W.E.E.P. News
Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News
27 April 2010
MPs to hear arguments on microwave exposure levels
Experts concerned about health effects and industry witnesses who maintain WiFi, cellphones are safe set to appear Tuesday
Gloria Galloway
Ottawa — From Tuesday's Globe and Mail Published on Monday, Apr. 26, 2010 7:46PM EDT Last updated on Monday, Apr. 26, 2010 8:03PM EDT
Cellphone towers, cordless telephones and the wireless networks that link home computers send out microwaves that pose myriad human health risks, say witnesses who will tell federal politicians Tuesday that existing exposure limits are too high.
Magda Havas, a professor of environmental and resource studies at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., works with people she says are "electrically sensitive."
"When they are exposed to this microwave energy from an ordinary cordless phone, their heart goes crazy," said Dr. Havas, who will appear at a meeting of the Commons health committee. "They simply cannot survive in our normal urban environment any more. They either seclude themselves in their homes [where] they have special paint that they put on their walls and fabric for their windows to keep the radiation out," or they move to rural areas.
Microwaves have also been linked to cancer, an inability to control diabetes, sleeping disorders and a range of neurological ailments. Dr. Havas and others who fear the effects of electromagnetic energy want the allowable exposure levels reduced, and they want the government to publicize the dangers they perceive in the communication devices that exist in most Canadian homes.
But for every study that says the waves are dangerous, there is another that says they are perfectly safe.
Health Canada, which sets the guidelines for microwave exposure, says that as long as the recommended limits are respected, the department has no scientific reason to consider exposure to low-level radiofrequency fields, such as those from cell towers, dangerous to the public.
Bernard Lord, the former New Brunswick premier who is now the president of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association, will also appear before the Commons Health committee on Tuesday.
"The wireless industry fully complies with the regulations that are in place," Mr. Lord said. "Not only do they fully comply, the members also believe that they are safe. We are all users of this technology. Not only do we use it on a day-to-day basis with our own wireless devices in our hands, but many of us have WiFi networks at home. And you have Internet cafés with WiFi waves. It's all around you. It's everywhere."
François Therrien, a spokesman for Save Our Children From Microwaves who will also appear before the committee, said the members of his group understand that cellphones are here to stay.
"But we want to make them safer," Mr. Therrien said. "We want warnings on cellphones and we want the cellphone companies to stop selling these products to children."
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The House of Commons Standing Committee on Health
The Health Effects of Electro Magnetic Radiation
April 26. 2010
To Whom It May Concern:
- Without Prejudice -
I am writing about the meeting scheduled for HESA on April 27 and 29 to begin discussions about Health Canada's need to re-visit Safety Code 6, which is the guideline used to protect the public from microwave and radio frequency (MW/RF) emitting electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from FM and cell phone transmitters, DECT phones, WiMax, WiFi, etc.
Within the MW/RF EMR also included and specially is meant the modulation as well.
Having suffered from life-threatening symptoms which later turned out to be electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), and only with the help from a well qualified German medical doctor (who is also an expert in EMR and its thermal and non-thermal biological adverse effects) and with my research, I have been able to greatly reduce my EHS mainly by avoidance of EMR as much as possible, not only in the Radio/Microwave frequency range (RF/MW), but also in the Extremely Low Frequency range (ELF) emanating from 60 Hz electric power system and appliances.
In 1996 I joined the Coalition to Reduce Electropollution (CORE). With CORE's initial assistance I have further studied the electromagnetic pollution and its effects, as well the attempts of industry with no regard to environmental harm to sell harmful EMR emitting products to the uninformed. This especially applies to the cell phone industry which places its microwave transmitters in the midst of populated areas – homes, workplaces, hospitals, parks, and especially schools. I have become well-versed on the issue and keep informed on new developments by reading, in both German and English on a daily basis, all available research by authorities.
Now heading CORE, I voluntarily assist in informing the public of misleading scientific information in the media, much of which could lead to more exposure to the dangers inherent in EMR. Much of this information is disguised as scientifically proven when in fact it is nothing more than an advertisement paid for by the companies to make people believe their products are safe.
Recently I have begun to question whether Health Canada and Industry Canada are acting in the best interests of Canadians. Health Canada refuses to adopt/apply a precautionary principle-based approach which would require caution in the use and placement of wireless equipment until it has been proven safe. Instead, Health Canada allows business to introduce new wireless "gadgets" without testing, forcing an unsuspecting public to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are unsafe.
