Electrosensitivity in Sweden

forwarding................
 
 
Electrosensitivity in Sweden
 
Can you please send me the Swedish government document  confirming
electrosensitivity  is a recognized functional impairment (other than the
Nordic Ministers  report)?
Ideally but not  necessarily in English.
Besides the Council of Nordic Ministers and the  Austrian Medical
Association,
what official bodies or governments have  recognized it and an
environmental problem?
Is there any hope recent EHS  studies are about to make authorities
recognize EHS?

Merci  beaucoup!

Andre Fauteux, Publisher/Editor
La Maison du 21e siecle  magazine
2955 Domaine-lac-Lucerne
Ste-Adele (Qc)  Canada J8B  3K9

450 228-1555

_www.maisonsaine.ca_ (http://www.maisonsaine.ca/)
_info@maisonsaine.ca_ (mailto:[hidden email])
 
 
 
 
Dear André,
 





In Sweden, electrohypersensitivity
  (EHS)* is an officially fully
recognized functional impairment (i.e., it is not  regarded as a disease, thus no
diagnosis* exists; N.B. This is not special for  Sweden, the terms "functional
impairment" and "disease" are defined according to  various international
documents (see below)). Thus, the first step for a person  in Sweden with a
functional impairment is to contact the municipality’s special  civil servant
for disability issues, as well as the various handicap  organizations and
authorities, to achieve accessibility measures of various  types with the
sole aim to have an equal life in a society based on equality  (according to
the UN 22  Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for People with
Disabilities  - since 2007 upgraded into The UN Convention on Human Rights
for Persons with  Functional Impairments,  http://www.un.org  ).  

 
 
[*It’s symptoms are classified as an  occupationally-related symptom-based
diagnosis (code ICD-10) by the Nordic  Council of Ministers since 2000.
DIVS: 2000:839; ISBN: 92-893-0559-2    
http://www.nordclass.uu.se/verksam/yrke_s.htm]
Persons with the functional impairment electrohypersensitivity have  their
own handicap organization, The  Swedish Association for the
Electrohypersensitive (http://www.feb.se; the website has an  English version). This
organization is included in The Swedish Disability Federation (Handikappförbundens
SamarbetsOrgan; HSO; http://www.hso.se; the site has an English short
version). As a consequence of this,  The Swedish Association for the
Electrohypersensitive receives an annual governmental  subsidy.
An impairment is - by definition - not  defined by someone else or proven
by certain tests, etc. The impairment is  always personal (private) and
develops when in contact with an inferior  environment.
[N.B. Remember that functional impairments are only based upon  each
individual’s impaired accessibility to - and contact with - an inferior  
environment (cf. the UN), thus, there is actually no need for any “recognition”  in
local laws (cf. the UN). In Sweden, the former Minister of Health and Social
Affairs, Lars  Engqvist - as a member of the previous government - anyhow
gave his “approval”  in a letter dated May, 2000 [Regeringskansliet
2000-04-06, Dnr  S2000/2158/ST; see page 85 of  the enclosed report].  He also made it
clear in his response that for EHS persons there are no  restrictions or
exceptions in the handicap laws and regulations. Thus, these  laws and
regulations are to be fully applied also for EHS  persons.]
Treating members of the community  equally is not something that should be
done as a favour; nor is it something  that any parliament or government
should politely request other inhabitants to  provide others with. Equality is
not something to be done “out of the goodness  of one’s heart”. It is
something one does because it is expected of every  citizen, because
inaccessibility and discrimination are prohibited by law. Thus,  it is not alright to
deliberately make your symptoms  worse.
The electrically hypersensitive must  therefore, in every situation and by
all available means, demand respect¸  representation and power. They shall
very clearly reject all approaches which  reflect 
a mentality of “feeling
pity for them” or “caring for them”.  Inaccessibility is not a personal
problem. It is a problem for society.  Inaccessibility is not about attitudes. It
is about discrimination. And  discriminatory actions and conduct shall not
be dealt with by well-meaning talk  about treatment. Discrimination is
already illegal!
This view can  fully be motivated in relation to national and
international
handicap laws and  regulations, including the UN 22
Standard Rules/UN
Convention and the Swedish  Action Plan for Persons with Impairments (prop.
1999/2000:79 “Den nationella  
handlingplanen för handikappolitiken – Från
patient till medborgare”;  Proposition 1999/2000:79, 1999/2000:SoU14). Also, the
Human Rights Act in the EU  fully applies.  


++++++++


So, in essence, no official bodies or  governments are needed to recognize
any functional impairment. The presence  or lack of EHS studies are not a
prerequisite for any functional impairments, on  the contrary. Impairments are
viewed from the point of the  environment. No human being is in itself
impaired,  there are instead shortcomings in the environment that cause the  
impairment. Thus, it is the environment that  should be “treated”! One way is  
through the introduction of the proper biologically-based EMF human exposure
 guidelines. This environment-related impairment view means  that even
though one does not have a scientifically-based complete explanation  for the
impairment electrohypersensitivity, and in contrast to disagreements in  the
scientific society, the person with electrohypersensitivity shall always be  
met in a respectful way and with all necessary support with the single goal
to  eliminate the impairment.
 
 


If anyone does not  adhere to the above, an official legal complaint should
always be  filed. This measure applies to everyone from single persons to  
whole countries. As countries are based on individuals, they are the key to  
**recognition**; it all starts with ourselves, how we act in every
situation. To  claim differently is to say **good-bye**   to true and genuine  
democracy.
 



 


Best regards
Yours
Olle

(Olle  Johansson, professor
The Experimental Dermatology Unit
Department of  Neuroscience
Karolinska Institute
171 77  Stockholm
Sweden)


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