W.E.E.P. News
Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News
26 July 2010
Safe radiation' an oxymoron
July 20, 2010.
http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2676195
Re "Public health risk of Wi-Fi extremely low" (Column, July 2) -
"We are all now taking part in the world's largest biological experiment ever." Keep this quote from Professor Leif Salford, a neuroscientist, in mind when you play with your wireless devices.
"Safe levels of microwave radiation" - now there's an oxymoron. The only safe level is zero. There is nowhere to hide on this planet. Just who decides that we should all assume this risk and be assaulted by the radically increasing electrosmog engulfing the Earth?
The ill and dire effects of radio frequency/ microwave radiation upset our exquisite cellular communications. It is quite possible that every living creature on earth depends on the clarity of this frequency spectrum to flourish.
I do not want this radiation in my body, my home and my environment. Now the school board expects me to give my consent to a daily assault of radiation from Wi-Fi, cell phones and towers to our most vulnerable -our children and their teachers and staff. You've got to be joking? I do not give my consent.
CHARLENE CREELMAN
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.journaldelenvironnement.net/article/le-principe-de-precaution-s-applique-aux-antennes-relais,18307
Traduction (français > anglais) Quick Google translator Afficher en écriture latine
The precautionary principle applies to antennas
On July 23, 2010 by Celia Fontaine
Risks & Health, Politics & Society, Public Health, Electromagnetic waves
The State Council, in a ruling dated July 19, ruled that the precautionary principle is applicable to phone masts.
This is an interesting decision in the eyes of Arnaud Gosse, lawyer of the environment because it allows the precautionary principle to apply even without specific legislation or regulation.
Involved in this case, the installation of a telephone relay tower in June 2006 in the town of Amboise (Indre-et-Loire), challenged by an association of local residents due to potential health risks. On appeal, the State Council considers that the precautionary principle applies even without text to planning law, and therefore permission to install a tower that had been challenged. "Certainly, in this case, the State Council held that evidence of a violation of the precautionary principle is not reported but is still quite a thunderclap? "Arnaud is kid on his blog on July 21.
This decision ends the case "Bouygues Telecom [1], in which the Council of State considered, on behalf of the independence of the laws that the precautionary principle was not applicable to a declaration of work. Indeed, at the time, the charter of the environment and its famous Article 5 [2] defining the precautionary principle was not yet in force. The precautionary principle was applicable only to the planning documents of legal value and not to individual decisions (permit, statement of work ...).
In its ruling of July 19, the High Court said "it is not clear from the evidence that, in the state of scientific knowledge about the risks entailed for the public's exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by antennas of mobile phone base, the mayor of the town of Amboise has tainted his decision a manifest error of assessment under the provisions of Article 5 of the Environmental Charter. " This means, says Arnaud Gosse, in this case the proof of the principle of precaution was not reported.
Déharbe For David, a lawyer specializing in public law and environmental law, "The principle of independence of the laws Planning and Environment has suffered a further decline. He said that decision Announces exceeded constitutional principle of independence of the laws when the environment is at issue. If he also concedes that we now consider that the precautionary principle is directly enforceable without legislation or regulatory "it remains our view a textual nature of constitutional principle, no confusion, we are not witnessing a general principle of law in the sense understood by the Administrative Court.
Attention should be paid to the decision that "the applicant associations, but also - by implication - the operators and the public will have to contribute and encourage the production of scientific knowledge on the subject," according to Arnaud Gosse.
The use of the precautionary principle also continue to raise many problems of interpretation. The ratio of Gest and MEPs Alain Philippe Tourtelier submitted July 16, 2010, assesses the scope of this principle.
It establishes a clear distinction between "care" and "prevention". It reiterates its determination to defend a principle, "as affirmed in the Charter of the Environment, should be interpreted as a principle of action, fully compatible with the idea of progress and duty to research."
Cemagref, in a press release dated July 16, welcomes the report and testified for his part that this principle "has stimulated more research and advanced knowledge of risks. He has contributed extensively to find preventive solutions to identified damage to ecosystems and populations with the use of the environmental policies of governments.
