Friday, August 17, 2012

Rep. Kucinich Introduces Cellphone Right to Know Act

Action Alert

Rep. Kucinich Introduces Cellphone Right to Know Act     

Contact Congressional Representatives while they are in their home districts in August 


Volume 3 Edition 39                                                         August 13, 2012
US Capitol

   
   

Progress Takes Hold  Support Rep. Kucinich's Cellphone Right to Know Act!     


We are very excited to inform you that U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) introduced legislation to address concerns about the public's health from cell phone radiation. According to a press release from Kucinich's office, the bill calls for placing warning labels on cell phones, a national research program, and a scientific investigation into reported adverse health effects by cell phone users.  Read HR 6358, introduced and referred last week to the US House Energy and Commerce Committee.
   
  

What's in the Bill?  

HR 6358 directs the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to work together to develop a research and public information program to determine whether there are biological and health effects from wireless digital products.  The bill language seeks to protect against conflicts of interest by participating federal agencies and within the scientific community. Importantly, wireless device usage data would, for the first time in the U.S., be used in performing scientific studies and would result in more accurate and reliable findings.

The bill would also charge the EPA with setting the maximum permissible safety limits, governing exposure to radio frequency radiation. When reviewing research, the EPA would be required to take into account whether the study was funded by an organization that could stand to profit from the research outcome, so it allows for independent research.  EPA would also be required to consider health-specific health outcomes such as insomnia, anxiety, headaches, tinnitus, fatigue, tremors, dizziness, visual disturbances; longstanding concerns raised by the Federal Interagency Work Group; vulnerable sub-populations, including children, developing fetuses and persons who are functionally impaired due to electromagnetic hypersensitivity; non-thermal mechanisms and effects; effects of modulation and pulsing, etc.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would be responsible for implementing and enforcing human exposure standards.  The FDA would issue regulations requiring local retail and internet based sales operations to provide labels on mobile communication devices. Labeling information would compare each device's exposure rating to the maximum permissible safety limit. These changes would help consumers made informed choices when purchasing wireless devices.

With the EPA acting as the lead federal agency, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would increase the number and size of grants for scientists interested in exploring how electromagnetic fields affect human health, including $15 million dollars to be available in research funds during fiscal year 2013 and each subsequent year.

Finally, the bill would remove the federal preemption provision enacted with the Federal Telecommunication Act of 1996 and restore state and local government's traditionally held authority to consider the health and welfare of the people in the siting and management of wireless antennas and towers.
  
 
Follow Up to Wireless Safety Summit's Core Message

Rep. Kucinich's bill incorporates many of the actions we recommended in 2012, as outlined in the Core Message to Congress we generated during the Wireless Safety Summit in October 2011, such as:  
  • Initiate a federally sponsored, sustained and independent EMF research program
  • Direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to adopt lower, interim Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) standards
  • Direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop lower, interim electromagnetic radiofrequency human exposure guidelines for radiofrequency transmission antennas
  • Direct the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to regulate the radiological properties of consumer products that emit microwave-level radiofrequency radiation 
Another key request in the Summit's core message was to ask the U.S. Surgeon General to review research and issue a report on cell phones and wireless radiation devices. Through our efforts, Senator McCain's office sent a letter to the U.S. Surgeon General asking for the review and report. However, Dr. Benjamin declined to initiate the review. Perhaps the introduction of this legislation will bring her to re-evaluate her decision.  

What You Can Do

Follow these steps to communicate your support to Congress of theCellphone Right to Know Act:

  • Make an appointment to meet with your Congressional Representative at his/her district office to discuss HR 6358 while Congress is out of session during August.   
  • Check the list of House Energy and Commerce Committee Members to see if your Congressional Representative serves on this Committee. If he/she is on this Committee, it will be very important to gain his/her vote for and sponsorship of the bill.
  • Send this suggested letter to all members of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee  
  • Use this suggested letter regarding HR 6358 to send to your Congressional Representative    
  • Show your support for the bill athttp://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-h6358/show  
  • Contact us at info@centerforsaferwireless.org so that we can send you talking points for meetings with Congressional Representatives and staff.

 
Reading Rack


    
Cellphone Exposure Limits Should be Reassessed, GAO Recommends-Washington Post blog, August 7, 2012  

 Health Risks from Cell Phones Needs Review, US GAO Says - Bloomberg News, August 7, 2012    

 Will the GAO Report for the FCC Follow the Fate of NAS Report for the FDA? blog  by Dariusz Leszczynski, Washington Times Communities, August 8, 2012  

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Action-Alert--New-Cellphone-Right-to-Know-Act.html?soid=1103014241183&aid=IUbtiZDHI_Q

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