W.E.E.P. News
Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News
18 October 2010
Saturday, 16 October 2010 08:29 By Stephen Vance, Staff
http://www.themeafordindependent.ca/home/in-the-schools/967-sve-parents-vote-to-remove-wi-fi
Meaford's St. Vincent Euphrasia Elementary School (SVE) elected Parent Council announced in a media release on Friday that its parents have voted to turn off the school's WiFi transmitters, and connect to the internet with hard-wires.
The media release issued indicates that SVE is the first school in Ontario to vote in favour of shutting down the in-school wifi system.
"After learning the whole story about risks for their children, the parents voted to protect their children's health," said Andrew Couper in the release. Couper is a father of two children at the school and a member of the School Council.
Concern about the use of wifi in Bluewater District schools began gaining momentum toward the end of the last school year.
At the Bluewater & District School Board (BWSB) meeting on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 the WiFi Advisory Committee to St. Vincent Euphrasia Elementary School Parent Council urged the BWSB to err on the side of caution and remove the Wi-Fi until a study could be done on children's long term exposure to low level microwave radiation (Wi-Fi) and the biological effects.
The group asked the board to return to using the existing wires in each classroom which would be of no additional cost, and the internet would continue uninterrupted as it was a few years ago, prior to the installation of the wireless routers.
The request to the board was denied at that time although since then the movement to pull wifi from the schools until more can be learned about the potential health effects seems to have gained the support of at least one school board trustee.
Paul Wehrle, Trustee for Meaford & The Blue Mountains told The Independent in September, that "While I suggest I would follow the precautionary principle and remove WiFi until we are absolutely certain of its safety, I am one vote among 10."
At the beginning of the new school year, the SVE School Council sent home a microwave-exposure consent form with to all parents of students at the school. It explained to parents that although the School Board claims WiFi is safe according the Health Canada, there is a large body of science that shows biological changes can happen, especially to children, when they are exposed to low levels of microwave radiation. The school Wifi operates on microwave radiation.
According to the press release, parents across Canada have reported that their children are developing an odd assortment of symptoms since Wifi microwave transmitters were installed in their schools. In Simcoe Country an unusual number of children have developed Tachycardia which is a sudden racing heart beat, since that Board installed blanket Wifi systems in their schools.
In an effort to assure parents all is safe, the Bluewater School Board commissioned LEX Scientific Inc. from Guelph to measure the microwave levels in its schools. However in its report the engineering firm warned that Health Canada's guidelines only protect against heating the body from microwaves, and that no guidelines actually exist for exposing children to low level microwave radiation all day long. Studies have shown it can cause health problems and children are especially vulnerable.
The School Council provided all parents with a list of the biological effects that have been shown to happen at these "low levels" and parents voted resoundingly (88%) to stop exposing their children to the unnecessary microwaves.
Contacted by phone Couper told The Independent that 210 letters were sent home to SVE parents, and that 70 parents (33%) returned votes on the issue 62 of whom wanted the wifi turned off, and the remaining eight were comfortable with leaving the wifi in operation.
"Once parents realized that the computers still connect to the internet with hard-wires, and turning off WiFi transmitters won't change the way their kids connect at school, they decided it's not worth the risk," said Couper., "Parents don't want to wonder whether those headaches, or that nausea, or that racing heart rate is being caused by the WiFi system in their child's school."
The news is heartening for SVE parent Angela Klein who has removed her daughter from the school due to the evidence of health effects from microwave radiation. Klein has said that her daughter will not return to the school until the wifi system is shut down, and she is home-schooling her daughter until that happens.
A phone call to SVE Principal Oscar Burnside on Friday confirmed that the parents had voted in favour of shutting down the wifi system in the school, however according to Burnside, the school's hands are tied and they cannot take that action unless instructed by the Board to do so.
"The school has no authority to turn the wifi on or off, that is up to the Board," said Burnside.
"The Board has heard the will of the parents. We understand this is an unnecessary risk and we want it off. I hope the Board does the right thing now and turns it off," said Klein.
On Sunday evening Global Television will be airing a special two-part documentary about the wifi issue and the potential health effects of children being exposed to the radiation in schools on their "16:9" program.
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Letter to several Members of the Parliament of Canada
Dear Honourable Members of Parliament,
As a resident of Toronto, and a tax-paying voting citizen of Canada, I am gravely concerned about the health implications of the recent proliferation of cell towers and transmitters carpeting the country and specifically Toronto.
In the last few years cell towers have been mushrooming across the city to accommodate growing demand for mobile phone reception. With growing competition from all the new companies, since January 2010, the power and frequencies emitted by all towers has been substantially increased.
