Health damage from military radar systems

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During maintenance work on the radar of the Hawk air defense system in use since 1962, lead aprons had to be worn from 1981. One of the manufacturing companies confirmed in 1998 that the devices could cause cancer.

The number of soldiers and civilian employees of the German Armed Forces and the NVA who worked on radar equipment from the 1950s to the 1980s suffered damage to health from military radar systems . In doing so, they were partially exposed to the X-rays , which are generated by the generation of the actual radar microwave radiation . A large number of these people later developed diseases, mainly cancer , which has been associated with X-rays.

As of June 2006, the German Armed Forces had recognized the connection between cancer and their official work in 679 of 3,500 applicants for compensation. Several hundred people have already died as a result. In 2001 the Bundeswehr recognized its responsibility in principle and promised non-bureaucratic compensation; in 2003 an expert commission made recommendations on compensation practice. However, many of those affected complain that they have to struggle for years to have their claims recognized. You have founded several self-help organizations. In 2012, a state-funded aid foundation was set up.

background

Impulse magnetron of a Soviet radar transmitter, around 1970. In such components, but especially in their power supply and modulators , X-rays are produced as an undesirable by-product.

Basic problem

Radar devices are used, among other things, at airports, in airplanes, rocket positions , in tanks and on ships. With the radar technology customary in the 20th century, X-ray radiation was a technically unavoidable by-product in the high-voltage electronics of the devices. Depending on its wavelength, this is only slightly attenuated by many technically common materials, see interaction of X-rays with matter . Some heavy metals such as B. lead or the massive copper used in magnetrons shield the radiation almost completely. Until about the mid-1980s, the shielding of radiation, especially from the pulse interrupters, was partially inadequate both in the American radar devices used by the Bundeswehr and in the Soviet types used by the East German NVA, until appropriate shielding and protective measures were introduced. This happened at different times for different types of radar and arms, sometimes not until 1985. The operating and maintenance personnel were therefore exposed to radiation doses over long periods of time which, according to estimates, were often many times higher than the limit values permitted in civilian areas . X-rays damage the genome of the cells even at low radiation doses and thus promote the later development of cancer .

Causing components

Interrupter of a Soviet P-15 (Flat Face) radar system. X-rays are produced when the electrons hit the inside of the anode (sheet metal bent into a square)

The harmful effect did not originate from the actual radar microwave radiation , but from the x-rays ( ionizing radiation ) generated in the electronics of the devices , the harmful effect of which has been scientifically proven. This effect is based on the fact that electron tubes and similar components undesirably also act like X-ray tubes at the high voltages used . In a study, a large number of older NATO and Warsaw Pact radars were examined for their parasitic X-rays. The main source turned out to be the hydrogen thyratrons or the electron tubes (switching tetrodes), which switched the high-voltage pulses (5 to over 100  kV , 7  kW to 20 MW) for the radar microwave transmitters. According to this investigation, further X-ray sources are, depending on the design, the transmitters themselves ( high-performance klystrons and magnetrons ) and traveling wave tubes . As early as 1955 there were studies on the X-ray emission of hydrogen thyratrones.

Radiation exposure in the Bundeswehr

The frigates of the Cologne class were equipped with type SGR-103 radars. The death of two soldiers who had regular use of the device led to the introduction of protective measures in the Navy in 1976.
The on-board radar of the Lockheed F-104 had to be adjusted during operation, which led to high levels of radiation.

Former maintenance technicians ( radar mechanics ) are particularly affected . Numerous radar devices were designed so that maintenance and adjustment work on the radar unit was only possible when the device was open and in operation. This included the NASARR on-board radar of the F-104 Starfighter fighter aircraft . The technicians were therefore exposed to the X-ray generating parts for hours directly and often without any protection, which added up to an extremely high overall exposure over the years. In individual cases, especially with the Navy's SGR-103 radar device, the radiation exposure was up to approx. 400  mSv / h. This radiation was so high that the permissible annual limit value for an occupationally exposed person (according to the X-ray Ordinance ) could be exceeded after just 3 minutes. Two cancer-related deaths in connection with this device in the Wilhelmshaven naval arsenal led from 1976 to increased awareness of the problem in the German Navy and to the introduction of appropriate protective measures. However, these were only implemented in other branches of the armed forces over the course of several years . In the civil sector, legal regulations for dealing with ionizing radiation prescribe the wearing of measuring stickers or devices that record the radiation dose absorbed by the person ( dosimeter ). Except in a few exceptional cases, the Bundeswehr did not have such devices until the late 1970s. Today, this makes it difficult to assert claims for damages, because the burden of proof in court rests with those affected.

