For 13 years, an Italian technician used his mobile phone for an average of two and a half hours a day for work. When the 63-year-old discovered that he had developed a benign tumor in his ear, he applied for a disability pension from INAIL, the work accident insurance agency.
The insurance company has been ordered by a Turin appeals court to retire the technician from the northern Italian city of Aosta because he has an acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor that affects a nerve in the ear. The institution had rejected the claim for compensation. However, the man’s lawyers were able to prove in court the causal link between the long-term use of mobile phones for professional reasons and the tumor and were given a positive decision first by the court in Aosta and now by the Court of Appeal in Turin.
Only second case worldwide
This is the second case in the world to be ruled in favor of an employee affected by the same illness, the man’s lawyers said, according to the newspaper La Repubblica. The verdict was the result of “an intense scientific debate,” the lawyers said.
A few years ago, the Turin Court of Appeal awarded damages to a former employee of Telecom Italia, represented by the same law firm, for prolonged exposure to the frequencies emitted by mobile phones.
“With high probability” caused tumor
The court’s two experts had already determined that the cell phone had caused the tumor “with a high degree of probability”. INAIL was then ordered to pay an occupational disease pension of about 350 euros per month in 2020. However, the Social Insurance Institution appealed this decision and requested a new report. The Court of Appeal therefore appointed Roberto Albera, professor of ENT at the University of Turin, as an expert. He also confirmed the high probability of a link between radiofrequency exposure and the patient’s illness.
The 63-year-old had always used his cell phone through his left ear, as the right had already been injured from previous trauma. Between 1995 and 2008, a total of 13,000 hours of mobile phone use were calculated. He underwent surgery for the tumor and suffered total deafness in that ear and damage to the facial nerve, resulting in paralysis on that side of his face and depression.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
