W.E.E.P. News
Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News
12 July 2010
Thesis shows the correlation Between deaths from cancer and location of cellular antennas
Ana Rita Araújo
To avoid prolonged exposure to electromagnetic radiation, the engineer Adilza Countess Dode uses mobile phone only in cases of extreme necessity. The caution stems from studies that have been developing for about a decade, with the aim of discovering the physical, chemical and biological radiofrequency in living beings. Argument in the University, in late March, the hypothesis Dode Adilza confirms that a correlation exists between the cases of death from cancer and the location of cellular antennas in Belo Horizonte.
Through GIS, the researcher notes that the central-southern Minas Gerais state capital has the highest concentration of antennas, the highest rate of cumulative incidence of cancer deaths. The lowest rate is in the area of Barreiro, which also has the lowest number of antennas installed.
"The pollution caused by electromagnetic radiation is the biggest problem of the environmental 21st century," Said the engineer, who in her thesis, recommends the adoption by the Brazilian government, the so-called Precautionary Principle, adopted at the Rio Conference in 1992.
Under this assumption, until there is scientific certainty of the risk, launching a new product or technology must be accompanied by measures to predict and prevent possible damage to health and the environment.
Component Board evaluated the thesis of Adilza Dode, Professor Alvaro Augusto Almeida de Salles, Department of Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), stressed confirms that the research results of studies conducted in Germany and Israel. "With this work, Belo Horizonte is placed in an important position in the area," he said.
Research
Concerned with the virtual absence of data on the effects of the technology that quickly became popular, Countess Adilza Dode defended in 2003 dissertation directed by Prof. Maria Diniz Monica Lion, the Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, UFMG, Which proved the existence of overlapping radiation Where there are areas on antennas installed, causing electromagnetic pollution.
For her doctorate, she worked with the hypothesis of a relationship Between cancer mortality and residential proximity to antennas - base stations (BTS) - mobile phones. Adilza Dode conducted research on pre-existing databases, information on crossing deaths in Belo Horizonte, from 1996 to 2006, with population information Provided by IBGE.
Among the 22 543 deaths from cancer in the period 1996-2006, the researcher selected 4924, whose types - prostate, breast, lung, kidney, liver, for example - are recognized in the scientific literature related to the electromagnetic radiation. To process this information, she had the co-supervising of Professor Caiaffa Waleska Teixeira, one of the coordinators of the Centre for Urban Health of Belo Horizonte and the Epidemiology Research Group, Faculty of Medicine.
In the next phase of the study, Dode Adilza developed a new methodology, using the GIS of the city, to discover how far the antennas lived the 4924 people who died during the period. "Up to 500 meters from the antennas, found 81.37% of deaths by cancer," says the researcher, professor at the University Center Izabela Hendrix and The Faculty of Medical Sciences of Minas Gerais.
She Said That In recent years, there was growth of cases of brain cancer in the country, the demonstrated by data from the National Cancer Institute (Inca), and increased use of mobile phones. "I can not say that this is the cause of death, but what is the new factor in this period"? The environmental factor in the public domain is the cell phone, she says. She said the scientific literature suggests that people with cancer who have chemotherapy it is best to avoid exposure to electromagnetic fields.
Safe levels?
Are there are safe levels of radiation to human health? "This is exactly the problem: until now, nobody knows what the limits of radiation use, are harmless to health," explains Adilza Dode, emphasizing that allowed the standards in Brazil are the same ones adopted by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP ), a standardized legislation in May of 2009.
For the researcher, these standards are inadequate. "They were drafted with the look of technology, efficiency and cost reduction, and not based on epidemiological studies," states the report. "
According to Professor Alvaro Augusto Almeida de Salles, UFRGS, also there are the epidemiological studies demonstrating the effects of waves emitted by wireless equipment, wi-fi and bluetooth, which radiate into the lower levels, but continuous. "We're guinea pigs for technologies that are not yet proven safe".
Dode reports Adilza That electromagnetic fields interfere also in biomedical equipment. "Therefore it is necessary to turn off the phone When entering hospitals, and should not in any way, install ERB in the hospital," she warns, recalling that even people who do not use cell phones, are continuously exposed by the antennas.
She said that countries like Switzerland, Italy, Russia and China have adopted standards much lower than those allowed by the ICNIRP. And in Brazil, the municipality of Porto Alegre edited law emissions defining levels of radiation similar to those of Switzerland.
In her thesis, Adilza cited several international studies to understand the effects of electromagnetic fields. One, the SLR project, funded by the European Union, held in 2004 by 12 laboratories specialized in seven countries that says the electromagnetic radiation emitted by mobile phones can affect human cells and cause DNA damage by impairing the function of certain genes, enabling or them disabling them. Another study, in Naila (Germany), found three times higher incidence of cancer in people who lived within a radius of up to 400 meters of the antennas of mobile telephony.
In Netanya, Israel, another study Showed an Increase of 4:15 times the incidence of cancer among residents who lived within a radius of up to 350 meters of the antennas of mobile telephony. Also there are studies that indicate increased risks for children, due to the specifics of your body. "The penetration of electromagnetic radiation in the brain of children is much greater than in adults," Said Adilza Dode, who is preparing to begin new phase of studies. Her goal now is to gauge levels of human exposure to electromagnetic radiation in homes of people diagnosed with cancer.
