Pregnant women: Are cell phones and laptops safe to use?

Pregnant women: Are cell phones and laptops safe to use?

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 by: Lloyd Burrell


Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/035528_cell_phones_laptops_pregnant_women.html#ixzz1uuUISO7L
(NaturalNews) In today's society of hustle and bustle, being pregnant rarely gives opportunity for letting up or taking a break. Many women, whether they are working or are stay-at-home moms, engage in the use of cell phones and laptop computers more and more. Does this pose more of risk for the mother-to-be and her unborn baby than anyone else? Considering how thetwo individuals are affected and the recent information coming forth from research studies, the answer is emphatically: yes!

Cell phone usage

A connection has been made between the use of cell phones during pregnancy and hyperactivity in children.

Mice were used to show that exposure to radiofrequency from cell phones manifests in:

• Hyperactivity
• Impaired memory

Approximately 5 percent of school-aged children suffer from the symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). What are the concerns here?

Children with ADHD exhibit:

• Lower grades
• The inability to abide by the rules

A study published in March of this year from the combined efforts of Yale University and Yale University School of Medicine discovered a link between exposing the fetus to cell phone usage and behavioral issues in the resulting child. And this doesn't affect just children. Long-term neurological, as well as physiological problems, carry over into the adult years.

Senior author Hugh S. Taylor, reports, "This is the first experimental evidence that fetal exposure to radiofrequency radiation from cellular telephones does in fact affect adult behavior."

Due to the increased usage of cell phones for things other than just taking calls, i.e., listening to music and waking up in the morning, there is more exposure to radiofrequency radiation exposure than ever before. The mice used in the studies were observed at different levels of exposure, 800-1900 Mhz-rated radiofrequency radiation, in addition to different lengths of exposure. Side effects increased as radiation levels and usage increased.

How can mother and baby be protected?

Recommendations include:

• Text, don't talk. When you press send, hold the cell phone as far away from your body as possible.
• Use an air tube type headset or speaker phone.
• If you do have to make calls with your cell phone, keep them short.
• Only make calls when a strong signal is available. When the phone has to work harder to connect, it emits more radiation.
• Use a corded phone whenever possible.

Laptop usage

What about the use of laptop computers when pregnant?

A recent Italian study from Siena shows the danger of using laptops when pregnant. The researchers measured the electromagnetic fields (EMFs) produced by five well-known brands of laptops and approximated the amount of currents in the body.

These currents measured much higher than the recent values and recommendations set forth for computer monitors magnetic field emissions by the Swedish Board for Technical Accreditation and the Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees.

As with cell phone usage, the effects of EMFs from laptops increase with higher exposure. This exposure is considered a risk factor for developing tumors in the blood. The laptop itself is not the only concern. The power supply is responsible for generating currents much higher than is recommended to avoid health complications.

Keeping mother and baby safe means:

• Not charging the laptop while in use.
• Keeping as much space between the laptop and body as possible.

In a world full of technology that makes our lives easier and more efficient, it's sometimes easy to forget the problems that come along with the advantages of talking on a mobile phone and using a portable computer. Regardless of the convenience and time saved, nothing is more important or of a higher priority than our children and their safety.

Sources for this article include:

http://wifiinschools.org.uk/resources/Aldad2012...

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-but...

http://www.localssupportinglocals.ca/news/new-i...

About the author:
Lloyd Burrell has spent the last 10 years researching the effects of EMFs on health, after becoming electrically sensitive in 2002. He now offers advice and strategies on healthy living in our electromagnetic world. Download his free EMF Health Report and subscribe to his newsletter by visiting hisEMF protection website. You can also follow him onFacebookandTwitter.


Learn more:http://www.naturalnews.com/035528_cell_phones_laptops_pregnant_women.html#ixzz1uuTqskVQ

Cell Phones Give Brain Burst of Caffeine-Like Energy

Cell Phones Give Brain Burst of Caffeine-Like Energy

By ANDREA CARTER, ABC News Medical Unit


Millions of Americans rely on a morning caffeine jolt to get their day started -- but your cell phone may be having a similar effect.


