Saturday, October 10, 2009

EHS Mechanisms Talk on Oct 3rd 2009 / EMF-Omega News

Hello all

I gave a talk on the mechanisms by which electro hyper-sensitivity symptoms occur, at a meeting of about 100 EHS sufferers last Saturday. It was held at the Head Office of Samworth Bros (Makers of Ginster's pies and many supermarket own-brand ready-meals) whose CEO has severe EHS and had a special EMF-free room constructed for the purpose. A recording of it can be found at

http://electrosensitivityuk.podbean.com/ .

Please feel free to pass the link on to anyone you think may be interested.

Best wishes

Andrew

(Dr. Andrew Goldsworthy)

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Citizens' Initiative Omega
<http://www.next-up.org/Newsoftheworld/OmegaNews.php>http://www.next-up.org/Newsoftheworld/OmegaNews.php
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http://www.buergerwelle.de/cms/content/view/57/70/
Electromagnetic Pollution in Our Environment
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5983019/
Understanding of neurogenetic
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5981316/
Cell phone antennas cause harm
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5975319/
Can a cell phone kill us?
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5979089/
Broadband tower sparks outrage
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5979537/
Mascom Tower Keeps The Chief Away From His Palace
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5976437/
French Senate wants to ban cell phones in school
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5983408/
Honeybees face towering threat from mobiles
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5980899/
Human Antenna
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5983282/
Cell Phone Towers and the NIMBY Syndrome
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5981342/
The great cell phone cover-up may be coming to an end
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5981403/
Proposed Wireless Antennas Have Citizens in Uproar
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5981191/
Farmer wants vote against Victoria Harbour tower upheld
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5983016/
Cell Phones and Cancer: How To Stay Safe
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5984872/
News from Mast Sanity
http://tinyurl.com/aotw3
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Childhood cancer survivors / French Senate Moves to Ban Mobile Phones in Schools / Cell Phones and Cancer: How To Stay Safe

Survivors of childhood cancer less likely to marry

"Our study pinpointed what aspects of the survivor experience likely contribute to altered marriage patterns: short stature, poor physical functioning and cognitive problems," said Kadan-Lottick.

"These conditions are known to be associated with certain chemotherapy and radiation exposures."

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/aafc-soc100509.php

PHILADELPHIA – Childhood cancer survivors typically suffer from the long-term effects of cancer treatment on physical health, and results of a new study suggest that social implications also exist, which may affect their chance of an "I do" at the altar.

Survivors are 20 to 25 percent more likely "to never marry" compared with siblings and the general population, according to findings published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

"Many childhood cancer survivors still struggle to fully participate in our society because of the lasting cognitive and physical effects of their past cancer therapy," said lead researcher Nina S. Kadan-Lottick, M.D., M.S.P.H., assistant professor at Yale School of Medicine and Yale Cancer Center, and medical director of the Health Education, Research & Outcomes for Survivors (HEROS) Clinic for childhood cancer survivors.

Using data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, a retrospective cohort of more than 10,000 childhood cancer survivors (who are now adults) treated at 26 institutions around the country, Kadan-Lottick and colleagues evaluated the frequency of marriage and divorce rates among survivors compared with their sibling group and U.S. Census data. The Childhood Cancer Survivor Study is an ongoing study funded by the National Cancer Institute.

Researchers distributed surveys to participants to determine late outcomes of therapy, medical problems, subsequent cancers, psychosocial functioning and other aspects of survivorship, according to the researchers. They identified patients and treatment factors that may predict marital status, including psychosocial distress and neurocognitive impairment.

"Our study pinpointed what aspects of the survivor experience likely contribute to altered marriage patterns: short stature, poor physical functioning and cognitive problems," said Kadan-Lottick.

"These conditions are known to be associated with certain chemotherapy and radiation exposures."

Results showed that an estimated 42 percent of survivors were married, 7.3 percent were separated or divorced and 46 percent were never married.

Those who survived brain tumors were 50 percent more likely never to marry. Survivors of central nervous system tumors and leukemia had the greatest likelihood of never marrying, according to the study. Cranial radiation was the therapy most associated with not getting married.

Likelihood of divorce did not vary between the study populations.

"While it can be debated whether marriage is a desirable outcome, marriage is generally an expected developmental goal in our society to the extent that most U.S. adults are married by the age of 30. Our results suggest that survivors of childhood cancer need ongoing support even as they enter adulthood," Kadan-Lottick suggested.

Electra D. Paskett, Ph.D., who was not involved with the study, but is a deputy editor of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, said these findings shed light on the use of certain treatments and their long-term implications, which may affect a patient's physical appearance, thereby resulting in social effects.

"In other studies marital status has been found to be a significant predictor of survival. Will we see this among the childhood survivors as well?" asked Paskett, who is the Marion N. Rowley professor of cancer research in the Division of Epidemiology, and associate director for population sciences in The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

As a follow-up to this report, separate analyses are underway to better understand factors that contribute to other adult benchmarks among childhood cancer survivors, such as living independently, achieving higher education and income. The National Institutes of Health funded this study.