Recommendations Recommendations
"We are not against mobile phones, but we want Brazil to adopt the Precautionary Principle, until new scientific discoveries are recognized as a criterion for establishing or changing patterns of human exposure to non-ionizing radiation," says researcher.
In a chapter of her thesis, it lists a series of recommendations, among them, that Brazil adopts the limits already followed by countries such as Switzerland. Also suggested that the government does not allow wireless signal transmission technology for nurseries, schools, nursing homes, hospitals and homes, Creating infrastructure to monitor and measure the electromagnetic fields from telecommunication stations and discourage or ban the use of phones by children and preadolescents.
Industries recommends this thesis the production of mobile phones with radiation in the opposite direction to the user's head, investment in research to find safe limits and reducing the levels of radiation emitted by the antenna. To users, Adilza suggests not to walk along the cell body, to adopt the practice of sending messages, avoiding substitution of the maximum STI proximity to the ear, and back it up other people to use the device. The author further recommends that has each building area reserved for mobile phone use, and that the residents do not accept the installation of antennas. "There is a belief that the building WHERE there is a cellular antenna does not receive radiation. This was contradicted by recent research," warns the researcher.
Thesis: Mortality from cancer and cellular services in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais
Thesis: Mortality from cancer and cellular services in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais
Author: Countess Adilza Dode Author: Countess Adilza Dode
Defense: March 26, 2010, Defense: March 26, 2010, with the Doctoral Program at the Doctoral Program Sanitation, Environment, Sanitation, Environment, and Water Resources (DESA) and Water Resources (Desa)
Advisor: Monica Maria Diniz Leo, a professor in the Department
Advisor: Monica Diniz Maria Leon, a professor in the Department Sanitary Engineering and Environmental Sanitary Engineering and Environmental School of Engineering, School of Engineering UFMG UFMG
Co-advisor: Waleska Teixeira Caiaffa, professor, Department of Preventive Medicine,
Faculty Co-advisor: Waleska Teixeira Caiaffa, professor, Department of Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Medicine
Read more at Read more at
www.mreengenharia.com.br
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This is the first published expert review of epidemiological studies on the potential health risks of populations living near cellular antennas. A new study in the International Journal of Occupational Environmental Health reports increased cancer and neurological health risks. It was not until 2003 before there was enough information for community based studies to be credibly done.
Elizabeth Kelley
Electromagnetic Safety Alliance, Inc.
Tucson, Arizona
Khurana V Hardell L Everaert J Bortkiewicz A Carlberg M Ahonen M.
Epidemiological Evidence for a Health Risk from Mobile Phone Base Stations.
Int J Occup Env Health:16- 3, JUL/SEP 2010, p 263-267.
from cell towers. Vini Khurana (Australia, neurosurgeon) and Lennart Hardell (Sweden, oncologist) have published a summary of ten studies that reported health effects of populations living near cell towers.
They found risks for cancer and neurological disease in eight out of ten studies - within 500 meters of the cell antennas.
It is important to remember that not all cell tower antennas are the same, and the RF exposures around them can vary widely. Major macrocell sites can emit 6000 watts or more, and smaller sites can be less than 2000 watts. The distance outward from a cell tower that creates the 'zone of RF impact' needs to be assessed on a site-specific basis.
Abstract
Human populations are increasingly exposed to microwave/radiofrequency (RF) emissions from wireless communication technology, including mobile phones and their base stations. By searching PubMed, we identified a total of 10 epidemiological studies that assessed for putative health effects of mobile phone base stations. Seven of these studies explored the association between base station proximity and neurobehavioral effects and three investigated cancer. We found that eight of the 10 studies reported increased prevalence of adverse neurobehavioral symptoms or cancer in populations living at distances < 500 meters from base stations. None of the studies reported exposure above accepted international guidelines, suggesting that current guidelines may be inadequate in protecting the health of human populations. We believe that comprehensive epidemiological studies of longterm mobile phone base station exposure are urgently required to more definitively understand its health impact.
Key words: base stations; electromagnetic field (EMF); epidemiology; health effects; mobile phone; radiofrequency (RF); electromagnetic radiation.
The paper cites the BioInitiative Report findings and conclusions on the inadequacy of existing public health standards for cell tower radiation, and supports the BioInitiative Report recommendation (of 0.1 microwatt per centimeter squared) by citing new publications on cell tower risks.
"In August 2007, an international working group of scientists, researchers, and public health policy professionals (the BioInitiative Working Group) released its report on EMF and health.
It raised evidence-based concerns about the safety of existing public limits that regulate how much EMF is allowable from power lines, cellular phones, base stations, and many other sources of EMF exposure in daily life.
The BioInitiative Report provided detailed scientific information on health impacts when people were exposed to electromagnetic radiation hundreds or even thousands of times below limits currently established by the FCC and International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection in Europe (ICNIRP).
The authors reviewed more than 2000 scientific studies and reviews, and have concluded that:
(1) the existing public safety limits are inadequate to protect public health;
and
(2) from a public health policy standpoint, new public safety limits and limits on further deployment of risky technologies are warranted based on the total weight of evidence.
A precautionary limit of 1 mW/m2 (0.1 microW/cm2 or 0.614 V/m) was suggested in Section 17 of the BioInitiative Report to be adopted for outdoor, cumulative RF exposure.
This limit is a cautious approximation based on the results of several human RF-EMF studies in which no substantial adverse effects on well being were found at low exposures akin to power densities of less than 0.5 – 1 mW/m2.2,5,22–26 RF-EMF exposure at distances > 500 m from the types of mobile phone base stations reviewed herein should fall below the precautionary limit of 0.614 V/m."
References:
21. Sage C, Carpenter D, eds. BioInitiative Report: A rationale for a biologically-based public exposure standard for electromagnetic fields (ELF and RF) [Internet]. 2007 [cited April 3, 2009]. Available from: http://www.bioinitiative.org.
22. Kundi M, Hutter HP. Mobile phone base stations - Effects on wellbeing and health. Pathophysiol. 2009;16:123-35.
23. Henrich S, Ossig A, Schlittmeier S, Hellbrück J. Elektromagnetische Felder einer UMTS-Mobilfunkbasisstation und
mögliche Auswirkungen auf die Befindlichkeit—eine experimentelle Felduntersuchung [Electromagnetic fields of a UMTS mobile phone base station and possible effects on health – results from an experimental field study]. Umwelt Med Forsch Prax. 2007;12:171-180.
24. Thomas S, Kühnlein A, Heinrich S, Praml G, Nowak D, von Kries R, Radon K. Personal exposure to mobile phone frequencies and well-being in adults: A cross-sectional study based on dosimetry. Bioelectromagnetics. 2008;29:463-470.
25. Zwamborn APM, Vossen SHJA, van Leersum BJAM, Ouwens MA, Makel WN. Effects of global communication system radiofrequency fields on well being and cognitive functions of human subjects with and without subjective complaints. Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), Physics and Electronics Laboratory: The Hague, Netherlands, 2003.
26. Regel SJ, Negovetic S, Röösli M, Berdinas V, Schuderer J, Huss A, Lott U, Kuster N, Achermann P. UMTS base station like exposure, well being and cognitive performance. Environ Health Perspect. 2006;114:1270-1275.
Elizabeth Kelley
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"They lie"
Today on the radio Gilad Arden the Env. minister, said that the cellular companies lie. "They lie" he said. In response, Lior Verona from the cellular companies forum said: they lie (the ministry). Why? it turns out that Arden and the companies made a preliminary experiment on a new system of monitoring the radiation from antennas and the companies don't like it because it found many exceedeings of the radiations, high levels and now Arden says he is not ready to enable them to erect more antennas. Until now Lior used to say in every interview that everything the companies do is in accordance to the health and Env. ministry and so this way he prevented any counter-claims against the companies. Gilad Arden says that for half a year the companies have had many excuses why not be connected to the new system. Lior said they are in process of connecting that's why Arden said they lie.
This is a related article on the subjet
http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-3917781,00.html
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Take care when deciding locations for cell phone towers
Alamogordo Daily News
T.D. Thompson, Alamogordo
Posted: 07/11/2010 12:00:00 AM MDT
http://www.alamogordonews.com/alamogordo-opinion/ci_15488160
In reference to the article in the Alamogordo Daily News on July 3 publicizing an application to erect another transmission tower in a more residential area of town - 12th and Fillmore - I want to express my strong concern and objection to this.
We already have several towers in residential neighborhoods and the latest one suddenly appeared a couple years ago on White Sands Boulevard at 16th Street. It's hard to determine who owns it and what its purpose is. But it appears to be for a local radio station that also rents antenna space for cell phone providers.
I have spoken to several commissioners and the city manager's Office and none of them appear to be aware of the truth of the long-term danger to human health from strong electromagnetic field radiation, such as are emitted from towers, let alone the more immediate effect of the weaker signals from cell phones on children's skulls.
I feel the situation is getting out of hand in the big business of cell phones and gadgets requiring wireless connections. The truth has been largely covered up, but it is out there.
I have been filing medical study articles for more than 30 years on such health matters. Nowadays, the Internet is loaded with almost endless credible articles. European and many eastern countries had already enacted strict restrictions on such radiation.
Most everyone who has lived around me in Alamogordo has had cancer. Our citizens do not need any more added health risks beyond what we already have been living with in the form of higher background radiation from the World War II Trinity Site atomic test and the many later Nevada tests.
I hope some of you are already aware of this health danger. If not, I would be happy to share copies of medial studies. So before you begin reviewing an ordinance for first publication (Tuesday) to now regulate transmission towers, I suggest you do the necessary homework to educate yourselves and learn the truth about the effect EMF has on human health.
In the future, when EMF health danger is finally publicly admitted in the U.S., your responsible action now may avoid future lawsuits against the city.
Web site www.weepinitiative.org e-mail contactweep@weepinitiative.org
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