Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Australia / Witricity / French Senate Report / Alternative / EMF programme cancelled / Rajasthan / Brain Tumor Numbers / Liechtenstein / Full Signal

Australia, Research Influenced?
 
#1160: Perhaps its time for ACRBR to be moved on?
Friday November 27th 2009, 8:11 pm
Filed under:
Cell phone news, Corporate influence on Science

The Australian Centre for Radiofrequency Bioeffects Research (ACRBR) is a Centre of Excellence established by the National Health and Medical Research Council to investigate the possible health hazards from wireless technology (See: http://www.acrbr.org.au/ ). Unfortunately however, when ACRBR was established, it was placed in a research 'partnership' with Telstra, one of Australia's biggest telecommunications companies which was partly owned by the government (protecting one's investment?).

Read the entire story at EMFACTS - 

 
 
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Witricity, Unsafe Invention?

 It's an invention of MIT and Witricity is licensing the technology to hardware vendors. Perhaps this time we can all make a concerted effort well in advance to stop it from being released before it has been tested by scientists. The documentation says the technology generates fields within the safety standards - but we all know about the failure of government safety standards...........

Here is the link.

http://www.witricity.com
 
 
 
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Report from the French Senate
 
link to a pdf file 243 pages from the French senate
http://www.senat.fr/rap/r09-084-1/r09-084-11.pdf
>>>

http://www.sante-radiofrequences.org/index.php?id=37&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=256&tx_ttnews[backPid]=1&cHash=69af487f81

France - Recommendations of the report OPECST
12.11.09

The Parliamentary Office of Scientific and Technological choices (OPECST) has published its recommendations following the presentation of its findings on "the possible impact on health of mobile," directed by Alain Gest.

In its report, OPECST recommends submitting the installation of satellite relays a building permit and calls for strengthening the research effort, including through the establishment of a fee of 0.50 euro each Mobile phone sold to fund a permanent structure research. The report stresses the importance of conducting research on the health effects of wireless technologies on children and adults. It recommends supporting the international project Mobikids of case-control study on children 10 to 24 years. It also recommends initiating further research on electrohypersensitivity. The report also recommends ways to use existing technology to reduce radiation from Wi-Fi by focusing its radiation to the only objects that are needed, and encourage manufacturers to produce mobile phones equipped with a headset
Retractable which removes the loudspeaker.

Regarding human exposure, OPECST considers values of ICNIRP as adequate and "the radical reduction of exposure limits a goal not free of inconsistencies in the scientific basis fragile" that does not take into account " the important technical malfunctions which lead its implementation.

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France – Recommandations du rapport de l'OPECST
12.11.09

L'Office parlementaire des choix scientifiques et technologiques (Opecst) a publié ses recommandations suite à la présentation des conclusions du rapport sur « les incidences éventuelles sur la santé de la téléphonie mobile » réalisé par M. Alain Gest.

Dans son rapport, l'Opecst recommande de soumettre l'installation des antennes relais à un permis de construire et plaide pour le renforcement de l'effort de recherche, notamment à travers l'instauration d'une taxe de 0,50 euro sur chaque téléphone mobile vendu pour financer une structure pérenne de recherches. Le rapport souligne l'importance de mener des recherches sur les effets sanitaires des technologies sans fil sur les enfants et les adultes. Il recommande de soutenir le projet international Mobikids d'étude cas-témoins sur les enfants de 10 à 24 ans. Il préconise également de lancer des recherches plus poussées sur l'électrohypersensibilité. Le rapport préconise aussi d'exploiter les moyens technologiques existants pour limiter les rayonnements du Wi-Fi en focalisant ses rayonnements vers les seuls objets dont on a besoin, et d'inciter les fabricants à produire un téléphone portable équipé d'une oreillette
rétractable qui supprime le haut-parleur.

Concernant l'exposition des personnes, l'Opecst considère les valeurs de l'ICNIRP comme adéquates et « l'abaissement radical des valeurs limites d'exposition un objectif non exempt d'incohérences au fondement scientifique fragile » qui ne prend pas en compte « les importants dysfonctionnements techniques auxquels mènerait sa mise en application ».
 
