Saturday, March 14, 2015

Open Letter to Insurance Companies


www.electricalpollution.com

Open Letter to Insurance Companies


Dear Sir or Madam,
I am writing with information about an environmental toxin which is already causing health problems, shortening lives, and causing disability.
The environmental toxin is radiofrequency pollution.
From A.M. Best's February 14, 2013 Best's Briefing - "Emerging Technology-Based Risks"

    "RF (Radio Frequency) Radiation Risk - Today there are more than 600,000 cell sites in the United States and that number is expected to grow with the demand for faster, more reliable wireless devices. The risks associated with long-term use of cell phones, although much studied over the past 10 years, remain unclear. Dangers to the estimated 250,000 workers per year who come in close contact with cell phone antennas, which act at close range essentially as open microwave ovens can include eye damage, sterility and cognitive impairments. While workers of cellular companies are well trained on the potential dangers, other workers exposed to the antennas are often unaware of the health risks. The continued exponential growth of cellular towers will significantly increase exposure to these workers and others coming into close contact with high-energy cell phone antenna radiation."
In the above excerpt, A. M. Best doesn't even touch on the most important source of liability for life, disability, and health insurance companies - shortened life spans and increased morbidity and disability.
According to the Department of Interior "the electromagnetic [radiofrequency] radiation standards used by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continue to be based on thermal heating, a criterion now nearly 30 years out of date and inapplicable today." (http://www.saferemr.com/2014/03/dept-of-interior-attacks-fcc-regarding.html) The July 24, 2014 OSHA website acknowledges, “There are no specific standards for radiofrequency and microwave radiation issues.” (https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/radiofrequencyradiation/index.html) The CDC just softened a cautionary statement about cellphones, probably due to industry pressure (http://www.prlog.org/12362077-cdc-retracts-its-precautionary-health-warning-about-cell-phone-radiation.html). Furthermore, a detailed investigation showed almost no enforcement of existing FCC RF limits and rampant violations (http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/-1770139.htm). A Wall Street Journal investigation (http://online.wsj.com/articles/cellphone-boom-spurs-antenna-safety-worries-1412293055) reports similar findings with one in ten towers out of compliance and experts concerned that out of compliance towers will be transmitting in the thermal range by around the end of 2015.
In addition to being thermally-based and unenforced, the inadequate FCC radiofrequency radiation limits do not even address an important source of radiofrequency exposure - electrical pollution.
There are two sources of radiofrequency exposure. One is transmitted radiofrequency radiation from wireless technology. Exposures can come from personal devices, ambient sources such as antennas, WiFi, and other people's gadgets, and transmitting utility meters - also called smart meters, AMR meters, etc. I have included a series of video links below to get you a relatively quick overview of the problem. If you prefer reading material, here are a couple of links to strongly worded statements from medical professionals warning against having WiFi in schools http://wifiinschools.org.uk/resources/safeschools2012.pdf andhttp://aaemonline.org/images/LettertoLAUSD.pdf. If nothing else, these statements should serve as a warning that wireless technology is unsafe.

The second source of radiofrequency exposure is from radiofrequencies conducted on electrical wiring from modern electrical usage, also known as electrical pollution or "dirty" electricity. This has become a significant and ubiquitous problem. Sources of "dirty" electricity include dimmer switches, energy efficient lighting, variable speed motors, electronics, digital or transmitting utility meters, broadband over power lines, bad electrical connections, and worn switches and outlets. Below is a series of videos about "dirty" electricity. A study was conducted in schools that found that particularly in elementary schools reducing the levels of "dirty" electricity improved the learning environment (www.electricalpollution.com/documents/08_Havas&Olstad_schools-1.pdf). Another study found that levels of "dirty" electricity were highly correlated with cancer risk. The author went so far as to call "dirty" electricity a universal carcinogen similar to ionizing radiation (www.electricalpollution.com/documents/MilhamMorganAmJIndMed2008.pdf).


Both sources of radiofrequency exposure cause similar biological effects and thus cause similar health problems. Below is a video showing the similarity for one particular effect which may be responsible for the increasing rates of thrombosis in pregnant women, among other detrimental effects.