Submitted by Linda

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French Senate Moves to Ban Mobile Phones in Schools

Peter Sayer, IDG News Service

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/173408/french_senate_moves_to_ban_mobile_phones_in_schools.html
Friday, October 09, 2009 9:00 AM PDT

Pupils at French primary schools and middle schools could be banned from using mobile phones in school under draft legislation approved Thursday by the French Senate.

The measure, proposed by the government, is just one clause of an enormous piece of environmental legislation that must still be debated by the National Assembly before it has any chance of becoming law.

The restriction on phones was the subject of vigorous debate on Wednesday, with one senator pushing for the ban to be limited to the classroom for older pupils, so that they could make calls in the corridors during breaks.

Many schools already ban the use of phones in their code of conduct.

Nevertheless, school teachers report that pupils regularly exchange text messages in the classroom, with some occasionally even making or answering calls there, making it difficult to maintain classroom discipline.

The proposed legislative ban, though, is for health rather than educational reasons, with the government wanting to apply the "principle of precaution" in the absence of guarantees that the electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones is perfectly safe for young children.

The government is in the middle of a long consultation of the effects on health of emissions from mobile phones and transmitter masts. The French Agency for Environmental and Occupational Health Safety is expected shortly to publish the latest in a series of regular reports for the government on the health and safety of mobile phones.

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French Senate wants cellphone ban for kids  

Last Updated: Thursday, October 8, 2009 |   
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/10/08/france-cellphone-ban.html
France's Senate wants to forbid children in primary and middle schools from using cellphones, amending a sweeping environment bill to include such a ban.

Senators added a line this week about cellphones to an article of the bill on exposure to communications equipment "posing a risk to health."

The measure would ban pupils up through about age 14 from using cellphones in school. It also approved a measure banning cellphone advertising that targets children under 14.

The changes would need approval by the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly. Both houses are dominated by President Nicolas Sarkozy's party UMP.

A poll published Tuesday says many French pupils use cellphones in class even when school rules forbid it.

An investigation by CBC's Marketplace last year found experts who raised concerns that excessive cellphone use was not safe for children. Studies have found cellphone signals penetrate farther in the brains of children.

In July 2008, Toronto's department of public health issued an advisory that teenagers and young children to limit their use of cellphones to avoid potential health risks.

The advisory — believed to be the first of its kind in Canada — warned that because of possible side effects from radio frequencies, children under eight should only use a cellphone in emergencies and teenagers should limit calls to less than 10 minutes.

"Teach them the ways to use a cellphone responsibly — to make shorter calls, to use other modes of communication; if it's possible, use a landline," said Loren Vanderlinden, a health department supervisor and the report's author.

The Marketplace survey of 1,084 kids between the ages of nine and 13 across Canada found that just under 40 per cent of kids had their own cellphone. The average age of when they got their first cellphone was 10.5.

Only 7.5 per cent said they used a headset with their cellphone.

With files from the Associated Press

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Cell Phones and Cancer: How To Stay Safe

Dr. Andrew Weil

Founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine

Posted: October 9, 2009 03:13 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/cell-phones-and-cancer_b_315714.html

Do cell phones cause cancer? The question has nagged researchers and users for the entire time - roughly the last 20 years - that these phones have been in common use.

The Food and Drug Administration's website states, "The weight of scientific evidence has not linked cell phones with any health problems." The FDA emphasizes that cell phones emit low-level, non-heating radiofrequency (RF) energy, rather than electron-stripping ionizing radiation, the type proven to permanently damage tissues and disrupt DNA.

But damage from RF energy may be cumulative over very long periods. Since cell phones show no signs of going away - indeed, most American children today face a lifetime of exposure - it's vital to focus closely on the most recently published studies, the ones that show the effects of longer-term exposure.

I am not persuaded that the FDA has done that sufficiently.

Recently, the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that advocates for health-protective policies, has reported on key studies (including, crucially, several recent ones, published from 2007 to 2009) that link radiation from long-term cell phone use with increased risks of brain and salivary gland tumors, migraines and vertigo, as well as behavior problems in children, including hyperactivity. Among the findings cited:

  • An analysis of 25 earlier studies by two research groups showing a 50 to 90 percent increase in the risk of glioma (a brain tumor that is frequently malignant) on the side of the head favored for cell phone use in individuals who had used cell phones for more than 10 years. It also showed a 60 percent increase in acoustic neuromas, benign but troublesome tumors of a cranial nerve among long-term cell phone users
  • A 50 to 60 percent increased risk of salivary gland tumors among people who used cell phones frequently.
  • A 10 to 20 percent increased risk of hospitalization for migraine and vertigo among long-term cell phone users.
  • An 80 percent increased risk for emotional and hyperactivity problems among young children who use cell phones and whose mothers used cell phones during pregnancy.

