Monday, July 09, 2007

Do You Have Microwave/EMR Sickness?


Do You Have Microwave/EMR Sickness?

Your Cell Phone (i.e. Electromagnetic Weapon) May –Insidiously – Be Making Us Sick!


by Art KAB

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. - Arthur Schopenhauer

In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few. - Shunryu Suzuki

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift. - Albert Einstein

A good student answers questions but does not question answers. - Ira Shor

Many people have a hard time fathoming that something that they cannot see, touch, smell, taste or hear - sense with the five senses - can harm them so much. But if people did really know the facts regarding the dangers of cell phones and WiFi (wireless networks) and the masts (cell phone towers) that emit an ever-increasing and pervasive level of microwave radiation, would they still be willing to use them? Would they still be willing to allow the antennas to be built in the vicinity of their homes, work places, schools, and hospitals? The fact of the matter is that there are about eighty immune system disorders that we didn't have twenty-five years ago before we really started microwaving the planet. Research is showing that this electrosmog may very likely be playing a role in a host of illnesses including autism, ADHD, CFS, Alzheimer's, allergies, heart disease, stroke, diabetes , insomnia, depression, infertility, leukemia, breast cancer, brain tumors, miscarriages, birth defects, and a plethora of other illnesses – not to mention electrosensitivity (ES) .

Dr. George Carlo , who ran a multi-million dollar research program for the cell phone industry and went public regarding the dangers posed by cell phones, uses the analogy of putting a frog in water. If you put a frog in boiling water, it will jump out. However, if you put a frog in cold water and gradually heat the water, you can cook the frog because the frog's body will adjust to the slight changes in temperature and it will not notice it is being cooked. Well, the same thing might be happening to an unsuspecting public - a public that has not been informed about the real dangers of microwave radiation from cell phones, WiFi and other high-frequency-radiation emitting devices and antennas.

The truth of the matter is that your cell phone and your WiFi might very well be making you and those close to you sick! Please read on!

I. Symptoms known to be caused by exposure to electromagnetic radiation - depending on frequency, duration, and exposure levels - in the early stages (and/or at lower exposure levels) can be decreased stamina, memory problems, fatigue, sleep disturbances, headaches, eye sensitivities, increased allergies and other sensitivities, dizziness, irritability, concentration problems, nausea, and restlessness. At the latter stages (and/or at higher exposure levels), unexplained anxiety, insomnia, swollen lymph nodes, depression, loss of appetite, hypoxia (lack of oxygen getting to the tissues), hyperactivity, dry eyes, vision problems, weakened immune system, frequent urination, night sweats, extreme thirst, weight gain or weight loss, testicular pain and so on (Becker 1985, Levitt 1995, Cherry 1996, Kolodynski & Kolodynski 1996, Santini et al 2002, Al Khlaiwi & Meo 2004, Radio Wave Sickness, Selsam 2005, Bortkiewicz et al 2005, Sage 2006). These symptoms very often suddenly appear in people who have had a cell phone tower installed nearby their home.

II. Microwave exposure induces oxidative damage leading to depletion of the body's natural production and store of a number of antioxidative enzymes and antioxidants like super oxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione, CoQ10, and melatonin (Wei 1999, Campanella et al 2003, Gautier & Santini 2003, Ilhan et al 2004, Ozquner et al 2005, Regoli et al 2005, Zwirska-Korczala et al 2005, Goldberg G. 2006, Jelenkovi et al 2006, Kalns et al 2006, Ozquner et al 2006,Yurekli et al 2006, Carlo 2007). When the body becomes depleted in antioxidants, what are known as free radicals - aka reactive oxygen species (ROS) - will wreck havoc on the body's cellular systems (e.g. cell wall, mitochondria, DNA) causing oxidative damage which can thus lead to premature aging, a weakened immune system, and sticky blood, among other serious problems. With a depressed level of antioxidants in the blood, for example, not only low-density lipoproteins (LDL) will bind with free radicals (oxidants) leading to the gooey stuff that forms plaque on arterial walls, but evidence is showing that this can also happen with the high density lipoproteins (HDL) as well (Hurtado, et al 1996). This leads to arteriosclerosis and more viscous blood which in turn can cause blood clots leading to strokes and heart attacks.