-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------
[1] EC, April 20, 2005, No. 248,233, HH Bouygues Telecom
[2] "When the realization of injury, although uncertain in the state of scientific knowledge, could affect how severe and irreversible environmental, public authorities shall ensure that, by applying the precautionary principle in their fields of powers, the implementation of procedures for risk assessment and the adoption of provisional and proportionate measures to guard against the damage occurred "
+++
Le principe de précaution s'applique aux antennes-relais
Le 23 juillet 2010 par Célia Fontaine
Risques & Santé, Politique & Société, Santé publique, Ondes électromagnétiques
Le Conseil d'Etat, dans un arrêt du 19 juillet , a jugé que le principe de précaution est applicable aux antennes relais de téléphonie.
Il s'agit d'une décision intéressante aux yeux d'Arnaud Gossement, avocat en droit de l'environnement, puisqu'elle permet au principe de précaution de s'appliquer même sans texte législatif ou réglementaire spécifique.
En cause dans cette affaire, l'installation d'un pylône de relais de téléphonie en juin 2006 dans la commune d'Amboise (Indre-et-Loire), contestée par une association de riverains en raison des risques sanitaires potentiels. En cassation, le Conseil d'Etat juge que le principe de précaution s'applique même sans texte au droit de l'urbanisme, et donc à l'autorisation d'installer un pylône qui avait été contestée. « Certes, au cas présent, le Conseil d'Etat juge que la preuve d'une violation du principe de précaution n'est pas rapportée mais c'est tout de même un sacré coup de tonnerre ! », relève Arnaud Gossement sur son blog le 21 juillet.
Cette décision met fin à la jurisprudence « Bouygues Télécom[1] », dans laquelle le Conseil d'Etat jugeait, au nom de l'indépendance des législations que le principe de précaution n'était pas applicable à une déclaration de travaux.
En effet, à l'époque, la charte de l'environnement et son fameux article 5[2] définissant le principe de précaution, n'était pas encore en vigueur. Le principe de précaution n'était opposable qu'aux seuls documents d'urbanisme de valeur réglementaire et non aux décisions individuelles (permis, déclaration de travaux ...).
Dans son arrêt du 19 juillet, la Haute juridiction précise « qu'il ne ressort pas des pièces du dossier que, en l'état des connaissances scientifiques sur les risques pouvant résulter, pour le public, de son exposition aux champs électromagnétiques émis par les antennes de relais de téléphonie mobile, le maire de la commune d'Amboise ait entaché sa décision d'erreur manifeste d'appréciation au regard des dispositions de l'article 5 de la Charte de l'environnement ». Cela signifie, explique Arnaud Gossement, que dans cette affaire la preuve du principe de précaution n'était pas rapportée.
Pour David Deharbe, avocat spécialisé en droit public et en droit de l'environnement,, « Le principe d'indépendance des législations urbanisme et environnement vient de subir un nouveau recul ». Selon lui, cet arrêt annonce le dépassement constitutionnel du principe d'indépendance des législations dès lors qu'est en cause l'environnement.
S'il concède également qu'il faut désormais considérer que le principe de précaution est directement invocable sans texte législatif ni réglementaire « il demeure à notre sens un principe constitutionnel de nature textuelle ; pas de confusion, nous ne sommes pas en présence d'un principe général du droit au sens où l'entend la jurisprudence administrative ».
Il faut également retenir de cette décision que « les associations requérantes mais aussi - par voie de conséquence - les opérateurs et les pouvoirs publics vont devoir contribuer et encourager la production de connaissances scientifiques sur le sujet », selon Arnaud Gossement.
Les usages du principe de précaution continuent de soulever par ailleurs de nombreux problèmes d'interprétation. Le rapport des députés Alain Gest et Philippe Tourtelier remis le 16 juillet 2010, évalue le champ d'application de ce principe. Il établit une distinction très nette entre «précaution» et «prévention». Il rappelle sa volonté de défendre un principe qui, « tel que posé dans la Charte de l'Environnement, doit être interprété comme un principe d'action, totalement compatible avec l'idée de progrès et le devoir de recherche ».
