Argentine and Brazilian doctors suspect mosquito insecticide as cause of microcephaly

Argentine and Brazilian doctors suspect mosquito insecticide as cause of microcephaly

From The Ecologist:

Claire Robinson / GMWatch
10th February 2016

Excerpts:

With the proposed connection between the Zika virus and Brazil’s outbreak of microcephaly in new born babies looking increasingly tenuous, Latin American doctors are proposing another possible cause: Pyriproxyfen, a pesticide used in Brazil since 2014 to arrest the development of mosquito larvae in drinking water tanks. Might the ‘cure’ in fact be the poison?

SNIP

Read the post here.

‘For the Record’: Understanding the Threat of EMP

‘For the Record’: Understanding the Threat of EMP

Feb. 8, 2016 6:31am Tom Orr

An Electromagnetic Pulse attack could result in the greatest loss of life in human history, but most people have never heard of an EMP.

An EMP can be triggered by detonating a nuclear warhead above the earth’s atmosphere, which would release a pulse of energy that could destroy electrical grids and electronics such as cell phones and computers over a thousand-mile radius.

“What happens when, when the grid comes down, is there are surges of electricity that blow the big transformers,” Roscoe Bartlett, a former member of the House of Representatives who spearheaded the creation of a Congressional EMP Commission, said. “The estimate is that we could lose somewhere between 100 and 200 of those; that means that the grid would be down for a year or more.”

The Congressional EMP Commission reported that after such an attack Americans would face starvation, a lack of clean water, disease and eventually societal unrest. The commission estimated that 90 percent of the U.S. population would die within a year — nearly 300 million people.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2016/02/08/for-the-record-understanding-the-threat-of-emp/

Does the Victorian Radiation Advisory Committee have a conflict of interest issue... and does the government really care?

Does the Victorian Radiation Advisory Committee have a conflict of interest issue... and does the government really care?

I have previously written about this issue on my blog in November 2012 but nothing has changed since at the Victorian Radiation Advisory Committee, so here we go again!

On January 22, 2016, I received a letter from a Victorian resident who is concerned about the roll-out of smart meters in that state. Attached to his letter was a letter sent to him by Lily D’Ambrosio MP, the Victorian Minister for Industry and Minister for Energy and Resources. D’Ambrosio tried to reassure the resident that smart meters were perfectly safe by quoting advice given to the Victorian government by Victoria’s Chief Health Officer. The VCMO, in turn, relies on the expert advice from the Victorian Ministerial Radiation Advisory Committee, an expert advisory board consisting of doctors and experts in the field of radiation. It would be a brave politician indeed who dares question this expert body. After all they are the experts, not to be questioned by lessor mortals. The advice given by this committee is that “that there is no substantive evidence to suggest that exposure to radiofrequency radiation such as from smart meters can increase the risk of chronic health effects, such as cancer”. SNIP

Read the post here.

Science for Sale: Making a cancer cluster disappear

Science for Sale: Making a cancer cluster disappear

Joel's comments: 

The following article by the Center for Public Integrity documents how the chemical industry protects its interests by co-opting scientists and the public health establishment. 

The telecom/wireless industry has employed the same playbook originally developed by Big Tobacco to manufacture doubt about the harm of its products. If you don't believe me, see the latest New York Times article on CDC's reversal of its cell phone radiation warnings and Microwave News' coverage of this story about how an industry influences government policy through its scientific consultants. Also see Norm Alster's book, "Captured agency: How the Federal Communications Commission is dominated by the industries it presumably regulates" my post, "Government Failure to Address Wireless Radiation Risks," and Dr. Dariusz Leszczynski's blog, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place."

--

Making a cancer cluster disappear

After a record number of brain tumors at a chemical plant, industry launched a flawed study that obscured the extent of the problem
David Heath, Center for Public Integrity, Feb 10, 2016

Science and opinion have become increasingly conflated, in large part because of corporate influence. As we explain in “Science for Sale,” an investigative series by the Center for Public Integrity and co-published with Vice.com, industry-backed research has exploded — often with the aim of obscuring the truth — as government-funded science dwindles.

"... More than 7,500 men had worked at the plant since it opened in 1941. Tracking those who had died was a daunting task. It took three years, but scientists at OSHA and their brethren at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, or NIOSH, would discover 23 brain-tumor deaths there — double the normal rate. It was the largest cluster of work-related brain tumors ever reported, and it became national news, catching the attention of The Washington Post, The New York Times and even Walter Cronkite.

The leading suspect was vinyl chloride, a chemical used to make polyvinyl chloride plastic. PVC is found in an endless array of products from plastic wrap to vinyl siding to children’s toys. Industry studies already had found higher-than-expected rates of brain cancer at vinyl chloride plants, and in 1979, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, or IARC, part of the World Health Organization, took the unequivocal position that vinyl chloride caused brain tumors.

