Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Hunt for stray voltage / Stavanger, Norway / Anti-wi-fi paint offers security / Identification of highly radiosensitive patients may lead to side effect-free radiotherapy

Hour after hour, street after street, a hunt for stray voltage

Posted: September 26, 2009, 10:22 AM by Rob Roberts

By Michael McKiernan, National Post

Five nights a week, three converted Ford trucks weave through the streets of Toronto, checking every nook of the city for leaks in the electric infrastructure that can cause stray voltage.

At the controls tonight is Carl Clarke, a supervisor for Toronto Hydro. He oversees the three trucks and two repair crews on call to deal with any problems they identify. In his long career at "The Hydro," he's been no stranger to night shifts, so after a cup of coffee and an early evening breakfast, he's ready to play into the early hours.

"It's like a giant game of Pac-Man," said David Kalokitis, chief technology officer for Power Survey Company (PSC), the New Jersey firm that owns and operates the detection trucks for Toronto Hydro. "You have a map and you have to colour in all the streets on the map."

Toronto Hydro turned to PSC last winter as part of its all-out effort to tackle stray voltage, because of their experience working with Con Edison in New York, where they operate 14 trucks each night.

Following the deaths of two dogs and the shocking of a child in Regent Park last winter, all 600 Toronto Hydro workers were reassigned to inspect every one of the city's 13,000 handwells, while PSC brought seven trucks to complete a speedy scan of the city. The project wrapped up at the beginning of March with the total bill coming to more than $14-million.

Mr. Clarke has been honing his skills over seven weeks on the job, during which time he has gobbled up the dots on 45% of the city's streets. The project started with just one detection truck, but with winter fast approaching, when wet and salty conditions make shocks more likely, Toronto Hydro added two more and now expects a full sweep of the city to take three months in total.

Then, just like the arcade classic, the game begins all over again. Tanya Bruckmueller, a Toronto Hydro spokesperson, says the detection trucks have become a permanent feature, expected to devour between $3-4 million each year as part of the corporation's regular maintenance budget.

"It's the nature of the beast with contact voltage that you could scan today, but come back tomorrow and find something new, depending on the weather and a number of other factors. Now that we know we have it, it's always going to be there," she said.

Ms. Bruckmueller said the stray voltage hotline still gets about one call per month from members of the public who fear their animals have been shocked and she expects that figure to rise in the fall.

"People are overly sensitive now after the incidents last winter, which is not a bad thing. We always send out a crew, but we haven't detected any voltage," she said.

Mr. Clarke departs Toronto Hydro's Scarborough trouble response site at 8 p.m. and by 8:30, he's close behind the detection truck as it edges down Bathurst Street. Anything over 30 km/h is too fast for the equipment to work.

"The nice thing when you get to 2 a.m. is there's none of this," he said, pointing to the line of traffic ahead of him and the steady stream of irritated-looking late evening commuters passing his slow-moving convoy.

The detector itself is a large white appendage to the back of the truck, dotted with red LED lights along its length and secured by a triangular frame. Combined with the permanently flashing orange lights on top, the truck is a colourful, conspicuous sight on the road.

"When you're driving behind it for hours, it's almost mesmerizing. I had one guy tell me to have them turn it off one night because he thought he was going to go have a seizure," Mr. Clarke said.

Inside the PSC truck, the detector makes a low buzzing noise, not unlike a Pac-Man sound effect. The pitch peaks when an electric field is detected and two surveillance cameras attached to the back of the truck allow the operators to pinpoint the equipment that caused the noise. 

"We're looking for any structure that the public can touch, and get a shock off. We sweep up everything and then pass it on to Toronto Hydro and they deal with it," Mr. Kalokitis said.

That means the sweep has found energized equipment belonging to other utilities, businesses and even private homes. One family got a 1:30 a.m. wake up call when their garage door produced a huge reading on the detector.

"We were scanning a laneway one night and found this door was energized at 100 volts," Mr. Clarke said. "They weren't very pleased, but we have a responsibility not to just leave it. 100 volts could do some serious damage."

The extreme sensitivity of the detector allows the crew to find as little as one volt on a surface within 10 metres of the truck. Toronto Hydro says the Electrical Safety Authority tolerates anything up to 10 volts, but they are reporting and fixing anything more than one volt. Mr. Clarke says there are no typical nights. On a recent quiet evening they found just six instances, but another outing days later caught 17 energized structures on one street.

"If you can fix them when they're low voltage, that's a lot better than waiting until they're higher," he said.

On Bloor Street, outside Varsity Stadium, the PSC truck stops and within seconds, technicians Darnell Howard and Danny Borras have coned off their vehicle. Spreading out with hand-held voltmeters, they test every traffic light, billboard and lamppost in sight, dodging traffic to get a reading on a manhole cover. This time it's a false alarm.

"Not all of them are real, but they're trained to be thorough. There are no quotas," Mr. Kalokitis said as his team clambered back into the truck, ready to tackle their next street.

Photo of Darnell Howard of Power Survey Company preparing to inspect manholes for stray voltage by Brett Gundlock, National Post

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Dear All,

Important information!

"International EMF conference in Stavanger, Norway On November 17th there will be an international conference in Stavanger, Norway. This is an opportunity to hear presentations on electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and health effects. The conference is an excellent opportunity to update your knowledge on documented health effects from wireless technologies such as mobile phones and wireless networks. Please find attached details about the conference including information on how to make a reservation. The final program will be distributed within a week or two. Welcome to a most important conference in Stavanger, Norway."

Best regards
Yours
Olle
(Olle Johansson, assoc. prof.
The Experimental Dermatology Unit
Department of Neuroscience
Karolinska Institute
171 77 Stockholm
Sweden
&
Professor
The Royal Institute of Technology
100 44 Stockholm
Sweden)

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Anti-wi-fi paint offers security

DIGITAL PLANET
By Dave Lee
BBC World Service

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8279549.stm

Researchers say they have created a special kind of paint which can block out wireless signals.

It means security-conscious wireless users could block their neighbours from being able to access their home network - without having to set up encryption.

The paint contains an aluminium-iron oxide which resonates at the same frequency as wi-fi - or other radio waves - meaning the airborne data is absorbed and blocked.

By coating an entire room, signals can't get in and, crucially, can't get out.

Developed at the University of Tokyo, the paint could cost as little as £10 per kilogram, researchers say.

Cost-effective security

The makers say that for businesses it's a quick and cheap way of preventing access to sensitive data from unauthorised users. Presently, most companies have to invest in complicated encryption software to deter hackers.

Speaking on the BBC World Service's Digital Planet programme, Shin-ichi Ohkoshi, who is leading the project, explained how the paint could have many uses beyond security.

"In a medical setting, you could transmit large volumes of data from a medical device, such as an endoscope, to a computer.

You could block phone signals from outside and stop people's phones ringing during the movie.”

Shin-ichi Ohkoshi, University of Tokyo

"By painting a solution containing our magnetic particles on the walls, you would quickly, and effectively, shield the room from stray electromagnetic radiation from outside."

While paints blocking lower frequencies have been available for some time, Mr Ohkoshi's technology is the first to absorb frequencies transmitting at 100GHz (gigahertz). Signals carrying a larger amount of data - such as wireless internet - travel at a higher frequency than, for example, FM radio.

"I'm working on a material that can absorb a larger range of frequencies. We are capable of making a paint that can absorb over 200 gigahertz."

He hopes that soon the technology could be woven into clothing.

"We're not sure about the true effects of electromagnetic waves, in this range, on the human body.

"We're assuming that excessive exposure could be bad for us. Therefore we're trying to make protective clothes for young children or pregnant women to help protect their bodies from such waves."

At the movies

The paint could also provide some much-needed relief during nights out at the cinema.

"Our current mobile phones work at much lower frequencies, around 1.5 gigahertz. But, our material can also absorb frequencies that low, so you could block phone signals from outside and stop people's phones ringing during the movie," he said.

As well as helping to keep the cinema quiet, the paint may also pave the way for higher quality screens.

"Movie pictures are beamed on the screen by the projector at the back of the cinema. But in the future, you could use a data link that works with millimetre waves.

"You would have problems with interference, unless you painted the wall and ceiling of the theatre with an absorbent material like ours.

"In fact, we've had an order from an American company keen to use our ink in its movie theatre - we've just sent them a sample."