Clinical pictures

As of 2009, there are no scientifically sound studies or data on the frequency of individual clinical pictures caused by radar X-rays. According to a commission of experts ("Radar Commission"), which prepared a comprehensive report on behalf of the Bundestag, the anonymized case material provided by the Bundeswehr about the sick was deficient and did not meet scientific requirements.

The study by the German Armed Forces presented in May 2003, “Investigations into the recording of the health risk of members of the German armed forces in the radar area in the period 1956–1985”, was also rated as having serious methodological deficiencies.

As a recommendation for the Bundeswehr's compensation practice, the commission recommended that all malignant (malignant) tumors and cataracts (cataracts) be regarded as illnesses qualifying for compensation, with the exception of chronic lymphatic leukemia .

According to the lawyer Reiner Geulen , who represents around 800 affected people and has extensive access to their medical files, his clients suffer from kidney and liver cancer , testicular and prostate cancer , non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia, among other things . In addition, immunodeficiency , heart disease and disorders of the nervous system are widespread - since the recommendations of the radar commission only consider malignant tumors and cataracts, the Bundeswehr generally rejects claims for compensation from those affected with the latter symptoms.

Disabilities in children of radar personnel

X-ray of a left hand with six fingers, like one of the affected children.

At least five children of former radar soldiers - some of them now grown up - have physical disabilities, especially severe malformations of the arms and legs, around six-fingered hands and shortened legs. In 1961, the chief physician of the Josefinum Children's Hospital in Augsburg noticed that three children had similar malformation complexes whose fathers were working on radar systems for the Bundeswehr. Because of the conspicuous accumulation, he asked "the Ministry of the Interior and the responsible radiation research institutes for clarification" without informing the parents of the suspicion. Ionizing radiation is cell damaging and can cause radiation-induced mutations .

If two or more damages occur in a genetic strand only 20 base pairs long, one speaks of a 'multisite de novo mutation' (MSDN). In 2018, the entire genetic material of twelve families of radar soldiers, including 18 offspring, was compared with 28 children of parents who were barely exposed to X-rays. While only one in five of those 28 children had an MSDN, this was true for two out of three children in the military families. Twelve MSDNs were found, in one family even six MSDNs in three children. In addition, there were chromosomal changes in two children that have serious clinical consequences. Its origin was traced back to the paternal germ line.

"An accumulation of certain genetic damage caused by X-rays can in principle be demonstrated in the next generation," says Prof. Dr. Peter Krawitz from the Institute for Genomic Statistics and Bioinformatics at the University Hospital Bonn. Affected soldiers and their descendants can take part in a further study.

Responsibility of the Bundeswehr and scientific processing

Final report of the "Radar Commission" set up by the Ministry of Defense from 2003

According to the Radar Commission, the Bundeswehr was aware of the problem of X-rays from radar devices from around 1958. According to statements by soldiers and documents, however, it was not until 1976 that the German Navy, and then from the early 1980s, issued general warnings, affixed warnings, and took protective measures. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Bundeswehr soldiers and technicians were largely ignorant of the dangers, as were those of the East German NVA. There were also no prescribed measures for radiation protection such as wearing lead aprons.

