The Lethal Antennae of Radio Vatican

•  Italy

Radio Vaticana is the Holy See's radio station which broadcasts through all over the world. It's located in the northern suburb of Rome. An epidemiologic study conducted in 2001 revealed how the risk to contract an infantile leukemia (a cancer) in the areas around the antennas was considerably higher than in the rest of Rome. According to some measurements surveys, radiations exceeded the value of 50 volt per meter (the italian law allows radiations up to 6 volt per meter) in some backyards. Skeptics argue that a relationship between radiations and diseases has never been proved, but the radio signal is so strong that it interferes with buzzes, telephones and Tvs. Now, 8 years after the scandal, the two trials against Radio Vaticana (one of which for multiple manslaughter culpable homicide) have come to a dead end and over the affair the silence has fallen. Today, no one knows if the children of Cesano keep on dying of leukemia. Citizen commitees are afraid that, once the mediatic sensation has faded, radiations have turned back to dangerous levels. Today, people is discouraged: they think that “We cannot do anything against the Vatican”.