W.E.E.P. News
Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News
17 July 2010
Top doctor's mobile phone radiation warning to children
Geoff Lakeman
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/07/15/top-doctor-s-mobile-phone-radiation-warning-to-children-115875-22413934/
A leading government doctor is urging kids to text instead of talking on mobile phones...for the sake of their health.
He admits there is no medical evidence at present that mobiles "fry" youngsters' brains. But Dr Tony Jewell, chief medical officer for Wales, said yesterday:
"Better safe than sorry.”
"We don't expect young people to stop using mobiles altogether but there are steps they can take to protect their health for the future."
Children in Wales are being targeted with leaflets that tell them:
"When you use a mobile it sends out radio signals close to your head.”
“The longer you talk, the more time you are exposed to radio signals. Current research does not suggest young people are especially sensitive to phone signals.”
"More research is needed, however, and we recommend young people keep down their exposure to radio signals just in case a health concern is found."
John Jenkins, spokesman for the British Medical Association in Wales, said: "Although there is no current evidence of a direct link with health problems, it would be wise for children to limit their use."
The Mobile Operators' Association stressed that there was no evidence of health risks.
Executive director John Cooke, said: "To date, no adverse effects have been established. If parents are still concerned, they can encourage children to keep calls short, send texts, or use hands-free devices."
A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "As a precaution, children should only use mobiles for essential purposes and keep calls short. All phones sold in the UK comply with international rules on non-ionising radiation."
She added that the Chief Medical Officer for England offered no recommendations about children using text messaging over voice calls.
Mast Sanity
Text but don't talk on mobile, children told
http://www.herald.ie/national-news/text-but-dont-talk-on-mobile-children-told-2259665.html
Children urged to 'text not call' by medical chief
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10629503
Don't call, send tests, U.K. medical officer tells children
http://www.torontosun.com/life/healthandfitness/2010/07/14/14707326.html
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Danish statistics and GSM mobile-phones
From: Henrik Eiriksson <henrik@solvation.net>
Hi Prof. Havas,
I thought you might find the attached doc interesting. It's a one-page collection of graphs pulled from the Danish statistics showing strange spikes in illness at the same time GSM mobile-phones went into commerce in Denmark.
Best,
Henrik
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Local woman fights wireless industry to reduce health risks
Coast News
Foster first learned about the dangers of cell phone towers in 1999 when a neighbor approached her while she was walking her dog. ...
Robert R
http://thecoastnews.com/view/full_story/8775609/article-Local-woman-fights-wireless-industry-to-reduce-health-risks-?instance=coast_top_story
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Letter to BC Hydro
Dear Ms. Verschoor: I am writing to express my concerns regarding BC Hydro's plan to install 'smart' meters on every BC home. Although I applaud the effort to conserve energy and do as much conservation as I can, there are other issues at stake here. Namely, the fact that these meters use wireless transmitters, which rely on signals in the microwave spectrum similar to cell phones and WiFi computer systems. This band, between the 900 Mhz to 2.4 Ghz range, has been shown in numerous independent international studies to have effects on human health at power levels even below those commonly used to transmit these signals. Our bodies rely on electrical signals to function; our cells, like any communication network, rely on them to repair and sustain themselves.
Pulsed radiation from microwaves disrupts cellular communication in biological systems. Some scientific studies have shown that cellular damage is done by repeated exposure to microwave signals, including DNA strand breaks. While single strand DNA breaks can be repaired by the body, double strand breaks cannot, and become genetic mutation that is passed on to offspring.
Aside from that, the experience with smart meters in California has not been encouraging. Citizens have complained of numerous health issues, including heart rate problems, high blood pressure, insomnia, tinnitus, chronic fatigue, etc.
Part of the problem is that our civilization is currently layering one form of electromagnetically-powered device over another, so the effects are cumulative. By introducing yet another layer with smart meters, we are setting the stage for more widespread chronic illness and eventually cancers of various kinds. Even the recently released Interphone study, which has been largely discredited by reputable scientists, showed a 40% increase in certain types of brain tumours with heavy use of cell phones. In fact the rate is much higher according to studies whose methodology has been properly conducted, probably closer to a 200% higher incidence of tumours.
The other issue in California has been that the smart meters apparently are not at all accurate and have resulted in numerous incidences of conflict between the utility company and clients who say they have been grossly overcharged. The utility then relies exclusively on the smart meter reading, somehow assuming it can't make a mistake, and holds customers to account.