Having read a number of books on the subject and being especially influenced by Thom Hartmann's book "Unequal Protection, The Rise of the Corporate Dominance and the Theft of Human Rights", UVIC law professor Joel Bakan's book "The Corporation, the Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power", and many other books, especially former Health Canada senior employee and whistle-blower Shiv Chopra's "Corrupt to the CORE", I am now convinced, that the Canadian Government is not truly acting in the best interest of the general public, but the interest of $$$-driven corporations!
Health Canada and Industry Canada have managed to dig themselves into a hole: Industry Canada has been selling frequencies to the telecommunication industry for millions of dollars. Now, if Industry Canada orders the telecommunication industry to restrict the use of RF/MW, it will face major law suits for compensation. And Health Canada has no influence with the telecommunications industry because Industry Canada is its regulatory agency. So they've dug themselves into a hole!
A good example is the Canadian Government's April 1997 ban of the toxic fuel additive methylcyclopentadienyl-manganese-tricarbonyl (MMT), produced by the foreign Ethyl Corporation. Under NAFTA rules the Canadian Government, despite its ban on MMT, had no choice but to pay a huge compensation to the corporation, then having to lie to the Canadian public by declaring it safe and, further, allowing this additive to be used
(http://www.monbiot.com/archives/1998/08/13/running-on-mmt/).
It is time that the Government stands up to the unprincipled telecommunication industry and heeds the recommendation of independent researchers. It should follow the lead of other countries. For example, based on the BioInitiative Report the European Parliament and its member countries unanimously adopted a resolution in 2009 to address public health risks from EMR, including those from wireless technologies.
Another issue involved with the wireless technology is the involuntary exposure to EMR without consent. This is a legal issue, i.e. violation of basic human rights as secured in the Constitution, Canadian Charter of Rights, Common/Civil Law, and/or Criminal Code by way of
- physical attack on the general public and individuals by encroaching on private property thereby damaging property, which constitutes a taking of property by way of trespass, nuisance and assault
- electromagnetic pollution's (ELF-, RF/MW- EMR) trespass, intrusion/invasion onto and into private property and human bodies.
EMRs are tangible intrusions that can be measured. The energy from EMR has proven harmful biological effects on living tissues and cells. Living tissues and cells (as in human bodies) are very good conductors, therefore, when exposed to EMR (ELF, RF/MW) human bodies become an antenna and the body voltage is increased. Our Constitution states that private property shall not be taken or damaged for public or private use without just compensation.
Without informed consent, the property owner's rights to live in peace and enjoy his/her home are violated whether or not EMR exposures are permitted out of ignorance, inflicted arbitrarily, wantonly and willfully and without due process of law. As I stated above, EMR exposures refer to those products and facilities with emission thresholds which have not yet been established by independent/un-biased scientific studies to be safe.
So far, to my knowledge, no governmental agency is measuring and checking transmitter stations' output as per set guideline, but the industry does it on behalf of the government. I find this outrageous and equal to the fox guarding the hen house.
It has come to my attention, that plans have been discussed –if not yet developed- to harvest microwaves for charging batteries of any kind. Innocent and ignorant consumers will love this new kind of invention incorporated into their cell phones, thus resulting in millions of current cell phones being dumped and replaced by newly micro wave-harvesting cell phones, eliminating the need for a wired charger. Consequence: another reason for the industry to $$$-lobby governments for not allowing the MW/RF radiation exposure threshold to be reduced.
For thousands of years, humans were able to live without wireless gadgets and their necessary transmitter stations; my grandparents, and parents did so, I myself am and will be still living without them for health reasons.
I refrain from further elaboration in my submission, as I am aware of some other submissions that have already been sent to this Committee, which I fully endorse.
Canada's safety standards are not adequate to protect the general public.
For Health Canada to base its Safety Code 6 also or mainly on industry-driven WHO and ICNIRP research and their guidelines is not right.
Implementing and allowing industries' direct or indirect funding of research should be disallowed and these kinds of research should not be accepted. On the side: the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) have recently recommended an imperative fundamental reform - what refers to the medical discipline- a complete ban on industry-funded pharmaceutical and medical research that includes the education of doctors which "must be carefully distinguished from marketing". JAMA also recommended that medical organizations should no longer accept money from pharmaceutical companies at all.
To summarize, the public trust is already slowly and steadily crumbling.