 
Sylvie
 
 
 
 
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Alternative to ionizing radiation
 
An interesting study (re colon carcinoma) and another example of how non-ionizing radiation effects are similar, if not identical, to effects of ionizing radiaton (non-acute).....     Since p53 exists to prevent cells from becoming cancerous, it would seem reasonable to assume that the close, chronic, prolonged use of a cell phone for many hours a day, month-after-month and year-after-year, might promote malignant brain tumor formation in part by disruption of natural function of p53 protein.    Interesting to note "American Cancer Society" below also.    
 
 
Joanne....   12-09-09
 
 
 
 
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EMF programme cancelled
 
 
I had a phone message at midday today confirming the programme at 11.15 tonight - to now include stuff on mobile phones as well as WiFi.
(From my original contact, who'd clearly taken on board points I'd made in our conversation last week when he'd asked for an overview.)
 
BUT
 
I received another call around 4 p.m. from his colleague, saying that various other news items had come up and they were dropping this item.  They'd be busy now up to Christmas but they might bring it up again after that (she said).
 
This is by no means the first time that sensible discussion of this topic - the possible adverse health effects of a 5-trillion-dollar global industry - has been pulled from radio or TV at short notice.
 
[See here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007lb08 for the prog it was to be on.]
 
I leave you to form your own view of the take-home message from this episode.
 
Grahame
 
 
 
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Rajasthan bans installation of new mobile towers

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/Rajasthan-bans-installation-of-new-mobile-towers/articleshow/5310882.cms

 
JAIPUR: In a major setback to Telecom companies, Rajasthan government has banned the installation of new mobile towers in the state. The
installation would now be governed by a policy, which is in the drawing board of the urban development and housing department (UDH).

"We have directed mobile companies to stop installation of mobile towers till the new policy is enforced. The draft of the proposed policy is in place and it will be implemented in next few days," says a UDH official.

The policy is aimed at regulation the proliferation of mobile towers in high population density areas. "There have been a few studies which say that electro magnetic radiation emitting from these towers are a threat to human health. There has to be some check on these towers especially in residential and institutional areas," he said.

Apart from that, the department is also planning to link installation with revenue generation for the local body. "We have proposed to levy Rs 1 lakh per tower as registration fee to be deposited with local body. The telecom company will then have to pay a fixed amount every month as rental to the concerned local body.

It will be applicable to even those towers which had already been installed," he said. There are seven telecom operators with more than mobile 15000 towers in the state. According to the sources, the new policy would bar installation of any such tower in a medical or educational institution. In fact, permission to install such towers would be given for only open spaces like parks and agricultural land.

"In case of residential areas, the rule states, the company will have to get a no-objection certificate from the resident welfare association. Moreover, the tower would be held illegal if it has been installed in any illegally constructed building," he said. The policy would prescribe set norms for these companies.

The service provider will be required to produce a certificate from a registered structural engineer that the tower and the building on which it has been installed is safe.

Apart from that they will have to produce No Objection Certificate (NOC) from agencies like the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and certificate of safety from competent authorities.
 
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Brain Tumor Numbers

An article in Scientific American reports on a new study published by the Journal of the American Cancer Institute that was done by a Danish scientist. The article, entitled, "Cancer Cells?: Brain Tumor Numbers Steady Despite Increased Mobile Phone Use: Amidst all the chatter about cancer, a new study finds that even as mobile phone use surged in northern Europe, the instance of brain tumors stayed about the same", seeks to dismiss work by Hardell and others whose findings continue to report there are risks. Dr. David Carpernter and Dr. Martin Blank are both quoted in the article and they refer to the August 2009 report called "Cellphones and Brain Tumors: 15 Reasons for Concern - Science, Spin and the Truth Behind Interphone".