Exposure to the electromagnetic fields emitted by cell phones excites the brain in a small but measurable way, reveals a new study published in the Annals of Neurology. However, scientists aren't quite sure yet if the temporary excitment is a good or bad thing.


"If you drank a cup of coffee you would probably get a similar or greater effect than what's seen here," said Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School.


Scientists fitted 15 men between the ages of 20 and 36 with a modified helmet that placed a cell phone against their left ear. They turned on the cell phone for 45 minutes and compared the brain activity to when they wore the helmet without the cell phone turned on. They did not know when or if the phones were on.


They found that cell phone exposure increased cortical brain activity on the left side, where the phone was activated. In other words, the brain was more ready to respond to a stimulus. The cortical area of the brain is responsible for many functions including movement and language. In this study, the researchers measured how "ready" a subject's brain was to move his or her thumb.


"It changes how active the cells are or how ready they are to fire," said Pascual-Leone.

June 26, 2006

Neurons, or brain cells, use charged ions such as sodium and potassium to transmit, or "fire," an electrical signal. Pascual-Leone explains that cells have a baseline firing rate at rest, which reflects
how ready they are to perform an action.


At this point, scientists cannot say if this increased activity is good or bad. The results are too preliminary.


"What it means is uncertain. Anytime you can affect brain activity it can be good or bad," said Dr. Michael Macken, assistant professor of neurology at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine, who specializes in epilepsy.


For example, doctors have used electromagnetic fields to treat depression and migraines. But certain conditions such as epileptic seizures are caused by increased cortical activity.


"A concern is that this could have potential impact with people with epilepsy, but I certainly wouldn't be running scared at this point," said Macken.


Concerns about cell phone safety have grown as they become more widely used. According to CTIA-The Wireless Association, an international association for the wireless telecommunications industry, the number of cell phone subscribers has jumped from 38 million to 215 million since 1996.


People have filed lawsuits claiming that cell phones caused brain tumors and others complained of symptoms such as rashes, fatigue and digestive problems -- all lumped into the term "electromagnetic hypersensitivity."


CTIA has responded to such health concerns by funding research through the Food and Drug Administration investigating the possible harmful effects from wireless technology.


"We believe this issue needs to be guided by science," said Joe Farren, public affairs director at CTIA.


To date, scientific studies have not shown that wireless technology is harmful, according to the World Health Organization.


Given how many people use cell phones, researchers believe its worth looking into cell phone use and brain activity further, but it is too early to jump to any conclusions.


"The study is interesting, but doesn't tell us if the cell phone is a bad thing." said Dr. S. Claiborne Johnston, associate professor of neurology and epidemiology at University of California, San Francisco. "We shouldn't change any behavior at this point."


http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2112186&page=1#.T7HcCe2ZceN

Why Did Russia Ban The Use Of Microwave Ovens?

Why Did Russia Ban The Use Of Microwave Ovens?

Posted by truther on April 27, 2012 // 4 Comments

Consumers are dying today in part because they continue to eat dead foods that are killed in the microwave. They take a perfectly healthy piece of raw food, loaded with vitamins and natural medicines, then nuke it in the microwave and destroy most of its nutrition. Humans are the only animals on the planet who destroy the nutritional value of their food before eating it. All other animals consume food in its natural, unprocessed state, but humans actually go out of their way to render food nutritionally worthless before eating it. No wonder humans are the least healthy mammals on the planet.

In Russia, microwave ovens were banned in 1976 because of their negative health consequences as many studies were conducted on their use. The ban was lifted after Perestroika in the early 90’s. Numerous documents can be found online relating to this topic.

The invention of the microwave and its mass adoption by the population coincides with the onset of obesity in developed nations around the world. Not only did the microwave make it convenient to eat more obesity-promoting foods, it also destroyed much of the nutritional content of those foods, leaving consumers in an ongoing state of malnourished overfeeding. In other words, people eat too many calories but not enough real nutrition. The result is, of course, what we see today: Epidemic rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, depression, kidney failure, liver disorders and much more.

These diseases are all caused by a combination of malnutrition and exposure to toxic chemicals (plus other factors such as emotional trauma, lack of exercise, etc.). Microwaves make malnutrition virtually automatic, and being exposed to toxic chemicals is easy to accomplish by simply eating processed foods (which are universally manufactured with the addition of toxic chemicals that act as preservatives, colorings, flavor enhancers and so on).