As recently as the 1990s, the Bundeswehr denied any connection between radar devices and diseases. Sick soldiers with complex clinical pictures were sometimes classified as hypochondriac . The public became aware of the topic from around 2001 when excerpts from an unfinished study by the University of Witten / Herdecke were quoted in an article in Spiegel that suggested extremely high incidence rates. However, the study was later rated as only very conditionally meaningful, for example by the Radar Commission, but also by its author. In 2003, the Radar Commission investigated the events on behalf of the Defense Committee of the Bundestag , determined that the Bundeswehr was essentially at fault and made recommendations on how to compensate those affected. She also advocated treating former NVA soldiers on an equal footing with West German soldiers, as they had previously been disadvantaged. According to a statement by the Ministry of Defense at the time, these recommendations should largely be implemented one-to-one. Defense Minister Rudolf Scharping already promised in the summer of 2001 that the matter, including the compensation, would be settled "generously, without dispute and before the end of this year". At the time, the ministry set up a task force under the direction of journalist Theo Sommer to investigate the matter.

In 2017 the Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Use of the Bundeswehr ( BAAINBw ) published a study on "Possible DNA damage in the offspring of radar technicians". The Institute for Genomic Statistics and Bioinformatics (IGSB) at the University Hospital Bonn was awarded the contract and will, among other things, also investigate the new mutation rates of multisite de novo (MSDN) mutations, as a pilot study has shown evidence of increased rates. The recruitment phase for participating in the study runs from October to the end of December 2018 [out of date] .

Controversial compensation practice

Of the approximately 3,500 applications for compensation payments, almost all of them were processed in 2006 and around 2,800 were rejected, according to the Bundeswehr, mainly because the applicants were not in contact with radar radiation or had no cancer. These decisions concern the question of the payment of supplementary pensions.

The situation is different with claims by the injured party for compensation (e.g. for treatment costs and loss of earnings) and compensation for pain and suffering. These claims must be brought before the court as an individual civil action . In some cases, courts have already ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. Until 2009, the standard procedure of the defendant Ministry of Defense was to appeal against the judgment in these cases ( appeal or appeal ), which lengthened the duration of the proceedings.

The self-help organization Bund to support radar victims accuses the Ministry of Defense of playing for time and trying to sit out the matter until those affected have died.

According to representatives of the interest groups, many victims feel that the compensation practice is unworthy. For this reason, various parties, such as the Bundestag's Defense Commissioner , suggested at an early stage that a foundation should be created, from whose funds those affected should be compensated unbureaucratically. The foundation was established on May 22, 2012.

Situation in other countries

According to an informant in the Federal Ministry of Defense, who remained anonymous, told the Reuters news agency in 2002, the ministry had informed all other NATO countries about the investigations in Germany. However, they replied that they were not aware of any cancer cases related to radar radiation. This was partly questioned with reference to the use of identical radar devices in all NATO countries including the USA.

Civil area

Radar systems are also used in civil aviation , primarily for air traffic control . However, no cases have been reported in which civilian radar personnel have suffered similar damage.

See also

literature

Commission reports

Medical studies

For X-ray emission from radar devices

Press (selection)

Television (selection)

