Sunday, November 21, 2010

Scientists Happy to Share Findings / Testimonials / PG&E considers SmartMeter compromise / Wi Fi makes our trees sick / EMF-Omega-News

W.E.E.P. News

Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News

21 November 2010

Health Advocates Invite PG&E CEO Darbee to Wireless Summit

http://newsblaze.com/story/20101118131406zzzz.nb/topstory.html

By Joshua Hart

"No Need to Spy to Learn Health Impacts of Smart Meters- Published Scientists Happy to Share Findings"

Opponents of PG&E's 'smart' meter program today delivered an invitation to PG&E's CEO Peter Darbee at the corporation's Beale St. headquarters, urging him to attend Thursday's high profile wireless health forum at the Commonwealth Club.

Last week, William Devereaux, the Senior Director of PG&E's 'smart' meter program was caught falsifying his identity in an attempt to spy on internal discussions within the EMF Safety Network, a group who have a legal case against PG&E pending at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), alleging health harm from the new meters and demanding an immediate halt on further installations.

The espionage has prompted widespread media coverage, Devereaux's resignation, and an investigation by the CPUC.

Although PG&E would like us to believe that Devereaux was working alone, circumstantial evidence indicates that the spying was known about, and sanctioned at high levels within PG&E. Glen Chase, a Systems Management Professor who has been consulted and asked to speak on the Smart Meter issue by a number of Bay Area municipalities, said: "The complex logistics and granting of authority to transfer a complete fleet of trucks to another location to foil a demonstration would be near impossible to accomplish by a single man. Other PG&E management and operations personnel almost certainly had to know. Otherwise who would have authorized the move, selected a new truck location, reserved the buses to bring in drivers for the trucks, briefed the installation contractor, etc.?"

Thursday's forum, dubbed "The Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields," will feature dozens of scientists from all over the world who have published peer-reviewed research in scientific journals. Their findings include a variety of health problems from the same type of radiation that is being emitted by new wireless 'smart' meters.

"It is not necessary for PG&E to spy on our discussion groups to find out how 'smart' meters are hurting California families." Said Joshua Hart Director of Stop Smart Meters! "Scientists from all over the world will be happy to share their published, peer-reviewed findings that even low levels of microwave radiation have been linked with nausea, dizziness, and headaches, some of the many symptoms that people throughout the state are reporting after 'smart' meters are installed."

Nearly two dozen California cities and counties have demanded a halt to the program. Yesterday, the Division of Ratepayer Advocates (DRA), the consumer advocacy arm of the CPUC, blasted the appointed Commission for failing to hold hearings on the health impacts of 'smart' meters. The DRA commented: "Unless the public's concerns can be put to rest, there is a very great risk that PG&E's SmartMeter deployment will turn out to be a $2.2 billion mistake that ratepayers can ill afford."

Members of the media (as well as Peter Darbee) are invited to hear the testimony of ordinary Californians who have been suffering health impacts from wireless 'smart' meters at the conclusion of Thursday's Commonwealth Club Event, which is planned for this Thursday, November 18th from 11:15am to 4:30pm at the Commonwealth Club, 595 Market St. 2nd Floor. Look for "Smart Meter Not Here" signs in the Commonwealth Club lobby at 4:30pm.

Interviews with 'smart' meter victims can also be arranged independently by contacting Joshua Hart, Director of Stop Smart Meters! at 831 440 9814 or joshuanoahhart@gmail.com

Smart Meter Health Testimonials

SA, San Clemente CA
The very first symptom was my husband and I noticed that both of our ears were ringing. (The meter was located directly outside of our bedroom wall behind our headboard.)

Waking up feeling heavy crushing pressure on our chests, rapid heart palpitations, waking up at night at the precise same time for weeks (like 1:23 a.m.) emotions unstable constant agitation, red bumps, rashes, and thermal burns on face, strained speech, difficulty speaking or loss of words, poor memory, painful inflammation of ear canals due to cell phones, (especially blackberries and iPhones, within 150 feet from me), dect phones, wifi, electrified outlets, refrigerators, and other electromagnetic fields.

Sensation that the left hemisphere of my brain was actually being cut or splitting in two, back of skull feels electrified, back of tongue feels electrified, electric shocks through my eyes, legs and feet. Brain feels like mush, cannot communicate or articulate well, dry cough around cell phones and wifi.

A.E. , San Diego

It started with the aches and pains, the super dry lips and a loud squealing in my right ear. Even my teeth hurt. Then the buzzing sound intermittently mixes with the high pitch squealing noise in my ear, followed by extreme exhaustion or fatigue in random parts of the day or evening, to where I couldn't even stand. The headaches make me feel like I want to die. I can't sleep until 5 or 6 am and pop back up at 7 am. I am nauseas, and my ear in is extreme pain. I have feelings as if the ground or furniture is moving or being bumped. I get dizzy and have problems orientating myself when I go from standing to sitting or vice versa.

R.H., San Diego CA

I began having symptoms of head burning and pressure on my chest within a few days. As time progressed the symptoms worsened. I had severe burning in my head and headaches of a new type. I started having palpitations, arrhythmias and flutter. I called SDG& E. Three people including an engineer and the director of the Smart Meter program came to my home, spent an hour talking and photographing the meters. They took no measurements of the radiation, though they said they would on the phone. The next day SDG&E informed me that they would not be replacing the meters with the analogue meters. They assured me that they are concerned about people's health.

By six weeks in, my cardiac symptoms were so severe and erratic that I had to move out. I rented an apartment, which turned out to be unsafe as well. The Smart Meters are everywhere. With the intensification of my symptoms, I have become EMF/RF sensitive and now have the above problems around cell towers, Wi-Fi and other sources, accompanied by skin rashes and burning. I am being evaluated by a cardiologist. I have always had a strong, healthy heart, even told so by doctors. The cardiologist has sent me for an evaluation by a neurologist as well.

Five people have reported symptoms in my home: My father has experienced headaches and visual migraines. My mother reported having pressure on the upper part of her chest and palpitations. One neighbor exposed to these 16 cluster meters is experiencing headaches and chest tightness. Another neighbor has difficulty opening her eyes in the mornings after 8 hours by the meters. Her ophthalmologist could find no explanation. She said she uses her fingers to open her lids. All of the above symptoms have occurred since the smart meter installations. The symptoms are worsening for everyone.

I am running scared living this nightmare. I don't know where to live and fear for my well-being. I already have a prior immune disability and I thought I would be legally protected by the ADA. I don't know where it is safe for me to live. In addition, the financial impact of this disaster compounds. I pay my monthly mortgage and rented a place, which due to symptoms, I cannot stay in. I am not sure that I can rent or sell my condo in good conscience. I am seeking medical care including treatments not covered by any insurance. My out of pocket costs continue to grow.

Stop Smart Meters!

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PG&E considers SmartMeter compromise

David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer

Saturday, November 20, 2010

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/11/20/BUL01GET28.DTL

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is considering options for customers who fear that the utility's new, wireless SmartMeters jeopardize their health, although company representatives won't say what those might be.

"We want those customers to understand that we take their concerns seriously," said PG&E spokesman Jeff Smith. "We're still in a preliminary stage of review, including weighing the costs of any options. We will make this information public in the coming months as we develop it."

Until now, San Francisco's PG&E has responded to questions about the meters' possible health effects by insisting that the devices are safe - and by continuing installation. People who say they are sensitive to radiation from cell phones, laptop computers and other wireless devices have demanded a moratorium on the $2.2 billion SmartMeter program, only to be rebuffed by the company and state regulators.

The issue, however, has not gone away.

A scientific organization that advises the California Legislature on technical issues is expected to release a preliminary report on one aspect of the SmartMeter health debate in mid-December. The consumer advocacy branch of the California Public Utilities Commission recommended this week that the commission, which oversees PG&E, study whether the meters can threaten public health.

The idea that wireless devices can cause cancer and other illnesses remains hotly disputed. But in an interview Friday in the San Jose Mercury News, PG&E Chief Executive Officer Peter Darbee said the company is looking for a "compromise solution" for people who consider the devices a health risk. He didn't elaborate.

For months, PG&E critics have suggested two main alternatives: allowing customers to opt out of the SmartMeter program and keep their old electricity and gas meters, or using SmartMeters that transmit their data through wires. Smith declined to say Friday whether either possibility was under consideration.

Possible risks to public

Michael Peevey, president of the utilities commission, said he had suggested to PG&E executives that they find some way to address the concerns of people who say they suffer from "electrosensitivity." He did not want to say which options he had suggested.

"My personal view is that PG&E ought to consider some means to address people who sincerely believe they're affected," Peevey said.

In July, Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, asked the California Council on Science and Technology to examine whether the federal limits on radiation from wireless devices, including SmartMeters, adequately protect the public. The council sent him an update Monday, saying a preliminary report should be ready by mid-December, and the final version could come in early January.

The council, which draws experts from California's universities and national laboratories, has been reviewing the current literature on advanced meters and wireless health questions as well as soliciting input from specialists in the field, according to the update.

Seeking separate study

Sandi Maurer, founder of the EMF Safety Network, said she was pleased that the council was studying the issue. But she still wants the utilities commission to do its own investigation.

Her group filed a formal request with the commission this year asking for a detailed study of the intensity of the radiation emitted by PG&E's meters and the cumulative radiation exposure PG&E customers could face. The network also wants public hearings on the possible health effects of these devices. PG&E customers have been contacting the network, blaming the new meters for headaches, sleep disorders and painful ringing in the ears.

Maurer said that allowing individuals to opt out of the SmartMeter program wouldn't be enough to protect electrosensitive people, because other meters would still be transmitting nearby.

"It's like, 'We'll do your whole town, we'll just skip your house,' " she said. "That won't work."

E-mail David R. Baker at dbaker@sfchronicle.com.

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Study - Wi Fi makes our trees sick

http://www.readwriteweb.com/cloud/2010/11/study-wi-fi-is-making-our-tree.php

Andrew Goldsworthy  16 hours ago ( response to article)

I live near a park in West London adjacent to a large busy mobile phone mast with multiple antennas. It has been there for over 15 years, and during that time more and more trees within about a quarter of a mile of it have died, not only of the symptoms described, but of various diseases as the radiation saps their immune systems. At present, many more trees there are scheduled to be cut down there because they have been so damaged as to be dangerous to the public. It seems that there is an additional price to pay for our WiFi and mobile phone calls.

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EMF-Omega-News

Dear Sir, Madam, Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,
for your information.
Best regards,
Klaus Rudolph
Citizens' Initiative Omega
http://www.next-up.org/Newsoftheworld/OmegaNews.php
http://www.mastsanity.org/health.html

http://mast-victims.org/index.php?content=news&action=view&type=newsitem&id=2569

http://weepnews.blogspot.com/search/label/Omega%20News
Member of the Buergerwelle Germany (incorporated society)
Protectorate Union of the Citizens and Initiatives for the Protection against Electrosmog
http://www.buergerwelle.de/cms/content/view/57/70/
The High Tech-High Risk Wireless World
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1782/
Magnetic fields have undeniable effect on the brain
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1790/
The Dangers of Cellphone Radiation
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1824/
London 2010: Dr Devra Davis on Phone Radiation
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1796/
STARTLING ADMISSION OF HARM BY MAJOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1787/
Radiation City: Mumbai
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1788/
Lloyd's report explores links between electro-magnetic field (EMF) exposure and asbestos exposure
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1789/
French Ministry of Health: Legislation concerning of the display of the SAR
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1798/
Safety Code 6 Missing Critical Data
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1799/
Debate over safety of wireless grows
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1808/
Among Cell-Phone Junkies, Rash on the Rise
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1800/
Uzbekistan can forbid use of mobile phones by children
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1807/
JAPAN: First law suit seeking removal of a base station on grounds of Harm to Health
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1814/
Mobile internet is bad for trees
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1817/
Smart Meters Draw Complaints of Inaccuracy
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1785/
Mother-of-three from Bushey slams 'shocking' plans for O2 and Vodaphone mobile phone mast near Little Reddings Primary School
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1794/
Maidenbower residents' anger at phone mast outside their homes
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1801/
CHINGFORD: Campaign against phone mast launched
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1806/
Park protest as angry locals battle plans for phone mast
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1816/
Mast for Whittington Park is experiment on our children, says mum
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1820/
Residents raise concerns over power line upgrade
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1802/
Professor cites dangers of airport body-scan radiation
http://www.buergerwelle.de:8080/helma/twoday/bwnews/stories/1823/
Next-up News Nr 1478
http://www.sharenews-blog.com:8090/helma/twoday/sharenews/stories/3310/
Next-up News Nr 1480
http://www.sharenews-blog.com:8090/helma/twoday/sharenews/stories/3335/
Next-up news Nr 1481
http://www.sharenews-blog.com:8090/helma/twoday/sharenews/stories/3337/
Next-up News Nr 1484
http://www.sharenews-blog.com:8090/helma/twoday/sharenews/stories/3359/
Next-up news Nr 1485
http://www.sharenews-blog.com:8090/helma/twoday/sharenews/stories/3360/
Next-up news Nr 1489
http://www.sharenews-blog.com:8090/helma/twoday/sharenews/stories/3401/
Next-up News Nr 1490
http://www.sharenews-blog.com:8090/helma/twoday/sharenews/stories/3417/
News from Mast Sanity
http://tinyurl.com/2vhcbl6
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Note: EMF-Omega News belongs to the Buergerwelle Germany (incorporated society), Umbrella Organization of the Citizens and Initiatives for the Protection against Electrosmog.

Editor and responsible for the content: Citizens' Initiative Omega, member in the Buergerwelle. Buergerwelle Germany (incorporated society), which works on non-profit base.

Our messages are the result of many hours of daily research, roundup and editing. If you would like to support our activity for people around the world with a donation or an aid fund unique or on regular base, you can do it:

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

Friday, November 19, 2010

EHS Connections, Dr. Dan Harper MD / High radiation from power cables / 'Mobile internet is bad for trees' / Electromagnetic Roma Capitale / Research risks of cellphone towers before it's too late

W.E.E.P. News

Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News

20 November 2010

Dear Friends,

I would be very pleased if you wished to make more people aware of the following initiative.

Regards Roger Moller.

EHS Connections #1

Wide-ranging and informative, Dr. Dan Harper MD - San Diego physician with over 30 years experience treating environmental illness, discusses links between EHS, MCS, CFS, Fibromyalgia and other health conditions. Interviewed September 2010 by Roger Moller BSc. - Founder and Principal Investigator at Electric Forester Investigations. This series of 10 .mp3 episodes, totalling 45 minutes, has recently been posted on:                          

http://electricforester.podbean.com

Related Links:

The Medical Perspective on Environmental Sensitivities Margaret E. Sears (M.Eng., Ph.D.) Report to Canadian Human Rights Commission May 2007

www.chrc-ccdp.ca/pdf/envsensitivity_en.pdf 

Pottenger's Cats Francis M Pottenger Jr. M.D.ISBN:0-916764-06-0 © 1983 & 1995 www.amazon.com

University of Calgary: How Mercury Causes Brain Neuron Degeneration

http://commons.ucalgary.ca/mercury/

Power Quality Affects Teacher Wellbeing and Student Behavior in Three Minnesota Schools Magda Havas, Angela Olstad

Graham/Stetzer Filters Improve Power Quality in Homes and Schools, Reduce Blood Sugar Levels in Diabetics, Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms, and Headaches. Magda Havas and David Stetzer

www.magdahavas.com

Dr Dan Harper - The Dangers of Cellphone Radiation

www.youtube.com/watch?v=trJrS_j4TZk

Doctor Sarah Myhill

http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/wiki/CFS_-_The_Methylation_Cycle

Electric Forester - Independent Electromagnetic Surveys & Investigations

www.electricforester.co.uk

http://electricforester.blogspot.com

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Residents protest high radiation in neighborhood from power cables

China Post

According to the non-profit Taiwan Electromagnetic Radiation Hazard Protection and Control Association (TEPCA), the Executive Yuan and Taipower are fearful ...

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2010/11/20/280681/Residents-protest.htm

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'Mobile internet is bad for trees'

Friday 19 November 2010

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2010/11/mobile_internet_is_bad_for_tre.php

Electromagnetic radiation from mobile phone masts and wifi internet is having a negative effect on trees, according to various newspapers, quoting research by Wageningen University.

The reports say researchers subjected 20 ash trees to emissions from six wifi access points over a three-month period and found that the leaves closest to the source withered and fell off. Sweet corn subjected to the same emissions failed to grow properly.

The research was reportedly set up after officials from Alphen aan den Rijn council noticed strange markings and growth patterns on trees in the town, which were not due to a virus or bacterium.

Further research showed that the symptoms, which include strange growths, are prevalent all over the western world. Some 70% of trees in Dutch urban areas have the symptoms, compared with just 10% five years ago when Alphen officials noticed them, the papers said.

Doubts

The TNO institute, linked in some reports to the research, said in a statement it specifically distanced itself from the project.

A TNO researcher was involved in several discussions during the project but the organisation 'emphatically distances itself from the conclusions about the relationship between wifi and plant growth', the statement said.

There are no details about the research on the Wageningen University website.

© DutchNews.nl

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Rome capital  / Electromagnetic Roma Capitale ... but with the cellphone towers !

http://www.unonotizie.it/12403-roma-capitale-elettrosmog-roma-capitale-ma-delle-antenne.php
ROME / 11.18.2010

Environmental pollution electro, breaking news, Rome - The Association of Chronic Diseases poisoning and / or environmental (AMICA), an association based in Rome working at European level to the lower limits of exposure to electromagnetic fields, and the Coordination of Committees Romans Electrosmog warn against electromagnetic pollution in the capital.

A concern is the news today of yet another point Wi-Fi installation of the Province of Rome on Ponte Milvio, a meeting place for young couples who want to promise eternal love. "We can not accept that the province will continue to promote Wi-Fi among citizens, especially among young people, arguing that wireless Internet use does not involve any health risk because this is not the reality of scientific studies," said Dr. Francesca Romana Orlando, Vice President of FRIENDS. "Scientists at the highest level, even in Italy, are discovering that the electromagnetic field emitted by these technologies of wireless communication significantly interfere with the proper functioning of cells even below the current exposure limits prescribed by law, the precautionary principle requires that discourage the widespread use of these technologies. "

"Increasingly, moreover, we are contacted by people who are starting to feel bad since it was installed near their home Wi-Fi antenna or a repeater of mobile phones," added Dr Orlando. The EHS is a condition increasing in industrialized countries and results in pseudo-allergic reactions to electromagnetic fields with symptoms ranging from insomnia symptoms in the skin and mucous membranes (such as itching, pain, warmth, redness, papules and pustules, etc..), headache, tachycardia and cardiac abnormalities, tinnitus, etc.. In some countries, like Sweden and the United States is recognized as functional disability.

The Coordination of Committees against the Romans and Electrosmog FRIEND for months they are asking the Province a policy of caution on the Wi-Fi. They recently also risollecitato the Council to pronounce on the draft resolution to the popular initiative, in June 2005 that he had collected over 23,000 signatures for approval of a real Plan of antennas and a set of regulations for telecommunications technologies.

"In Rome, the pollution emitted by Wi-Fi joins old problem of mobile phone masts, which sees more than 3,000 antennas to offend the skyline of the capital, as defined by the UNESCO World Heritage Site - said today, Dr. . Jose Theodore of the National Coordinating Committees of the Romans against the Electrosmog - It 's the only city in Europe that has this sad record and could be labeled as' the biggest trash electromagnetic Union', thanks to the inertia of successive mayors in recent years that have failed to regulate the proliferation of these wild plants. " "The Admiral. Comunale it is defaulting to 1800 days, because the statute requires the plenary debate within 6 months from the filing of the Draft Resolution of popular initiative," added Dr. Teodoro. "In Rome they never implemented policies carefully to subtract the population to the risks attributable to excessive exposure to electromagnetic fields and this irresponsible myopia has produced and is producing serious damage to the community of citizens, as evidenced by the increase of diseases and leukemia cancer recorded in recent years on
urban area. "

"As stated recently in Rome prof. Olle Johansson Karolinksa Institute in Stockholm at a conference organized by our association on environmental diseases in the House of Representatives, we are all subject to a huge scientific experiment not authorized and even the media should be better informed the public about risks health related to the use of these technologies and the social costs that soon we will have to support for the irresponsible choices of today. "concluded Dr Orlando.

Source: Joseph Theodore
Coordinating committee against the Romans Electrosmog
Tel 347.6643318
Francesca Romana Orlando
Vice President
A.M.I.C.A
www.noelettrosmogroma.org
info@noelettrosmogroma.org
Intoxication Diseases Association
Chronic and / or environmental (A.M.I.C.A.)
www.infoamica.it
amica@infoamica.it

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Research risks of cellphone towers before it's too late

By Daphne Bramham, Vancouver Sun November 18, 2010 9:00 PM

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Research+risks+cellphone+towers+before+late/3852815/story.html

On Monday morning, Janice Evans looked out from her east Vancouver home and saw a cellphone tower only a few steps away from her property line and rising nearly 50 metres in the air.

She couldn't believe her eyes. Evans, her family and neighbours were never consulted, never told that soon they'd be living in the tower's shadow and within range of the low-level electromagnetic radiation that it emits.

"My biggest concern and what the public needs to know is that this [cellphone] field is completely lawless," Evans said. "They can put up a tower anywhere they want to and they're not bound by any city regulation. I can't build a deck on my house without a permit, but they can build a tower."

The City of Vancouver routinely grants permits without requiring neighbourhood consultation if the tower doesn't exceed the zoning height restriction or block protected views. What it doesn't do is keep track of how many permits have been granted; even how many towers exist is unknown.

Industry Canada regulates the towers. But it doesn't require community consultation if towers are below 50 metres, like the one near Evans's home.

In an e-mail, Sara Holland of Rogers Communications, which owns the tower, said the company followed all of Industry Canada's requirements. It's tried to minimize the tower's appearance by painting it dark green like city utility poles and it has a covered top to hide the antennas.

She added that all of Rogers's towers comply with Health Canada's radio-frequency radiation (RFR) standards.

That's no consolation to Evans and her husband, Kelly Warren, who describe the tower as ugly, out of character with the residential neighbourhood and taller than a nearby apartment building.

They're worried that its construction has decreased their property value.

More importantly, they're worried about the health effects.

They're far from alone, despite placating words from the cellphone industry and national and local health authorities.

But a report written by two Americans and released earlier this month on the National Research Council's website said research lags so far behind the furious pace of construction that immediate funding ought to be made available to do that work.

Blake Levitt and Henry Lai wrote that the public in many countries including Canada doesn't have confidence in the existing health standards or the siting requirements for towers.

They note the significant change in cellular phone technology over the past 20 years.

Initially, the systems used longer wavelengths and required infrastructure every eight to 10 miles (13 to 16 kilometres). Now with "digital personal communications systems" that can transmit and receive photos, music and video, towers and antenna are required every one to three miles (1.6 to 4.8 kilometres).

In real terms that means in the United States, there are already more than 250,000 cell sites with thousands of pending applications for more. The report has no corresponding Canadian statistics.

Americans can understand what that means on a micro-level by plugging their addresses into a website ( www.antennasearch.com) to find the number of towers and antennas within a three-or four-mile (five-to 6.5-kilometre radius) radius of their homes.

I plugged in two friends' addresses. Within a 6.5-kilometre radius of the address in Palm Springs, Calif., there are 82 towers, one pending application for a tower and 299 antennas. Within a five-kilometre radius of the address in Portland, Ore., there are 92 towers, one pending tower application and 659 antennas.

Why worry? Levitt and Lai said the only epidemiological research on radio-frequency radiation emissions is "sparse and contradictory." They note it's difficult to quantify exposure because of the amount of RFR from myriad personal consumer products.

But they note that current safety standards are based on the thermal effects of RFRs -- the ability to heat tissue -- but not on subtler, non-thermal effects.

Further, they note that existing research doesn't account for the specific absorption rate.

Research on cellphone radiation, for example, suggests children may be more susceptible to damage. Levitt and Lai concluded that "the same can be presumed for proximity to towers, even though the exposure will be lower from towers under most circumstances than from cellphones."

There's more.

The authors noted that tower emission standards were based on studies of full-body exposures averaged over a short duration (only minutes) and not on the kind of long-term, low-level exposures experienced by people living or working near transmission facilities.

That, they concluded, "raises real questions about the basic validity of predicting specific absorption rates in real-life exposure situations or compliance to guidelines ... at least when one is very close to an antenna."

It may be that there is no grave risk. But we need that research to be done as quickly as possible.

And, even then, it may just be that people are so addicted to the wireless world that they're willing to live with the risk, regardless of how high it is.

dbramham@vancouversun.com

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