Black hat hacker can remotely attack insulin pumps and kill people

Black hat hacker can remotely attack insulin pumps and kill people

Chenda Ngak

Topics

Wired for Women

(Credit: iStockphoto)

- As if we didn't already have enough to be neurotic about, a man at the Black Hat Technical Security Conference gave a presentation detailing how he could take control of insulin pumps from miles away and kill his victims.

Take a minute to panic. Now keep reading. 

Jerome Radcliffe is a diabetic. The nefarious hack he presented at the conference Thursday was a response to his condition. "I have two devices attached to me at all times; an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitor,"said Radcliffe. He said that the devices turned him into a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system.

Out of fear for his own safety he wanted to see if he could hack into these wireless medical devices. As a senior threat intelligence analyst for a major computer security organization, it only made sense that he would test his own defense against hackers.

His presentation, "Hacking Medical Devices for Fun and Insulin: Breaking the Human SCADA System," details his journey to reverse engineer the life-saving and potential life-threatening devices.

Although there's no evidence that anyone has used Radcliffe's techniques, his findings raise fears about the safety of medical devices as they're brought into the Internet age. Serious attacks have already been demonstrated against pacemakers and defibrillators.

Radcliffe wears an insulin pump that can be used with a special remote control to administer insulin. He found that the pump can be reprogrammed to respond to a stranger's remote. All he needed was a USB device that can be easily obtained from eBay or medical supply companies. Radcliffe also applied his skill for eavesdropping on computer traffic. By looking at the data being transmitted from the computer with the USB device to the insulin pump, he could instruct the USB device to tell the pump what to do.

Radcliffe, who is 33 and lives in Meridian, Idaho, tested only one brand of insulin pump - his own - but said others could be vulnerable as well.

Although an attacker would need to be within a couple hundred feet of the patient to pull this off, a stranger wandering a hospital or sitting behind a target on an airplane would be close enough.

Radcliffe also found that it was possible to tamper with a second device he wears. He said he could intercept signals sent wirelessly from a sensor to a machine that displays blood-sugar levels. By broadcasting a signal that is stronger than the real-time, authentic readings, the monitor would be tricked into displaying old information over and over. As a result, a patient who didn't notice wouldn't adjust insulin dosage properly.

With a powerful enough antenna, Radcliffe said, an attacker could be up to a half a mile away. This attack worked on two different blood-sugar monitors.

"The threat hasn't manifested yet, so what they and we are trying to do is see what the risk could be in the future," said Yoshi Kohno, a University of Washington professor who wasn't a part of Radcliffe's research.

Radcliffe said the point of his research is not to alarm people. He said the issues he's discovered are important to address publicly as the medical industry moves aggressively toward more networked devices.

"It would only take one person to do this to kill someone and then you have a catastrophe," he said.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20088598-501465.html

Do Cell Towers cause cancer or other illnesses?

I am not a scientist, and I do not consider myself an activist. I am just a lawyer.

As a litigator with nearly 20 years of experience in federal and state courts,
I was asked to commence a lawsuit against subsidiaries of five of the largest telecommunications companies in the world, to force them to remove more than 50 cell antennas which were situated only 50 feet from an elementary school in New York.

After a New York City television station aired a news segment about the case, 
I began receiving e-mails, reports and expert studies from around the world, 
regarding the adverse health impacts caused by RF emissions from Cell Towers.

Having read voluminous pages of such documents, reviewed case studies, and spoken to, and read the reports of, numerous research scientists, I have been personally constrained to come to four specific conclusions.

First, that continued exposure to the RF radiation from Cell Towers can cause adverse health impacts such as cancer and leukemia, among others. 

Second, that the segment of the population which is most susceptible to the dangers
of such adverse health impacts, are children.


http://www.anticelltowerlawyers.com/anti_cell_lawyer_1_012.htm

Towering Trouble

Towering Trouble

Himanshu Vyas, Hindustan Times
July 14, 2012

First Published: 23:12 IST(14/7/2012)
Last Updated: 01:29 IST(15/7/2012)

The Kasliwals and fifty other families in the upscale C-scheme neighbourhood in Jaipur live under the shadow of death. Seven people in the neighbourhood have been diagnosed with cancer since cellphone towers were installed here in 2003. Since then, illnesses, both minor and major, have become a 

part of their lives.