Le Cemagref, dans un communiqué du 16 juillet, salue ce rapport et témoigne pour sa part que ce principe « a plutôt stimulé les travaux de recherche et a fait progresser la connaissance des risques. Il a très largement concouru à la recherche de solutions préventives aux dommages identifiés sur les écosystèmes et les populations à l'usage de la politique environnementale des pouvoirs publics ».
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plug pulled on smart meter plan
A new Post "1285: Victorian Govt admits smart meters increase electricity bills" was written on the July 25, 2010 at 11:48 am on "EMFacts Consultancy". It is interesting that while smart meters are being promoted as a way for consumers to save on their electrical usage it looks like the meters actually increase electricity prices, according to the state government of Victoria, Australia.
Don
*Plug pulled on smart meter plan*
Link:
Also see: The Age Plug pulled on smart meter plan PAUL AUSTIN March 23, 2010
Link:
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/plug-pulled-on-smart-meter-plan-20100322-qrdc.html
THE state government has temporarily pulled the plug on Victoria's $2 billion smart energy meter program. Energy Minister Peter Batchelor last night announced an indefinite moratorium on the rollout of the new technology to every home across the state - because of concerns pensioners and the poor would be hardest hit by higher electricity prices. Mr Batchelor made the announcement, an election-year embarrassment for the government, after meeting representatives of the poor, including St Vincent de Paul and the Victorian Council of Social Service. He made it clear the government intended to push ahead with the scheme, but gave no indication as to how long the moratorium might last.
The plan to install smart meters in all 2.5 million Victorian homes and small businesses over the next four years, and introduce a new time-of-use pricing regime, has been beset by controversy.
The government argues the new technology, which can read a household's energy use every 30 minutes, will enable people to monitor their use in peak periods and turn on high-energy appliances such as dishwashers during off-peak times. But charity groups estimate the meters, dubbed "dumb meters" by the state opposition and already installed in more than 10,000 homes in Melbourne, could increase a household's annual electricity bill by more than $250 a year. Victorian Auditor-General Des Pearson savaged the scheme in a report to Parliament late last year, saying installation costs had blown out from an original estimate of $800 million to more than $2 billion. "There has been insufficient analysis to fully understand potential perverse outcomes, risks and unintended consequences for consumers," he said.
VCOSS chief executive Cath Smith last night welcomed the moratorium, saying Mr Batchelor had recognised that people who spend a lot of time at home during the day or who could not shift their energy use to off-peak times could suffer. Ms Smith said the elderly, long-term unemployed and people with disabilities might be hit hardest by the new pricing plan. "It's imperative the impacts of time-of-use pricing are investigated and measures are put in place to ensure low-income and disadvantaged households are not worse off," she said. Mr Batchelor said last night: "We are committed to ensuring the transition to a new pricing structure is managed carefully and sensibly." He promised to regularly review the effect of time-of-use tariffs on families. But he defended smart meters, saying they would help Victorians tackle climate change.
http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/?p=1334
Iris
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Laptop - Wi-Fi radiation may affect male fertility
For distribution from Mast Sanity.
This is another reason why WiFi should not be used in schools. Please forward to teachers, parents, and school boards.
They need to know what effect WiFi can have on students and teachers and they need to know BEFORE WiFi is installed not AFTER the damage is done!
-magda
"The fraction exposed to radiation (from a wifi laptop) had a significant increase in sperm cells with fragmented (broken) DNA,"
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/295085
Report: Laptop - Wi-Fi radiation may affect male fertility
By Igor I. Solar.
+
Buenos Aires - Argentine researchers have found that radiation emitted by an Internet-connected computer resting on the user¹s legs may affect male fertility by reducing sperm motility and fragmenting DNA.
The research, first in the world on the subject, was carried out by experts from Nascentis, a reproductive medicine center located in Córdoba, Argentina. The results of the study will be presented at the 66 Congress of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) taking place in October in Denver, USA.
The researchers led by Conrado Avendaño, a biochemist specializing in andrology, in collaboration with Ariela Mata, reproductive biology specialist and César Sánchez Sarmiento, director of the medical center, among others, demonstrated that the motility of spermatozoa is impaired when these cells are exposed to the radiation from laptops, according to a report published in the Córdoba newspaper ³La Voz² (in Spanish).
For this study, the researchers evaluated semen samples from healthy donors with no history of recent illnesses. Each sample was divided into two equal fractions, which were placed in separate temperature-controlled rooms. One of the sub-samples was incubated under a laptop connected to the Internet, to replicate the conditions that occur when a man places the computer on his lap.
"After four hours of incubation of sperm under the two different conditions, we found that in the sample exposed to the laptop, a large percentage of the sperm cells were affected," said Dr. Avendaño to "La Voz².
The investigator concludes that their study shows that exposure of sperm to the radiation from the device did not kill thesperm cells, but affected their motility.
Further, by evaluating the sperm cells¹ DNA integrity, they found that there was a significant difference between both sub-samples:
"The fraction exposed to radiation had a significant increase in sperm cells with fragmented (broken) DNA," said Avendaño.
The findings are important because previous studies on reproductive medicine have shown that some of the problems in fertilization and embryonic development are caused by damage in the DNA molecules of the sperm.
While agreeing that further research on the matter is required, the researchers advise men to avoid holding laptop computers on the legs, "especially if they are connected to Internet through Wi-Fi."
This research brings new knowledge on the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) on human health. EMF levels from Wi-Fi devices are much lower than those emitted by mobile phones, and there is less public concern on potential health issues for wireless LAN devices. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) claims that if a person spends one year in a Wi-Fi hot-spot, they will receive a dose of radio waves equivalent to a 20-minute call on a mobile phone.
Often wireless access points are in close proximity to humans, but the drop off in the already low power over distance is fast, following the inverse-square law (*).
Nonetheless, the results of this study suggest that when a laptop is operated for long periods, the close proximity to the source of the EMF may affect a male user sensitive reproductive cells causing damage to DNA and reducing sperm cell motility.
(*) The radiation passing through any unit area is inversely proportional to the square of the distance from the source.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Peterborough Examiner 24 july 2010
Wi-Fi researcher has great track record
Re "Wi-Fi fears not based on real science" ( Letter, July 14) –
The recent letter questioning the credentials of Magda Havas, PhD., is a typical "attack the messenger" strategy normally deployed by those with more opinion than knowledge.
Dr. Havas is in fact an internationally respected university professor with 15 years experience teaching about the effects of electrical radiation on humans.
In Simcoe County, where I live, the school board introduced a Wi-Fi system using microwave transmitters and children began to experience an odd collection of neurological symptoms including headaches, dizziness, confusion, and heart palpitations in at least a dozen different schools. Many have sought medical attention but their symptoms only subside when they leave school, and recur when they return.
Dr. Havas was the first one to help us understand what is happening to our children. I agree that this information is profoundly inconvenient, but that doesn't make it untrue, nor does questioning her credentials, which are impeccable.
Perhaps people will recall how long it took to understand acid rain in the 1970s. Back then scientists from the Canadian government also denied the existence of "evidence."
That began to change when one young, independently minded scientist travelled all the way to the high Arctic and proved that the acid rain that was falling in Ontario was different than what occurs in nature and was directly related to industrial pollution.
That young scientist's name was Magda Havas.
Twenty years later, after the effects of acid rain began to reverse, Dr. Havas turned her attention to another little known pollutant harming humans across our country: electro magnetic radiation.
For the parents in Simcoe County whose children are getting sick when they enter a school with microwave transmitters, and only feel better when they leave, it's not taking quite as long to realize that, as with acid rain, Dr. Havas has been right all along.
RODNEY PALMER
Lighthouse Lane
Collingwood
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