All of this sounds very alarming, and it is not good news, but it is important to keep the numbers in perspective. When speaking in terms of a percentage increase in risk, bear in mind that if, for example, one person out of 100 is normally at risk of a brain tumor, a 100 percent increase in risk means that two people out of 100 would be at risk. It does not mean that as a cell phone user, you have a 100 percent chance of developing a brain tumor. The actual risk to a given individual indicated by these studies is quite small.

Still, I believe prudence is warranted.

The EWG report maintains that current U.S. government radiation standards are outdated. It noted that in 2008, the European Parliament passed a resolution urging member countries to develop lower radiation limits for cell phones - no such steps have been taken in the U.S. Here, particular concern is focused on the amount of radiation that could penetrate a child's softer, thinner skull (roughly twice the amount that could penetrate an adult skull) and that long-term cell phone use starting in childhood could pose even bigger risks than those already documented. Experts in the U.S. and Europe have advised limiting youngsters' cell phone use.

Fortunately, the smart response to this report is not necessarily to abandon or even curtail cell phone use, but rather to use them more carefully. The saving grace of cell phones is that, like all point-sources of radiation, they obey the inverse-square law: the strength of an electromagnetic field is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source point. This means that if you move the phone twice as far away from your head, you get one quarter the RF; move it three times farther, you get one-ninth the RF. So rather than clasping the phone to your ear (roughly one inch from your brain), use the phone in speaker mode (roughly 15 inches from your brain) and you'll drop the RF to your brain to a mere 1/225th of the against-the-ear dosage.

Aside from that, the EWG check list for safe cell phone use is similar the safety tips I've been recommending for some time:

  • Save long conversations for land-line phones.
  • Use a headset or the speakerphone setting, and keep the phone itself away from your body.
  • Find out how much radiofrequency energy your cell phone emits. This measurement is called the Specific Absorption Rate or SAR. The SAR permitted in the United States is 1.6 watts per kilogram. The FCC maintains a list of the SAR of various phone models; the EWG also has a simple tool to check your phone's emissions.

Specific Absorption Rate or SAR. The SAR permitted in the United States is 1.6 watts per kilogram. The FCC maintains a list of the SAR of various phone models; the EWG also has a simple tool to check your phone's emissions.

The EWG also contends that the U.S. government should require phones to be labeled with their radiation emissions at the point of sale. I agree.

Andrew Weil, M.D., is the founder and director of the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine and the editorial director of www.DrWeil.com. Become a fan on Facebook and follow Dr. Weil on Twitter.

Read more at:

 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/cell-phones-and-cancer_b_315714.html

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Wireless water meters / Hang on to your land line phones / Attack of the Antennas

Rethink meter replacement plan

Posted By Ron Beckett, Simcoe
http://www.simcoereformer.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1975511

Our local council has done it again. Those who read the insert in their recent utilities bill may have noticed that yet another portion of our utilities has been subcontracted to a private company in the form of a "Water Meter Replacement Master Plan."

The notice is innocently worded to sound as innocuous as possible, unless one actually takes the time to read it. It lists a number of "inconveniences" that we will experience as a result of this plan, such as the fact that "you may see an increase in your monthly water consumption due to these new meters."

Also, don't insult us by assuring that "Norfolk County will pay for the purchase and installation" as if the county is some independent self-sustained entity. The wireless meters should raise far greater concerns than that.

Two years ago, a large group of local citizens devoted considerable time and expense to securing international experts attesting to the health hazards of prolonged exposure to radiofrequency radiation. The council made it clear that it valued economics over the health of its citizens, and showed little concern for citizens who suffered from electro hypersensitivity (EHS). Becoming increasingly more widespread, this debilitating condition results from exposure to everyday sources of radiofrequency radiation such as cell phone masts and other wireless devices.

Perhaps most annoying is the attempt to veil their actions by feigning an environmental concern. Discarding hundreds of thousands of perfectly well functioning meters with newly manufactured devices is hardly a gesture of environmental responsibility.

As always, council has taken its advice from those making the sale instead of from independent scientific authorities. It is not surprising that the company attests to the safety of these meters, just as the telecommunications companies attest to the safety of their devices.

While the meters surely do fall within Canadian safety standards, there is no mention of the fact that Canadian standards are among the most permissive in the world. There is also no consideration of the fact that the consideration is given to a single meter and not the effects of it when combined with other forms of radiation present in the homes. This would include cellular masts in the district, wireless Internet, and the newly Ontario mandated "smart meters," which are far from smart, but instead will equip every household in the province with the equivalent of their own cell tower.

Consider also the interaction of all of these devices in crowded residential areas and imagine what an environment is being created for everyone, most of all those already suffering from the disability.

As state after state in the U.S. sanctions "EHS awareness months," our county continues to provide us with increasingly greater sources of electromagnetic frequency exposure.

Let your council know that you are happy with your meters as they are.

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The Troy Record (TroyRecord.com), Serving Troy and its surrounding communities

Opinion

Pulse of the People: Oct. 8

Thursday, October 8, 2009

For The Record

http://www.troyrecord.com/articles/2009/10/08/opinion/doc4acd072e3e756268954553.txt

Reasons for concern

Hang on to your land line phones. Herb Denenberg in an article for The Bulletin says: "The great cell phone cover-up may be coming to an end. A new report may finally wake the public up to the brain cancer risks of cell phones and force necessary preventive measures.