III. Microwaves, depending on their frequencies, have been known to effect an abnormal flux of calcium into or out of cells (Nair 1989, Cleary 1999, Dorothy 1999 , Amara 2004). When there is an abnormal influx of calcium into mast cells, for example, they release histamine (Chakravarty 1986, 1987). This is just one of the ways in which microwave exposure has been known to trigger or aggravate allergic reactions.

IV. Microwave exposure has been known to induce mitochondria dysfunction (Dutto et al 1984, Xie et al 2004, Goldberg G 2006, Buchachenk et al 2006). The mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell. Dysfunctional mitochondria will interfere with the cellular energy production and can be linked to fatigue - and very possibly even obesity.

V. Microwaves have been shown to depolarize the body's red blood cells (Tomson). This will cause the red blood cells to clump together and when this happens, the amount of oxygen getting to the brain cells and the body's other organs' cells is substantially diminished leading to hypoxia. This can cause symptoms similar to altitude sickness: nausea, dizziness, inability to concentrate, headaches and so on. Microwaves have also been shown to induce protein shedding from the cellular membranes of red blood cells (Liburdy et al 1984, 1987, 1988). This would naturally weaken the red blood cell leaving it more susceptible to attack by free radicals and hence to oxidative damage.

VI. Microwave exposure has been shown in studies to induce a decrease in the numbers of Natural Killer (NK) cells (Smialowicz et al 1983, Yang et al 1983, Nakamura et al 1997, 1998, Dmoch & Moszczynski 1998), which is a form of white blood cell (lymphocyte) and is the body's first line of defense against pathogens. This leads to the body's weakened ability to recover from viral and other types of infections. Therefore, people exposed to microwave radiation would take longer than normal to recover from your day-to-day infections.

VII. Exposure to long-term microwave radiation has been shown to change a particular form of white blood cell (lymphocyte) ratio - known as the T-helper/T-suppressor (T4/T8) cell ratio - from normal to abnormal (Dmoch & Moszczynski 1998). Abnormalities in this T-lymphocyte ratio have been shown to lead to an increased susceptibility to viral, fungal, and bacterial infections. Symptoms include "sore throats, low-grade fevers, weakness, persistent fatigue, and swollen lymph glands" (Braverman).

VIII. In fact, research has shown that exposure to microwaves and other electromagnetic radiation not only weakens the immune system, but also effects an increase in viruses, bacteria, mold, parasites, and yeast in the blood of the human host.

IX. Microwave exposure has been shown in studies to induce what is known as "subliminal" stress (Becker 1985, Levitt 1995), (since the body does not know it is being stressed) causing the adrenal glands to excrete an abnormally greater amount of cortisol and adrenaline. Excretion of adrenaline, for one, can lead to irritability and a feeling of hyperactivity - the latter now very common in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In a continuous state this will eventually lead to adrenal exhaustion, in which the adrenal glands just stop working, which is a common abnormality found in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS).

X. Microwave exposure has been shown to alter levels of 5-HT in the blood (Wang 1989) of workers exposed. 5-HT is a precursor to the production of the brain hormone serotonin. Low levels of serotonin have been linked to anxiety and depression (Gorman et al 2002, Goldberg G 2006). An increase in anxiety and depression can in turn be linked to growing numbers of suicides.