Two of the three Kasliwal brothers were recently diagnosed with cancer. "First, our dog died of cancer. Last year, both my younger brother and I were diagnosed with brain cancer. It was only when the doctor asked whether we were exposed to some kind of radiation that it occurred to us that the cell-phone towers next to our home were to blame," said Sanjay Kasliwal, who is a part of a large joint-family living in C-scheme.

After treatment at the New York Presbyterian Hospital in the US, Pramod Kasliwal has been admitted to Medanta Medicity at Gurgaon. He is critical. "These towers were put up illegally and the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) has no records for granting any permission for installation of cell phone towers," says Kasliwal.

Killer waves
The World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) says radiation from cellphone handsets and towers is "possibly carcinogenic to humans" and may cause glioma, a type of brain cancer. Towers are more dangerous than handsets because they emit greater-intensity radiation 24X7.

"The area of concern is base-stations and their antennas, which provide the link to and from cellphones. This is because, in contrast to handsets, it (RF) is emitted continuously and is more powerful at close quarters...," said an inter-ministerial committee of experts on electromagnetic radiation exposure from cellphone towers in 2009.

Despite that, the response from government is predictable. "There is no scientific study to prove that anyone has got any health problem due to telecom towers in India. The WHO has prescribed norms on emission of radiation by Telecom Towers. Our norms are much below the WHO norms," said R Chandrasekhar, secretary, department of telecommunications (DoT). "The government has set up a committee under the department of science and technology to look into the issues. The matter is continuously under review."

But the norms adopted in India in 2009 are already outdated, say experts. "In 2009, India adopted the radiation norms specified by ICNIRP, which are now outdated as they were only intended to protect people against short-term gross heating effects and not against ‘biological’ effects such as cancers and genetic damage from long-term exposure," says Dr Girish Kumar, professor, department of electrical engineering, IIT Bombay, who submitted a report on Cell Tower Radiation to the secretary, DoT, in December 2010.

"Also, these safety standards are based on 6 minutes/day exposure, without accounting for people who live close to cell towers 24x7. The norms allow EMF of 4,500 mw/sq2," he adds.

Following the Girish Kumar report, the Inter-Ministerial Committee January 2011 report made recommendations to reduce the exposure to 450 mw/m2. "However, even that hasn’t been implemented yet," laments Kumar.

By the end of 2010, India had 5.4 lakh cell phone towers, of which Delhi alone has 5, 364, including legal and illegal ones.

Sickened nationThe problem is not unique to Jaipur.  Sushila Shah, 57, housewife and Wadala resident in Mumbai, was surprised when told one of the possible reasons for her cancer was just 50 feet away. There are some 20 cell towers on the terrace of very next building to where she stays. She called in experts to measure radiation levels in their home and found the terrace was in the danger zone with very high radiation, while the bedroom, kitchen and hall were in the caution zone. "Every day, we are faced with a new problem: severe headaches, body ache, fatigue, skin rashes and unbearable itchiness. Towers have been there for three years, they are a menace to society," she says.

In west Delhi's Vikas Puri  H-block, the Anands claim even birds avoid their neighbourhood after tower was installed in their locality seven years ago. "All the five towers have been put up in and around the neighbourhood without ‘no-objection, certificates being sought from the residents," says AK Anand, who plans to move court to get them removed.

"It is not legal to install cellular towers in residential areas without taking formal consent. People can complain at the MCD’s office of their zone," said Mahender Nagpal, leader of the house, north Delhi Municipal Corporation. But complaining to the MCD has not worked for the Anands, who are now planning to move court with some of their neighbours.

Searching for a solution
Like them, the Kasliwals approached several regulators and service providers, but nothing happened. "There is no rule in JMC specifically to regulate mobile towers. We tried to make the bylaws for the mobile towers and sent them for approval of the state government, but due to some legal tangle, we still haven’t got permission. Now the state government will reply in court and further instruct to JMC," says Jaipur Mayor Jyoti Khandelwal. Tired of the civic authorities and the regulators passing the buck, the Kasliwals filed a writ petition to remove the towers.

Shifting towers is not a solution, as they invariably end up somewhere around for cell phone connectivity. "Instead of removing towers and passing on the problem to other people, the transmitted power must be reduced," says Kumar. 
 —With Rhythma Kaul and Manoj Gairola in New Delhi, and Sanjana Bhalerao in Mumbai

Technology is fine, but stringent measures needed
Usha Suradkar, 65Radiation-shielding machine, shielding films on window, radiation blocking curtains and wallpapers are an essential part of life for the Suradkar family whose house in Dadar has 12 cell towers on their terrace. "If you have towers in your vicinity, these precautionary measures are a must," says Suradkar, who was diagnosed with brain tumour . The family got two cellphone towers outside their kitchen and bedroom removed after persistent badgering of  the cellphone tower company. "We later found out that the issues like severe headache, continuous cough and itchiness that my wife was facing was possibly due to the radiation from towers," says Sudhakar Suradkar, a retired Inspector General of police (IGP).