I urgently request Health Canada to review Safety Code 6 with the BioInitiative Reports recommendations in mind
Respectfully submitted,
Hans Karow, CORE
6303 – 34 AVE, SE
SALMON ARM, BC, V1E 1W9
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Christine Holke David
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Health
Dear Christine
In 1995 I bought a home in Harrison Hot Springs BC ,a lake side holiday resort Village aprox 90 KM east of Vancouver.
Soon after moving into that home both my wife ,at the time,and I started hearing a strange buzzing sound .
I would wake up at 3:20 every morning to the buzz and it would get louder over the next hour and I would feel pressure build up in my head.At time it was so hash that I had to get out of bed and hold my hands on my ears to try an stop the pain.
After about a month I traced the cause to a CBC TV broadcast tower which was 375 feet from my back door.
We were taking all kinds of medication to try and get a nights sleep and nothing seemed to help.
I was prescribed 4 different drugs,,saw 3 different specialists,given 2 hearing exams and non could establish the cause of my illness.My hearing became affected to the point I could not use my telephone.
I sent letters to Health Canada and always received the same answer stating that my illness could not be caused by the tower. I have the letters in my files.
Things got so bad that we started renting motel rooms in order to sleep and after living in that home for a year I became hyper sensitive to electro magnetic fields and we had to move .
I had just started my retirement with plans of enjoying the lake and the area but I ended up having to move out into the woods away from cell towers. I found some neighbors and many other people that are living near towers and suffering what I suffered and some thing must be done make our atmosphere livable
. For more information please contact .
Robert Riedlinger 30199 Silverhill Ave Mission BC.
V4S 1H9
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Officials in denial?
Posted on » Monday, April 26, 2010
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=276621
This is regarding 'new masts' going to be installed all over Bahrain, mainly in residential areas!
It seems to me that the Health Ministry just does not care about the people, which is amazing.
If it did care, it wouldn't be allowing the installation of around 400 mobile phone masts I've heard will happen throughout this year!
Why can't telecoms companies share the masts? Is it true this will never happen because a certain company refuses, resulting in others having to erect their masts!
In Dubai they have very few masts and there are never reception problems! When will Bahrain authorities wake up and smell the coffee and follow Dubai's example? They are a health hazard and the sooner the Bahrain government realises this the better!
The so-called temporary mast in Mahooz is still there, five months on, and there's no sign of it ever being moved. Whenever you ask when this mast will be moved, the reply always is: ''it's only temporary and will be moved soon''!
Now we have another new company invading Bahrain, with a whole lot more masts being erected for it to operate in Bahrain.
I wonder if there's been a rise in respiratory diseases, cancers, tumours, skin ailments in Bahrain over the last few years.
Would the ministry divulge this information if it were found to be true, possibly not as it is obviously in denial as to how dangerous these masts are to human health.
Mobile phone masts are the new neighbours from hell.
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HESA
Unfortunately the meetings with HESA will not be televised or available via webcam, but they can be heard by going to this link:
http://parlvu.parl.gc.ca/parlvu/upcomingevents.aspx?lang=en.
The meetings are scheduled for 9-11 am. East. time. If you cannot listen live or wish to re-listen to them, you can go into this site and visit the archive by going into the calendar. You can select time and date of the meeting you wish to hear. After the meetings, the minutes will also be available to the publc.
Sharon
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Phony Trees
Photographer Robert Voit has publicized 20 pictures of celltowers 'dressed up' as trees on his website:
http://www.robertvoit.com/bilder/serie1_new_trees/index.php?id=1
Anna Jonsson
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MAGNETIC FIELDS AND CANINE HEALTH
Bone, joint, coordination, reproductive or behavioral problems that defy diagnosis? Constant exposure to electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) can destroy human and canine health; how to identify magnetic fields.
Barbara Andrews / © TheDogPlace April 2010 - While magnetic crate pads are great for arthritic pets, magnetic fields are not. Powerful magnetic fields are often associated with ley lines (ref #1) linking ancient sites. The mysteriously lines are also thought to be magnetic navigation guides for many ocean, land, and migratory bird species.
Consistent exposure to magnetic fields and the electromagnetic radiation (ref #2) they generate can cause missed breedings, infertility, bone and joint pain, behavioral and reproductive problems, nausea, dizziness, and crippling or deadly health problems.
Constant exposure to electromagnetic frequencies (EMF) (ref #3) emitted by cell phone, satellite towers and power lines also cause serious medical problems. High voltage power lines emit "stray voltage" proven to interfere with milk production and cause crippling deformities and death. In the mid-eighties, Wisconsin dairy farmers were awarded multi-million dollar settlements after new power grids sickened and killed herds. In 2004, the court denied Idaho Power Co. appeal of a $17 million judgment in a stray-voltage case also involving dairy cows.
