Stratford Ontario: The Invisible Danger to a Beautiful Small City

W.E.E.P. News

Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News

28 May 2010

Stratford, Ontario
N5A 8C1

26 May 2010

Stratford City Council

Dear Members of Council:

I have provided each of you and the Clerk with a compact disc containing several documents that illustrate the dangers and adverse health effects of electro magnetic radiation (EMR). By reading the information, you should begin to understand the great dangers caused by exposure to EMR and, in particular, radiation in the microwave frequencies. Please feel free to copy these discs and provide them to your friends, relatives, and constituents, because the information may help to save them from serious harm.

In 1962 the US Defence department learned that Soviet authorities were beaming microwaves from across the street directly into the US embassy in Moscow. Measurements taken at the time found that the intensity reaching the Embassy was approximately 500 times less than the US standard for occupational exposure. The death of the U.S. Ambassador, two other employees and illnesses of other staff, caused Operation Pandora to be launched and scientific research to be conducted. Analysis of the original data by Prof. Goldsmith concluded about the Moscow study that, evidence was suggestive for four health effects, (a) chromosomal changes, (b) hematological changes, (c) reproductive effects, and (d) increased cancer incidence from the microwave irradiation.

In 1972, Lt. Zorach Glaser, Ph.D., of the U.S. Navy Medical Research Institute, collected over two thousand references to the biological responses to radio frequency and microwave radiation, paying particular attention to the effects on man of non ionizing radiation at these frequencies.

In 1973, researchers from Queen's University, Kingston, provided the Government of Canada with a document entitled Environmental Pollution by Microwave Radiation – A Potential Threat to Human Health. It states:

"In view of the expected proliferation of microwave devices in many different applications, a substantial increase in microwave background activity is feared that may endanger human health. On this basis strict control of the use of these devices must be introduced while present safety standards are revised and extensive research is conducted into long term effects of exposure to low intensity microwave radiation. In particular, a study of possible accumulative effects of microwave radiation directly or indirectly through sensitization must be conducted".

I have searched records from that time onwards and have been unable to find any scientific research from Canada or anywhere in the world that states that microwave radiation is not dangerous and does not cause biological effects. Also since that time, microwave-emitting devices have proliferated in our homes, our businesses, and our environment at the same time that many new and serious "modern" illnesses have appeared. Other serious illnesses have become much more widespread, as microwave-emitting technology has become widely used.

A modern update of scientific evidence, entitled The Bio Initiative Report, was published in 2007. It clearly demonstrates that electro magnetic radiation causes serious adverse health effects. The report refers to over 2000 peer reviewed scientific papers and it can be accessed at www.bioinitiative.org .

In 2002, the Frieburger appeal was launched in Germany. As of 2009, approximately 1,000 physicians and 35,000 persons, most of whom are from the health care system, had signed the document. They were greatly concerned about a dramatic rise in severe and chronic diseases, which they related to pulsed high frequency microwave radiation as emitted by cell phones, cordless DECT telephones, antenna masts (and Wi Fi). The following symptoms have been associated with microwave radiation:

• Learning, concentration and behavioral disorders (ADD etc.).
• Extreme fluctuations in blood pressure.
• Heart rhythm disorders.
• Heart attacks and strokes among an increasingly younger population.
• Brain-degenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer's) and epilepsy.
• Cancerous afflictions: leukemia, brain tumors.

There is also an ever-increasing occurrence of various disorders, often misdiagnosed in patients as psychosomatic:

• Headaches, migraines.
• Chronic exhaustion.
• Inner agitation.
• Sleeplessness, daytime sleepiness.
• Tinnitus.
• Susceptibility to infection.
• Nervous and connective tissue pains, for which the usual causes do not explain even the most conspicuous symptoms.

Symptoms similar to these, and many others, have been reported around the world by people who have been exposed to supposedly safe levels of microwave radiation. You may be aware that our Federal Government regulates use of microwave frequencies and sets safety standards. You may also expect those standards to be safe, but that is simply not the case. Canadian microwave exposure standards are among the worst in the world. They are based purely on heating affects at very high exposure levels. Canadian standards completely ignore the serious biological effects that have been demonstrated by scientists and reported by victims of exposure from many different countries. Very serious health effects have been found to occur at exposure levels that are just a small fraction of the safety levels currently used by the Federal Government.

This is the type of radiation that city owned Festival Hydro and city owned Rhyzome Networks have started to install throughout Statford in the form of Smart Meters and city wide Wi Fi. They are doing this with only very recent notice through newspaper stories and with no public debate. They are also ignoring all the scientific research and evidence about the adverse health effects caused by electro magnetic radiation.