"These cell also causes structural damage to building. I urge all to not just get lured by the money paid by these companies," he says. Her husband adds: "I am not against technology advancement, but stringent measures should be taken to tap these companies."
— Sanjana Bhalerao

Complaints to authorities have not helped so far
Uma Devi Luthra, 70
The residents of north Delhi’s Model Town-II have unsuccessfully requested the Municipal Council of Delhi (MCD) to get two cellphone towers moved out of their neighbourhood for four years, installed eight years back. After writing several complaint letters to the Delhi Police, MCD and other government departments, the Luthras, and neighbours, are now planning to move Court.

"My daughter-in-law complained of nausea and frequent headaches, my son and grandson felt irritable all the time and my immunity began going down," said Luthra.  "After receiving my complaint, police commissioner YK Dadwal, called and said they would take action, but nothing’s been done," she says.
—Rhythma Kaul

I stopped opening my windows for fresh air
Javlika Shah, 58When cell phone companies placed transmitters outside her bedroom windows eight years ago, little did Shah, a resident of Girgaum in south Mumbai, know that she would face the consequences years later. "My headaches are not something ordinary. The nerves are strained and it is unbearably painful," she says. She’s also become an insomniac, and gets up in the morning feeling tired and uneasy.

According to the radiation test undertaken in her house, all the rooms have high level of radiation. She says, "I stopped opening my windows for fresh air. The report shows that these areas have highest level of radiation."

"The cell phone towers were put up in most residential buildings for better network. Without knowing the consequences, most society committees agreed to it. "I cannot afford to put up these window films or wallpapers. They are too expensive. I want these towers to be removed for my safety and that of the others around," says frustrated Shah.
—Sanjana Bhalerao

Headaches and insomnia plague Peddar Road
Smita Agarwal , 43
Many residents of Peddar Road suspect there is connection between the increasing number of cancer cases and other health problems and the cluster of cellphone towers put up on residential buildings. Agarwal is one of the victims, staying on the top floor of Maheshwari Niketan. She recently got a doctor’s certificate stating that cause of her health problems are radiations. Her children also complain of headache and sleeplessness.

Peddar Road has already reported two deaths because of cancer developed by radiation. The lane has educational institutions, a well known hospital and several residential towers and bungalow. At present, Maheshwari Niketan has around 18-20 transmitters on their terrace and there are expected to be few more in the coming years.  A few months back, the residents of Peddar Road marched to demand the removal of  the cluster of towers from their terrace.

"I don’t know how to protect myself and my family. Only proper rules and regulations set up by the civic body can make a difference," says a worried Agarwal. "I don’t want people killed for few lakh," she adds.
— Vaishnavi Vasudevan

Expert speak
Dr Girish Kumar
'Reduce the power or remove the tower'

Disrupted sleep, headaches, dizziness, altered reflexes, depression, fatigue, joint pains, heart disorders, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson, DNA damage and cancers are just some of the health hazards of exposure to cell tower radiation, says Professor Girish Kumar, professor, department of electrical engineering, IIT Bombay, who submitted a report on Cell Tower Radiation to the Department of Telecommunications, in December 2010.
Are towers destroying our health, with or without phone usage?
Yes, of course. After 20 minutes of using cell phones, you feel a warm sensation near the ear. This is because the temperature of the earlobes increases by one degree Celsius. A maximum of 6 minutes of cell phone usage is recommended during the day since a cell phone transmits 1 to 2 watts of power, which are very high and dangerous.
In the US, users are told this, but in India, there are no such warnings despite the fact that we adopted radiation norms specified by ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection) guidelines of 1998.