Yet today, a generation later, the scientific literature largely exonerates vinyl chloride. A 2000 industry review of brain cancer deaths at vinyl chloride plants found that the chemical’s link to brain cancer “remains unclear.” Citing that study and others, IARC in 2008 reversed itself.

However, a Center for Public Integrity review of thousands of once-confidential documents shows that the industry study cited by IARC was flawed, if not rigged. Although that study was supposed to tally all brain cancer deaths of workers exposed to vinyl chloride, Union Carbide didn’t include Malone’s death. In fact, the company counted only one of the 23 brain-tumor deaths in Texas City.

The Center’s investigation found that because of the way industry officials designed the study, it left out workers known to have been exposed to vinyl chloride, including some who had died of brain tumors. Excluding even a few deaths caused by a rare disease can dramatically change the results of a study."

http://bit.ly/heath3

--

Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director
Center for Family and Community Health
School of Public Health
University of California, Berkeley

Electromagnetic Radiation Safety

Website:               http://www.saferemr.com
Facebook:             http://www.facebook.com/SaferEMR
News Releases:     http://pressroom.prlog.org/jmm716/
Twitter:                  @berkeleyprc

Brain/Gut - Caltech. How-To Videos - ipads/routers. Fine Print Warnings. Congrats to Berkeley!

Brain/Gut - Caltech. How-To Videos - ipads/routers. Fine Print Warnings. Congrats to Berkeley!

Hope you will find these tips and the how-to videos below useful.  The videos show how high the RF radiation levels are from ipads and routers and how to mitigate.  Feel free to forward, just remove my email address.   Thanks!

- Angela

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Ever think about what's keeping you alive right now, why your heart is beating, why your brain is able to think?  It is because of electricity, our life force.  Your cells, tissues, and organs communicate with each other via electrical signals.  Your brain wave (alpha, beta, delta, gamma, theta) frequencies are in the range 0.5Hz-100Hz  http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/04/15/5-types-of-brain-waves-frequencies-gamma-beta-alpha-theta-delta/  Unfortunately these frequencies also happen to be used by the pulsed signals in radiofrequency (wireless) communication, which can cause interference. Cell phones, cordless phones, Wi-Fi operate with a carrier wave in the 900MHz-5 GHz range, with a pulsed signal in the extremely low frequency range (3-3000Hz)  For example,   Wi-fi is in 2.45GHz carrier range, w/ a digital pulsed signal of 10-250Hz.

Interference happens when there is an outside source broadcasting at about the same frequency - it explains why if your microwave oven is running and you happen to be talking on your 2.4 GHz cordless phone, you hear static. Given that we are saturated chronically with wireless radiation now from smart phones and other wireless devices, Wi-Fi in our school/work/home environments, smart meters, DECT cordless phones, and cell towers, it would be a miracle not to be affected biologically from this interference by external radiofrequency radiation on intracellular communication within our bodies  - most people don't feel any obvious effects, but given the fact that we are all electrical beings, to not be impacted at all is impossible.  (3% of the population are electrohypersensitive - these people including children feel immediate and obvious effects from EMF exposure.)

And we are seeing it's effects in the statistics - recall what I sent in an email last week.  

in the last 20 years: 412% increase in deaths by dementia in Americans, 64% increase in early onset dementia death in Americans, 600% increase in autism (now 1% of children are autistic)

in the last 10 years: 53% increase in ADHD (19% of teen boys, 10% of teen girls in US have ADHD), 28% increase in asthma, 23% increase in type 1 diabetes (an automimmune disease)

After accidents, cancer is the next highest cause of death in children, and now 1 in 2 people will get cancer 

- Increase in Malignant Brain and Central Nervous System Tumors in  American children.  For ages 0-14 an annual increase of 0.6%/yr. In ages 15-19, an annual percentage increase of 1.0%/yr. 

These increases are all caused by changes in the environment.  Read Dr. Goldsworthy's work that explains wireless radiation's effect on autism, ADHD, autoimmune disease, early-onset dementia, asthma, cancer here http://www.cellphonetaskforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Biol-Effects-EMFs-2012-NZ2.pdf

 

June 2015: Here's a study showed that 3G cell phone significantly changes brain wave EEG activity in alpha, slowbeta, fastbeta, and gamma frequencies.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4459698/  

 Dr. Martin Pall identified a mechanism where microwave radiation caused VGCCs (voltage gated calcium channels) in nerve cells to open,which increases calcium levels inside the nerve cell.  VGCCs control the flow of calcium into nerve cells which regulates the release of neurotransmitters such as serotonin.  The increase of intracellular calcium forces neurons to release their neurotransmitters sooner, which makes the brain hyperactive and less able to concentrate (Dr. Andrew Goldsworthy) Microwave activation of VGCC and increasing intracellular calcium can cause autism by disrupting synapse formation and leads to degradation of proteins in the tight barrier junctions needed to maintain the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, which leads to many neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer's and dementia).  With enough exposure to increasing intracellular calcium, spines can actually disappear, and end up with neurons that are missing synapses completely, so neurons are not connected to each other anymore.  Read more about Dr. Pall's work here  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23802593 and http://www.degruyter.com/view/j/reveh.2015.30.issue-2/reveh-2015-0001/reveh-2015-0001.xml

Proof of neurological damage caused by cell phone radiation can be seen here in this video by Dr. Devra Davis, where she presents research and pictures of brain and spine damage in brains of mice exposed to cell phone radiation prenatally.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZicHZaUKps&feature=em-subs_digest

Wireless devices (e.g. wireless phones, ipads, laptops, Wi-Fi) have NEVER been tested for long-term effects on human beings.

