Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News
20 January 2011
Katherine Tweed : January 19, 2011
Santa Cruz Extends Smart Meter Moratorium
More smart meter hatred.
In response to concerns about the health effects of smart meters, the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last Tuesday to impose a moratorium on meter installation through 2011, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
The smart meters were already on hold, but the original moratorium expired at the end of 2010. The board said it was waiting for a report on health effects, which was released later that same day.
The concern over health effects, specifically electromagnetic field radiation, is not limited to Santa Cruz. Residents in Maine and other parts of California have expressed similar concern, but the report issued by the California Council on Science and Technology concluded that "Wireless smart meters, when installed and properly maintained, result in much smaller levels of radio frequency exposure than many existing common household electronic devices, particularly cell phones and microwave ovens."
Other studies have had similar findings that the smart meters are well within the Federal Communications Commission standards.
Despite the study's findings, Santa Cruz plans to uphold the moratorium. Legally, if Pacific Gas and Electric continues to install meters, it will be a misdemeanor, if it is cited at all.
However, outraged people, even a few of them, can make a lot of noise. Even if science does not back their claims, there needs to be serious acknowledgement of their concerns, and even potentially an opt-out clause, for utilities that are looking for smooth smart grid upgrades.
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Stray Currents and Corrosion noted in tram report
http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/netphase2/CHttpHandler.ashx?id=23208&p=0
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EMR Resource Page
The penny is dropping – children and electromagnetic radiation
'Non- thermal effects and mechanisms of interaction between electromagnetic fields and ...
http://www.familiesonline.co.uk/Locations/London-South-West/Articles/Health-beauty-and-wellbeing/EMR-Resource-Page
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Does Long-Term Cell Phone Use Lead to Brain Tumors?
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101105213809.htm
ScienceDaily (Jan. 19, 2011) — The highest-quality research data available suggests that long-term exposure to microwaves from cellular phones may lead to an increased risk of brain tumors, reports a paper in the November/December issue of Journal of Computer Assisted Tomography.
Brain Tumor Risk May Double after 10 Years of Cell Phone Use
There is increasing public concern about the potential cancer risks from microwave emissions related to wireless phones -- not only cellular phones and base stations (transmission tower antennae), but also home cordless phones. Some studies have reported that long-term wireless phone users have increased rates of brain tumors, including malignant gliomas and benign acoustic neuromas. However, other studies have found no association.
To gain insight into the controversy, Dubey and colleagues performed an in-depth analysis of research on the health risks associated with microwave exposure from wireless phones. To date, only eleven published studies have provided data on the risk of developing brain tumors in long-term cell phone users -- ten years or longer.
The largest data source was a series of studies called the Interphone studies, which were largely funded by the wireless communications industry. Based on data from thirteen countries, the Interphone studies concluded that cell phone exposure did not increase the risk of brain tumors. In addition to possible bias associated with industry funding, the studies had some important flaws, including relatively short durations of cell phone use.
However, an independent series of studies led by Swedish cancer specialist Dr. Lennart Hardell reached a different conclusion. Dr. Hardell's studies included more patients who had used a cell phone for ten years or longer and were performed without financial support from the wireless industry. The findings suggested that the more hours of cellular phone use over time, the higher the risk of developing brain tumors. Risk also increased along with the level of power from the wireless device, years since first use, total exposure, and younger age when starting wireless phone use.
Based on an analysis of pooled data from different studies, researchers write, "[L]ong-term cell phone usage can approximately double the risk of developing a glioma or acoustic neuroma in the more exposed brain hemisphere" -- that is, on the side where the user typically holds the phone to the ear. That conclusion is consistent even with data on the long-term cell phone users from the Interphone studies.
It's unclear exactly how exposure to microwave radiation from cell phones may increase brain cancer risk. However, studies have shown that the cell signal is absorbed up to two inches in the adult skull. There is special concern about the risks in younger age groups, as cell phone signals penetrate much deeper into the brain in children.
Further studies are needed to definitively determine the risk of brain cancer and other health effects related to long-term use. Meanwhile, Dr. Dubey and coauthors suggest some steps that cell phone users can take to reduce exposure. These include limiting the number and length of calls, restricting children's cell phone use, communicating by text instead of voice, and wearing an "air tube" headset (not a regular wired headset) rather than holding the phone to the ear.
The researchers also urge adoption of newer phones and other technologies to reduce exposure, and call for government action to revise standards for microwave exposure. "The precautionary principle clearly applies in this case, since the problem is possible but not certain and low cost ameliorating actions are easily implemented by industry," Dubey and coauthors conclude. "With over 3 billion people using cell phones and with children among the heaviest users, it is time for governments to mandate precautionary measures to protect their citizens."
Arab News
The research emphasized that those who used a cell phone heavily on the side of the head where the tumor developed were found to have an increased risk of ...
I've written a lot about the dangers of electromagnetic fields (EMF) in general, and cell phone radiation specifically, but appreciation for the critical ...
January 19 2011 | 130,854 views
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