W.E.E.P. News
Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News
3 May 2010
Letter to Member of Parliament
From: Carl Katz
Date: Sun, May 2, 2010
Subject: Email From Former Kerrisdale Constituent Carl Katz
Dear Ms. Murray,
You may remember me from a meeting we had at your office in June 2008. My friend and colleague Milt Bowling also attended that meeting.
I brought to your attention the fact that I had become ill while living just a few blocks away from your office in Kerrisdale, specifically that I had become Electrohypersensitive living in close proximity to three buildings that have cell phone transmitters on them.
At the time I was experiencing a myriad of neurological symptoms, including disturbed sleep, constant tinnitus, headaches, warmth and tingling in my extremities, problems with memory and fatigue just to name a few. I may have even related how my family doctor told me that he had another patient who was experiencing the same symptoms when in close proximity to cell towers and other wireless technologies. I would assert that there are many more people, estimated at between 5% and 20% of the population, experiencing these symptoms. They likely have no idea what is causing their distress.
Last November (2009) after a lengthy housing search, I moved to a home on acreage in South Surrey. Having distance from cell phone transmitters, Wi-Fi and cordless phones and also taking part in a health intervention program that treats Electrohypersensitivity has had a significant positive impact on my health.
I also may have mentioned that in January 2008, I was diagnosed with what appeared to be a benign brain tumor. Thankfully, subsequent MRI's have shown no growth or change.
Fast forward to May 2010: We now find that children in schools with Wi-Fi are experiencing and self reporting symptoms of Electrohypersensitivity as witnessed in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-TJXRc5fzo&feature=digest
I understand that you are part of a committee taking part in hearings this past week on the effects of microwave radiation. I remember you mentioning in June 2008 that from your perspective, my reporting of this information was anecdotal and that in your words it would take large numbers of people - 40,000 - as many as those in a typical riding such as Vancouver Quadra, to have enough weight to have the government sit up and take this issue seriously.
At this point in time, I am almost two years farther along in my work and research on this issue. From my perspective, it is clear that there is no mass hysteria or collective psychosomatic phenomenon going on here - there are simply too many of us who have, independently of each other, reported the same constellation of health problems and symptoms. People are getting sick - from cell towers, cell phones, Wi-Fi, cordless phones and still we have no demonstration of action from government showing that they are truly taking this monumental problem seriously.
If government was taking this issue seriously:
- We would see independent health studies in neighborhoods such as Kerrisdale or the West End of downtown comparatively measuring the health of residents living close to towers with those not living around the technology.
- We would see independent health studies on the effects of wireless technologies on brainwaves (EEG), heart rate and other biological processes rather than technical studies that confirm what we already know - that radiation levels from cell towers and Wi-Fi don't exceed Safety Code Six guidelines.
- We would see family doctors engaging in learning how to diagnose and treat Electrohypersensitivity and speaking up about this issue rather than remaining silent.
My ability to earn a living has been severely impacted since being diagnosed as Electrohypersensitive and I am only now starting to figure out how get my income levels back up to where they were a few years ago. I work as an I.T. Support Consultant to medium and small business - not the ideal profession if you are sensitive to wireless technologies.
My ability to parent my two children (who are now 8 and 10 years old) has also been severely impacted by exposure to wireless technologies. In September 2007, at a time when I had 50% time with Zach and Nicole, I had to give up all my time with them for a six week period – I simply could not manage the day to day stress.
It has taken almost 2. 5 years to get back to the point where I can care for them and have close to the 50% time I had. I am truly blessed to have an empathetic co-parent (their mother). The pain my children and I experienced while we had limited time with each other was very hard on all of us. I must also mention how challenging this has been for their mother, a single parent who is also running her own business who stepped up and singlehandedly took on additional time with Zach and Nicole to allow me time to get my health in order.
I have spent tens of thousands of dollars on my health, moving, and other interventions to reduce my exposure. Like others who are Electrohypersensitive, I have had no choice but to "run for cover" to get as far as I can from the city and the dense array of microwave transmitters found there. After 18 months on an Electromagnetic Intervention Program I can now "tolerate" time spent in the city, but often have to spend a day recovering in South Surrey after spending a day the downtown core.
