Fr. Lombardi counters study reporting negative effects of Vatican Radio towers

Vatican City, Jul 16, 2010 / 09:20 am

On Wednesday, Vatican Radio director Fr. Federico Lombardi countered a seemingly incriminating study that reports emission towers from the Holy See's radio station have damaged nearby residents' health. The Vatican spokesman said that a second study addressing the matter will soon be presented to the court.

Fr. Lombardi's message came after local Italian media published the results of a report presented in an ongoing court case addressing a higher incidence of leukemia in children in areas close to a Vatican Radio transmission center just kilometers from Rome.

Noting his surprise that the as yet unreleased court document had been picked up in the press, he said that Vatican Radio would soon be presenting the "considerations and counter-deductions" of their own expert counselors in the case.

Fr. Lombardi said that, as far as they know, no causal connection such as that shown in the leaked report has ever been published in international scientific literature, so the hypothesis in the report should not be regarded as proven.

Turning to its historical record, he said that the Holy See's radio station has "always observed the international regulations on electromagnetic emissions" and, since 2001, has exceeded Italian norms in terms of restrictions.

Vatican Radio shares the space at the area in question, just northwest of Rome, with Italian Navy Radar installations, which are also being examined in the investigation.