'Nothing new'

Some security experts remain unconvinced by the paint.

"The use of electromagnetic shielding techniques are nothing new," said Mark Jackson, security engineer at Cisco UK. "They have been utilised by highly sensitive environments for many years."

Mr Jackson notes that while the paint may block eavesdroppers, it would not prevent other types of hackers or intruders.

"Paint that blocks RF based Wi-Fi transmissions does not in any way remove the need to ensure a robust security model is deployed," he added.

"Surely the thought of having to redecorate a building in order to provide Wi-Fi security is more costly & complex than security functionality available in even the cheapest of Wi-Fi access points?" he said.

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Identification of highly radiosensitive patients may lead to side effect-free radiotherapy 

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-09/eeco-ioh092309.php

Berlin, Germany: An international group of scientists has taken the first step on the road to targeting radiotherapy dosage to individual patients by means of their genetic characteristics, a radiation oncologist told Europe's largest cancer congress, ECCO 15 – ESMO 34 [1], in Berlin today (Thursday September 24). Professor Dirk de Ruysscher, from Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands, said that his team's work might provide the basis for personalised radiotherapy in which, with a simple blood test, doctors may be able to select the optimal radiation dose for a particular patient.

The team of scientists from The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Canada studied a group of patients with hypersensitivity to radiation therapy, drawn from the largest world-wide database available – the European Union-funded Genetic pathways for the prediction of the effect of irradiation (GENEPI) study, which integrates biological material with patient data and treatment specifications. The database included information from more than 8000 European patients.

"Part of this project is the establishment of a sub-database in which very rare patient characteristics are brought together with the hypothesis that their genetic traits will enable the characterisation of molecular pathways related to radio-sensitivity," explained Professor de Ruysscher. "A major problem for radiation oncologists at present is that we are bound by the need to avoid damage to normal tissues. This means that the dose of radiation generally used is governed by the response of the most radiosensitive patients, and this may lead to many patients receiving lower than optimal doses, hence affecting the ability to deliver a higher dose that may result in better local tumour control."

A tissue bank including skin fibroblasts (the structural framework of skin cells), whole blood, lymphocytes (white blood cells involved in the immune system), plasma, and lymphoblastic (immature lymphocyte) cell lines from patients who were known to be hypersensitive to radiation was established from patients in Europe and Canada.

When compared with a control group, also drawn from the GENEPI study, the hypersensitive patients showed either severe side effects occurring at very low radiation levels, or severe side effects lasting for more than four weeks after the end of radiotherapy and/or requiring surgery, or severe late side effects occurring or persisting more than 90 days after the end of radiotherapy.

The scientists identified 33 such patients, 10 males and 23 females, of whom 11 (two males and nine females) ultimately proved to be really hypersensitive to radiation, underlining the rarity of this condition. Their mean age was 61.6  8.5 years (range 49 – 74). One patient had non-small cell lung cancer, six breast cancer, two head and neck cancer and one lymphoma. The radiation doses, the overall treatment times, and the follow-up times all fell within the usual parameters.

"The severe side effects included acute skin reactions, extreme skin thickening or fibrosis, lung tissue inflammation and blindness due to optical nerve damage," said Professor de Ruysscher. "Although radiotherapy is a highly effective way of treating cancer, it is important that we are able to identify the patients who will react badly to it and adjust their dosage accordingly."

Radiotherapy works by causing DNA damage in cells in a particular area so that they destroy themselves. Because cancer cells reproduce more and are undifferentiated (lacking the ability to become a more specialised cell type), they are less able to repair the damage caused by radiotherapy than are differentiated, normal cells which can usually repair themselves. However, some of the normal cells surrounding the treatment site may also be damaged during radiotherapy, and it is this damage that leads to side effects.

Scientists already know that different types of tumours respond differently to radiotherapy; highly radiosensitive cancer cells such as leukaemias can be killed by quite low radiation doses, whereas melanomas need such a high dose that it would be unsafe to use radiation therapy in this case. The finding that individuals, as well as tumours, react differently will enable doctors in the future to target doses even more carefully, taking into account not just the radiosensitivity of the tumour type but also the potential reaction of the particular patient to treatment.

"We hope that the EU will fund a successor project to elucidate genetic pathways in combination with other patient data so that we can make predictive models that can be implemented in standard clinical practice," said Professor de Ruysscher. "We believe that, if we can understand what it is going on at a molecular level, we may be able to develop a blood test that will allow us to know precisely how an individual patient will react to radiotherapy, and to target the dose accordingly. Such personalised treatment will be a major advance, allowing us to minimise both radiotherapy doses and unpleasant side effects, while treating the tumour in the most effective way possible. Perhaps even more importantly, it will enable us to give higher doses to many patients and hence improve control of their tumours."

###

Abstract no: 2007, Radiotherapy and Radiobiology session, Thursday 10.45 hrs CEST (Hall 15.3)
[1] ECCO 15 – ESMO 34 is the 15th congress of the European CanCer Organisation and the 34th congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology.

(From Linda)

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Translation of Italian TV News Video of deformed farm animals / Ontario files $50-billion suit against tobacco manufacturers

Hello Martin.

I made contact with an acquaintance here in Las Vegas who recently came over from Italy. She was kind enough to watch the video several times and translate it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6N40k87lug

The first part she could not make out due to the quality (or lack thereof) of the video and the dialect being spoken.  She said that she lived in that area for a long time, so she was very upset about the video showing the damage being caused to those animals in an area she knows well.

She also told me: "My grandmom, my mom and my uncle have Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, and apparently also my grandfather died from a brain tumor (this was never entirely cleared).  They lived all their life in front of a big TV repeater, at less than 50 yards distance from it. I also lived around it for about 20 years".

My comments: Those cellular antenna showing on the photo she sent me were added to the tower some time ago when cell phones were introduced in Italy (in a BIG way).  She said the cell phone companies are VERY powerful in Italy and they "spin" the news (just like everywhere, it seems) and get the media to studiously avoid mentioning the cell phone and cell tower connection to all the illness/symptoms, instead blaming it on TV antenna (which may be adding to the lack of sleep problem).  You can spot at least 6 cell phone antenna on the tower. I have attached her translation (from Italian to English) for your use and circulation.

Ken

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Translation of Italian TV News Video of deformed farm animals in a small town:

A woman says: "Show the animal in the camera, show its deformed feet."

A man: "Then we'll move it and we'll film the other two."

TG News: "The long nights of Volturino, the place where nobody ever sleeps. Somebody says it's all to blame on the electrosmog. In Apulia there is a place, Volturino, near Foggia, where a lot of people suffer from insomnia. Some people say it is due to all the antennas and the TV repeaters around here.

The reporter: "This is a little neat village on the Daunian Subappennines, and it has been renamed as "the village which never sleeps". Its name is Volturino, near Foggia."

A woman: "I am awake all night, and I have a migraine, but when I go to Rimini (Northern Italy) I sleep fine, and I don't have high blood pressure there."

The insomnia is not due to the many nightclubs, then. The University of Bari provided the data obtained from a study that lasted 2 years, about the problem these people are having in this place. At least 53% of the sample of people studied in this survey cannot sleep well.

A researcher, M.D. Maria Pia Prudenzano, says: "There is also a high incidence of depression and anxiety, but it is impossible so far to determine the causes of these symptoms." This research took in examination people constantly exposed to electromagnetic fields. These antennas can be seen from anywhere in this village of Volturino. There are 140 TV antennas*, and many of them have been erected illegally.

There is no certainty that electromagnetic fields influence sleep patterns but a study funded by the European Community concluded states that they definitely influence DNA and chromosomes. It looks like the inhabitants of Volturino already noticed this, since there is quite a number of cases of these alterations in animals around here.

M.D. Carmine Lepore is a G.D. here. He says: "I noticed a series of behavioral symptoms, that range from insomnia to anxiety and forms of depression that seem to hit children more than other people."

Antonio Gagliardi is fighting against electromagnetic fields since 1986. His association performed measurements, surveys, filled out petitions and sent complaints to the local courts. He says: "We measured between 2 and 5 voltmeters, which by law is considered to be fine, but if you see how many psychodrugs are consumed here, this shows that the parameters used by the law are not correct."

