Fr Lombardi: Vatican to Publish Findings on Santa Maria di Galeria
(14 Jul 10 – RV) The Director General of Vatican Radio, Father Federico Lombardi,
says the Vatican will soon publish its own expert opinions on the ongoing court case
surrounding the Radio’s transmission facilities in di Santa Maria di Galeria, outside
of Rome.
A court-ordered scientific report was leaked to the press yesterday,
which says there is a correlation between the facilities and a series of cancer cases
in the area.
Father Lombardi says the case has not been decided.
Father
Lombardi was reacting a report by the court-appointed expert in the case, who said
there is a correlation between exposure to electromagnetic waves and an increase in
leukaemia and lymphoma in the surrounding population.
Father Lombardi said
Vatican Radio was surprised by the news, since the expert opinion has not yet been
released by the court.
Both Vatican Radio and the Italian Navy have facilities
in the area which emit electromagnetic waves.
Father Lombardi said the Radio
would soon release the findings of its own experts, and he also pointed out that the
international literature in the field has never proven the existence of a causal
relationship such as that apparently suggested the conclusions of the court-ordered
report, and therefore such a relationship should not be considered established.
He
also stressed that Vatican Radio has followed international standards on its electromagnetic
emissions, and has followed the even stricter limits in place since a 2001 agreement
with the Italian authorities, put in place due to the surrounding population’s concerns.