"A new report, endorsed by a prestigious group of international scientists, finds that there's a risk of brain tumors from cell phone use, that industry studies underestimate this risk, and that children have much greater risk than adults. The report, therefore sends a message to four billion users worldwide and to the $4 billion cell phone industry that they may be facing the same kind of bad news that first burst on the scene for the tobacco industry."

Mr. Denenberg was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and co-authored major legislation.

He goes on to point out that the cancer threat has been recognized by some scientists for decades. Cell phones emit electromagnetic radiation — more specifically, radio frequency radiation which can damage the DNA and lead to cancers or other medical problems.

The study focused on cell phones but cordless phones, talkies, ham radio transmitters, and baby monitors also are sources of radiation.

The report entitled "Cell phones and Brain Tumors: 15 reasons for Concert; Science, Spin and the Truth behind enterphone," can be read at www.radiationresearch.org and will be updated. The report lists eight simple steps to substantially reduce your or your children's exposure to cell phone radiation.

If you are concerned about electromagnetic radiation coming from cell phones or cell towers there is also more information from info@emrpolicy.org.

Martha Winsten
Gansevoort

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/home/html/media/img/photos/2009/10/07/Montecito-Union-School-Cell-Tower-Protest-Web.jpg

Photo by Paul Wellman

Attack of the Antennas

Proposed Wireless Antennas — Some Near Schools and Homes — Have Citizens in Uproar

By Matt Kettmann

http://www.independent.com/news/2009/oct/08/attack-antennas/

Thursday, October 8, 2009

The rise of smartphones is bringing with it an onslaught of antennas, as more than 100 wireless data-supporting devices are being proposed throughout southern Santa Barbara County, from the sandy streets of Carpinteria to the student 'hoods in Isla Vista. But since the small devices would mostly be installed on existing utility poles and because the company installing them, San Jose's NextG Networks, is considered a public utility by the state, there's very little public review required and limited means of appealing them once approved. That seemingly secretive ease — fueled by fears that the antennas might emit a dangerous form of electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation — is riling some residents, though it's likely that only a fraction of people who live, work, or play near a proposed antenna have any idea about it.

Particularly vocal are parents of children at Montecito Union School, where a letter-writing campaign is in full swing to oppose a new antenna across the street from the playground. "We feel it is wrong and insidious to be able to do this," said Sarah Wilson, a neighbor of the school whose four-year-old will be attending next year. "We all want cell phones and good signals, but there are safer places they can put them rather than in areas densely populated by children. … Until the scientists, who have been questioning levels of EMF since 1996, say, 'No problem, we think this is completely safe,' then we feel it's wrong to put our children's health at risk."

Then there's a neighborhood in eastern Goleta, where one man woke up to find an antenna proposed for a pole a mere 25 feet from his bedroom on Los Verdes Drive. Yuri Zelez, a family therapist by day, spent last Saturday gathering more than 35 signatures in opposition and spoke out against it on Tuesday before the County Board of Supervisors. "We're trying everything we can to stop this from happening," said Zelez, who was told by county staffers that the antenna was a "done deal" and that it would be installed within three weeks. "I'm not against technology, but why put it in the residential neighborhood? We're talking about constant contact — I am going to be bombarded by this 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

Because of the uproar, the Board of Supervisors will be discussing the 39 antennas proposed for the county in a public forum on October 20. But in the cities of Santa Barbara (70 antennas proposed, though most sent back with a request that the control box be put underground), Carpinteria (seven proposed), and Goleta (19 proposed and "pretty much in the bag" according to one planning official), the antennas march forward with citizens mostly unaware. Not that there is much that could be done anyway. NextG's public utility status grants numerous exemptions because its technology is deemed an "essential service," and the technology is governed by the Federal Communications Commission, the sole governmental entity tasked with setting public health and safety standards for such devices. So despite EMF concerns, official appeals cannot be based on health, only on aesthetics and evidence that further coverage is unwarranted.

"We can't go beyond FCC regulations. We're preempted in that regard," said county planner Dave Ward, who's helped process these applications and requested that NextG at least show its technology does comply. "As you can imagine, it's frustrating for the public to hear that the level of review is focused on aesthetics. I don't think we've been able to satisfactorily satisfy their concerns." Although the technology and placement of antennas on existing utility poles is new, Ward says they're covered under the county's wireless telecommunications ordinance. "It's not something we've seen in the past, but it does fit within our ordinance," said Ward, who explained that county policy requires a sign marking each proposed antenna and that residents within 300 feet of a site be notified.

"People can go out there and say EMF doesn't hurt, but we have firsthand experience which shows that, in all likelihood, it does. We don't want to go down that road again."