Instead, they were presumed to be "safe" by the FCC as long as there is not enough microwave radiation from a device to cause tissue heating.

So if your exposure to wireless radiation is less than the FCC's thermal limit of 1000uW/cm2 for 30 minutes, FCC limits say you have nothing to be concerned about because you will not get microwave cooked below this level.  

However, peer-reviewed scientific studies have shown that there are negative biological effects at levels well below the thermal limit - see all the effects below 1000uW/cm2 given in the 2012 Bioinitiative Report here http://www.bioinitiative.org/report/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/BioInitiativeReport-RF-Color-Charts.pdf 

Ipads, wireless laptops, and smart phones emit HIGHER RF radiation levels than a voice only cell phone - because most people hold ipads, laptops and often smart phones in their laps, the abdominal/GI and reproductive areas will get a lot of RF radiation in this way.  90% of your body's serotonin is actually produced in the GI tract by enterochromaffin (EC) cells, particular types of immune cells, and neurons (your GI tract contains a lot of neurons) -   Altered levels of this peripheral serotonin have been linked to diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis. "More and more studies are showing that mice or other model organisms with changes in their gut microbes exhibit altered behaviors" - Read more here in this April 2015 article from Caltech: https://www.caltech.edu/news/microbes-help-produce-serotonin-gut-46495#sthash.vmfYOkab.dpuf )

If you haven't seen this video by the government of Cyprus telling parents how to protect their children, please watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H43IKNjTvRM

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Steve Jobs, who died of pancreatic cancer, didn't let his kids play with ipads http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/11/fashion/steve-jobs-apple-was-a-low-tech-parent.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0  

Here's a story of a 10 year old boy who dies from 2 brain tumors, diagnosed after sleeping with an internet connected ipod under his pillow http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2428769,00.asp

Jan. 2015: Taiwan fines parents  £1000 (US$1400) if their children under 2 plays w/ ipads or cell phones

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2929530/Does-toddler-play-iPad-Taiwan-makes-ILLEGAL-parents-let-children-two-use-electronic-gadgets-18s-limit-use-reasonable-lengths.html

(In 2007: 1500 cell towers removed from residential neighborhoods in Taiwan.  Their goal was move all base stations to buildings of publicly run organizations instead of private buildings, buildings near schools or in residential areas.  Residential neighborhoods and schools must not be exposed to the risk of radiation emitted by the cell towers that could cause cancer, miscarriages and diseases of the nervous system, and could even drive people to suicide  http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/2007/11/06/129715/1500-cellphone.htm  Truly Commendable - Government taking action to protect the people and even put cell antennas on government buildings in order to protect the people.  Contrast this to the FCC. What does the Taiwanese government know about wireless radiation that the US government refuses to acknowledge?)

Video showing degradation in blood cell membranes and other changes in blood in a person with 2 minute exposure to smart meter radiation at a distance of 1ft.  Former Apple executive says safety of wireless devices has not been proven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4JDEspdx58

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Video of ipad RFradiation and Magnetic Fields  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1lXj-kz7UU

Even if there is no wi-fi router on in the room, the ipad is emitting RF signals every few seconds (it sends out RF signals regularly in search of a Wi-Fi router unless you turn on airplane mode)

    Turning ON airplane mode stops RF radiation (airplane  mode on = RF antennas off)  

Therefore:

1) use ipad in airplane mode if you are not using the internet 

2) do NOT hold the ipad in your lap - use it on a table

Video showing RF radiation around a home Wi-Fi router and how to reduce your wireless exposure.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICA19oKPi5I

RF levels are highest around a modem and drop off with distance.  Even if you hardwire connect your computer to the modem, you still have to disable the Wi-Fi feature in order to shut off the RF signals from the router (if there is no button to shut off Wi-Fi, contact your internet provider for instructions on how to disable - they will tell you a website address to log on to where you will be able to deactivate wireless feature on your router)

Therefore:

1) do not sit close to your Wi-Fi router

2) turn off your Wi-Fi router at night (you're not using it anyway when you're sleeping) - if you are within 10 ft of a Wi-Fi router, your exposure levels will be very high.

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Even though cell phone instructions say use a hands free device and do not carry next to the body, the US government (FCC) does not publicize this information nor mandates advertising to demonstrate this, leaving most people unaware of potential hazards, unwittingly allowing their young children to play with them like toys.