Please review the Porto Alegre Resolution/ If anyone is interested ion signing it, we welcome you to contact us at info@icems.eu. In order to sign, first read the instructions on the "Other resolutions" page.

regards,

Elizabeth Kelley


Elizabeth Kelley, M.A. International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety www.icems.eu info@icems.eu
 
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Liechtenstein Electorate Backs Status Quo for Telecoms Regulations
 
From: Sylvie
Sent: Wednesday, December 09, 2009 10:53 PM
Subject: Liechtenstein

IHS Global Insight Daily Analysis 7 dec 2009

Grace Annan

The controversial planned reduction in signal strength of mobile base stations from the current 6 volts/metre to 0.6 volts/metre as of 2013 has been scrapped. Fifty-seven per cent of Liechtenstein's eligible electorate rejected the measure in a referendum held last week and thereby reinforced the status quo in terms of strength, which is the same as in Switzerland.Significance: The referendum puts a lid on the simmering tensions between Liechtensteiner parliamentarians and the country's main mobile phone operators. Members of Parliament have spoken out in favour of reducing the level of the base stations' electromagnetic radiation on several occasions since 2008, riling the operators considerably; the latter argued that the envisaged strength of 0.6 volts/metre was too low to ensure high-quality signal strength in the country. This in turn struck a chord with concerned business representatives.

When Parliament decided in May 2008 to reduce the strength of masts' radiation, the four operators and key business representatives launched a referendum against the decision. Turnout was at a comparatively low 66.3% but it is unlikely that the coalition government will challenge the result. The existing regulation is already considerably stricter than in most markets in Europe, which currently tend to have the limit at 41 volts/metre, based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization. If Liechtenstein had adopted the new regulation, it would have been something of a global precedent in controlling the base station radiation. This, as such, could have stirred related debates in other markets and possibly led to similar regulatory initiatives.
 
 
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Full Signal
 
Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2009 11:30 PM
Subject: Full Signal's Official Festival Report

Good day everyone, 

Let me start by saying I am overwhelmed by the support I have received since the launch of Full Signal, thank you all for writing, for signing up on Facebook and our mailing list, for sharing your stories, and for asking how you can help.
We were proud to Premiere Full Signal at the Santa Fe Film Festival this week. In fact the festival opened with Full Signal (and a sold-out attendance) and closed with the film as well. On the Premiere night, people lined up outside the screening venue waiting to get in, and 50 people were turned away.

And besides the 2 festival screenings, local activists organized 2 additional screenings for local legislators, the media, and Department of Health officials. 

The screenings were extremely positive, with a very constructive Q&A session after each screening, I fielded some interesting questions, and heard some great comments with some spontaneous pledges to cut back on cellular use and the replacement at home of wireless technologies with hard-wired ones. In general we received a slew of positive reviews from everyone who has seen Full Signal.

And we were covered by various media outlets, some of which we will post on Facebook this week.

I discovered in the week leading up to the Santa Fe Film Festival that an important vote was to take place as part of a bigger process to increase wireless infrastructure in Santa Fe (yesterday the vote was passed to increase the towers in the Public Works Committee 3-1), but several council members (some of whom had attended the screening of Full Signal) publicly cited their concerns based on the science, and have pledged to work with other communities around the world to bring about change to the Telecom Act and the FCC's guidelines, which is an applaudable move in the right direction.

Now onto our future screenings in the rest of the world (since many of you are asking when Full Signal will be coming to town, or on DVD). I want to take you a little behind the scenes.

We are currently planning on "touring" around the US and International film festival track in 2010. In the meantime, we are working with various communities where we don't plan on attending a festival to have public viewings. If you are interested in holding a public viewing in your area, I would be happy to discuss the options, again IF we don't plan on attending a festival there. I would very much like this to be a team effort, especially if Full Signal has the potential to affect some positive change as I believe we did in Santa Fe despite the vote.

As always festival dates will continue to be posted on our Facebook page as well as on FullSignalMovie.com and I hope to meet more of you in your hometowns when we show Full Signal there.

As far as a DVD release, our current goal is to launch Full Signal on DVD and VOD starting June 1st, and we will start advance sales in early 2010.

On a final note, I just wanted to once again thank you all for your support, and I look forward to hearing more from you soon. And as always, shorter updates will be posted directly to Full Signal's Facebook page.

Talal

Talal Jabari
Director

Full Signal

Phone: +1 302 565-4948
Skype: captureproductions
FullSignalMovie.com