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Are Microwaves Safe?.PDF

Download File

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    Microwaving is, technically, a form of food irradiation. I find it interesting that people who say that would never eat “irradiated” food have no hesitation about microwaving their food. It’s the same thing (just a different wavelength of radiation). In fact, microwaves were originally called “radar ranges.” Sounds strange today, doesn’t it? But when microwaves were first introduced in the 1970′s, they were proudly advertised as radar ranges. You blast your food with high-intensity radar and it gets hot. This was seen as some sort of space-age miracle in the 1970′s. Perhaps someday an inventor will create a food heating device that does not radically alter the nutritional value of the foods in the process, but I’m not holding my breath on this one. Probably the best way to heat foods right now is to simply use a countertop toaster oven, and keep the heat as low as possible.

The microwave does work as advertised, by the way. It makes your food hot. But the mechanism by which heat is produced causes internal damage to the delicate molecular structures of vitamins and phytonutrients. Minerals are largely unaffected, however, so you’ll still get the same magnesium, calcium and zinc in microwaved foods as you would in non-microwaved foods, but the all-important B vitamins, anthocyanins, flavonoids and other nutritional elements are easily destroyed by microwave ovens.

The microwave is the appliance of the living dead. People who use the microwave on a regular basis are walking down a path towards degenerative disease and a lifelong battle with obesity. The more you use the microwave, the worse your nutritional state gets, and the more likely you are to be diagnosed with various diseases and put on pharmaceuticals which, of course, will create other health problems that lead to a grand spiraling nosedive of health.

Do yourself a favor: Toss your microwave, or donate it to some charity. It’s much easier to avoid using the microwave if you don’t have one around. It will clear up counter space, save you electricity and greatly enhance your dietary habits. When you need to heat something, heat it in a toaster oven or a stovetop pan (avoid Teflon and non-stick surfaces, of course). Better yet, strive to eat more of a raw, unprocessed diet. That where you’ll get the best nutrition anyway. Buy yourself a Vita-Mix and blend up some smoothies. It’s faster than microwaving foods are far healthier. (See my book Superfood Smoothies for recipes).

I drink a superfood smoothie every morning, and I haven’t used a microwave in years. Protecting health is our own responsibility, and it’s up to us all to make informed decisions about how we buy, prepare and consume our foods. You have to save yourself.

Here are some of recent scientific findings on microwaving food:

1. Microwaved foods lose 60 ~ 90% of the vital-energy field and microwaving accelerates the structural disintegration of foods.

2. Microwaving creates cancer-causing agents within milk and cereals.

3. Microwaving alters elemental food-substances, causing digestive disorders.

4. Microwaving alters food chemistry which can lead to malfunctions in the lymphatic system and degeneration of the body’s ability to protect itself against cancerous growths.

5. Microwaved foods lead to a higher percentage of cancerous cells in the bloodstream.

6. Microwaving altered the breakdown of elemental substances when raw, cooked, or frozen vegetables were exposed for even a very short time and free radicals were formed.

7. Microwaved foods caused stomach and intestinal cancerous growths, a general degeneration of peripheral cellular tissues, and a gradual breakdown of the digestive and excretive systems in a statistically high percentage of people.

8. Microwaved foods lowered the body’s ability of the body to utilize B-complex vitamins, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, essential minerals and lipotropics.

9. The microwave field next to a microwave oven caused a slew of health problems as well.

10. Heating prepared meats in a microwave sufficiently for human consumption created:
* d-Nitrosodiethanolamine (a well-known cancer-causing agent)
* Destabilization of active protein biomolecular compounds
* Creation of a binding effect to radioactivity in the atmosphere.
* Creation of cancer-causing agents within protein-hydrosylate compounds in milk and cereal grains.

11. Microwave emissions also caused alteration in the catabolic (breakdown) behaviour of glucoside – and galactoside – elements within frozen fruits when thawed in this way.

12. Microwaves altered catabolic behavior of plant-alkaloids when raw, cooked or frozen vegetables were exposed for even very short periods.