The city of Berkeley had passed an ordinance in May 2015 that requires retailers to sell cell phones with warning labels.  But then the CTIA (Wireless lobbying industry that FCC chairman Tom Wheeler was former president of) sued City of Berkeley for this, despite the fact that cell phone safety manuals already say that phones should not be held against the skin.  However in January 2016 Berkeley's ordinance was upheld by US District court, so Berkeley retailers are now selling phones with the following warning:  "To assure safety, the Federal Government requires that cell phones meet radio frequency (RF) exposure guidelines. If you carry or use your phone in a pants or shirt pocket or tucked into a bra when the phone is ON and connected to a wireless network, you may exceed the federal guidelines for exposure to RF radiation. Refer to the instructions in your phone or user manual for information about how to use your phone safely." Congratulations to Berkeley and all involved for winning one against the CTIA!  http://www.dailycal.org/2016/01/31/berkeley-implement-radiation-warning-city-cell-phone-retailers/  

Federal Regulations and Mobile Devices

“...Mobile devices are transmitters designed to be used in such a way that a separation distance of at least 20 centimeters (8 inches) is normally maintained between the transmitter's radiating structure(s) and the body of the user or nearby persons.” FCC, BULLETIN 65, 1997

The following are fine print warnings found in manufacturer's manuals - they are from Environmental Health Trust's website http://ehtrust.org/cell-phone/fine-print-warnings/

Why are these important? If these distances are not maintained, people can be exposed to radiation at levels that exceed the current FCC (thermal) standard, potentially exposing them to thermal (heating) exposures. The SAR for laptops, printers, routers and tablets should be less than 1.6 W/kg for any 1 gram of tissue, as measured 20 cm (~8 inches) from the device. Because of the inverse square law if devices are used closer than 8 inches to the body, exposures grow exponentially. Thus, at 5 inches it could increase 16fold, and at less than one inch ( i.e.  on your lap ) it could increase 100fold.

Most people, especially children and young adults, carry and use their wireless devices directly against their bodies. Consumers do not know that using a laptop on your lap, clutching an ipad to your chest or tucking a cell phone in your pocket or bra is potentially unsafe and could result in the user getting radiation exposures that exceed the standard. Since warnings are deep in the legal fine print of manuals and on manufacturer websites, they are often overlooked. This was confirmed in the 2012 Government Accountability Office (GAO) study, which stated, “Some consumers may use mobile phones against the body, which FCC does not currently test, and could result in RF energy exposure higher than the FCC limit .” For example, cell phones are NOT tested touching the ear, but with a space between the ear and the phone.

All manufacturers of wireless devices have warnings which describe the minimum distance devices must be kept away from users in order to not exceed the tested limits for exposure to wireless radiation. For example, the FCC sets exposure limits for laptops and tablets that are tested 20 cm away from the body.

Blackberry Bold 9930 : “Keep the BlackBerry device at least 0.59 in. (15 mm) from your body (including the abdomen of pregnant women and the lower abdomen of teenagers) when the BlackBerry device is turned on and connected to the wireless network.”

iPads: ”to be sure that human exposure to RF energy does not exceed the FCC, IC, and European Union guidelines, always follow these instructions and precautions: Orient the device in portrait mode with the Home button at the bottom of the display, or in landscape mode with the cellular antenna away from your body or other objects. ”

Samsung 3G Laptop : “Usage precautions during 3G connection : Keep safe distance from pregnant women’s stomach or from lower stomach of teenagers. Body worn operation: Important safety information regarding radiofrequency radiation (RF) exposure.To ensure compliance with RF exposure guidelines the Notebook PC must be used with a minimum of 20.8 cm antenna separation from the body.”

X Box 360 Gaming Console: To comply with IC RF exposure compliance requirements, the antenna used for this transmitter must be installed to provide a separation distance of at least 20 cm from all persons and must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.

iPhone 4: " To be sure that human exposure does not exceed the FCC guidelines, always follow these instructions... keep iPhone at least 15 mm (5/8 inch) away from the body, and only use carrying cases, belt clips, or holders that do not have metal parts and that maintain at least 15 mm (5/8) inch separation between the iPhone and the body." To view the information on your iPhone go to Settings > General > About > Legal > RF Exposure.

Belkin WIFI Router Manual: “Caution: Exposure to Radiofrequency Radiation: The device shall be used in such a manner that the potential for human contact normal operation is minimized. This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. This equipment should be installed and operated with a minimum distance of 20cm between the radiator and your body.”

HP Printer : “In order to avoid the possibility of exceeding the FCC radio frequency exposure limits, human proximity to the antenna shall not be less than 20 cm (8 inches) during normal operation.”

Baby Monitor Motorola MBP33: The Baby unit shall be installed and used such that parts of the user's body other than the hands are maintained at a distance of approximately 20 cm (8 inches) or more

Exposure to radiofrequency radiation may cause cognitive & behavioral effects in 10-year-old boys

Does exposure to environmental radiofrequency electromagnetic fields cause cognitive and behavioral effects in 10-year-old boys?