The Mayor of Volturino says: "We, the inhabitants of this village and the surrounding areas, all agree on the fact that we want to relocate these antennas somewhere else."

The M.D. Carmine Lepore says: "We need serious researches, performed with a scientific method, in order to clinically confirm these observations we are making, and make them useful scientifically, also in order to be able to confirm or reject the hypothesis connected to the influence of electromagnetic fields."

[*Note from translator: Cell phones are BIG business in Italy, with an average of 2 cell phones per person, including the children, so in this newscast they mention "TV antenna" but don't even mention the cell phone towers and antenna. Quite possibly the "140 TV antenna" mentioned are in actuality mostly cellular phone towers (base stations) and relay antenna. In the video, that was a cell phone tower with several antenna (or mobile telephone "mast" as they often call them in Europe) shown closest to the farm with all the deformed animals.]

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How big will the cell phone suit be? 

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Ontario files $50-billion suit against tobacco manufacturers

Andrea Hopkins

http://www.globeinvestor.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090929.wtobac0929/GIStory/

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Toronto — Ontario said on Tuesday it has filed a lawsuit seeking $50-billion in damages from tobacco companies for health care costs incurred by taxpayers since 1955.

In doing so, Ontario became the third of Canada's 10 provinces to sue the country's tobacco manufacturers, all of which are units of foreign tobacco makers, including Philip Morris International Inc., British American Tobacco PLC and Japan Tobacco Inc.

The lawsuit by Ontario was planned under legislation passed earlier this year, and seeks damages for past and ongoing health care costs.

Ontario says tobacco use costs the province $1.6-billion a year for health care and causes about 13,000 deaths annually. It said smoking is the province's No. 1 cause of illness and premature death.

The legislation allows Ontario to directly sue tobacco companies for alleged wrongdoing and allocates liability among tobacco companies by market share.

A spokesman for Imperial Tobacco Canada Ltd., Canada's leading tobacco company and a wholly owned unit of British American Tobacco, said the Ontario lawsuit made no sense, given that the product is legal, regulated and taxed by the government.

"It's a little bit hypocritical to sue the legal tobacco manufacturers when the governments have been a partner of the industry for many decades now," spokesman Eric Gagnon said.

"They are the ones that legislate the industry. We operate, we do a legal product. [They also] collect billions of dollars in taxes, so to turn around today and sue the legal industry makes no sense whatsoever," Mr. Gagnon said.

He said Canadian governments collected $7-billion in taxes from tobacco in fiscal 2008-09, which ended in March. He said taxes make up 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the price of a pack of cigarettes in Canada.

Tobacco opponents applauded the long-awaited lawsuit.

"We're very pleased by this announcement – it is very significant. The tobacco industry has been engaged in decades of wrongful behaviour in Ontario and Canada and they need to be held to account," said Rob Cunningham, senior policy analyst at the Canadian Cancer Society.

"We see these lawsuits as being important to reform tobacco industry behaviour so they will not repeat the wrongs of the past. It is a question of justice," Mr. Cunningham said.

British Columbia and New Brunswick have already launched similar suits – B.C. has a 2011 trial date – but the move by Ontario is significant because most provinces are preparing similar suits, Mr. Cunningham said.

"Ontario being most populous province I think is going to influence the actions of the other provinces," he said.

All but two provinces have created legislation to lay the groundwork for similar lawsuits.

After years of battling lawsuits, Big Tobacco in 1998 agreed to pay U.S. states more than $200-billion (U.S.) to help pay for the costs of treating ailing smokers.

The Ontario case is expected to take years to resolve. Mr. Gagnon said Imperial Tobacco would not settle the Ontario case out of court.

© The Globe and Mail

Monday, September 28, 2009

Porto Alegre Resolution / Youtube Senate hearing / Cindy Sage Interview / Cell phone safety? / Conseil de presse / Not outside their home

Porto Alegre Resolution on Nonionizing Radiation Health and Environment

On behalf of the sponsors and organizers of the"International Workshop on Non-Ionizing Radiation, Health and Environment"  which took place on May 18 and 19, 2009, in Porto Alegre, Brazil, we announce the release of the Porto Alegre Resolution. It was initially dated September 15, 2009. This resolution presents the most recent scientific consensus view on the state of EMF science and gives their call for public policy and other solutions. See resolution attached and inserted below.

Dr. Alvaro A. de Salles and Dr. Geila Vieira, MD were the lead organizers. The conference sponsors included the Pan American Health Organization, the Brazilian Health Ministry and the International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety

For more information on the Porto Alegre conference, including a complete record of the proceedings, see www.icems.eu under "Workshops."

This resolution and a video recording of the entire conference will be added to the ICEMS website soon.

We invite concerned scientists, advocates, organizations and any members of the general public who want to support this resolution by adding their names to contact ICEMS

atinfo@icems.eu

Regards,
Elizabeth Kelley, M.A. International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety www.icems.euinfo@icems.eu

________________________________
The Porto Alegre Resolution

          We, the undersigned scientists, were honored to participate in a workshop organized by the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and the Public Ministry of Rio Grande do Sul and sponsored by the Brazilian Health Ministry, the International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety, the Porto Alegre Environmental Council (COMAM/PA), the Rio Grande do Sul Center for Health Vigilance (CEVS/RS) and others, entitled, "International Workshop on Non-Ionizing Radiation, Health and Environment" which took place on May 18 and 19, 2009, in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

          This resolution follows several international resolutions agreed to by concerned scientists and medical doctors over the past decade, including resolutions developed by the International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety [1], based on evidence and consideration on documents such as the BioInitiative Report [2] and a special issue of the journal Pathophysiology on electrical and magnetic fields, published in August 2009 [3].

         We agreed that the protection of health, well-being and the environment requires immediate adoption of the Precautionary Principle, which states, "when there are indications of possible adverse effects, though they remain uncertain, the risks from doing nothing may be far greater than the risks of taking action to control these exposures. The Precautionary Principle shifts the burden of proof from those suspecting a risk to those who discount it", until new scientific discoveries are recognized as the only criterion for the establishment or modification of non-ionizing radiation exposure standards;

          We recognize that, in Brazil as well as all over the world, where there has been an unprecedented explosion in the availability and use of non-ionizing electromagnetic fields for electrical and wireless communications technologies (mobile and cordless phones, WiFi and WIMAX networks, RFID, etc,), as well as major electrical grid and wireless broadband infrastructure changes, this assessment should inform risk management to take proper steps to protect the public from long-term, low-level exposure to extremely-low frequency as well as radiofrequency electromagnetic fields that have substantially increased in the ambient environment in recent years.

          We are concerned about the body of evidence that indicates that exposure to electromagnetic fields interferes with basic human biology and may increase the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. The exposure levels at which these effects have been observed are many times lower than the standards promulgated by the International Commission for Non-Ionizing radiation Protection (ICNIRP) [4] and the IEEE's International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety (ICES) [5]. These standards are obsolete and were derived from biological effects of short-term high intensity exposures that cause health effects by temperature elevation and nerve excitation discovered decades ago. Recent research indicates that electromagnetic fields could cause detrimental health effects even at very low levels of exposure. The ICNIRP and IEEE/ICES standards are being supported and promoted by interested parties to avoid precautionary technical planning, precautionary laws, and precautionary advice to the public.

          We are deeply concerned that current uses of non-ionizing radiation for mobile phones, wireless computers and other technologies place at risk the health of children and teens, pregnant women, seniors and others who are most vulnerable due to age or disability, including a health condition known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity. We strongly recommend these precautionary practices:

1.      Children under the age of 16 should not use mobile phones and cordless phones, except for emergency calls;

2.      The licensing and/or use of Wi-Fi, WIMAX, or any other forms of wireless communications technology, indoors or outdoor, shall preferably not include  siting or signal transmission in residences, schools, day-care centers, senior centers, hospitals or any other buildings where people spend considerable time;

3.      The licensing for siting and installation of infrastructure related to electrical power and wireless broadband telecommunications, particularly, cellular telephony, Wi-Fi and WIMAX, should only be approved after open public hearings are held and approval granted with full consideration given to the need to apply the Precautionary Principle. Sensitive areas should be avoided to protect vulnerable populations;

4.      Mankind shall be encouraged to continue to discover new means of harnessing non-ionizing electromagnetic energy, aiming at bringing benefits to society, through definition of new standards of human exposure, which are based on the biological realities of nature and not solely on the consideration of economic and technological needs.