In March of this year, I had to sell my home in the St.Clair and Dufferin area of Toronto because of the sudden concentration of cell towers, antennas and transmitters that went up after the deregulation of the industry. Shortly after January of 2010, we began to experience strange headaches, tinnitus, earaches, sleeplessness and nausea. We were living less than 100 metres from a Bell cell tower, as well as less than 100 metres from antennas from approximately 4 companies, placed on the roofs of buildings along St.Clair.
After contacting every level of municipal, provincial and federal government appealing for changes to the standards by which they allow towers and transmitters in residential areas, I was appalled to learn that nobody is adequately protecting the public's health in this regard. I had to sell my house at great cost and upheaval to my life and career. It took me months to find a home that I could afford in Toronto that was not within less than 100 metres or so to some kind of cell tower or antenna.
In June I purchased a home in a quiet residential area in East York at St.Clair and Victoria Park . For a few months I felt like life was back to normal without the constant discomfort of headaches and all the other strange symptoms.
Unfortunately to my horror, new cell transmitters and antennas have been installed all over the area by all the various new telecom companies in the last few weeks and months, and again we have begun to experience severe headaches, ear-aches, tinnitus, nausea and sleep disturbances.
I cannot afford to sell my new house and move again. As a resident of this city and country, is it not my right to be able to live safely without this kind of dangerous exposure?
I am a healthy adult. If I am having such severe effects from short term exposure to being close to cell towers, transmitters and antennas, I would hate to think what the short and long term effects are on children, babies, teens, pregnant women, or those who might have other pre-existing health issues. There are several schools within a few blocks from these areas, and the neighbourhood is home to mostly families with small children and the elderly.
This is relatively new technology with no long term studies proving that exposure is safe.
Unfortunately, the general public is being constantly exposed to the EMF's whether or not they choose to use the technology, and have no say in the matter.
The microwaves that are emitted from these towers and antennas is known to be carcinogenic at certain levels, and linked to numerous insidious health issues.
I am appealing to you as representatives of the people of Canada to take this issue very seriously.
The human body cannot sustain this kind of cumulative exposure. Along with all the other usual stresses of urban living, this could very well be the tipping point towards an epidemic of disease.
We are currently being exposed to levels of radio and microwave frequency that have never been experienced in human history.
The standards that have been set by Health Canada (Safety Code 6) for safe levels of public exposure are far lower than those set by most European countries, and those standards are poorly and intermittently regulated here by Industry Canada. They are also laughably archaic and were implemented decades before cell phones became ubiquitous and the general public was being exposed to microwaves at the levels we are today.
Quoting Health Canada below, I wonder what kind of adverse health effects the general population will have to start experiencing before Health Canada actually is "convinced of increased risk of disease from exposure to RF energy".
"Health Canada staff are committed to protecting the health and well-being of all Canadians. One of the cornerstones of the scientific method is a continuous process of review, criticism and reappraisal of the body of scientific knowledge. Health Canada staff actively prescribe to and participate in this process. There is to date no convincing scientific evidence to support the occurrence of adverse health effects at levels below the exposure limits specified in Safety Code 6.
This conclusion is based upon the bulk of scientific evidence from animal, in-vitro cellular and epidemiological studies that have been carried out worldwide, including at our laboratory. There is no convincing evidence of increased risk of disease from exposure to RF energy from cellular base stations and wireless network devices."
Interesting that while Health Canada purports that this technology and the resulting exposure is safe, the insurance companies will not cover the telecommunication industry for liability due to health risks. Have the insurance companies not also been placated by Health Canada and told that daily and cumulative exposure is perfectly safe?
Should this technology be proven to indeed increase the risk of disease, who is then legally liable for failing to protect the public?
I would appreciate a response to these questions.
Sincerely,
Michelle Lewin
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This case could lead to a lawsuit against the royal court.
http://nrk.no/nyheter/norge/1.7338891
there is a video of an interview.
(google translation)
+++
King's caretaker to trial
King Erik Dalgård caretaker has been 100 percent sick leave after having worked at the Royal Lodge.
LO takes the matter to the king's caretaker, who thinks he's jet damaged. The case could lead to a lawsuit against the royal court.
Anders Børringbo anders.borringbo@nrk.no
Publisert 16.10.2010 19:10. Oppdatert 16.10.2010 23:55.
This is the first LO is involved in radiation damage of this type.
- The case of the caretaker has been an eye-opener for us. We are now entering into it, but also requires that the politicians set a clear set of rules for how the mobile transmitters and antennas can be, "said the head of the Norwegian Civil Service, Turid Little Cheer, told NRK.
In four years working with Erik Dalgård sends a strong hold on the Royal Lodge. He Became ill in the Royal Lodge
Erik Dalgård is king caretaker, but is now 100 percent sick leave. Resident at Bygdøy Kongsgård release him from the worst disease. But with a big send mast near worked Dalgård onto the Royal Lodge in Oslo.
From being completely healthy, he became increasingly ill.
The condition was further aggravated when there was a strong transmitter inside the building, which turned out to be a test transmitter for police new TETRA system, ie the police radio.
- I have been el-hypersensitive, and it affects my whole life. There are very limited where I can go, "said Dalgård to NRK.
Not able to work anymore
In four years working closely caretaker king of the transmitter, and were more bothered by fatigue, poor concentration and atrial fibrillation. Now he is unable to work.
(Artikkelen fortsetter under bildet)
- I have been el-hypersensitive, "says Erik Dalgård, which is now 100 percent sick leave.
Foto: Henrik Myhr-Nielsen/NRK- I'm ready for trial, even if it must be taken to the Royal Court.
Someone has to take this burden on behalf of the many who are struggling with this for the community, "said Dalgård.
It is first necessary to run an appeal in court against the NAV to yrkesskadeerstating. Does not the present, it can end with a case against the employer.
Royal Palace: Have met him in a good way
Castle says they understand that Dalgård wants a legal clarification.
Head of Communications at the Royal Palace, Marianne Hagen, will not be interviewed about the case, but does so via e-mail:
"The Royal Court understands that Dalgård seeking a judicial review of the causes of the problems he has. We are committed to safeguarding our workers. We have in our opinion also been in Dalgård case. We have conducted measurements of electromagnetic fields inside and outside the Royal Lodge, first of Telenor and subsequently under the auspices of Post and Telecommunications Authority. The measurements showed that the values were far below the tolerance limits set by the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority. "
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Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or ALS
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/10/15/veterans-als-support.html
Canadian Forces veterans with Lou Gehrig's disease are now eligible for disability benefits, treatments and home-care support, Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn announced Friday.
The new benefits mean veterans living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, a progressive and fatal neuromuscular disease, will now be eligible for adapted wheelchairs, medical resources, housekeeping services and more, Blackburn said.
Veterans with ALS have long fought the government to receive benefits.
Blackburn said they should "concentrate all their energy on fighting this terrible disease rather than fighting to obtain the benefits and financial support they have earned."
The announcement came two days after the funeral of Brian Dyck, a 42-year-old veteran of the 1991 Gulf War who suffered from ALS — and was a fierce advocate of ALS benefits.
In February, the Ottawa resident's claim for benefits and a pension for his wife and daughter was rejected. Weeks before his death on Oct. 8, his appeal was allowed and his wife and child will receive benefits.
Two months ago, Dyck attended a news conference as part of a small group of angry veterans who accused the government of failing them. At that event, Dyck struggled for breath because of the ALS.
Blackburn said Friday it was that event and Dyck's dramatic story that had attuned him to the problems some vets faced. The problem, the minister said, was that there was no medical evidence linking ALS to military service, and that's why benefits were being denied. Blackburn couldn't say what new medical evidence he has seen, but he said the government has changed its mind.
"Never again do I want to hear of a veteran with ALS who has expended his last ounces of energy fighting for the help he deserves," the minister said.
At Blackburn's side Friday was another Canadian veteran dealing with ALS. Mike Watson spent 21 years in the navy, and the past six years slowly losing his health.
He needs a motorized wheelchair to get around — one that cost him $35,000. He uses a microphone and amplifier to speak.
Watson is one of 38 veterans who now could be eligible for benefits because they have ALS. He called that a relief, stating: "At least I know my family will be looked after, after I'm gone."
With the new benefits, "veterans living with ALS now have one less hurdle to face on an already difficult road," said David Cameron, president of the ALS Society of Canada.
"Because of the progressive nature of the disease, some veterans were dying before they had the chance to submit their case to [Veterans Affairs.]"
Lori Penner
(Note: This disease has links to electro magnetic field exposure. Martin)
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NEW BOOKS about EMF's
All books with a description!
http://www.iemfa.org/index.php/media-info/books
Zapped: Why your cell phone shouldn't be your alarm clock, Dr Ann Louise Gittleman 2010
Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, Prof. Dr Devra Davis 2010
Dirty Electricity: Electrification and the diseases of civilization, Dr Samual Milham 2010
Public Health SOS: The Shadow Side of the Wireless Revolution, Camilla Rees, Dr Magda Havas 2009
Electrocution of America: Is Your Utility Company Out to Kill You, Russ Allen 2008
Kind regards,
Alex Swinkels
Netherlands
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
Scientists call it the Beepocalyspe. (OK, not scientists, but I 