons, is licensed under CC BY. -
On 2014 Feb 11, Franz Adlkofer commented:
Two papers from a research team at the Medical University of Vienna (MUV), the one above and a previous one [1], point to a genotoxic potential of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. Both papers result from the REFLEX project, a multi-national study on biological effects of electromagnetic fields funded by the European Union, which I coordinated [2]. About three years after REFLEX had been completed all of a sudden the claim was circulated that the Vienna results might have been faked. With this allegation the editors of the two peer-reviewed scientific journals should be forced to retract the respective papers. However, they carried out their own investigations, and in both editorial boards the outcome of a thorough scrutiny led to the conclusion that there is no evidence of fraud.
At the same time, the MUV mandated its Council for Scientific Ethics to investigate in detail how the Vienna REFLEX data were generated. This Council confirmed already at its first meeting and without any investigation the suspected fraud, and recommended the retraction of the two papers. By chance, it turned out that its chairman was a lawyer from the Austrian telecommunication industry. After his replacement the new Council came to the decision that the allegation is unfounded and that there is no reason to further pursue the case. Unhappy with this acquittal, the matter was finally transferred to the newly established Austrian Agency for Research Integrity that after a further scrutiny followed the Council’s decision [3].
Criticism of scientific data is absolutely necessary, but to claim fraud in order to get rid of them is unacceptable, whatever the reasons behind.
- Diem E, Schwarz C, Adlkofer F, Jahn O, Rüdiger HW (2005) Non-thermal DNA breakage by mobile phone radiation (1800 MHz) in human fibroblasts and transformed GFSH-R17 rat granulosa cells in vitro. Mutat Res 583:178-83.
- See „REFLEX Final Report“ in http://www.itis.ethz.ch/assets/Downloads/Papers-Reports/Reports/REFLEXFinal-Report171104.pdf
- See “Part I. A campaign to destroy scientific findings” in http://www.kompetenzinitiative.net/assets/broschuerenreihe_heft-5_eng_screen.pdf
This comment, imported by Hypothesis from PubMed Commons, is licensed under CC BY. -
On 2014 Aug 10, Alexander Lerchl commented:
None
This comment, imported by Hypothesis from PubMed Commons, is licensed under CC BY.
-