XI. Microwave exposure has been shown to induce a decrease in levels of the brain hormone norepinephrine (Takahashi et al 1994). This hormone is essential for control of the autonomic nervous system, and lack of it can lead to autonomic nervous system disorders. For example, if the autonomic nervous system is not working properly, the body will have trouble regulating its temperature - i.e. cooling itself when it is warm and heating itself when it is cold (Gandhi & Ross 1987). This could lead to feeling colder than one would normally when it is cold and feeling warmer than one would normally when it is warm (Way et al 1981). In fact, People with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (PWC) have been found to have a disturbed circadian Core Body Temperature (Tomoda et al 1997). An abnormal decrease in norepinephrine levels has also been connected to short-term memory disturbances (Clinton et al 2006), ADHD (Arnsten & Li 2005) and depression (Charney 1988, Meyer et al 2006).

XII. Production of the brain hormone melatonin has also been shown to be altered by exposure to microwaves (Yellon 1994, Altpeter et al 2006). This brain hormone and antioxidant is necessary for proper sleep. 42 million (approximately one in five) Americans in 2006 took sleep medication for insomnia, up 60% from 2000 (Saul 2006), while others often experience sleep disturbances due to exposure to electromagnetic radiation (EMR) (Hubert et al 2002). A drop in melatonin levels has also been connected with increases in breast cancer (Blask et al 2005).

XIII. Changes in the levels of the brain hormone, dopamine (or dopamine transporters), has also been shown to be connected with microwave radiation and other EMF exposure (Mausset-Bonnefont et al 2004, Sieron et al 2004). A drop in dopamine levels has also been linked with depression (Brown & Gershon 1993) and restless leg syndrome (RLS) (Allen 2004) .

XIV. Exposure to electromagnetic radiation has been shown to effect an abnormal drop in the levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (Modak et al 1981, Dutta et al 1992, Omura & Losco 1993, Testylier et al 2002, Gautier et al 2003). A drop in the levels of this neurotransmitter has been linked to a number of neurological and neuromuscular disorders - including Alzheimer's disease.

XV. Some electromagnetic frequencies have been shown to induce restlessness (Cherry 1996, Rajendra et al 2004, Shtemberg et al 2004, Selsam 2005). This only strengthens the possible connection between EMR and restless leg syndrome (RLS) since dopamine has been shown to be affected by EMR and dopamine agonists are used to treat RLS (Weimerskirch & Ernst 2001, Aramideh & de Weerd 2006).

XVI. Electromagnetic fields - like those emitted by cell phones - have been shown to alter regional cerebral blood flow (Huber et al 2002, Huber et al 2005, Haarala et al 2003, Goldberg G 2006, Aalto et al 2006). In conditions like autism and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) it has been shown via SPECT (Single Proton Emission Computed Tomography) scans that there is an altered flow of blood in the brain (Tomoda et al 2000, Goldberg MJ 2000, Miike et al 2004).

XVII. Numerous studies are now connecting microwave and other electromagnetic radiation exposure to an increase in allergies (Kimata 2002 [see also Ingels], Kimata 2003, Kimata 2005). Microwave exposure has been shown to turn on mast cells to produce more histamine - the chemical responsible for allergic reactions - and other electromagnetic fields have been shown to actually increase the number of mast cells in the body (Johansson & Liu 1995, Johansson et al 1996, Johansson et al 2001). Microwaves have also been found to increase immunoglobulin antibodies in the body (Bergier et al 1990, Dmoch & Moszczynski 1998, Moszczynski et al 1999, Yuan et al 2004, Kimata 2005). Immunoglobulin antibodies are responsible for triggering an allergic reaction to a particular substance or protein. Could it be that the EMR confuses the body into making antibodies to the wrong things? Many researchers and scientists were - and still are - puzzled by the fact that the East German population had so few allergies in comparison to the West German population when the two countries unified (Hermann-Kunz 1999a & 1999b, Heinrich et al 2002, Kramer et al 2002). But what they failed to examine is the simple fact that East Germany had much stricter regulations regarding ambient radiation levels than West Germany. Since East Germany adopted West Germany's standards, allergies in former East Germany have since reached par with the levels of former West Germany.

XVIII. Microwave exposure has also been shown to adversely affect the heart (Becker, 1985, pp. 314-315; Ozquner et al 2005) and could very well be linked to heart irregularities and responsible for triggering heart attacks.