Do studies prove that exposure to EMF has a direct health impact?The World Health Organisation (WHO)’s INTERPHONE study in 2000 done over 10 years in 13 countries showed that heavy cellphone users (1 to 2 hours a day) have a risk of glioma (brain or spine tumour). This risk is 55% for those using it over 10 years. They found 5,117 brain tumour cases in the study.
Several studies done in various countries — such as Germany, Austria, Brazil, Israel, etc — have reported increase in cancer cases in 5 to 10 years, where radiation level was more than 1 mW/m2.
Cancer is the last stage and before that, people living close to mobile phone towers have reported sleep disturbances, headaches, memory loss, lack of concentration, fatigue, joint pains, vision distortion, miscarriage, heart problems, etc.
In India too, there are many complaints of such health problems among people who are heavy cell phone users and stay near cell towers. Cell phone users start with feeling dizzy and even develop ear problems. This was acknowledged by the Government of India in its Jan 2011 Inter-Ministerial Committee report.

What are the norms for cellphone radiation in India and what is the ideal level of exposure?
Till 2009, India had no standards. India adopted the radiation norms specified by ICNIRP in 2009, which are now outdated as they were only intended to protect people against short-term gross heating effects and not 'biological' effects such as cancers and genetic damage from long-term exposure.
Also, these safety standards are based on 6 minutes per day exposure, without accounting for people who live close to cell towers 24/7. The norms allow EMF of 4,500 mw/m2.
In 2010, I submitted a report to the government on the health hazards from cell towers and how to curb them. In January 2011, the report by Inter-ministerial Committee mentioned several health hazards at levels thousand to ten thousand times below the ICNIRP standards and made recommendations to reduce exposure to 1/10th to 450 mw/m2. Even that has not been implemented yet.

How can exposure be reduced?
At first, I would recommend that the amplification of power in the cell towers be reduced by removing the power amplifier or by reducing the gain of the antenna. By reducing the power, coverage area will be reduced, which can be taken care of by using more cell towers or repeaters or in-building solutions. The height of towers should be increased. All towers in close proximity to schools and hospitals should be checked and removed, if too close.

Where do towers shifted from celebrity neighbourhoods — as in Juhi Chawla's case — go? 
They may have shifted these towers to nearby place for cell phone connectivity, so the radiation from these high-power transmitting towers will now be affecting other people. That is why I have always recommended that instead of removing towers and passing on the problem, the transmitted power must be reduced. Reduce the power or remove the tower.

Sayli Udas Mankikar

WiFi Radiation as Dangerous as Microwave Weapons, Warns Physicist

WiFi Radiation as Dangerous as Microwave Weapons, Warns Physicist

By LUIS MIRANDA | THE REAL AGENDA

Barrie Trower, a British physicist and expert on microwave weapons warned this week about the dangers of WiFi radiation, which he says, is as dangerous as the radiation emitted by microwave weapons. Mr. Trower is not just a scientist who happened to study microwave energy as a tool for warfare, he dedicated most of his career to studying the effects what this kind of technology has on whoever and whatever is exposed to it.

Mr. Trower completed research for the Royal British Navy and military intelligence regarding the effects of microwave energy. Trower decided to leave his retirement to clear up the fog about whether the radiation emitted by WiFi technology is harmless to humans, as other people have said recently. During an interview with the Toronto Star, Trower spoke about the dangers of WiFi radiation and how other household appliances also emit the same kind of energy also harmful to all living things.

Previous to Mr. Trower speaking out, an organization called Health Canada had publicly said that WiFi networks posed no threat to human health and that therefore it was fine to install and maintain WiFi networks in schools and other public places often visited by large numbers of people. Mr. Trower shook the validity of the report from Health Canada, by saying that the radiation frequencies emitted by WiFi signals is equal to those used in microwave weapons. In his speeches and meetings with members from Health Canada, Barrie Trower provided documentary proof in paper form  where he explains how and why WiFi radiation is so dangerous to humans and specially to children.

In the document, Mr. Trower begins by providing an account of his experience studying the effects of microwave radiation and then describes how these radiation has the capacity to literally cook living things while they’re alive.

“The Cold War extended my military education into the full diversity of stealthmicrowave warfare and communication systems,” Trower said. “I was previously aware of reports concerning dead birds in and around communication bases. On examination these birds were found to be cooked.”

Trower goes further to explain that microwave technology is the selected mode of communication in military settings because its radio waves are so strong that they are capable of penetrating places where no other form of radio waves can get.

Trower adds that sickness due to exposure to microwave radiation was first seen and reported back in 1932, when it was identified as ’microwave or radio wave sickness.’ Among the symptoms of such sickness, experts have found severe tiredness, fatigue, fitful sleep, headaches, intolerability and high susceptibility to infection. The symptoms, he says, are a consequence of the athermal effects of the radiation; that is, the effects the radiation has without emitting or exposing the victims to any kind of noticeable heat waves.