  • Report from the MDR magazine "Fakt" from February 10, 2015

Web links

Commons : Damage to health caused by military radars  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Sebastian Knauer, Dietmar Pieper, Alexander Szandar, Hans-Jörg Vehlewald : Heat wave in the body . In: Der Spiegel . No. 4 , 2001, p. 27 ( online ).
  2. ↑ a b Die Bundeswehr , 6/2006, p. 27
  3. ↑ decision radar soldiers lawsuit in April . Agence France Press, published by 123recht.net, March 5, 2004
  4. ↑ Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Bundeswehr and NVA” (Radar Commission). S. III
  5. ↑ a b Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Bundeswehr and NVA” (Radar Commission). P. 31
  6. ↑ A. Schirmer: Emission of parasitic X-rays from Military RADAR Transmitters and Exposure of Personnel. Towards a retrospective assessment . ( Memento of the original from February 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 306 kB) Conference contribution, Second European IRPA Congress on Radiation Protection, May 16, 2006 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.colloquium.fr
  7. ^ S. Schneider, B. Reich: X-Ray emission from high-voltage hydrogen thyratrons . In: Proc. of the IRE , 1955, p. 711
  8. ↑ Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Bundeswehr and NVA” (Radar Commission). P. 46
  9. ↑ Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Bundeswehr and NVA” (Radar Commission). P. 130, footnote 18
  10. ↑ a b Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Bundeswehr and NVA” (Radar Commission). P. 130
  11. ↑ Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Bundeswehr and NVA” (Radar Commission). P. 41
  12. ↑ Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Bundeswehr and NVA” (Radar Commission). Pp. 166-168
  13. ↑ Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Bundeswehr and NVA” (Radar Commission). P. VI, p. 164f.
  14. ↑ a b Report of the Dr. Summer - The Bundeswehr and their handling of dangers and hazardous substances . (PDF; 1.3 MB) June 21, 2001, p. 120ff.
  15. ↑ a b Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Bundeswehr and NVA” (Radar Commission). S. VI
  16. ↑ a b Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Bundeswehr and NVA” (Radar Commission). P. 8
  17. ↑ Henrike Thomsen: Siemens, Bundeswehr and Arafat in the dock . In: Berliner Zeitung , March 15, 2003
  18. ↑ Radar victims from the Bundeswehr are suing for compensation for pain and suffering . Associated Press, March 8, 2004, archived on Omega News
  19. ↑ a b c d e Sigrid Averesch: Soldiers suffering from cancer want to sue . In: Berliner Zeitung , August 31, 2001
  20. ↑ a b c Briefing of the German Bundestag by the Commissioner for the Armed Forces . (PDF; 534 kB) March 14, 2006, chap. 12.3, p. 38
  21. ↑ Radiation victims of the Bundeswehr: The children of the radar soldiers are also damaged. Sat 1 , August 27, 2001
  22. ↑ a b Radiation exposure on radar systems . (PDF) Strahlentelex, No. 340–341, 2001
  23. ↑ Manuel Holtgrewe, Alexej Knaus, Gabriele Hildebrand, Jean-Tori Pantel, Miguel Rodriguez des los Santos, Kornelia Nieveling, Max Schubach, Marten Jäger, Marie Coutelier, Stefan Mundlos, Dieter Beule, Karl Sperling, Peter Krawitz: Multisite de novo mutations in human offspring after paternal exposure to ionizing radiation. Scientific Reports , October 2, 2018
  24. ↑ Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Federal Armed Forces and the NVA” (Radar Commission). S. 11/12
  25. ↑ Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Federal Armed Forces and the NVA” (Radar Commission). P. 9, 15
  26. ↑ Report of the working team Dr. Summer - The Bundeswehr and their handling of dangers and hazardous substances . (PDF; 1.3 MB) June 21, 2001, p. 86
  27. ↑ Report of the “Expert Commission on the Question of Danger from Radiation in Former Radar Facilities of the Federal Armed Forces and the NVA” (Radar Commission). P. 131
  28. ↑ Ulrike Scheffer: Back to the sender . Tagesspiegel , January 27, 2004
  29. ↑ Eckart Klaus Roloff : Rays / Controversial Consequences: Appear to Enlighten . In: Rheinischer Merkur of June 29, 2001, p. 34
  30. ↑ Manuel Holtgrewe, Alexej Knaus, Gabriele Hildebrand, Jean-Tori Pantel, Miguel Rodriguez de los Santos: Multisite de novo mutations in human offspring after paternal exposure to ionizing radiation . In: Scientific Reports . tape 8 , no. 1 , October 2, 2018, ISSN  2045-2322 , doi : 10.1038 / s41598-018-33066-x ( nature.com [accessed October 8, 2018]).
  31. ↑ Radar study - study of possible DNA damage in the offspring of radar technicians. University of Bonn - Institute for Genomic Statistics and Bioinformatics, accessed on December 31, 2018 .
  32. ↑ a b c page no longer available , search in web archives: Ex-Bundeswehr soldiers: signature campaign for radar victims . hr-online, August 8, 2009@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.hr-online.de
  33. ↑ Hinnerk Berlekamp, ​​Daniela Vates: New Hope for Radar Victims . In: Berliner Zeitung , August 7, 2007
  34. ↑ Federal government sets up fund for radar victims . Zeit Online , May 21, 2012
  35. ^ Mirko Smiljanic : Foundation for Hardship Cases . Deutschlandfunk - " Background " , May 20, 2012
  36. ↑ Jack Stafford: Germany facing class action suit over radar-linked cancer claims . ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Reuters Health, Jan. 9, 2002 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.oncolink.org