The massive spread of wireless technology using microwave radiation during the last few years may be the biggest threat that Stratford and its citizens have ever faced. The eventual cost in illness and early deaths may not become fully apparent for several more years, yet there are considerable warning signs. The evidence from independent scientists indicates the strong possibility of a severe health system crisis in a few years time. The possibility of a significant increase in cancer cases and other serious illnesses may overwhelm the health care system.

An even more sinister consequence of microwave exposure may be the reduction of male and female fertility. Studies have already shown serious concerns for reproduction. If this occurs and we no longer have enough births to keep the population stable, Stratford will go into serious decline, which may harm the city forever. Recent news reports have already reported a steep decline in births during the last few years.

The effects of exposure to electro magnetic radiation have often been compared to those of cigarettes and smoking. Just as cigarette companies and governments stated that smoking was safe, the wireless industry and our governments are saying the same for wireless exposure. We are now aware of the terrible toll taken by tobacco, which caused terrible diseases and huge health costs, but the costs of wireless use are likely to be much worse. Babies exposed to DECT baby monitors, DECT cordless phones and Wi Fi, may be absorbing electrical pollution to the equivalent of smoking fifty cigarettes a day. Children today are suffering allergies, autism, A.D.D, brain cancer and other modern illnesses, at far higher rates than just a few years ago. Exposure from a citywide Wi Fi system and from Smart Meters would ensure that there is no safe place or safe time for anyone to avoid microwave radiation in Stratford.

Scientific research has found strong similarities between low level exposure of microwave radiation and harm to health caused by pesticides. It is ironic that Stratford has banned pesticides in our lawns and parks, yet we are filling our entire living environment with an electro magnetic pollutant that is potentially much more harmful. Our bodies and our brains work by sending very tiny electrical impulses. To allow strong external microwave radiation to upset that balance and cause biological effects is very misguided, and should be avoided.

Stratford citizens are already in great danger from microwave devices in their homes, businesses, recreation facilities and the outdoor environment. Most people are unaware about the long-term dangers caused by exposure to microwave radiation because those who should be sounding the warning have hidden this danger. There is an urgent need for the City of Stratford to be proactive and provide leadership and public education on this most serious subject.

The installation of Smart Meters and citywide Wi Fi poses a significant new risk to Stratford. Smart Meters do not use safe technology; they operate by sending information by microwave radiation at regular intervals. The additional radiation will constantly be turning on and off, constantly sending spikes of dangerous radiation through our electrical systems throughout our homes and our community. They are likely to cause serious sleeping difficulties, neurological problems, and several of the unpleasant symptoms listed above. The long-term harm from this technology is likely to cause damage to our immune systems, many serious illnesses and early death.

The City of Stratford wants to be a leader in advanced technology systems city, yet has not considered the drastic cost to our health. This is careless and irresponsible! Modern technology is important and should be used, but it must be used only when it is proven to be safe. It cannot be said that Smart Meters and Wi Fi systems are safe. There is a huge amount of information that already shows that microwave radiation and this technology is dangerous, while there is nothing to prove that it is safe!

To radiate and endanger the entire population of Stratford for the distinction of being technologically advanced is close to insanity. I request to know what amount of insurance Stratford holds to cover future harm that may be caused by radiation from city owned or authorized Wi Fi systems and Smart Meters. This is a very important consideration because most insurers will not insure against this danger, as it is too risky.

The decision by Festival Hydro to install Smart Meters and a citywide Fi system without fully investigating the health consequences is negligent. I have had written communications with Mayor Dan Mathieson, Paul West and Bill Zehr of Festival Hydro and have provided them with documented information about the dangers of microwave radiation that will be emitted by the new systems. There has been no move to stop the installation process or to fully investigate the potential adverse health effects caused by Smart Meters or Wi Fi.

Mr. Bill Zehr, President of Festival Hydro, took three weeks to answer my letter, and even then failed to answer questions concerning health effects and costs of the Smart Meter system. He appears to have failed to adhere to the Festival Hydro Mission Statement as set out on their internet site (safe power and being direct, trustworthy and truthful). What is he hiding from me, and from the citizens of Stratford?

Because of the significant health and safety threat to Stratford residents, I request that Stratford Council take the following important steps to ensure safety of Stratford residents.

• Educate yourselves and your constituents about the dangers of microwave radiation.

• Order Festival Hydro to stop installing Smart Meters and a citywide Wi Fi system, until a public investigation of the dangers is concluded.
• If Smart Meters must be installed because of provincial legislation, find a safe alternative that does not emit microwave and radio frequency radiation.
• Order the City Health Department to thoroughly investigate the health effects of electro magnetic radiation and recommend ways that Council can ensure better safety for its residents.
• Develop bylaws that will ban Wi Fi and other forms of dangerous microwave radiation from city streets, workplaces, and anywhere that the public has access.