13. Cancer-causing free radicals were formed within certain trace-mineral molecular formations in plant substances, especially in raw root vegetables.

14. Due to chemical alterations within food substances, malfunctions occurred in the lymphatic system, causing degeneration of the immune systems’ capacity to protect itself against cancerous growth.

15. The unstable catabolism of micro-waved foods altered their elemental food substances, leading to disorders in the digestive system.

16. Those ingesting micro-waved foods showed a statistically higher incidence of stomach and intestinal cancers, plus a general degeneration of peripheral cellular tissues with a gradual breakdown of digestive and excretory system function.

17. Microwave exposure caused significant decreases in the nutritional value of all foods studied, particularly:
* A decrease in the bioavailability of B-complex vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, essential minerals and lipotrophics
* Destruction of the nutritional value of nucleoproteins in meats
* Lowering of the metabolic activity of alkaloids, glucosides, galactosides and nitrilosides (all basic plant substances in fruits and vegetables)
* Marked acceleration of structural disintegration in all foods.

Mike from Natural News.com says,
On Microwaves:
“The rise of widespread nutritional deficiencies in the western world correlates almost perfectly with the introduction of the microwave oven. This is no coincidence. Microwave ovens heat food through a process of creating molecular friction, but this same molecular friction quickly destroys the delicate molecules of vitamins and phytonutrients (plant medicines) naturally found in foods. One study showed that microwaving vegetables destroys up to 97% of the nutritional content (vitamins and other plant-based nutrients that prevent disease, boost immune function and enhance health).”“In other words, eating raw broccoli provides you with natural anti-cancer medicine that’s extremely effective at halting the growth of cancer tumours. But microwaving that broccoli destroys the anti-cancer nutrients, rendering the food “dead” and nutritionally depleted. There’s even some evidence to suggest that microwaving destroys the natural harmony in water molecules, creating an energetic pattern of chaos in the water found in all foods. In fact, the common term of “nuking” your food is coincidentally appropriate: Using a microwave is a bit like dropping a nuclear bomb on your food, then eating the fallout. (You don’t actually get radiation from eating microwaved foods, however. But you don’t get much nutrition, either.)”

So. if you are going to use a microwave oven, it is suggested that you set and walk out of the kitchen where practical. The American FDA advised “don’t stand in front of a microwave for long periods of time”. There is a lot of researching being conducted into microwave oven and the effects that it may have on human bodies. Final studies have not been released as yet, but if the above is any indication to the negative affects on food, I can only imagine the effects on the human body. So if you don’t have to use a microwave oven, then don’t. Even if it is to preserve the quality and nutritional value of your food.”

Do you and your family a huge life saving favor, throw away the microwave!.
Spend a little longer preparing a meal, live a longer healthier life! – Apparently Apparel

http://www.pakalertpress.com/2012/04/27/why-did-russia-ban-the-use-of-microwave-ovens/

Bees mysteriously dying

Bees mysteriously dying

By Tara Bowie, Woodstock Sentinel-Review

Friday, May 4, 2012 10:18:58 EDT AM

BURGESSVILLE — Over the past week, thousands of bees have mysteriously dropped dead outside hives behind a local honey supply store.

Piles of dead insects lay just outside a group of hives John Van Blyderveen keeps at the back of his Burgessville shop, Oxford Honey and Supplies.

The same bleak scenario is occurring at his other eight hive locations spanning Oxford County.

"Until about a week ago Thursday, everything was looking fairly normal," he said calmly Wednesday morning, as dozens of sick and dying bees littered the ground convulsing and struggling to move a few metres away. "I came out that morning and there was a bunch of dead bees just outside of the end hive.

"A day later more dead bees and then more and more. You can tell which hives are more affected than the others, but all of them are suffering losses."

Van Blyderveen guessed roughly 20% of the hives' populations have died in the past week.

Similar losses are being reported all over the province.

"I know personally of about 30 other beekeepers that are experiencing the same thing. It's everywhere from Chatham to Windsor and over to Niagara Falls and everything in between. I had someone drive in from Niagara Falls with a jar full of dead bees," he said.

Although he, along with many others in the industry, strongly believe the deaths are linked to systemic pesticides (neonicotinoids) used in corn farming, he said no one will know for sure until toxicology reports are completed.