Calvente, I., Pérez-Lobato, R., Núñez, M.-I., Ramos, R., Guxens, M., Villalba, J., Olea, N. and Fernández, M. F. (2016), Does exposure to environmental radiofrequency electromagnetic fields cause cognitive and behavioral effects in 10-year-old boys?. Bioelectromagnetics, 37: 25–36. doi: 10.1002/bem.21951.

Abstract

The relationship between exposure to electromagnetic fields from non-ionizing radiation and adverse human health effects remains controversial. We aimed to explore the association of environmental radiofrequency-electromagnetic fields (RF-EMFs) exposure with neurobehavioral function of children.

A subsample of 123 boys belonging to the Environment and Childhood cohort from Granada (Spain), recruited at birth from 2000 through 2002, were evaluated at the age of 9–11 years. Spot electric field measurements within the 100 kHz to 6 GHz frequency range, expressed as both root mean-square (S_RMS) and maximum power density (S_MAX) magnitudes, were performed in the immediate surrounds of children's dwellings. Neurocognitive and behavioral functions were assessed with a comprehensive battery of tests. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models were used, adjusting for potential confounders.

All measurements were lower than reference guideline limits, with median S_RMS and S_MAX values of 285.94 and 2759.68 μW/m², respectively. Most of the cognitive and behavioral parameters did not show any effect, but children living in higher RF exposure areas (above median S_RMS levels) had lower scores for verbal expression/ comprehension and higher scores for internalizing and total problems, and obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic stress disorders, in comparison to those living in areas with lower exposure. These associations were stronger when S_MAX values were considered. 

Although some of our results may suggest that low-level environmental RF-EMF exposure has a negative impact on cognitive and/or behavior development in children; given limitations in the study design and that the majority of neurobehavioral functioning tasks were not affected, definitive conclusions cannot be drawn.

http://bit.ly/1PQbKjp

Excerpts... There is particular concern about the potential effects of exposure to RF-EMF on children [Bakker et al., 2011], who may be more vulnerable than adults, although this question remains under debate [van Rongen et al., 2009]. It has been proposed that children could be more sensitive to RF-EMF because they are still in a physiological and psychological development period [Kheifets et al., 2005; Schüz, 2005]. Studies investigating potential causal relationships between RF-EMF exposure and adverse health outcomes have mostly focused on childhood cancers [Calvente et al., 2010; Teepen and van Dijck, 2012] and brain neoplasms [Li et al., 2012]. There has been little exploration of its effects on behavioral problems [Divan et al., 2008, 2012; Thomas et al., 2010a,b; Guxens et al., 2013], or psychosocial risk [Sansone and Sansone, 2013]. In fact, research on the potential effects of exposure to RF-EMFs on neurobehavioral function in children is scant and has largely focused on the association between cell phone use and behavioral problems [Divan et al., 2008, 2012; Thomas et al., 2010b; Feychting, 2011; Guxens et al., 2013]. Findings from the Danish National Birth Cohort showed a positive and dose-dependent relationship between cell phone use by mothers during pregnancy and behavioral problems in their offspring [Divan et al., 2008, 2012; Sudan et al.,2013]; however, this association was not supported by others [Guxens et al., 2013]. This discrepancy may be attributable to differences in outcome reporting (e.g., by parents and/or teachers) or exposure assessment (typically based on questionnaires) or to the presence of unmeasured confounding factors.

The setting of the INMA-Granada cohort is the health district of the San Cecilio University Hospital, including part of the city of Granada (236,000 inhabitants) and 50 towns and villages. Out of the 300 children/families enrolled in the study, the present work included the 123 (41%) families/dwellings for which outdoor RF-EMF measurements (surrounds of the dwellings) were finally carried out. Half of the dwellings (44.7%) were in an urban area (city of Granada), 45.5% in semi-urban areas (towns of >20,000 inhabitants in city residential belt), and 9.8% in rural areas (<20 inhabitants="" span="">

... A cell phone was possessed by 97.5% of the children but only 6.0% of the children used it ....

Median SRMS and SMAX values in the immediate surrounds of the childreńs dwellings were 285.94 μW/m2 and 2759.68 μW/m2, respectively, with a range of 5.51–11559.55 μW/m2 and 2.39–150001.06 μW/m2, respectively. Maximum SRMS and SMAX values were 11559.55 μW/m2and 150001.06 μW/m2, respectively. All measurements obtained were below the reference limit. The mean distance from the dwellings to mobile phone base stations/aerials emitting GSM 900 and GSM 1800 was 660.87 ± 717.48 m, with a minimum distance of 35 m and maximum of 5000 m; 50% of the dwellings were within 500 m.