Being handcuffed by FCC regulations doesn't sit well with Montecito's Cindy Feinberg, whose son is at Montecito Union and whose daughter is ready to start next year. Years ago, Feinberg fought to have electrical wires moved away from the campus after high EMF levels allegedly triggered a "cancer cluster" at the school in which six kids got lymphoma or leukemia from 1981 to 1988, a rate five times more than normal. "It's a sore issue with us," said Feinberg. "People can go out there and say EMF doesn't hurt, but we have firsthand experience which shows that, in all likelihood, it does. We don't want to go down that road again." Feinberg and Wilson believe that the technological advances have outpaced the ability of the FCC to safely regulate them, and say standards are stricter in Europe and Australia. "I'm worried that it's going to be like cigarette smoking in the '50s and '60s, when everyone thought it was fine and that they wouldn't let us do it if it was bad for us," said Wilson. "It's going to be the cigarette smoking of the 21st century." Echoed Feinberg, "It's like the tobacco industry all over again. We're just basically being guinea pigs."

NextG's spokesperson Sharon James was emailed questions on Monday and had not replied as of Wednesday's press deadline despite repeated inquiries. In general, NextG uses the two- to three-foot-tall, omni-directional "whip" antennas and accompanying control boxes — referred to collectively as "nodes" — to establish wireless networks in a selected community and then leases the coverage to big cellular companies such as AT&T. The company has successfully created similar networks in other parts of the country, and James has repeatedly cited San Diego as a successful California community network in her meetings with county planners.

But one place where NextG hasn't been successful is Long Island, New York, where a wave of outrage occurred when the company proposed 170 antennas throughout the 22 communities that make up the Town of Hempstead. According to a September 10 story in Newsday, the community of Merrick filed a $100-million lawsuit against the company because property values would be driven down by the perceived health risk. NextG then ceased negotiations with the town government, explaining to one resident that the money they would have used to re-site some of the controversial antennas now had to be spent on legal defense.

The property value argument is also starting to be mentioned in Montecito, home to some of the country's priciest real estate. "It may affect the price of your house — it does in Europe," said Wilson, who speaks with a British accent. "Certainly, you don't buy a house with an antenna overlooking your yard."

Whatever the opposition, there may be some hope. About two years ago, Montecito resident Don Miller successfully led a letter-writing charge to block the construction of a cellular tower near Cold Spring School. "We made so much of a fuss that they just dropped it," recalled Miller. But he's acutely aware that the fight is different this time. "NextG is listed as a public utility company, so the review process is very limited," he explained. "It's almost like the electric company coming in and stringing a new wire. It's scary."

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

EHS proclamation / Honeybees face towering threat from mobiles / Comments to the U.S. Senate / téléphone cellulaire

The Mayor of Norris Arm, Newfoundland proclaimed October 2009 as 'Electromagnetic Hypersenstiivity Awareness Month'.

The proclamation document is attached

Thanks to Gerry Higgins and Joanne March for their hard work to have this illness recognized.

-magda

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Honeybees face towering threat from mobiles VR

Jayaraj | Kochi

http://www.dailypioneer.com/203392/Honeybees-face-towering-threat-from-mobiles.html

Radiation from transmitters wipes out bee colonies which will affect food production: Study Studies in Kerala have brought out evidence to support the theory of colony collapse disorder (CCD) among honeybees due to bioactive microwave radiation from mobile phones and their relay towers, which leads to extensive disappearance of entire worker bee colonies. This could result in disruption in food production because most of the crops depend on bees for pollination. Although the theory of mobile towers leading to CCD is yet to be proved anywhere in the world, experts say this is highly possible and the phenomenon could cause unimaginable food troubles to most Indian States, especially Kerala which is already food-scarce. The State has the highest density of mobile towers. The phenomenon of (suspected) mobile tower-induced CCD and resultant crop loss were first noticed in the US several years ago, but this had spread to most European countries by 2007.

Now, experiments by Sainuddeen Pattazhy, a researcher and dean in the department of zoology at SN College, Punalur, Kerala, have found that worker bees fail to return to their hives when their navigation skills are interfered by the mobile microwaves. Sainuddeen had conducted his experiments by placing mobile phones near beehives (as some scientists in the West had done earlier). He found that these hives collapsed totally in five to 10 days with the worker bees failing to return to their homes, leaving the hives with the queens, eggs and immature bees. The vanished bees were never found, but the assumption was that they died singly far from home. The parasites, wildlife and other bees that normally raid the honey and pollen left behind when a colony dies, refuse to go anywhere near the abandoned hives. "The navigation skill of the worker bees is dependent on the earth's magnetic properties. The electro-magnetic waves emitted by the mobile phones and relay towers interfere with the earth's magnetism, resulting in the loss of the navigation capacity of the bee. Then it fails to come back.

Also,the radiation causes damage to the nervous system of the bee and it becomes unable to fly," said Sainuddeen. The researcher had earlier led a study on the impact of mobile phones and towers on ecology, in which other environmentalists had participated. The study revealed that bioactive radiations from mobile towers threatened the very existence of home sparrow, which lived in colonies close to human habitats, even in crowded cities.