Please also see the Children and Radiofrequency Sickness page and the Autism page at http://www.electricalpollution.com for information about the damage that RF exposure is doing to our future generations, expensive societally and for insurance providers.
Often the lack of known mechanism is cited as an objection to taking precautionary action. "Electromagnetic fields act via activation of voltage-gated calcium channels to produce beneficial or adverse effects(http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23802593) and "Microwave electromagnetic fields act by activating voltage-gated calcium channels: why the current international safety standards do not predict biological hazard(http://www.electricalpollution.com/documents/Pallmicrow-vgccnoheat.pdf) by Dr. Martin Pall, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences Washington State University, put an end to that reason for avoiding precautionary action. These papers outline one of the mechanisms by which non-ionizing radiation can have the significant health impacts being seen in the literature and reported by affected individuals. The second paper also outlines a course of action to quickly and efficiently establish biologically meaningful safety limits.
Right now sources of radiofrequency exposure are enjoying a great deal of popularity, however that does not make the danger any less, in fact it makes the societal harm much greater. Just as smoking was popular, use of asbestos was common, and lead paint was ubiquitous - things can change. Experts are calling for better safety standards (ones that actually protect against biological effects) -http://www.prlog.org/12355167-fcc-98-scientific-experts-demand-stronger-regulation-of-cellphone-radiation.html There are safe technologies. Engineering can improve, but awareness must increase and create demand. In the meantime, you need to protect your health, life, and disability insurance customers and your business.
More and more information is becoming available that highlights the dangers of radiofrequency exposure. The safety of radiofrequency radiation, utilized by all wireless devices, is seriously in question. Reputable scientists are calling for it to classified as a probable carcinogen http://www.pathophysiologyjournal.com/article/S0928-4680(13)00003-5/abstract , while other equally qualified experts are calling for it to classified as a carcinogen http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2013-0006. A probable carcinogen is definitely a bad insurance risk. A carcinogen is even worse. Watch this video about Jimmy Gonzalez (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIlOVJd0lA8) to understand what this means in real life. This risk can be managed, as smoking has been, but not without awareness.
What can you do?
  • Educate your existing customer base. People cannot make educated decisions about their exposures without information. Most people will ultimately choose safety, if given compelling information. Below are some links to educational materials and programs that are already available. 
    • Baby Safe Project (http://www.babysafeproject.org) Although the recommendations of avoidance should be stronger, this recently launched program seeks to make pregnant women aware of the risk they take using wireless technology while pregnant.
    • Turn It Off 4 Kids Initiative 2015 (http://www.nacst.org/nacst-turn-it-off-4-kids.html) An initiative of The National Association for Children and Safe Technology to protect children in schools from radiation from wireless devices by utilizing safe technologies.
    • "Electromagnetic Radiation, Health and Children 2014" by Dr. Erica Mallery-Blythe  (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNFdZVeXw7M) is a must-watch presentation about the hazard that RF radiation emitted by wireless technology poses to children.  Dr. Mallery-Blythe does an excellent job of presenting the information in an interesting, coherent, and accessible way, but with enough detail to justify immediate action to minimize children's exposure to radiation from wireless technology. This video could be used to educate both physicians and parents, as well as lawmakers.
    • "Symposium on Health Issues Associated with the Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields and Microwave Radiation," (http://www.c4st.org/MDSymposium), jointly sponsored by Women's College Hospital in Toronto and Citizens for Safe Technology, can be used to educate both policy holders and physicians about the dangers of wireless technology.
    • Educational video about WiFi from U-Verse (http://naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=654BBDAC54B9DA8F49AB899E4CE60CB5) could be used to help policy holders understand how high the levels of radiofrequency (pulsed microwave) radiation emitted by a WiFi router are and how to turn the WiFi off.
    • Doctors’ Advice to Patients & Their Families - Cell Phones & Health: Simple Precautions Make Sense from The Environmental Health Trust (http://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/DoctorsAdvice_Feb-11-2014_4Print.pdf)
    • Answers to Commonly Asked Questions Children and Wireless Radiation from The Environmental Health Trust (http://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/CommonlyaskedquestionsaboutwifiandchildrenEHT-preliminary-copy.pdf)
    • The Solutions page at www.electricalpollution.com has steps policyholders can take to reduce their RF exposure.
    Additionally, your company could also: 
  • Perform home radiofrequency exposure assessments (see Solutions page above).
  • Institute additional premium for additional RF exposure, just as has been done for smokers.
  • Educate the members of your health assessment teams.
  • Lobby Congress to hold hearings on the biological effects of exposure to radiofrequency radiation and "dirty" electricity.
  • Lobby Congress to amend Section 704 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 so that the health and environmental effects of cell towers and other commercial wireless facilities can again be a legal, legitimate component of all deliberations involving antenna placement, construction, and modification.
  • Lobby Congress to shift authority for setting and enforcing RF safety limits (for both wireless technology and "dirty" electricity) from the FCC back to the EPA and to provide funding to perform these duties.
  • More information can be found at www.electricalpollution.com, www.ehtrust.org, www.magdahavas.com,www.bioinitiative.org, and www.stopsmartmeters.org.
Reducing community radiofrequency radiation exposures would benefit the whole community. A healthier community is a wealthier, happier community and is more attractive to business and to prospective residents since health care and health insurance are huge expenses. People who are unaware of RF pollution as a problem affecting them often "feel better," "more peaceful," "more energetic," and "sleep better" when their RF exposure is reduced. Try a pilot program to reduce RF exposure within the company to assess the problem, the best techniques for addressing it, and the benefits accrued. The first insurance companies addressing this problem stand to gain the most.
Please see www.electricalpollution.com/OpenLetterToInsuranceCompanies.html for live links.
Enclosures: 
Supplemental links:

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