Dead bee samples from his honey operation were sent to a lab in Nova Scotia over the weekend. Van Blyderveen is unsure when results will be available.

The alarming situation has even prompted the attention of the Ministry of the Environment, which visited Van Blyderveen's hives to collect information after the deaths started occurring.

This isn't the first time in recent years that massive bee deaths have occurred.

In 2007, high numbers of bees were killed off in various colonies in Ontario and in more than 22 U.S. states.

The deaths, which were called colony collapse disorder, had researchers scrambling to find answers.

Van Blyderveen said nothing conclusive was ever released to explain those deaths, mostly because, at that time, the bees were dying but their bodies were disappearing.

"They'd just fly away and not come back. There was nothing to really test," he said.

Speculations ran rampant with many in and out of the industry blaming the cause on a myriad of different reasons, including, fungi, pesticides and even altered magnetic fields that disorientated bees so they couldn't find their way back to the hive.

Van Blyderveen said it's been a difficult few years in the industry.

Bees are busy working just to survive instead of collecting extra pollen that would make more honey.

been tough," he said

"We're definitely not making any money because we are constantly trying to rebuild. It's 

http://www.stratfordbeaconherald.com/2012/05/04/bees-mysteriously-dying

The links between wireless radiation and allergies

The links between wireless radiation and allergies

by Martin Weatherall on Saturday, February 11, 2012 at 9:58pm ·

'HOME FEVER' IS THE NEW HAY FEVER

http://www.allergyuk.org/news_homefever.aspx

Allergy UK reveals millions are allergic to their own homes

Allergy UK predicts at least 12 million people(i) are allergic to their own

home.

An out of season hay fever, dubbed as 'home fever', (Perennial Allergic

Rhinitis) by Allergy UK is on the increase with more and more sufferers

coming forward.

Research by Allergy UK found 58%(ii) of allergy sufferers react to house

dust mites. Closing doors and windows and turning the heating up creates a

breeding ground for these microscopic creatures.

But it's not just dust that causes problems; 31% of sufferers are allergic

to mould, and 45% of sufferers say their allergy is triggered by pets. On

top of that the chemicals in cleaning products cause a reaction in over 30%

of sufferers.

With the most common symptoms of an indoor allergy or 'home fever' being a

runny nose and sneezing, people all too often confuse allergy symptoms with

a common cold or flu and therefore, don't treat the cause of the problem.

Indoor Allergy Week runs from 14th- 20th November and is designed to raise

awareness of indoor allergies caused by house dust mites, moulds and pets,

as well as chemical sensitivity. The charity will be providing help and

support throughout the week for the millions of sufferers in the UK.

The research by Allergy UK revealed that people aren't doing enough to

reduce the house dust mite allergen. The amount of sufferers is set to

worsen if the nation doesn't take action.

59% of indoor allergy sufferers said their symptoms are worse in the

bedroom. Not surprising when you consider the average bed harbours two

million house dust mites and the average pillow doubles in weight over a

period of six months due to dust mite faeces.

While there is no 'cure' for 'home fever', Lindsey McManus from Allergy UK

recommends these top tips to manage symptoms and reduce the amount of indoor

allergens in the home

    * Dust regularly but use a damp duster first, then a dry cloth.

Otherwise, you are just moving the dust around

    * Wash bedding once a week at 60°C or higher to remove house dust mites.