Pattazhy, however, is not the first scientist to notice the phenomenon of CCD occurring in bees due to mobile phone-tower proximity. A limited study at Landau University in 2007, headed by Dr Jochen Kuhn, had found that bees refused to return to their hives when mobile phones were placed nearby. As back as in late 1990s, a researcher, George Carlo, had headed a massive study sponsored by the US Government and the mobile phone industry in America, had said, "I am convinced that the possibility is real."Apiarists in Idukki, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Wayanad districts confirm that they have been noticing the massive play of CCD for the past four or five years, but they have never thought of the relation between mobile tower-induced radiations and their bees. A beekeeper in Thodupuzha, Idukki said he had lost 13 of his 17 hives in the past three years. Three years ago, three mobile towers were erected on the hillock near his farm. "But I have never thought of the relation. I, like other farmers, was thinking that climatic changes and pesticides used in the rubber plantations were the reason," he said. Scientists warn that Kerala, which already has a large number of mobile sand towers, could face not just CCD-created hive losses but even a crop disaster if the mobile craze continues to grow.

"Honeybees can be wiped out in Kerala and many other Indian States and cities if there is no system to control the unscientific increase in the use of mobile phones. It can in turn lead to a disaster in the food front as bees are responsible for pollination in most of the food crops," said a biotechnologist at a Coimbatore college.

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From Angela Flynn Evelyn Savarin has submitted comments to the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education regarding the recent hearing on Cell Phones and Health. I strongly urge people to write in as well.

Even just a quick note saying that you want action on this will suffice. I am copying Evelyn's comments below. Her write up is a landmark report on what is happening and what needs to be done.

Please send to: Dear Members Subcommittee on Labor HHS & Education, In addition put in Topic -"Re:"; Contact info -" Your Name, Organization (if desired), State, phone, email" Email to: "Curtin, Teri (Appropriations)"

Teri_Curtin@appro.senate.gov

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From: Evelyn Savarin

Re: Subcommittee Hearing Sept 14, 2009 on Cell Phones and Health

Dear Members Subcommittee on Labor HHS & Education,

Thank you for holding the hearing on Cell phones and Health. Many of us in the hearing room that day have been impacted by wireless radiation in ways that have drastically altered our quality of life and health.

Your subcommittee's initiative to hold a hearing of this sort represented a major ray of hope for many of us who have long sought federal recognition and action on this issue. All measures presented to limit direct cell phone contact are necessary first steps.

Although restricting cell phones to children should still be a top priority, it should become clear from the remarks of the hearing, ambient cell phone radiation, for that matter all background wireless radiation, poses as many challenges, hazards and questions.

Including Cordless Phones in Precautionary Warnings A concern of mine was the exclusion of cordless phones from the discussion of precautionary warnings. Often cordless phones are given a casual seal of approval for it is believed they are much lower powered than cell phone sand therefore presumed to be safe. This idea is very misleading and potentially harmful. In fact, manufacturers of cordless phones state in their manuals to stay at least 9 inches away from the bay station. This cautionary statement should give us pause as to the potency of the bay station's ambient signal, not to mention the phone's own powerful effects. The claims cordless phones are safe because they are lower in watts than cell phones is a flawed analogy.

To begin, cordless phones operate at much higher frequencies - 6G vs the new 3G of cellular phones. Compared to cell phones the bay stations emits at higher watts than cell phones and the stations operate 24/7, with signals reaching well beyond the boundary of one's household. It's like having mini cell antennas in your home. RF/Microwave Signal Potency on the Body Wattage is only a small part of the concern when evaluating signal's potency on the body. Researchers are finding more and more we need to take as seriously other factors in a signal's propagation, such as waveform, frequency, pulsing pattern, resonance with the body, and body's vulnerabilities.

1,2,3,4 Scientists are also finding a sometimes higher frequencies, can induce more biological response than a lower frequency at presumably higher power levels.

5,6 Industry supporters that state lower wattage makes new phones safer without taking into account other signal factors totally obscure the science and play into the hands of the uninformed user. Clearing Misconceptions between Radio and Microwave Frequencies In order to avoid the negative images that may be associated with title of 'microwaves', all our wireless devices seem to be popularly addressed as 'radio frequency' products. Although the line of distinction between RF and microwave may vary, it is well accepted that many of our new household wireless technologies operate in the Microwave band. A cell phone operating at 2 to 3 GHZ or cordless phone operating at approximately 6 Ghz, are definitely in the microwave band. In fact new Microwave ovens now operate between 1 & 2 Ghz. Should we now call them Radio Frequency Ovens? In FCC radiation standards standing 5 inches from a microwave oven door are more stringent than those for putting cell phones to the head.