XIX. Exposure to microwave radiation has also been shown to effect an abnormal increase in nitric oxide (NO) (Jelenkovic et al 2006). An abnormal increase in cellular calcium can also lead to an abnormal increase in cellular NO (Kitamura et al 1997, Li et al 2003), which in excess combines with the superoxide (O2-) to produce a damage-producing free radical or oxidant called peroxynitrite (Henmani & Parihar 1998). Peroxynitrite has been linked with chronic fatigue syndrome (Pall).

XX. Microwave exposure has been shown in numerous studies to open the blood brain barrier (BBB) (Albert & Kerns 1981, Williams et al 1984, Quock et al 1986, Quock et al 1987, Neubauer et al 1990, Schirmacher et al 2000). The BBB protects the brain from foreign substances like viruses, bacteria, and chemical toxins in the blood which may injure the brain. Thus, exposure to microwave radiation could very well open people up to viral and bacterial infections of the brain that would not normally occur otherwise.

XXI. There has been a dramatic increase in brain tumors (Bleyer 1999) and other cancers in the past twenty years - especially with the advent of the cell phone. After 1984 (the year the first cellular phone networks were set up in most major cities in the USA) there was a notable jump in children's brain tumors (see video ) though according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) this is due to better diagnostics (1998). Brain tumors are now the number two cause of death in children followed by leukemia. Just last year seven people in Melbourne at RMIT University working in a building on the top two floors underneath a cell phone mast suddenly were diagnosed with brain tumors (Macnamara 2006). They had been working under the mast for ten years.

XXII. There has been an exponential increase in autism , ADHD, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome , and Alzheimer's since 1984, the year the first commercial cell phone networks started to spread across the USA. These rates increased even further with the switchover from analog (1G) to digital (2G) in the early 90s (Marshall 2001, Weatherall 2007).

XXIII. There have been numerous confirmed cases of deformities in animals (Animal Study) and plants (Kato 2004) near cell phone towers – and the worldwide disappearance of frogs (Balmori 2006), birds (Mukherjee 2003) and insects (most recently bees - see Barrionuevo 2007) is being connected with these levels of ambient background radiation (Sandu 2007) . Also, sardines (or pichard) in Australia (Gov. of Australia ), carp in Japan (CBS News 2003), and lobster in Florida (Schneider 2003) have been found to be infected with forms of the herpes virus. One study has even shown that electromagnetic fields can actually stimulate the genome of the Epstein-Barr Virus (Grimaldi et al 1997), the herpes virus responsible for mononucleosis in the US or aka glandular fever in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. A number of herpes-family viruses (e.g. CMV, EBV, HH6V) are usually found to infect people with CFS, autism, ADHD, and Alzheimer’s.

Now, in heavily electropolluted Japan it has been reported that it is very common for women to have miscarriages in their last trimester of pregnancy. Usually, the fetus is deformed. One study (Nagaishi et al 2004) has shown chromosome abnormalities in the fetuses of miscarriages in Japan and another has shown an increasing male/female ratio in fetal deaths since the 1970s (Mizuno 2000). Cell-phone use has also recently been shown to lower sperm count in men the longer they use the phone (Hope 2006).

The cell phone industry makes hundreds of billions of dollars in profits every year. They have the money and the power to influence politicians, the media, and even the research. Unethical researchers receive mass funding from this industry and are pressured to tell you it is safe while the researchers who inform us of its true dangers have consistently had their funding cut.

At present there are approximately 40,000 signatories to The Freiburger Appeal drafted after a number of German doctors recognized a connection between many of the symptoms listed above and exposure to microwave radiation and other EMR - and after the German government had failed to act to protect its citizenry. In some countries like Israel and Ireland there have been cases where citizens have taken their health and the law into their own hands when they realized that their governments would not protect them or their children from this danger. Naturally, we all have a right not to be exposed to this radiation which is affecting our health and making us and our families sick. Unfortunately, it seems like our governments favor the corporations and of course their money over our rights. We should expect to be seeing lawsuits in the future with regards to second-hand RF radiation.