Make no mistake - those of us whose health has been impacted by wireless technologies are the "canaries in the coal mine". There are individuals I know of across the country who simply can no longer have a career or function in society.
This knowledge and awareness has had me working tirelessly with other parents to have Wi-Fi removed from schools and I will not stop until this has been accomplished. I have serious concerns for the health of my children who are currently attending a Wi-Fi'd school in White Rock – the stress and concern are unavoidable considering what I feel like when I am around strong Wi-Fi signals and what I know as a senior I.T. support technician who has installed at least 100 Wi-Fi networks.
I regularly hear reports on the news of "conflicting evidence" regarding the studies around wireless technologies. When one takes a discerning look at these studies, we find that those that are truly independent and not funded by industry are 80% more likely to find a correlation between ill health and exposure (Dr. Henry Lai). The only way to truly evaluate the value and quality of a study is to take a critical look at the study design. Looking at the quality and design of industry funded studies versus independently funded studies will confirm that the current independent science is conclusive and that this has been the case for several years.
The Bioinitiative report (www.bioinitiative.com), which has unfortunately been marginalized by the wireless industry, is a "review" of over 2000 peer reviewed, published scientific papers on the health effects and biological effects of microwave radiation from wireless technologies. The authors of the report reached their conclusions based on a review of all these papers. I would assert that the Bioinitiative report is one of the most important documents currently available on this crucial subject. The authors of the report who are public health doctors, Phd's and other scientists, volunteered their time and worked tirelessly in service to humanity.
We in dire need of leaders who will stand up and start taking action to protect us, which is one of the most important roles government plays. I respectfully realize how challenging this is - no one MP or MLA can do this alone. Dr. Keith Martin, MP for Esquimalt-Juan de Fuca has been representing the citizens of Collingwood BC on this issue for a few years. Perhaps his experience as a medical doctor has afforded him a "birds eye" perspective on this huge problem.
I welcome the opportunity to discuss this further with you.
Please help us protect our children and ourselves.
Sincerely,
Carl Katz
Director, Citizens for Safe Technology
www.citizensforsafetechnology.org
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Impact des micro-ondes sur la santé
Auditions au Comité permanent de la santé de la chambre des communes du Parlement d'Ottawa, 27 et 29 avril 2010.
Douze députés ont entendu des experts scientifiques canadiens et internationaux qui ont prouvé que la norme de protection de Santé Canada
( Code de sécurité 6) ne protège pas la population des effets biologiques lors d'expositions à long terme aux micro-ondes.
Informations et détails sur la page d'accueil du site internet du collectif SEMO www.dangersemo.com
-Reportage télévisuel sur Global National News - Témoignage des experts …
Merci de votre intérêt.
François Therrien
450 471 8371
Enseignant en Électricité
Porte-parole du Collectif S.E.M.O.
Sauvons nos Enfants des Micro-Ondes
also
dont ce témoignage du Dr Andrew Goldsworthy, professeur honoraire de biologie au Imperial College de Londres (Angleterre) :
http://www.dangersemo.com/hesa%20andrew%20goldsworthy%20notes%20for%20teleconference%2029-4-10.pdf
--
André Fauteux, éditeur
Magazine La Maison du 21e siècle
Tél./Fax: 1.450.228.1555
info@21esiecle.qc.ca
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The Wi-Fi database that shamed Google?
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/207796-The-Wi-Fi-database-that-shamed-Google-
Paul Marks
New Scientist
Sat, 01 May 2010 10:25 EDT
By now, most of us in the US, the UK and Australia, plus many elsewhere in Europe, have got used to the fact that images of almost every house on every street are available online for all to see via the Street View facility in Google Maps.
But last week many were shocked to learn that while the advertising giant's camera-equipped cars were zipping past our front doors, they were not just collecting panoramic photos. Wi-Fi antennas on the cars were hunting down wireless computer networks, and equipment inside was recording the networks' names, locations and the unique MAC address of the routers supporting them.
The revelation has, not for the first time, prompted a wave of accusations that Google doesn't care about privacy anywhere near enough.
Map maker
Google says it has collected the data in order to improve the accuracy with which smartphones can pinpoint their location on Google Maps, especially in city centres where GPS may be unreliable.