I am a retired police investigator and a victim of electro magnetic radiation. I have spent more than six years learning about the dangers of electro magnetic radiation. I am in touch with scientists, researchers, health care professionals and many victims from around the world. I am a Co-Director of WEEP, the Canadian initiative to stop Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution www.weepinitiative.org . I am the editor of WEEP News, a nightly newsletter that documents news, research and issues involving the dangers of electrical and electromagnetic radiation around the world. Each night it is sent to recipients in many different countries and is often redistributed within those countries. I will gladly provide further information about the health effects of EMR and assist the City of Stratford to ensure better safety.

Electro magnetic radiation within the City of Stratford is probably the most important issue with which you, as Council Members, will be involved. It affects the health and safety of every single resident, as well as animals, birds, insects, and the future of the City. I ask that Stratford City Council discuss the problem in depth and come to a resolution that will make the city safer. I request to address Council on this matter as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Weatherall

weather@golden.net

cc Stratford Beacon Herald
     Stratford Gazette
     Stratford Citizen

Links to Stratford City Hall:

Stratford City Hall - http://www.city.stratford.on.ca/

Stratford Council -

http://www.city.stratford.on.ca/site_stepstocityhall/council_councilors.asp

Entertainment - http://www.welcometostratford.com/

Note - Stratford is a beautiful small city, with lovely people, great restaurants and world renown theatre - The Stratford Festival.

Web site www.weepinitiative.org    e-mail contactweep@weepinitiative.org

To sign up for WEEP News: newssignup@weepinitiative.org  (provide name and e-mail address)

W.E.E.P. – The Canadian initiative to stop Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution

My Life 6 Feet Under Cell Towers

W.E.E.P. News

Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News 

27 May 2010

My Life 6 Feet Under Cell Towers

By Veronica Ciandre

If you told me three months ago not to hold a cell phone to my head or body, and that if I did, to at least have the battery pack facing outwards, I would have listened but it wouldn't have changed my mind.

If you told me to exchange my cordless phones for good old-fashioned corded phones, I would have listened, but it wouldn't have changed my mind, I liked my cordless phones.

If you told me three months ago to use an Ethernet cable with my laptop and keep Airport mode turned off, or to move the WiFi antennae from my bedroom and to turn it off at night or when not in use, or to get rid of all WiFi all together, I would have listened, and then wondered; why would I want to do all of that?"

If you told me three months ago that baby monitors should not be placed near babies or to ask my 14yr. old daughter to text more than talk, and not sleep with her phone or computer on the pillow beside her, I would have listened but still it might not have changed a thing.

If you told me three months ago that the microwave radiation emitted by cell phones, cordless phones, WiFi antennas, cell towers and masts, WLAN and other wireless technology was an invisible culprit causing thousands of people to experience all manner of symptoms from insomnia to high blood pressure, and should be avoided completely or at least whenever possible, I would have listened, but still I might not have changed a thing. After all, the government continues to approve these things, and the mass media tells us these devices are safe.

But before three months ago I hadn't spent more than a month living 6 feet under as well as in front of cell towers that were placed on my balcony roof. Before three months ago I was healthy, vital and slept like a baby. I didn't wake up with numb hands and feet, my body feeling prickly all night and tingling or vibrating almost all day. I didn't spend night after night in a hyper active state, as though electricity was running through me.

Before three months ago I lived in a beautiful home that I loved, it was my sanctuary. I didn't have a hissing or buzzing or high-pitched ring in my ear, known as tinnitus or microwave hearing, mostly when in that home. I didn't get tension headaches ever, or feel like there is an invisible band around my head creating pressure, mostly when in that home. I didn't feel bouts of nausea on a regular basis, sometimes accompanied by a metallic taste in my mouth, and I didn't get dizzy spells.

I wasn't afraid I might have a heart attack as I slept on a makeshift floor mattress in my living room and felt my heart race all night while my body from top to toe became increasingly numb and tingly. I wasn't without focus and direction and unable to concentrate. I'd never gotten shocks touching my bed mattress, home light switches, pots on my stove, and with every stroke of my cats.

Before three months ago my daughter didn't have more than one unexplainable rash that hurt 'in' the skin as she described it, she didn't have headaches or feel nauseous and dizzy in our home, or experience the blood in her hand going cold. She never had sleepless nights.

Before three months ago I hadn't abandoned my home at the advice of someone who could have sold me thousands of dollars worth of products and equipment by convincing me they would alleviate this situation. Instead I was told, "you have to get out of there, if you care about you and your daughters health you're going to have to move".

I had never couch surfed with my 14yr old in tow while tying to maintain some semblance of a normal life or schedule for her.  Before three months ago I hadn't researched everything I could find to educate myself about the real dangers of exposure to microwave radiation, or electromagnetic frequencies. I wasn't fully aware of cell towers and this invisible Wireless web that continues to be woven above all of our heads.