The only way the cell phone industry gets its power is because consumers pay them their money. They have created an imaginary need or addiction. But if you heed the information above, then you will hopefully realize that you do not really need this "unnecessary evil" - or rather you need it like you need a hole in your head or rather a brain tumor. Consumers need to become aware that they do have the power to affect change. Hence, the consumer is either part of the problem or part of the solution! The consumer can decide. The consumer has a choice - that is - unless they are Unconscious! The forces of greed, selfishness, conformity, ignorance, apathy, obedience, fear, blind skepticism, and denial are powerful forces in our societies, which industries hence use to manipulate a populace. However, they are all still forms of Unconsciousness. And only an Unconscious person, aware of the severe damage that this technology is leveling, would pay an industry to cause them, their family and others harm. Only an Unconscious person would be a willing partner in a grave crime being committed against other human beings, plants, insects, and animals living on this planet. Social psychologists have shown that it is much easier for people to harm other people when they do so under the orders of an authority figure - and further if done so indirectly and incrementally. When you add in the unconscious elements of conformity (everyone else is doing it so it must be OK), convenience, selfishness, greed, and denial, well you naturally have the ingredients for a disaster. If someone kills you directly and immediately, they go to jail; however, if someone kills you indirectly and incrementally, well they get away with murder. What should eventually come to light is that the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) are not in Iraq, but rather in our front pockets, and we are not only committing mass genocide with these EM WMDs but also a slow mass suicide.

What can we do to protect ourselves and our families from this unconsciousness? One thing would be to limit one’s and one’s family’s exposure to the electrosmog as much as possible. This can be done by relocating – (though finding a place without this radiation is becoming more and more difficult), and if this is not possible - shielding one’s home. There was recently a building built in Budapest which is designed to block residents’ exposure to EMR (All Hungary News 2007) which is evidence that people are indeed starting to take this problem seriously. More and more people are looking into creating EMR-free communities (see EMF-Refugee at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/emfrefugee/ and we can expect in the future that doctors will start sending patients to these areas. Meters and shielding materials can be purchased at www.lessemf.com and other companies like it. Numerous studies are now showing that a number of antioxidants have an ability to protect one against the negative consequences of exposure to electromagnetic radiation. However, each antioxidant works differently in the body with some offering more protective effects to specific organs (e.g. milk thistle has been shown to offer the liver specific protection) while a number work in conjunction with each other. Therefore, it is useful to think of a “football team” analogy when taking antioxidants with each one performing a specific function while also working together as a team. The following are recommended with many already being shown in studies to offer protection against EMR: Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA), Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, Vitamin E, the B vitamins, Carotene, Cryptoxanthin, Lutein, Zeazanthin, Lycopene, Flavanoids, Gingko Biloba, Pycnogenol, Grape Seed Extract, Quercetin, Isoflavones, Milk Thistle, Bilberries, Blueberries, Hawthorn, Glutathione (from whey powder), N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine, Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD), Selenium, Catalase, Bee Propolis and Coenzyme Q10. Many of these products can be bought at discount supplement companies like www.iherb.com. Also, products like Noni Juice, Blueberries, Bee Propolis, Snake Venom, certain Chinese herbs, Inositol, Transfer Factor – plus the acupuncture point ST36 (Zusanli) – have been shown to stimulate NK cell production in the body. For people suffering from mycoplasma infections, the product Myco from Raintree Nutrition - www.raintreenutrition.com has been shown to be effective against this pathogen. Acupuncture and Qigong are also helpful in balancing and strengthening the body’s own natural electromagnetic field. These are however, all short-term solutions. In the long-term, the only solution will be to drastically reduce this dangerous and unacceptable level of ambient background electromagnetic radiation.