Cellphone mapping apps can improve matters by drawing on knowledge of which cellphone tower the phone is in contact with, but Google realised that even greater accuracy is possible if the phone can note details of nearby wireless routers. The server supplying Google Maps to the phone can then calculate a precise position.
Millions of smartphone users worldwide have already benefited from Google's database, which has been live in the US since late 2007.
Not so strange
Google is not alone in gathering Wi-Fi data for location purposes. Skyhook Wireless of Boston uses Wi-Fi-scanning cars to provide a similar service, which is used by the default mapping app on some Motorola phones.
Although Google has not made any particular effort to keep its data-gathering activities secret, neither has it declared what it has been doing. It was not until last week that Germany's Federal Commissioner for Data Protection, Peter Schaar, discovered that Street View cars operating in Germany were harvesting Wi-Fi data. He says he had not been made aware of this when he granted Google permission to take photographs for Street View.
In the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office was similarly surprised. Though the commissioner had met Google before Street View cars began patrolling the UK, "at no point did Google make us aware that it would be scanning Wi-Fi too", says ICO spokesman Nick Day. The ICO says it is seeking more information from Google, while Schaar is demanding that the firm delete any Wi-Fi data collected "unlawfully".
Open up
Google's global privacy counsel, Peter Fleischer, says the data protection authorities were not informed of the Wi-Fi trawl because "this is all publicly broadcast information which is accessible to anyone with a Wi-Fi enabled device". No law prohibits its collection, he says. And unlike Street View images, the Wi-Fi data will remain at the data centre providing the mapping service, and will never to be published online, Fleischer says.
The data commissioners have not spelled out the risks of a leak from the Wi-Fi database, and are unlikely to press for laws against Wi-Fi data collection any time soon. But the outcry over Google's now not-so-secret Wi-Fi database leads to a clear conclusion, says Simon Davies, head of pressure group Privacy International. "Keeping the data collection secret was a bad decision from a community relations perspective," he says.
Fleischer seems to agree. "It's clear with hindsight that greater transparency would have been better," he says. When pushing technical boundaries with other people's data, a little openness goes a long way.
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UN nuclear agency seeks specifics about Indian radiation incident, offers help
By: Veronika Oleksyn, The Associated Press
1/05/2010 12:30 PM
VIENNA - The U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said Saturday it is seeking more specifics about a fatal Indian radiation incident and offered help to authorities.
Indian police said Thursday that a scrap dealer who dismantled a machine once used by a Delhi University chemistry class died after being among workers who sawed it open. Seven other workers were treated for radiation exposure.
The case has raised fears about the unregulated disposal of hazardous material in India, where dangerous chemicals and even radioactive waste are often sold to scrap dealers.
The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said it first became aware of the "possibility of a serious radiation emergency at Mayapuri in New Delhi" through media reports April 9 and also saw coverage of a scrap yard radiation fatality this past week.
The agency subsequently contacted India's Department of Atomic Energy to request information and to offer the IAEA's help, spokesman Marc Vidricaire said.
Since then, India's Atomic Energy Regulatory Board has notified the Vienna-based agency of the discovery of radioactive materials, he added.
"The notification reported locating and securing multiple Cobalt-60 sources that were described as Category 2 radioactive sources — those that can cause permanent injury to a person handling the material even for a short time without appropriate safety measures and protection," Vidricaire said.
The machine in question — a gamma cell — was dismantled April 8, and the subsequent death and illnesses of the workers sent panic through the western New Delhi neighbourhood where the scrap yard is located. The workers thought the cell was junk and had no idea they were cutting into a container with radioactive contents.
A gamma cell contains the radioactive substance Cobalt-60 and is used to study the effects of gamma rays on chemicals. Gamma rays are electromagnetic waves similar to X-rays.
The IAEA's Incident and Emergency Center "has continued to seek further information on this event, and the IAEA stands ready to assist Indian authorities upon request," Vidricaire said.
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Sleep disturbances associated with behavior problems in children with autism
PhysOrg 2010-05-02
Reports have suggested that sleep problems in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are associated with challenging daytime behaviors. A new study on a large group of youths with ASD confirms these reports and will support the development of treatments for sleep disturbances as a...
http://article.wn.com/view/2010/05/02/Sleep_disturbances_associated_with_behavior_problems_in_chil/
Note - sleep problems caused by microwave radiation are well established.
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