BC Hydro could be asking for far more trouble than the minor savings these meters provide are worth, in terms of disputes with customers.
Once again I see that our Liberal government is prepared to ram through another legislation designed to help the corporate sector through its new Clean Energy Act, under the guise of being environmentally friendly. There is no opt-out clause in this Act for customers who may be sensitive to electromagnetic radiation through smart meters. That is like saying, "You'll take our pollution and like it whether you want it or not." That is hardly a "free market" economy, when there is no choice.
I am prepared to discuss other options for saving energy, and already have a solar hot water system installed so as to cut energy costs between May-October.
However, I will resist with all my power any attempt to install wireless smart meters on my home.
Sincerely,
Art Joyce
New Denver, BC
COPY TO: MLA Katrine Conroy
Sean Arthur (Art) Joyce
ajoyce@uniserve.com
www.chameleonfire.ca
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Smart Meter causing harm to Ontario Resident
I am electrically hypersensitive - so much so, that I had to suddenly quit my job of 25 years and moved to a small community that measured fairly safe electro magnetic radiation. It was not a sudden illness but rather a misdiagnosed illness for over 10 years. When my doctor finally figured it out, I moved suddenly and instantly as the illness had progressed so badly. I now live in rural Ontario and am indeed feeling that much better. However, over the last month or so, I was beginning to feel sick again and could not figure this out. I had bought a house and took 5 months of gutting 7 out of the 9 rooms and making it safe for me with the help of several knowledgeable people. I have been very fortunate to have known about all these people. I had a fantastic contractor who researched absolutely every product that went into this house as I am also chemically sensitive.
It has been truly an expensive venture but worth it. After doing all of this and moving in, it was alarming to still feel sick. I got out my RF Analyzer meter and read the back of the smart meter from the inside of my house. It was reading high every 2 minutes with bursts of information going out.
This is the information I have come up with regarding smart meters and what can be done:
The meter base can go into a weather proof meter box installed on a pedestal somewhere on your property. Apparently, this box, if closed entirely would not allow them to actually read the meter so a hole is cut into it and covered with plexiglass for the reading. It has to be faced away from you. All costs are at the expense of the homeowner and one must dig a trench to bury the line but you can use the same trench that has to be dug if you are burying the hydro line.
The Smart Meter program is Provincially mandated, so I called the Minister's office and they were extremely helpful.
The gentleman I talked with also said that I was not the first phone call he had received on this issue. I told him that I was getting sicker and sicker as each day went by and that sometimes I could not feel my hands and feet at night with the numbness and tingling etc. This man said he would call the hydro utility company in charge of my power and then they get authorisation through the Town or City to bury the hydro on the Town property and to move the meter somewhere on your property. By the way, they were all extremely helpful especially after they had seen the work I had done to date with the wiring, on-demand switches, additional DC wiring etc.
I myself had a different thing done which was, miraculously, to have the smart meter placed on a pole across the street and facing away from me. However, I was not then able to encase it in this weatherproof meter box as it was not on my property. This is just the solution that the Utility company came up with for my situation to expedite the matter. I don't know if it will have been better to encase the meter closer to me on my property and facing away. Apparently these weatherproof meter boxes are commercial grade and only emit radiation out through the plexiglass hole in the way it is facing.
It still remains to be seen whether the meter, being across the street and not encased in a weatherproof meter box, will reduce the radiation. (in my instance I did not have the choice to put it on my property as one of those meter boxes was unavailable and no-one seemed too enthused by the idea of encasing it in one). As of now, the electrician has only just moved the meter to the pole across the street and I am waiting for the electrical company to approve it before getting rid of the overhead hydro line, burying the line and hooking up the meter. I will measure it when it's done and let you all know what happens and if my symptoms go away again. They are still greatly reduced from where they were in Toronto although not as good as before the smart meters were installed.
The writer has asked to remain anonymous
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Comment on article below - " emits a signal every 15 seconds or so "BC Hydro said only "6 times a day for about one minute each time"
( from top of page two of that letter )
Are Water meters sending out more then Hydro meters?
water meter near Calgary
http://emrabc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/electronicgasmeter.jpg
these Mercury meters are also used on 2.4GZ OpenWay Itron Gas meters
Kamloop ready to seek bids on meters
JULY 9,2010
http://www.kamloopsnews.ca/article/20100709/KAMLOOPS0101/307099983/-1/kamloops/city-ready-to-seek-bids-on-meters
City utilities director David Duckworth says a request for proposals to provide and install 21,000 radio-frequency water meters is ready to go.