We, therefore, urge all nations to join Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, Russia China, the U.S. (for the FCC standard for partial exposure of the head) and other countries and regions that have chosen to adopt a more precautionary strategy, aiming to assure more safety to the public while maintaining good service quality.

We make an urgent call to all nations to convene a panel of experts, selected from candidates recommended by civil society groups (not only those preferred by the affected industries) to discuss precautionary technology, laws and advice in order to develop policies that reconcile public health concerns with further development of wireless communications technology such as mobile phones as well as electric power transmission and distribution systems.

Citations:
[1]    Benevento Resolution (2006) and Venice Resolution (2008) at www.icems.eu .
[2]   BioInitiative Report www.bioinitiative.org 
[3]   A Special Issue of Pathophysiology on the science and public  health/policy issues regarding Electromagnetic Fields was published in March 2009. It is the only peer reviewed scientific journal referenced on this list and is available online at: www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09284680
[4]   International Commission for Nonionizing Radiation Protection, www.icnirp.de
[5]  Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, www.ieee.org.

___________________________________
Signed by,
Franz Adlkofer, M.D., Verum Foundation, Germany
Carl Blackman, PhD, CFB, US
Martin Blank, PhD., Columbia University, US
Devra L. Davis, PhD, MPA, University of Pittsburgh, US
Om P. Gandhi, PhD. University of Utah, US
Ms. Elizabeth Kelley, MA, Electromagnetic Safety Alliance, US
Michael Kundi, PhD, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
Henry Lai, PhD. University. of Washington, US
Leif Salford, M.D. Lund Univ., Sweden
Dr. Carlos E. C. Abrahão, medical doctor, Campinas, SP, Brazil
Ms. Adilza C. Dode, MRE, MG, Brazil
Prof. Claudio R. Fernández, IFSUL, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
Dr. Robson Spinelli Gomes, MP/RJ, Brazil
Dr. Sergio Koifman, ENSP/Fiocruz, RJ, Brazil
Dr. Renato R. Liber, UNESP, Guaratinguetá, SP, Brazil
Dr. Anaiza H. M. Miranda, Public Promoter, MP/RJ, Brazil
Dr. Ana Maria M. Marchesan, Public Promoter, MP/RS, Brazil
Dr. Alvaro A. de Salles, UFRGS, RS, Brazil
Dr. Solange R. Schaffer, Fundacentro, SP, Brazil
Dr. Cintia Schmidt, environmental lawyer, OAB/RS, Brazil
Dr. Helio A. da Silva, UFJF, MG, Brazil
Dr. Francisco de A. Tejo, UFCG, Pb, Brazil
Dr. Geila R. Vieira, CGVS/SMS, P. Alegre, RS, Brazil

For further information, or to request that your name or the name of your organization be added to this Resolution as a scientist, a member of the general public or as an organization, we welcome you to contact ICEMS atinfo@icems.eu.

Additional scientific signers to the Porto Alegre Resolution after September 15, 2009:

Magda Havas, PhD. Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Lloyd Morgan, electrical engineer (retired), US
Wilhelm Mosgoeller, MD, Medical University of Vienna, Austria

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Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BresTu5-qs8

Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMkVndmhi4E

Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esCrBbKOjl8

Dirksen Senate Office Building
Capital Hill, Washington, D.C.
Sept. 14, 2009
Appropriations Subcommittee. on Health & Human Services
Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa - Chair
Sen. Arlen Specter
D-Pennssylvania
Sen. Mark Pryor
D-Arkansas
Pt. 1 of 3 - John Ducher, Assoc. Dir. National Institutes of Health
Nat'l Toxicology Program

(from gotemf)

----------------------------------------------------

Tuesday Sept. 29 - Cindy Sage Interview on WBAI Radio show

BioInitiative Report Co-Editor Cindy Sage will be the guest on Tuesday, Sept 29, 2009, at 11:00 AM EDT on WBAI Radio's bi-weekly show "Create Your Healthy Home."  The show's host Doug Wood is the Associate Director of Grassroots Environmental Education, a non-profit based in New York, whose mission is to educate the public about the links between common environmental exposures and human health issues.

(www.grassrootsinfo.org)

The topic for the Sept. 29 show is cell phones.  Doug Wood has prepared this show in order to give the New York audience an update on recent developments in this emerging public health issue.

Go to http://stream.wbai.org/ to listen to the live stream of this show.

P.O. Box 117 | Marshfield, VT 05658 US

(From The EMR Policy Institute)

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Is Cell-Phone Safety Assured? Or Merely Ignored?

As Americans rely more heavily on mobile phones, mounting data hint at long-term cancer risks. Concern and research have been sparse

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32967990/ns/business-businessweekcom/

By Olga Kharif

updated 8:00 p.m. ET, Tues., Sept . 22, 2009

Russ Faulkner isn't worried about whether talking on his cell phone might harm his health. He uses his Apple (AAPL) iPhone even more these days, spending more than 1,000 minutes a month on business and personal calls. "A few years ago there was a study that claimed your alarm clock caused cancer," jokes the 36-year-old, who owns a corporate training company in Columbus, Ohio, and has used a cell phone for 12 years. "Didn't ditch that then, either."

Like Faulkner, most Americans rely heavily on their cell phones and do not expect health problems to result, despite several recent reports that raise concerns about potential risks. Because cell phones emit electromagnetic radiation to make calls, many people worry that radiation can seep into brain tissue, damaging cells and stimulating the growth of tumors.

The amount of time each month that the average wireless subscriber spent talking on a mobile jumped 430%, to 12.6 hours, between 1998 and 2008, according to the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Assn. [CTIA]. As handsets gain additional capabilities, people are increasingly using them not only to make calls but also to check weather forecasts, watch videos, and play games. "The weight of scientific evidence has not linked cell phones with any health problems," the Food & Drug Administration states on its Web site.

The National Cancer Institute echoes that sentiment a bit more tentatively. "Studies have not shown any consistent link between cellular telephone use and cancer, but scientists feel that additional research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn," according to NCI.

Mobile radiation: Like tobacco smoke?

Many oncologists say they limit their own cellphone usage, don't hold mobiles against their ear, and instead use speakerphones, headsets, and hands-free setups. Columbia University associate professor Martin Blank, who has studied the effects of electromagnetic radiation -- waves emitted by devices like cell phones -- on living cells, doesn't own a cell phone. His wife uses hers only in emergencies.

Such precautionary measures haven't caught on with most U.S. consumers, who are using mobiles more than ever. But a growing number of voices in the scientific community and even in Congress suggest that maybe Americans should take precautions because it's better to be safe than sorry. "I am reminded of this nation's experience with cigarettes," Senator Tom Harkin [D-Iowa], said at a Sept. 14 hearing, which coincided with an international conference in Washington on the health effects of cell phone use. Said Harkin: "Decades spanned between the first warning and the final, definitive conclusion that cigarettes cause lung cancer."

On Sept. 9, advocacy organization Environmental Working Group released an analysis of more than 200 scientific studies that examined cell-phone usage and health risks. "It suggests a potential for serious health concerns," says Olga Naidenko, a senior scientist at the Washington group. "We [at EWG] are still using cell phones; we are just taking precautions."

Another advocacy outfit, International EMF Collaborative, released a paper on Aug. 25 entitled "Cellphones Cause Tumors." After assessing the results and methodology of industry-funded and independent studies, it concluded that "studies, independent of industry, consistently show there is a 'significant' risk of brain tumors from cellphone use." The report, endorsed by 43 scientists from 14 countries also warns that "children have larger risks than adults for brain tumors" because their thinner skulls allow radiation to penetrate deeper. Om Gandhi, chair of the department of electrical engineering at the University of Utah, has found that children absorb twice as much energy from a cell phone as do adults. The French government already encourages banning cell phones in elementary schools.

mixed results so far in pending study

CTIA's members include such handset makers as Motorola (MOT) and Nokia (NOK), which have sponsored numerous studies into the issue over the years. The group still maintains that there's no danger: U.S. governmental agencies "have all concluded that the scientific evidence to date does not demonstrate any adverse health effects associated with the use of wireless phones," according to CTIA's Sept. 14 statement. In August, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection [ICNIRP], which consists of independent scientists from various countries, issued this statement: "It is the opinion of ICNIRP that the scientific literature published has provided no evidence of any adverse effects" from cell phone use.