In his document prepared for the Kind of Botswana, Trower cites the example of the US Embassy in Moscow, which was irradiated with low level microwave energy during the Cold War. The consequences of this radiation, says Trower, were multiple cancers, leukaemias and other illnessess that appeared among Embassy workers and their relatives.

Regarding exposure to people and especially children to low levels of Wi Fi radiation, Trower said: “That’s wrong”, as he asserted there are no safe levels of exposure to that kind of radiation. According to his research and the International Commission for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection Guidelines, children, the elderly and people with poor health are the most likely to have less tolerance to Wi Fi radiation, that is why he considers it inadmissible to promote the installation of Wi Fi technology in highly populated areas or places like schools, where children spend a great deal of time.

Forty years later after the effects of microwave radiation were discovered and documented, the US Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) documented 2300 research articles that reported over 120 illnesses originated from radio frequency and non-ionizing microwave radiation. This information obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request extracts documents confirming the military was well aware of the dangerous effects of microwave radiation, but chose to hide that information to avoid drawbacks to commercial applications.

“If the more advanced nations of the West are strict in enforcement of stringent exposure standards, there could be unfavourable effects an industrial output and military functions,” Trower said.

Barrie Trower says that “children are physiologically and neurologically immature. It takes years for the blood-brain barrier to form, leaving children more prone to cell-leakage from microwave radiation.” He adds that a person’s natural immune system takes 18 years to develop, therefore children are completely unprotected against this radiation. He has visited numerous schools around the world and found that children exposed to WiFi, report the same symptoms reported back in 1932: fatigue, headaches, nausea, chest pain and vision problems.

In the document he provided to the King of Botswana, Trower mentions that his research reveals that both children and women are more vulnerable to disease caused by exposure to radiation such as the kind emitted by Wi Fi and microwave. ”Children have less dense bones, immature immune systems and, by virtue of their size, they can act as aerials. Females have more complex hormone based systems to be disrupted than males.” he adds.

Indeed, governments have kept this information hidden for over 40 years now. They learned about the dangers of Wi Fi and microwave radiation for decades and chose not to say anything fearing that the profits that corporations have accumulated through the sale of Wi Fi technology and all the products and services that originated from it.

Trower’s research as well as the documents obtained through the FOIA requests should be sufficient proof beyond reasonable doubt that this technology has been used not only to get people addicted to it, but also to cause mass disease for decades. “They’re afraid of lawsuits if they admit this is dangerous,” said Trower. Fortunately, they do not need to admit such dangers in order for legal action to be taken. It wouldn’t be strange to see lawsuits popping up as a consequence of Trower’s revelations. Both governments and technology companies must be held accountable for collaborating with the mass poisoning of humanity and all other forms of life.

Related: Barrie Trower Speaks About Microwave Radiation – Magda Havas, Ph.D.

http://mother-earth-journal.com/2012/07/16/wifi-radiation-as-dangerous-as-microwave-weapons-warns-physicist/

Use of Cellular Phones Aboard Airplanes in Flight

Use of Cellular Phones Aboard Airplanes in Flight

http://ecfsdocs.fcc.gov/filings/2005/05/27/5512779511.html

Ban Texas Smart Meters: Right Now - Texans Are Fighting for the Right to Say 'No' to Smart Meters

PRESS RELEASE

July 12, 2012, 2:14 p.m. EDT

Ban Texas Smart Meters: Right Now - Texans Are Fighting for the Right to Say 'No' to Smart Meters

Texans are gathering tomorrow for their freedom to choose to have "Smart Meters."

AUSTIN, Texas, Jul 12, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- LIRPAGREEN issued the following statement on behalf of Ban Texas Smart Meters:

Texans are gathering tomorrow for their freedom to choose to have "Smart Meters" installed or removed on the steps of the Austin's capital tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. until the state takes up item 14 on Project 40404. Over 1 million Smart Meters were installed in Texas by a silent force. Now Texans are fighting. Consumers never had a right to choose and were smacked with additional fees. The electric monopolies like Oncor Energy and Centerpoint Energy used scare tactics, such as threatening to shut off power and fines for tampering if customers did not succumb, according to Ban Texas Smart Meters. The Austin protest today is in response to Devvy Kid, Journalist and Activist getting repeatedly refused a trial by the PUC because of technicalities. This is just another instance of Texans standing up for their freedoms.

Utility companies are swapping out electric, gas and water analog utility meters and replacing them with pulsed microwave radiation (RF) Smart Meters, which are costing consumers more money, privacy, and there has been numerous health and safety issues documented. The new Smart Meter network is a 2-way data collection system with collection points on some consumer homes or businesses that may serve up to 5000 customers' meters. The collection points are assigned to certain customer homes or businesses without customers' knowledge or consent; the customer is exposed to higher levels of continuous radiation. Additionally, it is unlawful to use one customer's premises to service another customer.

After consumer and state officials push back to the utility companies outside of Texas, some utility companies allowed opt-outs, including California, Maine, Nevada and Oregon. Smart meters got a big boost in 2009, when the Obama administration devoted $3.5 billion of its $787 billion economic stimulus package to grants to help utilities install the new technology. Most states with opt-outs can charge fees for not switching over. In addition to the health and the freedom to choose controversy, people are wondering why the extra fees when the labor is smaller, the systems are "more energy efficient" and their tax dollars paid them to make the transition.

The march is being led by a web based organization called Ban Texas Smart Meters. Their goal is to halt further installation, ban the product all together or force utility companies to add opt-outs. www.bantexassmartmeters.com .

SOURCE: Ban Texas Smart Meters

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ban-texas-smart-meters-right-now-texans-are-fighting-for-the-right-to-say-no-to-smart-meters-2012-07-12

Cell towers get mixed signals

Cell towers get mixed signals

By Miriam King, QMI Agency

Thursday, July 12, 2012 8:42:15 EDT PM

The proposal by Bell Mobility for three new cell phone towers in Innisfil — at Innisfil Beach Park, Fennell's Corners Park and at the Stroud Arena — has prompted a battle of the petitions.

A 252-signature petition opposing the installation of a tower at 2155- 25 Sideroad (Innisfil Beach Park) was handed to town council on July 11.

At the same time, a petition has been started by businesses and residents who want the new towers which are intended to improve cell service, complaining of dropped calls in the Alcona area.

Normally an Industry Canada decision, Innisfil council will make the decision on the cell towers because all three are proposed for municipal property.

Should Bell Mobile be turned down by the town, the company can approach private landowners for permission to place the cell towers.

Shelly Wright and Brian Durkin live one kilometre from the proposed site near Innisfil Beach Park, immediately behind the Alcona fire station, and just tens of metres away from a popular toboggan hill and other activities in the park.

But for Shelly, Bell might as well be placing the tower in her backyard.

She is among a small but growing percentage of the population who have been diagnosed with extreme electromagnetic sensitivity. She experiences a well-defined suite of symptoms that can include confusion, short term memory loss, tingling, numbness in the hands and feet, difficulty sleeping and migraines, when exposed to Wi-Fi, cell phones, cordless phones, routers, and communications towers.

On July 10, Wright and Durkin held a public meeting at the Innisfil Community Church — which turned off its Wi-Fi for the occasion — to present some background information on cell tower safety. The presentation included a video of Dr. Magda Havas, associate professor of Environmental and Resource Studies at Trent University, who has been studying the biological effects of radio frequencies for over a decade.

Dr. Havas pointed out that in May of 2011, the World Health Organization classified electromagnetic radiation as a Class 2B carcinogen. In other words, as a “possibly carcinogenic.”

The findings are complex, she noted. “Four of six studies showed increased incidence of cancer,” when combined with exposure to other carcinogens not directly causing cancer, but promoting it.

In the U.S., the IAFF (International Association of Fire Fighters) has expressed strong opposition to using fire halls as base stations for communications towers or antennas, at least until a majority of studies prove that the radiation is safe.

Their opposition is based partly on new information on the 'side lobe' radiation patterns emitted by antennas — which irradiate areas near the towers — and partly on anecdotal evidence. Within five years of the installation of a tower at a fire station in California, firefighters experienced a long list of symptoms that included brain fog, confusion, tremors, migraine and vertigo.

That information led to a 2004 IAFF resolution calling for a moratorium on the placement of mobile phone towers at fire halls.

Durkin pointed out that the town has a policy on the location of mobile phone and telecommunications towers, that specifically states that the towers should not be placed within 300 metres of a residential area, or involve any tree-cutting.

The Innisfil Beach Park proposal “goes against most of their policy,” he said.

The town will be accepting written submissions until July 27.

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/2012/07/12/cell-towers-get-mixed-signals