Environmental exposure to RF-EMF appeared to be associated with worse verbal expression/comprehension and with a few behavioral problems (internalizing and total problems, obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic stress disorders) in the children in this study; however, the majority of neurobehavioral functioning tasks were not affected. Thus, children with higher exposure levels (SRMS ≥ 285.9 μW/m2) in the immediate surrounds of their dwellings had lower verbal expression/comprehension scores and higher behavioral and emotional problems, including anxious-depressed behaviors, OCD, and PTSD, in comparison to those in lower exposure areas levels (SRMS < 285.9 μW/m2). When exposure was measured as SMAX, similar results were observed for cognitive functions but worse results for internalizing and total behavior problems, finding lower IQ and school competence scores and higher ADHD and social and conduct problems (aggressive and rule-breaking behaviors) in children from higher (SMAX ≥ 2759.68 μW/m2) vs. lower exposure areas. The prevalence of total behavior problems was greater with higher exposure. Overall, 8.6% of the children were classified as borderline/clinical in the lower exposure group vs. 20.3% of those in the higher exposure group. Nevertheless, there are a number of issues that need to be critically considered.

...  all of measured exposure values in our study were several orders below current ICNIRP guideline limit [1998] recommended for the general population, in line with reports by Heinrich et al., [2010, 2011] and Thomas et al. [2010].

The present findings should also be interpreted with caution because statistical significance was only reached for one cognitive function and a few behavioral tasks, which may be due to chance or to the performance of multiple comparisons. Furthermore, as the design of the study was cross-sectional and the exposure and neurodevelopment were only assessed at one time point, it is not possible to determine whether the RF-EMF exposure had affected cognitive function or whether these findings represented pre-existing cognitive and/or behavioral development.

Some of the present findings may suggest that low-level environmental exposure to RF-EMFs has a negative impact on cognitive and/or behavioral development in children; however, given limitations in the study design and that the majority of neurobehavioral functioning tasks were not affected, definitive conclusions cannot be drawn. Further research is warranted to elucidate the potential risks of long-term exposure and to investigate the underlying mechanisms. A more standardized research approach is needed to reveal meaningful results on which risk assessment can be soundly based after evaluation of the relevance of any effects.

--

Cell phone radiation effects on adolescents
http://bit.ly/saferemrteens

Cell tower health effects
http://bit.ly/saferemrtower

Wi-fi effects
http://bit.ly/wifiresearch

 
--

Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director
Center for Family and Community Health
School of Public Health
University of California, Berkeley

Electromagnetic Radiation Safety

Website:             http://www.saferemr.com
Facebook:           http://www.facebook.com/SaferEMR
News Releases:   http://pressroom.prlog.org/jmm716/
Twitter:                @berkeleyprc

AGL releases plans for smart meter installation in NSW and South Australia

AGL releases plans for smart meter installation in NSW and South Australia

From Stop Smart Meters Australia:

Excerpt

Victoria was the trial state [in Australia], Tasmania made it optional but didn’t confirm health was at risk with a smart meter installation. Now South Australia and New South Wales seem to be the next states to push smart meters.

Despite the fact that AGL decided to hide the term ‘smart meters’ in their FAQ page, it is clearly spelled out on their website: Smart meters are coming to SA and NSW! Billing accuracy and monitoring are being sold to their customers as benefits. There have been many stories about raised bills with smart meters and very few of them actually lowering bills, so be careful there.

It seems the term ‘Smart Meter’, which now has much negativity associated with it, is being avoided as much as possible to not alarm customers. The term ‘Digital Meter’ is used instead.

SNIP

Read the post here.

A "disclosure of knowledge" event... in real-time

A "disclosure of knowledge" event... in real-time

Did you know the word "apocalypse" actually means, "a disclosure of knowledge, i.e., a lifting of the veil or revelation"? Somehow, it got re-translated as something that spells doom. Go figure. Truth is coming out quickly. They key will be how we respond, and participate. Two rather stunning examples this week: 1) Insurance Underwriting Offices across the US are contemplating new rules that will specifically deny coverage for fires and damage caused by 'smart' meters. This article floored me: http://www.examiner.com/article/changes-are-coming-to-your-insurance-policy 2) James Clapper, the U.S. Director of Intelligence who criminally lied under oath to Congress, is talking openly about plans to use the Internet of Things - anchored by 'smart' meters - to spy on everyone: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/09/internet-of-things-smart-home-devices-government-surveillance-james-clapper So maybe we are in the 'apocalypse' now. While these disclosures are bewildering, I'm so glad the truth about things is being unveiled, so we can clearly see what's what! This is required for us to lose our illusions and effectively deal with the problem. Underneath the surface, so much good is happening. The caterpillar is beginning to see its new form. Let's continue to align ourselves with truth and love. Onward, Josh del Sol

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First Municipal Government Adopts Life Saving Plan for People With MCS/ES, CFS/ME, and FM

First Municipal Government Adopts Life Saving Plan for People With MCS/ES, CFS/ME, and FM

Posted on January 11, 2016 | 4 Comments

Good news for some people who have MCS/ES, CFS/ME, and FM

RESCUE PLAN FOR PEOPLE WITH CENTRAL SENSITIVITY SYNDROMES:

THE CITY OF TARRAGONA (CATALONIA, SPAIN) IS THE FIRST MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT THAT IMPLEMENTS IT!