7 All these issues show how easily we can spin the terminology to dilute the potential risks. Dr. Segal Szediski Research has Troubling Implications Dr. Szediski presentation highlighted the need for a precautionary approach on cell phones for children, as well as the use of use earpieces. However, an observation she made on her research has troubling implications. Her research found higher incidence of brain cancers in the countryside from cell phone users than in the city where cell antennas are more dense. This observation follows along the line of her remark that exposure from cells phone radiation in elevators is stronger because transmission is weak. My concern is - will the solution become more frequent dispersion of cell antennas to reduce phone emissions? This would have a devastating effect on future brain cancer/tumor studies. If brain cancer rates continued to rise, separating brain cancer incidence between non-users, light users and long term heavy users of cell phones would be impossible to observe. The entire population will become equally exposed either by background RF or direct wireless phone use, effectively leaving wireless expansionists euphoric and the rest of us at risk. Dr. Robert Buckers Remarks and Shortcomings of the NIH Rat study Although the new NIH study presented by Dr. Bucker represents a major achievement in US EMF research initiatives, I am concerned about several remarks in Mr. Bucker's presentations, and his potential lack of knowledge on past human RF/MW studies. From my reading there is a plethora of human lab studies.

8 I am generally surprised a man of his background and significance to the study would be so elusive and incurious. Whether scientists debate quality of the studies or whether better selection of bio-markers are needed is another issue. The fact is the human studies are there, and should be entered into the public debate on wireless safety. Perhaps most troubling is Mr. Bucker's discussion on the New NIH rat study now underway. I appreciate this research is one of many going on in the country, however it represents a major expenditure in taxpayer dollars to potentially not have realistic, real life comparisons. My understanding is that the signals in the Rat chambers will mimic cell phone signals of old, 900 Mhz and 1900 Mhz. Very few of our cell phones operate 900 Mhz. And 1900 Mhz is being phased out for the new 3 G phones which will allow for greater band width to accommodate a plethora of cell phone addons: internet, texting etc. The new phones receiving & emitting a complex of frequencies on one device will create further complexities for signal replication in biological lab studies unless the actual device is used. Add this complexity to the mix of many other wireless signals coursing through our bodies 24/7 which are not represented in the research and we are left with non- realistic experimental exposure conditions. Mr. Bucker's assistant discussed the similar NIH Rat study at the concurrent Cell phone conference. It became clear the exposure chambers as presently constructed cannot be easily modified to allow for varying new signal exposures without substantially higher costs. Over and over again we see lab research worldwide never adapting fast enough to adequately replicate the signals the public is unwittingly exposed to. Hence industry can proudly dodge the issue of biological effects by proclaiming a new signal coming to market will be different or safer; be it digital vs analogue, higher vs lower frequency, or lower power, arguments continuously intended to detract the uninformed user from the findings connecting RF/microwave radiation to health effects. Secondly, I question using only SARs (Specific Absorption Rates) as the sole assessment measure of RF/MW exposures in NIH study. SARs offer a confused comparison to people's direct RF/microwave exposure experiences. To correct this situation we need to include assessment measures using field strength readings, such as power density or ambient voltage and gauss readings. A Need for Biophyics Researchers/Scientists/Medical Professionals An issue that cries out for attention is appropriating more research dollars to educate more scientists and medical professionals to understand the atomic properties and workings of our body. European countries, especially Russia have long established schools/departments in Biophysics. Separating living creatures from man's manipulation of his planet's electromagnetic energies is pure folly. We evolved under the strength of nature's Electromagnetic energies and are protected by the ionosphere from the universe's more potent radiation. Medical schools and biological sciences have little or no interest or instruction on human response to the physical phenomena of the universe, hence no underlying appreciation that manipulations of our planet's natural energies could influence our everyday bodily processes.

9 Emphasis has always been on the body's chemical, mechanical and now genetic reactions, with pharmaceutical and biotech companies capitalizing nicely on this situation. This situation is compounded when self proclaimed EMF sensitive people seea doctor, and point to a correlation between certain EMF exposures and their symptoms. The unfamiliarity of the medical community with the electromagnetic health effects, makes our situation doubly frustrating. Their answer is to sedate us, when all we are looking for is ways to negate the affects and reduce our exposure Conclusions We have raised ambient power levels of RF/microwave frequencies to over 1010 power compared to background levels we evolved in over millenniums of years. It seems incredible that modern science and medical community can deny man's connection to the frequency bands of our planet. We see in the visible light frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum. We hear in another set of frequencies of the electromagnetic spectrum. Our brains think and sleep utilizing another band of the EM spectrum. Our hearts beat at certain frequencies. Many animals use entirely different bands of the spectrum to see, hear and even feel. Can we believe that our bodies' might not sense man's manipulation in the radio and microwave band, when historic natural RF/MW signals were extremely weak compared to today's manmade signals.

10, 11 As a society we consider it important to ensure various technological devices do not have signal interference with each other, but we will totally deny the possibility that living organisms which are intricately more frequency complex could possibly sustain the same interference problems. If medical technology has so aptly harnessed the power of EMF - RF/microwaves to cure disease (Search: Pubmed search engine) one has to ask how is it possible we are not impacting life with the indiscriminate and unrestrained broadcasting of manmade RF/microwave energies. To say there are inconsistencies in the health research literature as a reason for dismissal of the evidence is beyond logic. Never has a science accumulated such a body of biological and health effects without some plausible action by governments to implement strong safety measures.