The three-year deal should be going out today or early next week, he said Thursday.
He expects about six proposals to be submitted in the next four weeks or so.
The submissions will then be reviewed and go to City council for a decision, probably in September.
If all goes according to schedule, meter installation should begin late this year in downtown, Valleyview, Barnhartvale and Juniper and Dallas.
That first phase will take about a year to complete; the entire citywide installation is expected to take three years.
Duckworth said a short mock billing period might follow as each phase gets switched from flat rate to meters. That billing would show homeowners their costs and water use.
Houses that have older-style meters, such as those on the volunteer program or that have been built since 1999, when the City required the devices be installed but not hooked up, will get them changed out with
radio-frequency meters.
The cost of the whole program is $14 million, with funding coming from the municipal gas tax fund and the water utility operating reserve.
The radio-frequency meters contain a small battery that emits a signal every 15 seconds or so. The batteries can last 15 to 20 years.
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Specs of the Smart Meters used in an Ontario town.
This meter is from the states called iCon by Sensus... how ironic - effects our senses...
http://www.sensus.com/Module/Catalog/File?id=523
http://emrabc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/meter1.jpg
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http://www.mast-victims.org/index.php?content=news&action=view&type=newsitem&id=4840
The EHS were protected from EMC in a French forest.
They are now under appeal by the justice of the Drome region for illegal occupation with damages of € 10,000 and € 5,000 per additional day of occupation.
They will be held July 21 at the tribunal of Valencia.
Yes, they have set up an encampment in a forest where they are safe from electromagnetic radiation, but technically they are trespassing because they don't have permission to be there.
They could be heavily fined if their appeal doesn't succeed.
The members of the group that has set up the settlement say they have nowhere else that is safe for them to live, so they are entitled to occupy this piece of land which is not used for any other purpose. The landowner doesn't agree and is trying to get them evicted. It could go through several more stages of appeal.
They are being treated like travellers in an unlicensed gypsy encampment, with the difference that they don't have the strong legal protection that travellers now have in the UK.
Regards,
IC
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SmartMeter questioned in Scotts Valley
by Michelle Camerlingo
http://www.pressbanner.com/view/full_story/8777401/article-SmartMeter-questioned-in-Scotts-Valley?instance=home_news_lead_story
Jul 15, 2010
Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s crusade to place SmartMeter devices at all California homes and businesses has been met with complaints of inaccurate billing issues and health risks across the state.
With less than a month before the digital meters are slated to arrive in town, the utility giant visited the Scotts Valley City Council on July 7 to boast about the benefits of the new technology, which it began installing in 2006. The digital gas and electricity meters are supposed to replace analog technology that dates back to Thomas Edison's experiments in the late 1800s.
In response to please from a number of residents, the City Council agreed to consider a moratorium on SmartMeter installation until the August release of an ongoing state report by the California Public Utilities Commission on the meters' accuracy.
"I have no problem with joining a probably meaningless moratorium, but you've got to understand that there is a push for a green economy right now, and this is part of that push," Vice Mayor Dene Bustichi said. "But it's a balancing act for what's best for the entire community."
Councilwoman Stephany Aguilar said customers should be able to opt out of the program.
Talk of health risks stems from electromagnetic radiation emitted by the devices, similar to that produced by cell phones, baby monitors and, more extremely, microwaves.
"I myself am very sensitive to EMF emissions and don't see any harm in supporting the moratorium," Aguilar said.
But PG&E senior director William Devereaux said the company is under orders to proceed with the new technology from the state and federal government.
The Obama administration has launched an $8 billion endeavor to upgrade the country's electricity grid, which includes meter improvements.
Devereaux said the new meters will allow PG&E to track power consumption hourly and eventually will allow customers to watch how much power they use at certain times of day, down to individual appliances in the home.
The aim is for people to shift consumption away from peak use times, such as late afternoon, which would save energy and fossil fuels, Devereaux said. With digital meters, power use could be charged by the hour and prices could change with the time of day.
For the plan to work most efficiently, everyone has to participate, Devereaux said.