I couldn't tell the difference between a Bell cell tower, a Rogers cell tower, a Globealive or Wind cell tower or a Telus cell tower. I'd never heard of Industry Canada or Spectrum, Canada Safety Code 6, or the Bioinitiative report.

I hadn't spoken to Health Canada, Industry Canada, Canadian Environmental Legal Association, Environmental Health Clinic, Environmental Health Association, The Environmental Protection Office, The Toronto Environmental Alliance, Public Health office, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, my City Councillors office, trying to find some-any answers as to how safe it is to live in such close proximity to a cell tower. So far none of them have told me it's not safe, but thankfully I have better judgement, a body that is telling me the truth, and Liala, Kevin and Magda to confirm what I already knew.

Before three months ago I hadn't spent 15 days getting 2 hours sleep a night because my body was still vibrating all the time, and the rest of the night in tears while feeling like I was losing my mind from sleep deprivation combined with the physical stress of feeling fight or flight 24 hours a day.

I didn't have a clear and unpleasant physical reactions to my cell phone, the usage of cell phones by people in close proximity to me, the touch of my computer keyboard, or the experience of sitting close to the monitor for too long. I didn't feel my legs tingling-and going cold and slightly numb if I spent too much time in the same room as a WiFi station. I didn't feel nauseous and have sharp pains go through my hand and up my arm if I held a cordless phone or a cell phone while in use. I didn't feel nauseous if I sat for too long or too close to a television. I do for now.

Before three months ago I couldn't tell you when I was standing within two to four blocks of a cell tower installation. I never thought twice about leaning on walls or in close proximity to the electrical wiring in a building, or lying on the floor above a basement for the same reasons. I never had to consider the effects of my neighbours WiFi antennas and cordless phone base station broadcasting through any wall that stood between us.

Before three months ago I hadn't heard the words Electro Sensitive or Electro Hypersensitive. I hadn't spent hours and hours on the phone trying to find a good doctor, preferably one who knew what a cell tower was and the possible effects of living 6 feet under or in front of one, only to find that it is nearly impossible to find any doctor at all taking new patients. Unfortunately for me, the ones that were, who offered the kinds of analysis or treatment I needed, cost an arm and or a leg or a plane ticket which I didn't have to spare at that time.

Before three months ago I hadn't slept in six locations over a period of nine days in the middle of a three week period, while trying to find a place where I could get a good nights sleep because even after friends and family pulled the plug on the WiFi, cordless phones, and everything but the fridge, my body was reacting to the wireless technology from the neighbours, emitting through the walls to where I slept.

Before three months ago I hadn't heard of EMF Solutions, Earthcalm, Magda Havas, Jim Vella,  WEEP Initiative, the Electro-sensitive Society, a Qlink, a gauss meter or an Electro smog meter. I hadn't read stories from hundreds of people around the world whose lives have been profoundly impacted by something we can't see or hear (for the most part) but can most definitely feel… by microwave radiation, and electromagnetic frequencies emitting at levels not meant for human consumption, by something we are led to believe is harmless and benefits us in more ways than it bombards us, in favour of convenience and especially someone's bottom line, over our continued health and longevity.

Three months ago my life got turned upside down by exposure to microwave radiation while living 6 feet under and in front of 10 cell phone antennas. I am now preparing to move to a home yet to be found, and challenged by the fact that I have to consider my recently acquired sensitivities more than the location, size, and cost.

There is no doubt in my mind or my body as to when and where this all began. There is no doubt in me at all, that human beings are affected on a biological level by exposure to microwave radiation well below the levels considered safe by Health Canada's Safety Code 6. Hopefully, over time it can be reversed.

A lot can happen in three months, and like anyone else, I don't like being blindsided.

I share this with you not because I expect you to listen, but because I do want you to pay attention. Pay attention to the choices that are yours to make, and especially to the ones that are made for you. Because even if I had listened to every piece of advice in terms of precaution, I still would have had no choice about whether or not I wanted to live in a neighbourhood rife with cell towers... or should I say live and sleep 6 feet under and in front of 10 of them.

Pay attention now, before you have to pay dearly.

Sincerely

Veronica Ciandre.

 

Are cell phone antennas on apartment buildings safe?

Posted February 2010. In December 2009 an array of cell phone antennas was placed on an apartment building in downtown Toronto, much to the surprise of the residents who first became aware of this construction as the cranes moved in. Watch the video and listen to what one woman experienced.

See the video of Veronica at -

http://www.magdahavas.com/2010/02/17/are-cell-phone-antennas-on-apartment-buildings-safe/ 

 

Web site www.weepinitiative.org    e-mail contactweep@weepinitiative.org

To sign up for WEEP News: newssignup@weepinitiative.org  (provide name and e-mail address)

W.E.E.P. – The Canadian initiative to stop Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution