Letter to the Canadian Minister of Health, The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq.

Honourable Leona Aglukkaq minister_ministre@hc-sc.gc.ca 

Dear Madam Minister,

Last week I sent you the following along with 3 studies concerning the Blood Brain Barrier :

"In June, 2008,  I submitted a petition to the Auditor General charging Health Canada with failure to acknowledge independently funded scientific research which, by and large, shows harm from electromagnetic radiation at levels drastically below those allowed by Safety Code 6. I asked for answers, which I did not receive, to explain why many other developed countries, like Sweden, France, Italy, Russia and even China have much stricter guidelines which restrict exposures to 1% of what is allowed by Canada's. The respondent for Health Canada stated, in November 2008, that if/when credible studies are provided, immediate revision of Safety Code 6 would be made, and kept reiterating that there is no evidence of harm from levels of exposures permitted by the code."

 

Following are 5 more studies demonstrating severe, consistent and irreversible damage to DNA after exposure to electromagnetic radiation at non-thermal levels. Safety Code 6 does not protect against non-thermal radiation, only thermal. Health Canada maintains there are no "credible" health effects at the non-thermal level. Please look at these studies done by independent, non-industry-funded scientists. 

1) REFLEX Report, (December 2004) Risk Evaluation of Potential Environmental Hazards From Low Frequency Electromagnetic Field Exposure Using Sensitive in vitro Methods, A project funded by the European Union under the programme "Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources" .

"Twelve institutes in seven countries have found genotoxic effects and modified expressions on numerous genes and proteins after Radio frequency and extremely low frequency EMF exposure at low levels, below current international safety guidance, to living cells in-vitro. These

results confirm the likelihood of long-term genetic damage in the blood and brains of users of mobile phones and other sources of electromagnetic fields. The idea behind the REFLEX study was to attempt replicate damage already reported to see if the effects were real and whether, or not, more money should be spent of research into the possible adverse health effects of EMF exposure. They concluded that in- vitro damage is real and that it is important to carry out much more research, especially monitoring the long-term health of people."

2) Diem et al [2005] exposed human fibroblasts and rat granulosa cells to mobile phone signal (1800 MHz; SAR 1.2 or 2 W/kg; different modulations; during 4, 16 and 24 h; intermittent 5 min on/10min off or continuous). RFR exposure induced DNA single and double-strand breaks as measured by the comet assay. Effects occurred after 16 h exposure in both cell types and after different mobile-phone modulations. The intermittent exposure showed a stronger effect than in the continuous exposure.

3) Paulraj and Behari [2006] reported an increase in single strand breaks in brain cells of rats after 35 days of exposure to 2.45 and 16.5 GHz fields at 1 and 2.01 W/kg.

4) Phillips et al. [1998] found increase and decrease in DNA strand breaks in cells exposure to various forms of cell phone radiation.

5) Sun et al. [2006] reported an increase in DNA single strand breaks in human lens epithelial cells after 2 hrs of exposure to 1.8 GHz field at 3 and 4 W/kg. The DNA damages caused by 4 W/kg field were irreversible.

Madam Minister, this makes a total of 8 studies I have sent you over the last couple of weeks all of which show harmful effects from non-thermal radiation. I urge you to send this data to an independent researcher/scientist, one not in Health Canada which has become infamous for its affiliations with the industries it monitors. Please send it to someone who has no connection to the telecommunication industry, either indirectly (using industry journals to publish "studies" to further his/her career) or directly and ask for an objective opinion. If you need references I would be happy to provide a list of names. If you want more studies, tell me how many are needed, 20? 100? 1000? I've got them.

Many people who have worked for Health Canada in various areas have described it as being corrupt, corrupt to the core (as per Shiv Chopra). It is time for this department to be cleansed for the sake of the Canadian public.

I dare Health Canada to look at its commitment to me to amend Safety Code 6 if I provided one credible and to tell me in writing that there is no credibility to any of the studies I've provided.

Failing that, I dare Health Canada to tell me there isn't enough evidence in the 8 studies I've provided so far to invoke the Precautionary Principle, the true Precautionary Principle, not the one that refers to cost implications and risk assessment. The one that says: "When an activity raises threats to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not established scientifically." If Health Canada will not follow its mandate and protect our children and families as it should, and as other countries have, then Health Canada has no reason for being. That department should be done away with. Currently Health Canada is a farce, and a dangerous one at that. It is your job, Madam Minister, to end what has been happening for far too long -- either bring in reliable, capable, independent people who answer to the Canadian public and not the corporations,  or do away with this department.

Yours truly,

Sharon Noble

Victoria, BC

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Health Canada refuses to acknowledge that credible scientific evidence exists which demonstrate a biological effect from radio frequency microwave radiation, such as that from FM or cell transmitters. In response to a petition I wrote to the Auditor General questioning the collusion that exists within HC, with many of its scientists or contributing researchers being affiliated with the telecommunication industry, I was told that should a credible study be found, then Safety Code 6 would be revised.

 

Over the last 2 weeks I have sent 8 studies, 3 for Blood Brain Barrier and 5 for Genotoxicity, to the Minister of Health, Leona Aglukkaq, her deputy minister Morris Rosenberg, my MP Keith Martin, Alex Atamanenko MP for interior BC, plus my local newspaper, and Sarah Schmidt of Canwest News. I intend to keep sending studies weekly.

 

One person writing letters or sending emails will, in all probability, be ignored. But if many people, from many constituencies care enough to write similar letters, we might eventually get noticed. I urge you to write. Use my letter, if you will, as a template. Raise issues and let the bureaucrats and politicians know that we demand change. Some suggest sending registered letters, which require attention. Following is the address for Health Canada in Ottawa, plus the names and emails of the bureaucrats. You will have to find the contact information for your MP and newspapers.

 

I suggest everyone join with me in writing weekly, letting everyone know we are aware that there are dangers to which we are being exposed without concern to our health. We know Health Canada is not fulfilling its mandate and we demand change. We deserve the same protection from EMR as do citizens of other countries. Please join me.

 

Sharon

0915B Brooke Claxton Bldg., Rm. 1526B
Tunney's Pasture
Ottawa, ON  K1A 0K9
Phone:  613-957-2991
FAX:  613-941-5366
Website:  http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Mandate:  The mission of Health Canada is to help the people of Canada maintain and improve their health.

Leona Aglukkaq, Minister
Phone:  613-957-0200
FAX:  613-952-1124
E-mail:  minister_ministre@hc-sc.gc.ca

Morris Rosenberg, Deputy Minister
Phone:  613-957-0212
FAX:  613-952-8422

email: dm_sm@hc-sc.gc.ca

Suzanne Vinet, Associate DM
Phone:  613-954-5904
FAX:  613-952-8422

email: suzanne_vinet@hc-sc.gc.ca

Carolina Giliberti, ADM, Public Affairs, Consultation and Regions
Phone:  613-941-8081
FAX:  613-948-0082
E-mail:  carolina_giliberti@hc.sc.gc.ca

Susan Fletcher, ADM, Healthy Environments & Consumer Safety
Phone:  613-946-6701
FAX:  613-946-6666
E-mail:  susan_fletcher@hc-sc.gc.ca