The first municipal government that has stepped forward to implement this plan, is the City of Tarragona Municipal Government (Tarragona is a major city 100 kilometres south of Barcelona). In the plenary session held last November 30th, the “Institutional Declaration of support for people with Central Sensitivity Syndromes” was approved, which consists of a concrete programme of measures. This is a historical step.
In part, the agreement includes:

FIRST. Create and develop a specific support programme for people with CSS and their families in the City of Tarragona, in which the representatives of those affected have to be involved and which will include:

1. Carry out (with a yearly update) a diagnosis and census of those affected by CSS in the City of Tarragona, showing what is the actual situation and the specific needs of these patients and their families.
2. An intervention protocol for the staff of the Area of Services to Citizens of the Tarragona City Government to look after those with CSS- including a list of economic subsidies for food, first necessity elements, reduced water bill, and home help specific to the needs of these patients.
3. Housing protocol for people with CSS, especially those who have MCS and/or EHS, those threatened by eviction or those who are forced to leave their home. This protocol has to include a series of safe social housing (green/white spaces: free of xenobiotics and electromagnetic waves).
4. Create green/white spaces in all municipal buildings (free of xenobiotics and electromagnetic waves).
5. Eliminate, as much as possible, the use of pesticides in the whole of the municipality. In the case when this is not possible, establish a communication protocol to contact those affected and the press regarding the places and dates of the interventions with preventive advice.
6. Training for social workers and educators about CSS, its social, health and economic reality. Elaboration of information and education to increase the knowledge about these illnesses amongst the general population and of the city workers in particular, with the objective of diminishing the stigma that is now present regarding these illnesses.
7. Protocol for adapting working conditions of the municipal workers who have CSS with specific measures of support when having a flare up. These would be the measures: work schedule flexibility, encourage work from home through internet (teleworking), reserved parking spaces and include in the collective agreement not deduct the salary of the first 20 days of sick leave.

Read the entire plan here: GOOD NEWS

https://lindasepp.wordpress.com/2016/01/11/first-municipal-government-adopts-life-saving-plan-for-people-with-mcses-cfsme-and-fm/

Australian ABC Catalyst program examines the wi-fi and mobile phone health controversy

Australian ABC Catalyst program examines the wi-fi and mobile phone health controversy

From the ABC website:

Coming up

Wi-Fried? Could wifi-enabled devices be harmful to our health? A growing number of scientists are concerned that the widespread wifi and wifi enabled devices could be slowly making us sick.Dr Maryanne Demasi takes a closer look at the link between mobile phones and brain cancer and explores whether our wireless devices could be putting our health at risk.

SNIP

Read the post here.

Stop Untested Microwave Radiation of Children’s Brains and Eyes EHT Scientists Urge Google

Stop Untested Microwave Radiation of Children’s Brains and Eyes EHT Scientists Urge Google

From the Environmental Health Trust:

Excerpt

Environmental Health Trust (EHT) scientists are calling on Google to stop the spread into schools of wireless virtual reality system Global Expeditions Pioneer Program where middle-school children hold a cell phone encased in a cardboard box in front of their eyes to take virtual expeditions to Mars, the moon, and other special places.

“Two-way microwave radiation transceivers, in the form of Smartphones, should not be used directly in front of children’s eyes and brains,” cautions University of Utah Distinguished Prof. Om Gandhi, who is one of the original developers of testing to evaluate wireless radiation from cellphones and is a Senior Advisor to EHT.

Prof. Gandhi added, “We have never tested microwave radiating devices directly in front of the young developing eye. The absence of proof of harm at this point does not mean that we have evidence of safety.”

“We want to know why is Google encouraging young children to employ a technology that has never been tested for their use when Samsung has a similar system that explicitly advises that no child under the age of 13 should be using it,” asks Devra Davis, President of EHT, and Visiting Professor of Ondokuz Mayis University Medical School and The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical Center.

SNIP

Read the post here.

Medical and Legal Perspectives on EHS - Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC)

Medical and Legal Perspectives on EHS - Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC)

Excerpt from the CHRC report  Accommodation for Environmental Sensitivities: 

Legal Perspective :

International approaches to definitions of disability in human rights protection vary in their reliance on medical diagnoses and symptoms. At one end of this spectrum are the Canadian and Australian approaches, in which a very broad definition of disability is adopted.3 As a result of this, complainants are required to provide minimal medical evidence to establish that they qualify as persons with a disability, and individuals with environmental sensitivities do not need to prove the veracity of their condition. In fact, the courts have specifically held that the inability of the medical community to diagnose a condition or identify its cause does not affect whether an individual has a disability, so long as its triggers can be identified.4 Instead, the analysis is meant to focus on the individual’s accommodation needs and the behaviour of the employer or service provider.5 