12 The ongoing conflicts should not be cause for dismissal of disagreeable research or for government inaction, but rather it should highlight the power of vested interests, love affair with this technology, and the biological complexity of this science - all inferring we enact a more precautionary approach to wireless expansion.

Recommendations and Interests

This brings me to my final conclusion. There are many of us who because of different physical reasons and our personal research have chosen not to partake in this wireless revolution. Despite the fact I own no wireless devices, I must accept second hand exposures from all others who choose to use them, and from governments who choose to approve their expansion. In other words I have been left with no choice, but to live with the discomforts and health impacts the State imposes upon us.

Through the years I have bought expensive meters to assess and control my RF exposure, only to find those meters become increasingly obsolete as the wireless frequencies deployed by the new technologies reach higher and higher levels.

Many of us are finding it increasingly difficult to find a place in this country where we can live with the sense of well being and calm we once experienced before the by-products of wireless age became so invasive.

Considering the many unanswered question inherent in the safety of this science, and major conflicts of interest that increasingly permeate the research agenda, I ask this subcommittee to consider re-evaluating wireless expansion policies and regulations I ask your subcommittee to please consider the following:

. Consider initiating a whole new approval process for the introduction of Wireless devices before going to market. The approval process should consider the interference of new RF/microwave devices with body frequencies not only with other electronic devices. The ALARA principle should be considered for non-ionizing products as well as ionizing products . Give preference in the new Recovery Stimulus Act appropriation for fiber optics, cable technologies or other wired technologies in Broadband expansion. Any new wired technology should be ascertained to not emit unintentional high frequency radiation in the ambient atmosphere.

. Reassess the new Recovery Stimulus Act appropriation for Smart Grid technology. The portion of the Smart Grid technology that will employ wireless components should be discouraged in favor of wired components with assurance that those components do not emit stray voltages that would increase new forms of ambient electromagnetic radiation.

. Hold hearings to repeal the Telecom Act of 1996, section 704, which prohibits consideration of environmental and health effects of wireless technologies in municipal proceedings. European countries, especially France, have been more successful in bringing up the health issues in the public arena, hence their awareness has initiated greater impetus for Precautionary warnings.

. Designate 4 or 5 Wireless Free Zones in this country where minimum ambient EMF thresholds could be established and maintained. These areas could also serve as future controls sites for RF/MW studies. Establishing criteria and locations for these places should include the representation of specific interest groups & trained engineers in RF metering devices. . Minimize Conflicts of Interest in Research Peer Review Panels. Panel selection should be publicly aired, and selection should include varied backgrounds and interests.

. Empower local or state bodies to set up their own RF/MW and other EMF frequency Monitoring/Enforcement offices across each state with responsibility and resources to measure ambient exposure levels. A fee on wireless carriers should be imposed for operating and setting up these offices. The measurement devices should be of uniform standard for calibration and accuracy.

. Allocate research/education appropriations in the training & establishment of bio-physics disciplines at university and colleges. As much as we are manipulating the physical properties of our universe, we need to ensure that biological sciences stay attuned to our altered EMF ambient environment and its potential effect on biological health.

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Bonjour, Aujourd'hui le sénat français vient d'adopter un projet de loi interdisant l'utilisation du téléphone cellulaire dans les maternelles, écoles primaire et secondaire. En plus, ils veulent inter dire la publicité pour les enfants de moins de 14 ans. Le tout au nom du Principe de Précaution. Voir la nouvelle diffusée sur France 2 aux nouvelles de 20h et dans l'article suivant:

http://www.come4news.com/le-senat-preconise-linterdiction-du-telephone-portable-dans-les-ecoles-333002

Dossier à suivre... François Therrien Porte-parole du SEMO

ftherrien@aei.ca http://www.dangersemo.com/

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Dangerous Comments by Neurosurgeon?

Hi All

Here is a link to a video on youtube.  It is of neurosurgeon, Philip Stieg being interviewed on FOX news.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuDwOPMeZ3M

Because of all the scientific evidence which links health harm to electro magnetic radiation, I ask:

Is Stieg one of the most dangerous people in America?

Why is he ignoring the massive amount of scientific information contained in the Bio Initiative Report? ( www.bioinitiative.org )

Why is he referring to the 'Danish study' as proof of 'safety', when it is known to be very faulty research which has been severely criticised?

When asked: can a cell phone kill us? he stated that "Personally, there is no data to support that".  Why is he ignoring studies that show a significant increase in brain tumours (that can cause death) for cell phone users, specially in young persons using cell phones?

How many thousands, or millions of people have now been put at risk because he has downplayed the danger from electro magnetic radiation and has failed to suggest the precautionary principle?

I am aware of three senior neurosurgeons who disagree with Stieg, they have previously provided strong scientific reasons for their concern.

If Stieg has failed to educate himself about the health effects of microwave radiation, he should not be commenting on national television.  If his information is not accurate and he has provided dangerous information to the American population, should he be investigated by the relevant medical and legal authorities?

Martin Weatherall

www.weepinitiative.org