Roughly 6 million of PG&E's 10 million customers already have digital meters. But grievances about hefty bills have plagued the company every time it installs them in a new jurisdiction.
In May, the utility company admitted that about 23,000 SmartMeters could have been the source of billing inaccuracies.
Devereaux said the company is tackling the mistakes.
"We are working on the problems," he said. "They are more accurate than the previous meters."
On June 18, San Francisco's city attorney asked state regulators to halt meter installation in the city until the Public Utility Commission report is finished. Santa Cruz County supervisors joined the request soon after.
Berkeley's City Council also has drafted a letter in response to a number of worries about the digital meters.
Joshua Hart, who recently started a group called Scotts Valley Neighbors Against Smart Meters, said he and many other residents worry about the financial, health and safety consequences of the meters.
Hart does not own or use a cell phone because of electromagnetic emissions.
San Francisco recently passed a law that requires cell phone retailers to disclose radiation levels because of a connection between radiation and brain tumors, Hart said.
"PG&E has grossly miscalculated the health impacts of EMF radiation," Hart said.
But Devereaux said the World Health Organization and the Federal Communication Commission have ruled that the digital meters are safe.
Hart contended that the FCC's standards are outdated.
"Levels of electromagnetic radiation permitted in the U.S. are banned by law in other countries, like Italy, Russia and Switzerland," Hart said.
Hart said the installation of digital meters will allow the layoffs of more than 1,000 meter readers, because the meters send out wireless signals and can be read remotely, which eliminates the need to visit every customer.
Devereaux said about 400 meter readers have lost their jobs, while 80 percent were moved to other areas of the company.
While layoffs and billing inaccuracies were part of the discussion at the City Council meeting, the people who spoke were most alarmed by the health risks.
Scotts Valley resident Marilyn Garrett compared the meters with microwave radiation.
"We need public ownership of utilities that works in the interest of the public," Garrett said.
Christine Barrington of Scotts Valley said that she's not sure about the health risks, but she has a very good reason not to trust the corporation and government.
"I feel there is no rush," Barrington said. "I think we need to slow down until we really understand what the costs may be."
To comment, e-mail reporter Michelle Camerlingo at michelle@pressbanner.com, call 438-2500 or post a comment at www.pressbanner.com.
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Yale Study Shows Electrical Fields Influence Brain Activity
Published: July 14, 2010
http://opa.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=7646
Neuronal activity is measured by EEG. Now it appears that electrical fields influence behavior of brain cells.
New Haven, Conn. — Most scientists have viewed electrical fields within the brain as the simple byproducts of neuronal activity. However, Yale scientists report in the July 15 issue of the journal Neuron that electrical fields can also influence the activity of brain cells.
The finding helps explain why techniques that influence electrical fields such as transcranial magnetic stimulation and deep brain stimulation are effective for the treatment of various neurological disorders, including depression. The study also "raises many questions about the possible effects of electrical fields, such as power lines and cell phones, in which we immerse ourselves," said David McCormick, the Dorys McConnell Duberg Professor of Neurobiology at Yale School of Medicine, a researcher of the Kavli Institute of Neuroscience and senior author of the study.
The chemical process that triggers tiny charges in the membranes of neurons causes much of the brain's electrical activity. Electroencephalograms, or EEGs, detect these fluctuations when they occur in large numbers of neurons together. These internal electrical signals contain information about certain cognitive and behavioral states but, until now, it had not been shown whether they actually change the activity of the brain itself.
McCormick and Flavio Frohlich, a postdoctoral research associate, introduced slow oscillation signals into brain tissue and found that the signal created a sort of feedback loop, with changes in electrical field guiding neural activity, which in turn strengthened the electrical field.
"It's like asking whether the roar of the crowd in the football stadium also influences you to cheer as well. And in turn, your cheering encourages others to cheer along with you." McCormick said.
The ability of electric fields generated by the brain to influence its own activity appears to be particularly prominent during epileptic seizures. However, the influence of electric fields is not limited to these pathological states. The study of Frohlich and McCormick demonstrates that the electrical fields also influence brain function during normal activities such as sleep.
McCormick said the findings change the way in which we view brain function and may be of significant clinical value in controlling epilepsy, depression and other neural dysfunctional states.
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- Première mondiale scientifique avec les EHS de la forêt de Saoû en France:
La preuve des encéphaloscans comparatifs.
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