In contrast, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) applies a very restrictive medical test for an individual to qualify as a person with a disability and be eligible for protection under the ADA.6 Individuals with environmental sensitivities often find it difficult to establish that they have a disability under this definition. In one case, for example, the United States District Court held that a woman did not qualify as a person with a disability because her sensitivities to chemicals only affected a major life function (breathing) while at the office and exposed to chemicals.7 

From: Olle Johansson <Olle.Johansson@ki.se>

A functional impairment does not need any diagnosis, nor any recognition (apart from the personal one), no tribunals or similar. Please, read my latest paper for an update on this: Johansson O, “Electrohypersensitivity: a functional impairment due to an inaccessible environment”, Rev Environ Health 2015c; 30: 311–321  [enclosed as a pdf]

Also see what medical doctors* may do if they are given the opportunity: Johansson O, “Electrohypersensitivity – In January 2015, how far from January 1945 were we?”, Newsvoice.se 24/2, 2015a

http://newsvoice.se/2015/02/24/electrohypersensitivity-in-january-2015-how-far-from-january-1945-were-we/  

It has been investigated many times, and it turns out that it is a very uncommon situation; it is not so fun to 'play the role' of a handicapped person, as you may imagine, and the monetary gain is not that big. In rich countries, this uncommon behaviour is not an economical problem, so it is far better to allow this rare incidence to take place instead of running the risk of chasing entitled persons out of their human rights. We can afford it. (I once positioned myself at a Stockholm roundabout and during 10 minutes (and this was not during the rush hours) more than 60 million Swedish kronor, approx. 10 million Canadian dollars, passed. So, yes, we can afford it.)

Furthermore, it has also been shown that early support cuts the later costs for the society, for the employers, for the health care, etc., down to a tenth (or even lower), so here you may gain billions whereas above you may loose (perhaps) a few millions.

Finally, the greatest economic gain lies in the fact that when you make a society completely accessible then everyone benefits from it. A phased-off sidewalk in Stockholm, meant for persons with movement disorders, are used to at least 99.9% by normal healthy people taking advantage of it while being on a roller board, a bicycle, pulling a shopping cart, pushing a baby pram, using a Segway, a walking frame, a skateboard, etc. The economic advantages of this are, of course, astronomical.

As a citizen - even as a top journalist like yourself - it is of paramount importance to only see the possibilities, not the problems, when it comes to functional impairments and accessibility measures. Many times, only thanks to functionally impaired persons, society has developed immensely.

There is still a very strong tendency to be afraid of persons with Down's syndrome, odd movement impairments, MCS persons, EHS persons, and Swedes without knowledge of the French language. Especially medical doctors react in a rather primitive way, looking at these persons as potential patients, to be given diagnostic criteria, hospital clothes, and flimsy 'treatments'. I cry when I think about how, for instance, the persons with Down's syndrome were treated in the 1940ies and 50ies here in Sweden, being looked away for life in their homes or most often at medical institutions, being victims of homemade 'treatments' and unfounded theories; nowadays they are the most loved and respected citizens, having their own movies, theater plays, winning awards, writing poems, books, etc. And the irony is that if you really want to have a loving creature, filled with the uttermost kindness, they even outbeat a puppy! (...But they were not treated as puppies, but as filthy dogs...) And nowadays physicians want to go down such an avenue again, to 'treat' EHS persons...and then, in the future, maybe Swedes without knowledge of the French language ... or Canadian journalists, if you see what I am driving at.  :-(((((

In summary, in Sweden EHS persons are not seen as patients, they do not have an overriding medical diagnosis, but the ‘patient’ is only the environment - inferior and potentially toxic. This does not mean that a subjective symptom of a functionally impaired can not be treated by a physician, as well as get sick-leave from their workplace as well as economic compensation, and already in the year 2000 such symptoms were identified in the Internal Code of Diagnoses, version 10 (ICD-10; R68.8/now W90), and have been since. But the underlying cause still remains only the environment. (As a matter of fact, the EHS persons in Sweden are even "allowed" to break a leg, have diabetes and get psoriasis treatments. Thus, ‘functional impairment' and 'medical condition' are not mutually exclusive. They are different things. In the everyday world, having EHS is definitely a huge disability and it impairs the ability of a person to have an optimal quality of life. If it was not an impairment, only those interested in esoterica would care about it. So, the pragmatic aspect that makes it important is the simple fact that it is an impairment that disables people's lives. (And interventions for people who have the condition include medical treatments of their symptoms, but not of their environmental causes – there we need technicians, physicists, electricians, and others to make the latter accessible.) About this, the current whole society needs to be educated. Furthermore, prevention is yet another aspect that definitely should be in the discussion; when will we see my dream of tomorrow’s green, human-friendly technology come into play?)

[*As you know, the UN definition of functional impairments includes everyone.]

With my very best regards

Yours sincerely

Olle

(Olle Johansson, associate professor
The Experimental Dermatology Unit
Department of Neuroscience
Karolinska Institute
171 77 Stockholm
Sweden)