Allergy UK's research revealed 16% of people wash bed linen every three

weeks or less. And with 58% washing bedding at 30 or 40 degrees, house dust

mites are set to stay

    * Regularly steam clean carpets and curtains

    * Use allergen-proof barrier covers on mattresses, duvets and pillows

    * Replace your mattress every 8-10 years. The research found 13% have

had their current mattress for 11 years or more, where as 3% have kept

theirs for 20 years

    * Buy new pillows every year - don't wait five years or more like the

25% of allergy sufferers out there

    * Use an air purifier to help remove and reduce allergens such as

pollen, house dust mite debris and mould spores

    * Buy products that have been tested to ensure they prevent the escape

of the house dust mite allergen. Look for the Allergy UK Seal of Approval

    * If you think you might be suffering from an indoor allergy, call

Allergy UK's helpline on 01322 619898 to speak to a trained allergy advisor

Mast Sanity

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

Letter to Allergy UK re above article

Re - 'Home Fever' is the new Hay Fever

http://www.allergyuk.org/news_homefever.aspx

Dear Allergy UK

When Allergy UK says that there is no cure for the millions of people who suffer from the new allergy known as 'Home Fever', I beg to differ and I offer you a suggestion that may cure the vast majority of persons who suffer from this illness.  It is obvious that a new ubiquitous environmental contaminant is causing or strongly influencing these new allergies. The most likely contaminant is electro magnetic radiation and, in particular, microwave radiation from wireless devices such as cell phones, cordless telephones, Wi Fi, wireless games, and radiation from outdoor antennas.

My suggestion to persons suffering from "Home Fever" is to unplug cordless telephones and use wired telephones, unplug Wi Fi routers and use only safe wired connections to the internet, only turn on cell phones when they are needed for urgent situations, do not use other wireless devices, and shield your home from external antenna radiation.  For an even better solution, people should try sleeping with the electricity in the bedrooms turned off at the main electrical panel.

I am speaking from some experience, as I have suffered from electro-sensitivity for the last eight years.  When I am exposed to microwave radiation from the above mentioned wireless devices, I suffer from allergic effects, including asthma type symptoms, as though someone were sitting on my chest.  Also, testing has shown that my heart rate changes drastically and I develop irregular heartbeat when exposed.  There are also many other more subtle "allergic" effects that I have experienced.  The worst of all the effects was cancer.  I am in touch with many other electro sensitive people around the world who report a vast array of allergic reactions.

Every person in the world is allergic to electromagnetic radiation, the only thing that is at doubt is the level of exposure at which this occurs.  Most governments and health agencies allow strong exposure levels as their safety standards but these are decided simply by considering thermal effects.  They fail to take into consideration the thousands of biological effects that scientific research has discovered at levels of radiation that are below government safety standards. These effects have been reported over the last sixty years.  It is the biological effects of microwave radiation that are most likely causing the allergies that your article reports.  Many of these adverse health effects are documented and referenced in the scientific publication "The Bioinitiative Report", and can be viewed online at www.bioinitiative.org . 

The possible solutions that I have provided to you are cost free and very simple to try.  Results are likely to be seen within hours or days.  Please tell people about this possible cure for their illnesses and give them an opportunity to try the cure for themselves.

Yours sincerely,

Martin Weatherall

Co Director WEEP

www.weepinitiative.org  

Note - Please consider contacting you own local allergy group and passing on this information.

https://www.facebook.com/notes/martin-weatherall/the-links-between-wireless-radiation-and-allergies/10150667128127053

Cellphone Cancer Survivors Picket CTIA

Fukushima Radiation Has Already Killed 14,000 Americans - we are being lied to in the name of pro nuclear lobbying

Fukushima Radiation Has Already Killed 14,000 Americans - we are being lied to in the name of pro nuclear lobbying

posted 29 hrs ago

Dr. Janette Sherman, M.D., Internist and Toxicologist. There's more trouble at Fukushima. Nuclear safety experts are accusing the Japanese government of lying after 230 tons of radioactive waste was found in a tunnel underneath the crippled nuclear plant - just a few days after Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko said the crisis is over. There's also news that Unit 4 at the plant is on the verge of collapsing - something that nuclear power expert Paul Gunter talked about on my radio show yesterday. This new information suggests that the Japanese government is still misleading the world on just how severe the Fukushima crisis still is. But even more troubling is the impact this nuclear crisis on the other side of the world has had right here in the United States. There's shocking new evidence out that the Fukushima disaster may have led to the deaths of as many as 14,000 people...in America! For more on this - I'm joined by Dr. Janette Sherman - Internist and Toxicologist - and co-author of a new report on the link between an increase in deaths here in America and the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis.

Already 14,000 U.S. Deaths From Fukushima ?

A new study published in the peer-reviewed journal International Journal of Health Servicesalleges that 14,000 people have already died in the United States due to Fukushima.