More data should become available this fall, when the International Agency for Research on Cancer is expected to release the results of the most ambitious epidemiological study on the issue to date. The so-called INTERPHONE study, which included 13 countries such as Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and Israel [but not the U.S.], looked at whether exposure from cellular telephones poses increased risk of malignant or benign brain and other head-and-neck tumors. Component studies already released by the participating countries have shown mixed results. A component Danish study showed no increased risk of acoustic neuroma -- a benign tumor of the nerve that connects the ear to the brain -- in long-term cellular telephone users, compared with short-term users. But a Swedish study found a slightly elevated risk of acoustic neuroma in people using mobiles for more than 10 years.

Some experts believe that conclusive evidence as to whether cell phones are safe or not could take decades to gather. A witness at the Sept. 14 Senate hearing pointed out that while a nuclear bomb exploded in Hiroshima in 1945, the first report that confirmed a cause-and-effect relationship between radiation and brain tumors came out nearly 50 years later, in 1994. Certain cancers can take 10 to 50 years to mature, said Siegal Sadetzki, director of the Cancer & Radiation Epidemiology Unit at Gertner Institute in Israel, whose 2008 study suggests a link between heavy cell-phone usage and higher incidence of salivary gland tumors. "At least 10 years [of cell-phone usage] is needed for solid results," she said. Most Americans are just starting to bump against that benchmark.

begun: U.S. study on pregnant rats

Studies of the issue in the U.S. have been rare because funding has been scarce. "I do not have any funds for the last six years because I told the industry [that] children should not be using [mobile] telephones," says Gandhi. Most of the research to date has been conducted in Europe, where patterns of use and wireless technologies differ from those in the U.S. In Europe, for instance, wireless networks use a technology called GSM. In the U.S., carriers use two different technologies, GSM and CDMA, and are quickly migrating to newer ones. "I'd certainly suggest there should be a study on humans," John Bucher, associate director of the Office of National Toxicology Program, said at the Senate hearing -- the second time in two years that Congress has held hearings on cell phones and human health. Harkin, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, promised to find research money.

The National Institutes of Health is currently funding five academic studies on wireless radiation, while the Office of National Toxicology Program is finishing the initial stage of a multiyear study in Chicago that will examine the effects of cellular radiation on rats, some of which will be pregnant. "Animals tend to begin to spontaneously develop cancer as early as 15 months of age," Bucher says. "The whole process is sped up." The rats will be subjected to up to 20 hours of radiation per day, with initial study results available in 2010, and full results three or four years later.

What should consumers do meanwhile? EWG's Naidenko recommends buying cell phones that emit the lowest amount of radiation. Although all of today's phones adhere to standards set by the Federal Communications Commission, some cell phones emit radiation levels eight times higher than others, according to EWG, which examined more than 1,000 cell phones.

Other experts suggest that people shouldn't use their phones when reception is poor, as the devices crank up energy levels to compensate. They also recommend that callers wait a moment after dialing a number before placing the device to their ear, and not to talk while driving, when a phone signal must jump between wireless towers. [Radiation is highest when a connection with a wireless tower is first established.] Naidenko also recommends that consumers lobby the FCC to review the issue and change its technical requirements for mobile devices.

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Communiqué de presse

Conseil de presse du Québec vs le «Pouvoir Infini» ( Vidéotron-Quebecor)

Le SEMO avait porté plainte auprès du Conseil de presse à l'effet que la publication à la première, deuxième et troisième pages du Journal de Montréal de photos d'enfants utilisant des téléphones cellulaires constituait de la publicité pour des téléphones cellulaires auprès des enfants.

Le Conseil de presse, dans la décision D-2009-03-056 du 18 septembre 2009, ne considère pas que cela constitue de la publicité auprès des enfants, le lien entre la direction du Journal de Montréal et Vidéotron n'ayant pas été établi à sa satisfaction.

Ce faisant le Conseil a refusé la plainte du collectif SEMO dénonçant la publicité déguisée, le conflit d'intérêts et l'absence de mention des risques pour la santé des enfants. Le Conseil a refusé de défier le «Pouvoir Infini» de Quebecor…

La convergence médiatique au service de «distractions culturelles» est une chose. La convergence pour la négation d'une problématique sanitaire sérieuse en est une autre (effets des micro-ondes des communications sans fil sur les enfants) et se doit d'être dénoncée haut et fort.

La problématique des effets des micro-ondes est réelle dans notre société moderne. Le constat scientifique d'effets néfastes sur la santé existe et les appels à la prudence des autorités sanitaires viennent de partout. Le dernier en lice provient de la directrice de l'agence européenne de l'environnement, Mme. Jacqueline Mc Glade, (conférence «Cell Phones and Health: Science and Public Policy»- 15 sept. 2009 Washington)

«… The evidence is now strong enough, using the precautionary principle,  to justify the following steps: 

1.     For governments, the mobile phone industry, and the public to take all reasonable measures to reduce exposures to EMF, especially to radio frequencies from mobile phones, and particularly the exposures to children and young adults who seem to be most at risk from head tumours.…»

À défaut du Conseil de Presse, le collectif SEMO espère que la Santé publique du Québec, dénoncera prochainement cette situation, dans son rapport à venir cet automne, en émettant une mise en garde concernant l'utilisation des technologies de communication sans fil par les jeunes, et du même souffle limiter la publicité directe et indirecte pour les enfants.

Au cours des derniers mois, seules des publications indépendantes ont abordé ce sujet:

· Le journal La Semaine (!) a publié le 5 septembre un bon dossier intitulé «Le danger des ondes qui nous entourent».

· Le SEMO salue le courage de la rédaction du Quotidien MÉTRO qui a publié le 10 septembre un excellent article sur le sujet; à l'intérieur des 24 premières pages de cette édition où on retrouvait pas moins de sept pages de publicité pour les cellulaires…

· De plus dans cet article, les responsables de la partie canadienne de l'étude internationale Interphone avouaient qu'il travaillait très fort pour invalider le lien prouvé par d'autres pays entre l'utilisation intensive du cellulaire et le cancer… (Cette étude est financée par les cies de cellulaire et la publication des résultats est retardée depuis 4 ans par le Canada...)

http://www.journalmetro.com/ma%20vie/article/306254--le-cellulaire-est-il-la-cigarette-de-l-an-2000

Voici un résumé des dossiers pour des cies convergentes:

  • Le Devoir, distribué par Quebecor, n'a jamais publié un seul article faisant état de cette problématique;
  • Dans La Presse, un éditorialiste a ridiculisé le Principe de Précaution pour les enfants utilisant les communications par micro-ondes; (Mario Roy, 25 mai 09)
  • La revue Actualité, propriété de Rogers, n'a jamais publié un dossier sur la contestation au Québec des antennes relais près des maisons et des écoles., écrit en avril 2009 par leur chroniqueuse régulière en matière de santé.

Enfin, voici un lien pour un excellent article de l'émission de CBC Market Place : «Aucun Principe de Précaution pour les enfants au Canada»

http://www.cbc.ca/marketplace/2009/generation_cellphone/main.html

La société du Québec est-elle d'accord avec cette situation ?

Les leaders d'opinion de notre société doivent-ils se prononcer sur ce sujet ?

Décision du conseil de presse, références et autres nouvelles sur le site Internet "dangersemo.com "

---Merci de faire circuler ce communiqué aux personnes intéressées---

Pour plus d'informations,

François Therrien

450 471 8371

Porte-parole du collectif SEMO

ftherrien@aei.ca

Site internet http://www.dangersemo.com/

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Not outside their home

Monday, 28 September 2009

http://www.times.co.nz/cms/news/2009/09/not_outside_their_home.php

By MARIANNE KELLY

ROWAN HEGLEY.

ROWAN HEGLEY.

• Howick and Pakuranga Times

FOUR years of house renovations and $10,000 worth of building extension planning have come to nothing for a devastated couple who say they're forced to move now that a cellphone mast is to go in front of their house.

Manukau City Council's approval of a 2degrees site outside 145 Clovelly Road, Bucklands Beach has left Rowan and Tina Hegley "extremely upset".

"We're devastated that we can't go ahead with our building extension," says Mr Hegley. "Our children's bedroom would end up 12m from the antenna.

"It's a disgrace," he says. "The vote should have been done on moral grounds, but [Manukau Mayor] Len Brown ignored his public.

"They [the city councillors] have destroyed our lives. We've got five children we're trying to accommodate. We're gutted. How can humans do that? They don't care."

While health issues around cellphone masts are in a grey area, Mrs Hegley says many studies have shown implications.

"We can't extend because I will never take that risk with our children. So the council's decision forces us to move.

"We have five children who all walk to school. Now the dynamics of the family will change. We can't afford a six-bedroom house on the peninsula."

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Milham Paper / Response to a press release by the UK Health Protection Agency / Letter to the Editor: cell phone tower harm

Attached is the latest peer reviewed scientific paper by Sam Milham on the adverse affects of electrification.

Dave

 

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Hi Martin,

I am pasting in a copy of my response to a press release by the UK Health Protection Agency that said that Wi-Fi was safe for use in schools. It can also be found at

http://www.mast-victims.org/resources/docs/HPA-Wifi-press-release-comments-dr-andrew-goldsworthy.pdf

It contains, amongst other things, a summary of the mechanisms underlying many of the electromagnetically-induced disorders as well as an indication of how digital telecommunications could be made safer. The big question is, why is nobody trying to do this?

Andrew

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Press Release by the Health Protection Agency on 15th Sept 2009 entitled "Scientist probe laptops Wi-Fi Emissions.

Comments by Andrew Goldsworthy on 20th Sept 2009

The following quote from the notes to editors is muddled and deeply misleading.

"There is no consistent evidence to date that exposure to RF signals from Wi-Fi and WLANs adversely affect the health of the general population".

It is muddled because it confuses two completely separate issues.

1. Is there any evidence that Wi-Fi is harmful to health?

The answer to this is DEFINITELY YES.

2. Is the whole population affected?

The answer to this is SEEMINGLY NOT.

It is misleading because it is written in such a way as to imply that Wi-Fi is safe for EVERYONE and there is no reason why it should not be used universally in schools. What about the health of the students and staff who are affected? Do they not care?

The use of the word "consistent" in the quote is also worrying since it suggests that physicists and engineers, possibly from the mobile phone and Wi-Fi industries, rather than biologists and health experts, are in control.

No trained biologist or medical practitioner would ever expect the same level of consistency from experiments with complex living organisms as is possible with simple physical systems.

Apart from identical twins, each one of us is genetically and physiologically unique and we do not all respond in the same way to metabolic insults. Not everyone who smokes dies of cancer, and we do not all suffer the same side effects from taking a medicinal drug. Even the same person may not be equally susceptible all of the time. For example, if we are ill, our resistance to further infections is usually lowered. Anyone who says that we must all show the same response to electromagnetic radiation before its effects can be regarded as real must have a very limited knowledge of biology. They are certainly not qualified to sit in judgement on important health issues that are likely to affect billions of people worldwide, let alone the health of unsuspecting UK school children and staff who have no choice.

Not every country agrees on the Safety Guidelines

The press release is also misleading when it says that the electromagnetic radiation from wireless laptops and mobile phones fall within internationally agreed Safety Guidelines. It says nothing about the fact that THESE GUIDELINES ARE NOT UNIVERSALLY AGREED and many other countries such as Russia, China, Italy, Switzerland and the USA (i.e. much of the industrialised world) are much more cautious than the UK, and set their safety limits between ten and one thousand times lower

(www.bioinitiative.org ).

These guidelines do not include non-thermal effects

The guidelines that the UK Health Protection Agency refers to are based on those proposed by ICNIRP, using research that is at least a decade out of date. In particular, they make the assumption that the only way that non-ionising radiation can damage living cells is due to its heating effect.

They do not include the direct electrical effects on cell membranes, which can occur at radiation levels that are hundreds or even thousands of times lower.

It just should not have happened

Many of these non-thermal effects are catalogued in the Bioinitiative Report, which was drawn up by a team of expert scientists in 2007. They examined over two thousand peer-reviewed scientific papers on the effects of non-ionising radiation and found that over two thirds of them showed some sort of biological effect that could not be explained by heating (www.bioinitiative.org ). Not all were directly concerned with health, but if the ICNIRP guidelines were valid, none of them should ever have occurred.

We cannot therefore assume that radiation that falls within the ICNIRP guidelines is necessarily safe.

What causes these non-thermal electrical effects?

Most of the non-thermal effects of electromagnetic radiation can be explained in terms of the leakage of cell membranes following the electromagnetic removal of structurally important calcium ions. It has been known since the work of Suzanne Bawin and her co-workers in 1975 (Bawin et al. 1975. Ann. N.Y. Acad Sci, 247: 74-81) that otherwise harmless radio waves could remove calcium ions from brain cell membranes when they were amplitude modulated at a low frequency; i.e. when the strength of the radio signal rose and fell in time with the low frequency.

These experiments have been repeated many times and also with other tissues such as heart muscle (For a review, see Blackman 2009. Pathophysiology, 16: 205-216).

The general conclusion from these and many similar experiments is that low frequency electromagnetic fields, or radio waves that are amplitude modulated at a low frequency, can remove calcium ions from the membranes of some but not all kinds of living cells. Pulses are more effective than sine waves, possibly because their sharp rise and fall times are more effective at jerking the calcium away from the membrane and also allow more time for it to be replaced by other ions before the field reverses.

Pulses carried by microwaves should be particularly effective because the high frequency of the carrier permits faster rise and fall times for the pulses.

The Mechanism of calcium removal

Living tissues can absorb non-ionising radiation and convert it into alternating electric currents, just like the antenna of a radio set. The only real difference is that, in living tissues, these currents are carried by ions (electrically charged atoms and molecules) rather than electrons.

When these currents impinge on cell membranes, which are normally negatively charged, they vibrate like miniature loudspeakers in time with the signal. This loosens some of the positive ions bound to them since they are driven in the opposite direction.

If the signal is strong, all the ions bounce on and off the membrane more or less equally, but if the signal is weak, only the more strongly charged ions, such as calcium (which has a double charge) are pulled off. Ions with only one charge, such as potassium then take their place. Very little energy is needed, since the ions have only to be moved by molecular dimensions and the effect is simply to change the natural chemical equilibrium between the different ions bound to the membrane. However, the effect can be devastating.

Only weak signals do this

Only weak signals can selectively remove calcium in this way. Even then, it can only occur in narrow ranges of signal strength called amplitude windows, above and below which there is little or no effect. The exact positions of these windows are indeterminate since they depend on the nature of the membrane, the availability of other ions to replace the calcium and how well the tissue is acting as an antenna.

Cells are constantly moving in and out of their windows.

Living tissues are dynamic systems and their characteristics, including their electrical characteristics, are constantly changing, which means that they will not always be equally efficient as antennas. Also, as we go about our daily business, our exposure to electromagnetic fields and our orientation to them are constantly changing so that individual cells may not stay long enough in their windows to do significant harm.

However, all this changes when the source and orientation of the field is constant, such as when using a mobile phone or sleeping near a base station.

Some cells may then be in their windows for long enough to do significant damage. The important thing to note is that any assertion that Wi-Fi and mobile phones must be safer than other forms of electromagnetic radiation just because the signal is weaker is both false and dangerous. Mobile phones and Wi-Fi laptops, by leaving individual cells for prolonged periods in their amplitude widows may do more damage than general electromagnetic pollution. Under some circumstances, a weaker signal may even drive more cells into their amplitude windows and make matters worse.

How calcium loss makes cell membranes leak

The calcium ions lost due to electromagnetic exposure were important. Because they have a double charge they have an especially strong attraction to the negatively charged membrane components on either side and bind them together just as mortar binds together the bricks in a wall. However, the ions with only one charge that replace them do this less well, so the membrane may now develop temporary pores and leak. This leakage can then cause all sorts of harmful effects.

The biological effects of membrane leakage

Many of the so-called "modern illnesses" that have increased, sometimes dramatically, in the last few decades can be linked to cell membrane leakage due to our increasing exposure to non-ionising electromagnetic radiation.

More details of these, together with journal references, can be found at

http://tinyurl.com/5ru6e6

but I will outline a selection of them here.