The point here is that these were large commercial operations with top notch veterinarians and legal resources. Who is looking out for your show dogs and precious gene pool of breeding stock? Electromagnetic science and the adverse effects of electromagnetic radiation have been well documented but veterinarians and even most medical doctors, remain unfamiliar with the effects of prolonged exposure.
Electromagnetic radiation symptoms: Few small animal vets would associate the following with chronic electromagnetic exposure: reproductive problems, lack of coordination, dizziness, nausea, swelling or dryness of mucus membranes, and loss of memory and concentration as evidenced by training problems or what is often diagnosed (in humans too!) as early onset senility.
Your dog can't tell you about tooth and jaw pain but when he rejects dry dog food, think symptoms instead of spoiled dog. When he hesitates over the jumps or doesn't move out in the show ring or the field, he may be experiencing muscle and joint pain, not apathy. Radiographs may not reveal connective tissue deterioration until too late. Cardiac palpitations can be picked up during a veterinary exam but are unlikely to be associated with electromagnetic hypersensitivity, often referred to as electro-hypersensitivity or EHS.
There are many environmental elements your dog can sense but which are beyond human ken. In addition to magnetic pulses, underground water veins cause mild but constant cellular vibration, similar to how a microwave (ref #4) cooks food! If your puppy won't use the bed you lovingly provided, move the bed! If a dog isn't doing well in a new run, move him to the other end of kennel. Some dogs are more sensitive than others.
So are some people. Underground water veins or streams can be located by a good dowser. Some highly trained dowsers can pick up electromagnetic currents above and below ground. Breeding and racing stables know this. They no longer build over underground streams and particularly where two or more such veins interconnect. As an interesting side note, the Pentagon is built over subterranean branches of the Potomac River…
The strongest underground pathways are geopathic energy fields (ref #5). They are the result of natural radiation distorted by electromagnetic fields created by subterranean running water, usually along fault lines or through underground cavities. Geopathic energy fields can be magnified by certain minerals in the earth and such distorted energies are very detrimental to human health. Many researchers believe they can be even more harmful to canines and other sensitive animals due to confinement in smaller areas and thus, long-time exposure to geopathic energy.
It has been speculated that rage syndrome in dogs may be more than genetic. Some researchers have also linked magnetic energy fields to otherwise inexplicable elephant attacks. Elephants "hear" with their ultra sensitive feet and are capable of picking up low frequency sound emanating from miles away.
What would confinement to a highly charged electromagnetic field do to such a sensitive beast?
Even though humans move about more in their daily routine, you should know that geopathic energies pass through walls, windows, floors and closed doors and can change according to the season or time of day. Though invisible, like radio and cell phone waves, such energies have a powerful effect on all living things. One has to wonder about the ancient art of feng shui which developed long before there was a compass to point to the magnetic North Pole.
Science now knows that sleeping, living and working in highly charged magnetic or geopathic areas can lead to emotional as well as physical health problems.
As with magnetic fields, a primary geopathic symptom is difficulty sleeping which leads to irritability and loss of focus. The same is true for your dog but how would you or your vet know he isn't sleeping? Another well documented symptom in human patients is a high ratio of infertility and miscarriages. If your breeding program has taken a downturn due to missed matings or aborted litters, and take it to a good canine reproduction vet! Then call a dowser to check your property.
Electromagnetic fields and geopathic zones may be identified with divining rods, a pendulum, or even kinesiology because highly sensitive people can "sense" these energies. This is not news! In the early 1970s Jacob Stangler created an instrument to detect subterranean gamma radiation and measure the ionization of particles from underground water courses. More recently, NASA scientist Dr. Armin Bickel developed a supersensitive scintillation counter with a built-in computer to pinpoint water veins, oil, and certain minerals over a mile underground.
If you or your dog are experiencing any of the enumerated symptoms which on the surface seem unrelated, think outside of the box.
http://www.thedogplace.org/Articles/DogCare/Pet-People/Magnetic-Fields_Andrews-1004.asp
Web site www.weepinitiative.org e-mail contactweep@weepinitiative.org
To sign up for WEEP News: newssignup@weepinitiative.org (provide name and e-mail address)
W.E.E.P. – The Canadian initiative to stop Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution
