W.E.E.P. News
Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News
17 September 2010
Hello all,
A really annoying matter has just popped up, it seems officials in France are going after the EHS RZ (Next-up.org), the only refugee zone for the EHS in France and one of the very few on the whole planet.
We have set up a short article (English) which also points to the sources (French) which explain everything in detail:
http://microondes.wordpress.com/2010/09/16/ehs-rz-in-france-going-down/
Or right now on top:
http://microondes.wordpress.com/
Best regards
Michael Heiming
http://microondes.wordpress.com/
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Disconnect: The Truth about Cell Phone Radiation
Are cell phones safe? Why is it that many countries have issued warnings against cell phone use by children—including France, the UK, Canada, Indian, Russia, Germany, Finland, Belgium, and Israel— but not the U.S.?
Renowned scientist Devra Davis Ph.D, MPH will be presenting her new book Disconnect: The Truth about Cell Phone Radiation, What The Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How To Protect Your Family.
"Cell Phones and Health: What We Know, What We Don't Know, and What We Need to Know Now"
Thursday, Sept 23, 2010
4:15PM to 5:30PM
Mortara Center, Georgetown University, 3600 N St, NW
RSVP:
http://www12.georgetown.edu/sfs/rsvp/index.cfm?Program=STIA
For more information:
http://www.environmentalhealthtrust.org/content/disconnect
Christine Hoch
Executive Director
Moms for Safer Wireless
www.momsforsafewireless.org
703-431-1558
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Co-op owners upset at cell antenna deal
by Bryan Yurcan, Assistant Editor
09/16/2010
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20446921&BRD=2731&PAG=461&dept_id=574908&rfi=6
Dozens of members of the Forest Park Cooperative are miffed that the co-op board of directors signed a deal to put up cell phone antennas on the roof of one building without consulting the residents.
A group of owners seeking to stop the installation of the antennas on the Hudson building in Section 3 of the co-op, located at 83-77 Woodhaven Blvd., have circulated petitions and are mulling legal action to halt it. But they are concerned it may be too late to stop the process.
Marian Molina, one of the residents opposed to the cell antennas, said the group is considering filing a lawsuit seeking an injunction to halt the process. However, they don't have the money to pay an attorney and are trying to find pro bono representation.
"None of the shareholders knew about this," Molina said. "The board has the right to make business decisions without consulting us, but that's for routine things like paying bills and painting walls, not signing a 25-year contract to put up cell phone towers on our buildings."
Another resident opposing the project, Viktoriya Driker, said the owners were never told about this deal and only found out by accident.
"Someone went online to look at building violations and they came across permits the board applied for to install antennas," she said. "When we asked them about it they said it was a board decision, not a shareholder decision."
Molina said residents are worried about possible health effects from electromagnetic radiation being emitted by antennas in such close proximity to co-op tenants. While most studies are inconclusive about cellular transmissions and their correlation to cancer, none of them say the radiation is harmless, Molina said.
"That's why they usually put these things out in the forest," she said.
Molina also said residents of the Hudson building had concerns about the effect the cell equipment would have on the property value of their homes.
J.C. Hamilton, a member of the Forest Park Cooperative Section 3 board of directors, said the antenna deal was necessary to help keep costs down for residents and limit the need for future increases for maintenance work.
The board struck a contract with Clearwire Communications for five years and will receive a yearly payment of $25,000 for housing the antennas. When that five years ends, the contract has options for four subsequent five-year terms with 12 percent increases at each renewal. The structure is expected to be installed in October.
"We did this in the best interest of people with a fixed income, which is about 35 percent of the residents, so we could keep their costs down," Hamilton said, while noting that a similar cell antenna already exists in another section of the co-op.
He noted that several maintenance issues, such as cracks in the building's facade, left unfixed by the previous board of directors had caused the current board to take a out a $2.5 million mortgage to fund repairs on them.
Further, Hamilton said making the facade repairs made the co-op eligible for a tax abatement from the city Department of Finance that will reduce the total annual property tax bill for the building by $51,000.
The co-op has to make a monthly payment of $13,000 to pay off the mortgage, but Hamilton said that figure will go down to about $6,000 per month when those savings are added.
"That means the tenants on fixed incomes don't have to worry about increases in fees," he said. "We had to make a financial decision."
But residents of the Hudson and nearby buildings opposed to the plan have been gaining support. A petition circulated opposing the installation garnered more than 80 signatures, and a meeting conducted last Sunday to discuss how to fight it drew dozens of people as well.
Molina and others have reached out to local elected officials, including Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) and Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven).
A spokesman for Crowley's office said the councilwoman sent a letter to the board of directors asking them to postpone installing the antennas and hold discussions with shareholders about the plan.
Laws against installing cell antennas in the city are virtually non-existent. Currently, the Federal Communications Commission does not allow municipalities to object to the installation of cellular antennas for health reasons.
The City Council in April introduced legislation to make it more difficult for cell phone service providers to install this equipment in New York City. That bill is making its way through the council housing and building committee.
Miller said he would work to bring similar legislation at the state level.
"There are a lot of health and safety concerns, especially for residents living directly below these antennas," Miller said. "Most of the residents do not want these towers to be installed."
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The wireless charging device that will power up your mobile from across the room
But it is likely that many people will have concerns about the technology in a similar way to people's fears over Wi-Fi and mobile phone masts. ...
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Microsoft tests limits of 'white spaces'
White spaces Internet is often called "wifi on steroids" -- working in much the same way as wifi but with a potential range of multiple miles, ...
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http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/prne/tcodevelopment/44213/
NEC and TCO Certified Announce Halogen-Free Computer Display
Landmark development in the green design of electronics
STOCKHOLM, September 13 /PRNewswire/ — In a major advancement for green technology, the TCO Certified eco-label for electronics, together with display industry leader NEC, today announced the NEC MultiSync® EA222WMe computer monitor as the first to receive the TCO Certified Edge award for groundbreaking achievements in environmental design. The award is presented in recognition of NEC's achievement in eliminating halogens, a proven hazard to human health and the environment.
Since 1995 the worldwide TCO certification has been dedicated to reducing and eliminating the use of halogens and other hazardous substances in electronics.
"The fact that we are now able to announce a product that has eliminated the halogens chlorine and bromine completely is a huge step in creating greater sustainability in the design of PC products – which is the main objective of the TCO Certified program. By working closely with industry and other stakeholders, we now see the result of many years effort to find alternative materials that are less hazardous to the earth and human health, while still retaining the fire safety assurance that users demand. This is exactly what the TCO Certified program is designed to do and we applaud NEC on its efforts to reach this landmark", says Soren Enholm, CEO TCO Development.
"NEC's Green Vision philosophy aligns very well with the TCO certification program with tough requirements that the product should offer both high performance and minimal impact on the environment. We are very proud to be the first display vendor with a TCO Certified Edge designation for a monitor free from halogen, and it is a significant proof that our innovations for greener IT products are at the cutting edge", says Clemens von Braunmuehl, Manager Product Management EMEA, NEC Display Solutions Europe GmbH.
Halogenated substances have been used as an inexpensive and simple fire retardant in electronics, textiles and other everyday products for many years. They are also commonly used as a "plasticizer" in many products, giving the product a softer, pliable character. The environmental and health problems with halogens lie in their stability and persistence. They don't degrade when disposed of but are actually shown to remain in plants, animals and humans, for example in fat and breast milk. It has also been shown to adversely affect hormonal function, potentially causing fertility problems.
About TCO Certified and TCO Development
TCO Certified is a third party certification for high performance ICT products that are also designed for minimal environmental impact. Since 1992 the TCO certification program has had a significant influence on improved image quality and ergonomics for displays, as well as the reduction of electromagnetic emissions from ICT products. Energy efficiency and reduced usage of hazardous substances are also key aspects of the TCO Certification. Products covered by the TCO certification program are notebook, desktops and all in one PCs, computer displays, phone headsets and projectors. TCO Certified makes it easy to choose technology designed for both high usability and the environment. TCO Development, the company behind TCO Certified, is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, with regional presence in Asia and North America. For more information see
Contacts
Sören Enholm, CEO, TCO Development,
Phone +46-8-782-91-03,
E-mail: soren.enholm@tcodevelopment.com
Emma Sjögren, Environmental Specialist. TCO Development, Phone: +46-8-782-91-95 E-mail: emma.sjogren@tcodevelopment.com
Web site www.weepinitiative.org e-mail contactweep@weepinitiative.org
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W.E.E.P. – The Canadian initiative to stop Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution