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS)

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity is a condition in which people experience physical symptoms such as rashes and/or a wide range of unpleasant sensory disturbances during or shortly after exposure to electromagnetic fields. It can develop in previously healthy people after prolonged exposure and appears to be largely irreversible. It was first noticed in radar technicians, when it was called microwave sickness, but it has increased dramatically in recent years in the general population. About three percent of the population are now affected in this way, and its incidence often appears to be associated with prolonged exposure to microwave based telecommunications.

Virtually all of the symptoms can be explained by electromagnetically-induced cell membrane leakage. Sufferers are characterised by already having unusually leaky cell membranes as measured by skin conductance. This makes them more prone to the consequences of additional electromagnetically-induced leakage. When their skin cells leak, it can result in inflammation and rashes. When their sensory cells leak, it can result in numerous unpleasant sensory disturbances.

We all have many different kinds of sensory cells, but they all work by "deliberately" leaking ions through their membranes when they sense whatever they are programmed to sense. This reduces the natural voltage across their external membranes, which in turn triggers the release of neurotransmitters that stimulate neighbouring nerve cells to send signals to the brain.

Unscheduled leakage due to electromagnetic exposure can therefore trigger false sensations such as pins and needles, heat, pain and pressure, depending on which cells are most affected. When the hair cells of the inner ear are affected, it can cause tinnitus, which is a false sensation of sound.

When it affects those concerned with balance, it can cause dizziness and trigger symptoms of motion sickness, including nausea. Prolonged exposure to the radiation seems to damage these cells permanently so they become even more inclined to leak and the person becomes sensitised for life.

Brain Hyperactivity

When cells of the brain and nervous system leak, free calcium ions can enter the neurons from outside. In normal circumstances, neurons require a "deliberate" brief inflow of calcium ions to trigger the release of neurotransmitters so that they can send signals to neighbouring neurons.

Unscheduled steady calcium inflow due to electromagnetic radiation makes them more likely to release neurotransmitters, some of which will send false messages. This in turn can trigger brain hyperactivity leading, amongst other things, to sleep disturbances, loss of concentration (giving rise to ADHD) and stress headaches.

Autism

Electromagnetically-induced brain hyperactivity and confused thought during early childhood may cause autism (which has gone up 60-fold in the last thirty years). Basic social skills are learnt during the first 18-months of life, after which they become hard-wired into the child's psyche by pruning under-used synapses. This enables them to become automatic and require very little thought. However, this mass cull of under-used synapses is a normal stage in development that occurs only once at around 18 months. If the initial learning process has been disrupted by brain hyperactivity, many social skills may remain poorly learnt by the time the synapses are pruned, and the child may become irreversibly autistic. Babies exposed to the radiation from cordless baby monitors may be particularly at risk but this has not been tested.

Dementia

Dementia in the elderly also seems to be on the increase, and some of it can be attributed to electromagnetic exposure. Salford and co-workers (Salford et al. 2003. Environmental Health Perspectives 111: 881-883) showed that extremely weak electromagnetic radiation such as that from mobile phones could disrupt the blood-brain barrier and allow unwanted materials, such as albumin from the blood stream to enter and kill neurones. Although the effect may not be immediately noticeable, prolonged exposure is likely to lead to early dementia.

Allergies

All of our body surfaces, both inside and out, are normally protected from unwanted materials entering by barriers similar to the blood-brain barrier, where the gaps between the cells are sealed, forming what are known as tight junctions. There is strong evidence that these too leak in response to weak electromagnetic radiation, which would allow the more rapid entry of allergens, foreign chemicals and other unwanted materials.

This may account for the massive increases in asthma, allergies and multiple chemical sensitivities that have accompanied our increasing exposures to electromagnetic radiation in recent years.

Autoimmune diseases

These include type-1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and celiac disease, all of which are on the increase. This has been attributed to an increased leakiness of the gut barrier (also known as leaky gut syndrome) and may be exacerbated by electromagnetic exposure. It allows particles of partially digested food to enter the bloodstream. From there, they may be engulfed by body cells by endocytosis, followed by an attempt to digest them internally. However, some materials, e.g. gluten, are difficult to digest and may be mistaken for a virus. The cell responds by displaying it on its surface, which identifies it to the white blood cells of the immune system as a cell that must be killed to prevent the spread of the "infection".

This triggers inflammation, which is both painful and attracts more white blood cells to the area, which may make matters worse and results in the death of perfectly healthy cells. Celiac disease is an autoimmune response, triggered by gluten, which causes inflammation of the gut, but autoimmune diseases in other parts of the body may have a similar aetiology.

Effects on internal membranes and DNA

There are at least two mechanisms by which the leakage of the cell's internal membranes can damage DNA. Living cells are divided into various internal compartments by membranes that are all variations of the same basic structure as the outer membrane. From our standpoint, the two most important compartments are the lysosomes and the mitochondria.

The lysosomes are membrane-bound structures full of digestive enzymes that digest cellular waste ready for recycling. Membrane leakage here releases these enzymes, which can digest and damage the rest of the cell, including its DNA.

The mitochondria are the cell's power stations. They carry out the controlled oxidation of materials derived from our food to generate ATP, which is the main energy currency of the cell. This oxidation actually goes on in groups of enzymes embedded in their membranes and involves highly reactive chemicals called free radicals. Damage to these membranes is likely to release of some of these free radicals that can then react with and destroy other cellular components, including DNA. It's like blowing up a furnace scattering burning embers everywhere.

There is even some similarity to blowing up a nuclear power station since, although no radioactivity is involved, the free radicals that are normally locked safely away in the mitochondrial membranes, have very similar activities to those that do most of the damage when a cell is irradiated with gamma rays. Indeed, many concerned scientists have noted the similarity between the biological effects of non-ionising radiation and gamma rays.

Non-ionising radiation should therefore be treated with as much caution as ionising radiation until much more is known about its biological effects.

Brain Cancer

DNA damage has been found in many experiments in many laboratories when cultured cells have been exposed to mobile phone radiation, even for less than a day (see www.bioinitiative.org ). It can therefore account for the brain and other head cancers that we are now beginning to see in people who have been heavy users of mobile phones for ten years or more; with children being at greatest risk (Hardell et al. 2009 Pathophysiology 16: 113-122).

Thyroid cancer

There has also been an unexplained increase in thyroid cancer in recent years (the thyroid gland is in the neck; just inches from where you hold your mobile phone) and may have a similar aetiology to brain cancer.

Mobile phones may make you fat

Another consequence of DNA damage is a partial loss of function in the exposed organ. For example, Rajkovic and co-workers (Rajkovic et al. 2003 Tissue & Cell 35: 223-231) showed that exposing rats to power line frequencies for over three months caused a seemingly permanent loss of thyroid function. If this were to occur in humans as a result of the radiation from wireless telecommunications, we would expect to see widespread symptoms of hypothyroidism, which include fatigue, loss of muscle tone and obesity. It may be no coincidence that about thirty percent of our population is now either overweight or clinically obese (with all the extra risks to health that this implies) and the number of teenagers on anti-obesity drugs has gone up 15-fold in the ten years since the use of mobile phones, DECT cordless phones and Wi-Fi became almost universal.

Effects on fertility

There have been several studies showing that mobile phone use reduces male fertility. One of the more recent, by Agarwal and co-workers (Agarwal et al. 2008 Fertil Steril 89: 124-8) showed that using a mobile phone for more than four hours a day caused a reduction in sperm numbers, motility and viability, each of around 25 percent. The prolonged use of a Wi-Fi laptop computer on or near the lap could have even more serious consequences for male fertility.

Effects on female fertility have not yet been studied but, since all the eggs that a woman will ever have were already in her ovaries before she was born, the cumulative effect could be considerable. All of these effects can be attributed to electromagnetic DNA damage, which could also lead to miscarriages, deformities in the offspring and genetic mutations that may not appear for several generations. Anyone who considers Wi-Fi to be safe should think again.

On the brighter side

We do not have to abandon mobile telecommunications; all we have to do is make them safer by a wiser use of technology that takes into account the vagaries of biological systems. The problems that arise are not due to the heating effect of the radiation. Instead, they are largely due to the way in which the radio signals are modulated to carry information (Blackman 2009. Pathophysiology, 16: 205-216). This makes them much easier to solve just by changing the way in which the signals are encoded. In particular, we need to remove all vestiges of low frequency amplitude modulation or anything that might be perceived by a cell (or a simple diode) as low frequency amplitude modulation.

It is well established that low frequency electromagnetic fields, including those from power lines, can have adverse biological effects. It is also clear that living cells can demodulate amplitude modulated radio signals (including microwaves) to extract the biologically-active low frequencies.

Little work has been done on how they do this, but the most plausible mechanism is that the countless ion channels that pierce virtually all cell membranes act as electrically-biased point-contact diodes capable of rectifying and therefore demodulating the signals. The normal voltage across a typical 10nm-thick cell membrane is of the order of 100mV, giving a voltage gradient of around ten million volts per metre. This should provide adequate bias.

An interesting example of this effect can be found at http://tinyurl.com/m4u75o , where you can see and hear a complete radio set constructed from a single carbon nanotube of similar diameter to a cellular ion channel. It is capable of amplifying and demodulating radio signals even at microwave frequencies. If the analogy with the living cell is valid, the extracted, and possibly amplified, low frequency components would appear across the cell membrane where they could do most damage.

Sources of low frequency amplitude modulation

In the case of digital transmissions, the equivalent of low frequency amplitude modulation may arise from low frequency beacons, traffic where individual packets of information are transmitted separated by long gaps, and frequency hopping where reflections may give different cancellation effects at different frequencies.

Perhaps all we need do is to take a lesson from DNA, where the gaps between genes are filled with DNA that codes for nothing, with the beginning and end of each gene denoted by a special coding sequence. In the case of digital communications, if we can fill the gaps between transmitted pulses and packets with code that the receiver is programmed to recognise as blank spaces, but still look to a cell as if it were a continuous transmission, we may be well on the way to achieving a relatively safe means of wireless telecommunication.

One wonders why this sort of research is not already under way.

Andrew Goldsworthy BSc PhD

Lecturer in Biology (retired)

Imperial College London

 

------------------------------------------------------

http://www.bclocalnews.com/okanagan_similkameen/summerlandreview/opinion/letters/60707647.html

Published: September 23, 2009 10:00 AM
Updated: September 23, 2009 10:15 AM

Dear Editor

There are some that feel that radiation from cellphone tower has no effect on our health but no one can convince me that they are harmless.

Back in 1995 I bought a home in Harrison Hot Springs with plans to retire after many years of hard work, only to find that I had to move or go completely insane.

My head was buzzing, I couldn't sleep, I suffered pressure headaches. At times I felt my head would bust from the pressure,my hearing was badly affected, I suffered pain in my joints and fatigue.

I normally would see my doctor once a year but while in that home for one year before I vacated to safer ground, I was at my docs office every two weeks receiving prescription drugs that did no good.

That alone cost our medical plan tons of money.

I found neighbors that were also affected but did not know what was causing their illness.

After I found that it was the radiation coming from a nearby tower that housed TV, FM radio and cell phone antennas I started researching the subject and believe me I found many people around the world that suffer the same as I and many that suffer even worse.

France and Sweden have set up areas where electro-sensitive people can live without radiation.

Many scientists are warning of the dangers of both cell phones and towers yet Health Canada keeps saying there is no problem.

In my opinion, radiation exposure is the main reason for our many of today's illnesses.

Take it from me as I was a victim.

Robert Riedlinger

Mission, B.C.

(sent by Mark G)

 

----------------------------------------------------

Teacher switches off class wi-fi

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8274180.stm

Teacher switches off class wi-fi

Another primary school in Northern Ireland has decided not to use wireless technology after a parent cited health fears, it has emerged.

Ballycarrickmaddy Primary removed its wi-fi system last year.

The Department of Education said there was no evidence of any health risk and only one other school in NI has decided not to use it, using on cables instead.

The other school is Ballinderry PS in County Antrim, where the principal Ian Thompson, took the decision.

He said: "We don't really know the biological end of this, which is the thing which really concerns us," he said.

"It's all right saying there's no heat from it, we accept that, but we don't know what's going on inside.

"I would like more reassurance really."

The Department of Education uses Classroom 2000, or C2K, to administer computers and their networks in schools.

Along with the Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland, they have pointed to a study by the Health Protection Agency in England, where preliminary results indicated there was no physical health risk from using wi-fi.

The World Health Organization has also said there is "no convincing scientific evidence" that the weak radiofrequency (RF) signals from wireless networks cause adverse health effects.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8274180.stm

Published: 2009/09/25 08:02:41 GMT

© BBC MMIX

(sent by Iris)

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Omega News from 19 Sept 2009 and 26 Sept 2009


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/

Electromagnetic fields adverse health effects
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5950967/

Increased blood-brain barrier permeability in mammalian brain 7 days after exposure to the radiation from a GSM-900 mobile phone
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5950485/

The influence of handheld mobile phones on human parotid gland secretion
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5950333/

The Incurable Patient: MCS, EMHS and allied challenges
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5955342/

Historical evidence that electrification caused the 20th century epidemic of "diseases of civilization"
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5955736/

391,000 Irish People Could Develop Brain Tumours Due to Mobile Phones by 2020
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5958042/

JMG Statement on Mobile Phones for Conference on Cell Phones and Health
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5961041/

Mobile phone risk clearer, EU agency says
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5960273/

Teachers call for school wi-fi ban
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5954336/

PLAIN TALK ABOUT CELL PHONE SAFETY
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5955713/

Does a Cell Phone's Radiation Effect Stop When the Call Ends?
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5957739/

International EMF Conference Stavanger 2009
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5951996/

Texas towers feared for unsafe radiation
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5955347/

O2's bid to build phone mast on Burnham-On-Sea cinema to be decided
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5953581/

BELCLARE MEETING TO OPPOSE PROPOSED MOBILE PHONE MAST
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5954811/

New bid to curb illegal masts
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5955597/

Row erupts over controversial mobile phone masts ban
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5955647/

Ultimatum on phone masts
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5957890/

Inspector allows Orange's appeal
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5958358/

Cell tower protests challenge commissioners
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5959361/

Fake fir tree built to hide phone mast in Coventry
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5960248/

What to tell your employer about cell phones and PDAs in the workplace
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5961267/

PSE&G admits safety concern with transmission lines
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5957812/

News from Mast Sanity
http://tinyurl.com/aotw3

Omega-News Collection 26. September 2009
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5961321/
 
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note - below is Omega News from 19 Sept 2009\
 
Electromagnetic Interferences (EMI) and their Effect on the Nervous System
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5944800/

Senate Appropriations Subcmte. Hearing on the Health Effects of Cell Phone Use
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5941297/

The London Resolution
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5941707/

Awareness to Electromagnetic radiations from mobiles and Computers
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5946725/

Mobile radiation stunts crop growth
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5935509/

Senate Hearing on Health Effects of Cellphone Use
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5935508/

France Telecom staff protest over wave of suicides
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5936784/

HPA release new WiFi measurement results
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5941545/

HPA Wi-fi 'Research' is Pure Spin
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5943616/

Cell phone masts and Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5946141/

Protesters picket Esher station to stop Network Rail accepting Vodafone mast
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5941322/

'Death tower' will have toxic effects
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5944186/

Liechtenstein to vote on mobile phone masts
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5944213/

Phone mast victory for Haxby residents
http://freepage.twoday.net/stories/5944605/

School continues battle against SRP substation
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5941537/

Saving Children from Preventable Health Problems Due to Close Electric Field Exposures
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5946470/

New crystal in the pineal gland
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/5935995/

Overhead Power Lines and Electric Fields Can Kill
http://groups.google.com/group/omeganews/t/90ddcf464c052bed?hl=de

News from Mast Sanity
http://tinyurl.com/aotw3

--------

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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: Recipient: Buergerwelle Germany (incorporated society), bank-connection: Hypo Bank Augsburg, account-No 2250284, BLZ 720 200 70, IBAN: DE83 7202 0070 0002 2502 84, SWIFT (BIC): HYVEDEMM408. Buergerwelle Germany (incorporated society), Umbrella Organization of the Citizens and Initiatives for the Protection against Electrosmog: 1. Chairman Siegfried Zwerenz, 2. Chairman Barbara Eidling, Mailing address: Lindenweg 10, D-95643 Tirschenreuth, phone 0049-(0)9631-795736, fax 0049-(0)9631-795734,

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