Specifically, the authors of the study claim:

An estimated 14,000 excess deaths in the United States are linked to the radioactive fallout from the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear reactors in Japan, according to a major new article in the December 2011 edition of the International Journal of Health Services. This is the first peer-reviewed study published in a medical journal documenting the health hazards of Fukushima.

[The authors] note that their estimate of 14,000 excess U.S. deaths in the 14 weeks after the Fukushima meltdowns is comparable to the 16,500 excess deaths in the 17 weeks after the Chernobyl meltdown in 1986. The rise in reported deaths after Fukushima was largest among U.S. infants under age one. The 2010-2011 increase for infant deaths in the spring was 1.8 percent, compared to a decrease of 8.37 percent in the preceding 14 weeks.

The authors seem – at first glance – to have pretty solid credentials. Janette Sherman, M.D.worked for the Atomic Energy Commission (forerunner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission) at the University of California in Berkeley, and for the U.S. Navy Radiation Defense Laboratory in San Francisco. She served on the EPA’s advisory board for 6 years, and has been an advisor to the National Cancer Institute on breast cancer. Dr. Sherman specializes in internal medicine and toxicology with an emphasis on chemicals and nuclear radiation.

Joseph J. Mangano is a public health administrator and researcher who has studied the connection between low-dose radiation exposure and subsequent risk of diseases such as cancer and damage to newborns. He has published numerous articles and letters in medical and other journals in addition to books, including Low Level Radiation and Immune System Disorders: An Atomic Era Legacy.

Sherman also claims that a study in British Columbia of infants under 1 year of age allegedly corroborates the increased deaths due to Fukushima:

But a Scientific American blog post and Med Page Today slam the study as being voodoo science. However, Scientific American does admit:

Certainly radiation from Fukushima is dangerous, and could very well lead to negative health effects—even across the Pacific.

What Do Other Experts Say?

Pediatrician Helen Caldicott said recently:

May I say that North America has received quite a large fallout itself.

***

We’re going to see an incredible increase in cancer, leukemia, and — down the time track — genetic disease. Not just in Japan but in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly North America.

Caldicott also wrote in a New York Times Op-Ed:

Children are innately sensitive to the carcinogenic effects of radiation, fetuses even more so. Like Chernobyl, the accident at Fukushima is of global proportions. Unusual levels of radiation have been discovered in British Columbia, along the West Coast and East Coast of the United States and in Europe, and heavy contamination has been found in oceanic waters.

Nuclear engineer Gunderson says that the Japanese will suffer one million cancer deaths from Fukushima, and that we’ll see a statistically meaningful increase in cancer on the West Coast of America and Canada from Fukushima. Gundersen says that – after Japan – the most radioactive areas are the Cascades and Portland.

There is certainly evidence that West Coast residents – especially in Seattle, Portland and other areas near the Cascades – have been hit with some radiation. And there is certainly evidence that radioactive contamination has spread in the United States, and will continue to spread for some time to come.

Why Is The Science So Hotly Debated?

Why is there so much dispute about the number of deaths which Fukushima could cause on the West Coast?

Because radiation safety standards are set based on the assumption that everyone exposed is ahealthy man in his 20s – and that radioactive particles ingested into the body cause no more damage than radiation hitting the outside of the body.

However – in the real world – radiation affects small children much more than full-grown adults. And small particles of radiation – called “internal emitters” – which get inside the body are much more dangerous than general exposures to radiation. See this and this.

In addition, American and Canadian authorities have virtually stopped monitoring airborn radiation, and are not testing fish for radiation. (Indeed, the EPA reacted to Fukushima byraising “acceptable” radiation levels.)

So – as in Japan – radiation is usually discovered by citizens and the handful of research scientists with funding to check, and not the government. See this, this, this, this, this and this.

The Japanese government’s entire strategy from day one has been to cover up the severity of the Fukushima accident. This has likely led to unnecessary, additional deaths.

Indeed, the core problem is that all of the world’s nuclear agencies are wholly captured by the nuclear industry … as are virtually all of the supposedly independent health agencies.

So the failure of the American, Canadian and other governments to test for and share results is making it difficult to hold an open scientific debate about what is happening.

http://twitwall.com/view/?what=020B01010054