Since it is premature to expect civilization to wake up from its unconsciousness anytime in the near future, the only feasible alternative now is to look at fiberoptics – which has been proposed by the late New Zealand biophysicist Dr. Neal Cherry and is also now being promulgated by Dr. George Carlo. So rather than radiating the whole planet with high frequency microwaves, it would be much safer to have fiberoptic cables everywhere with ubiquitous outlets in which to plug in electronic devices including cell phones and computers. One can also envision umbrella cell-phone and WiFi usage areas – similar to cigarrette smoking areas – having an extremely limited range, where those who would like to go and fry their brains with microwaves can do so without harming those who would rather not.

"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing."

P.S. The cell phone industry has been buying up the patents on inventions that help protect cell phone users from the harmful radiation emitted by cell phones. Unfortunately, it is a catch-22 situation for them since if they use them, they are hence admitting what they have been denying all along - that cell phones are actually dangerous. This would open them up to a plethora of possible lawsuits. Either way, the consumer loses.

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Sunday, July 08, 2007

Is School Refusal in Japan (aka Childhood Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) Psychosomatic or Is There a Main Environmental Cause?

School Refusal and CFS:

In "School Refusal"/"School Phobia" many children experience "stomachache, headache or nausea." These are also the same symptoms experienced both in "Radio Wave Illness" and "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome."

Check out the following article, "Learning and Memorization Impairment in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome manifesting as school phobia in Japan." The author leaves his contact details at the end of the paper. I called him but he didn't want to talk to me and he didn't want to even consider EMR as a causal factor. Maybe if some of the well-known doctors, scientists, researchers, activists on this list gave him a call (or sent him an email), he would be more open to listening to them (instead of a person who previously had CFS, was able to clearly connect it to EMR, and was hence able to cure himself of it.)


Learning and memorization impairment in childhood chronic fatigue syndrome manifesting as school phobia in Japan

Teruhisa Miike*, Akemi Tomoda, Takako Jhodoi, Noritaka Iwatani, Hiroyo Mabe
Department of Child Development,
Faculty of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences,
Kumamoto University Graduate School,
1-1-1 Honjo, Kumamoto 860-8556, Kumamoto, Japan
Received 24 February 2003; received in revised form 11 September 2003; accepted 14 October 2003

Abstract

For the last 15 years, we have tried to understand the pathophysiology of childhood chronic fatigue syndrome (CCFS) in Japan. In this condition, two major symptoms are important: easy fatigability and disturbed learning and memorization. In CCFS patients we clinically evaluated autonomic nervous system function, circadian rhythm of hormonal secretion (melatonin, cortisol and 3-endorphin), core body temperature, and sleep–wake pattern. Most patients showed autonomic nervous system dysfunction and circadian rhythm disturbances, similar to those observed in jet lag. Radiological imaging studies (SPECT, Xe-CT, and MRS) revealed decreased blood flow in the frontal and thalamic areas, and accumulation of choline in the frontal lobe. We analyzed the relationship between the laboratory data and clinical symptoms in CCFS.

q 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Keywords: Childhood chronic fatigue syndrome; Learning and memorization function; Circadian rhythm; Core body temperature; Melatonin; Magnetic resonance spectroscopy; Choline

1. Introduction

Recently, not only deterioration of scholastic ability but also life force itself has become a serious concern in children. A research group of the Ministry of Health and Welfare reported that pediatricians found symptoms of psychosomatic diseases in 5.8% of children older than 3 years of age at outpatient clinics throughout Japan on October 18, 1999; 20–70% of them complained of easy fatigability and/or a feeling of dullness [1]. These two symptoms, indicative of childhood type chronic fatigue syndrome (CCFS), had not been known to be the initial symptoms of school refusal. In this report we use the term CCFS, as a synonym for school refusal (school phobia). The Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture reported that 2.8% of junior high school students suffered from school refusal or CCFS on August 9, 2002. In this condition, they exhibit easy fatigability, and impaired learning and memorization, which affect school social life seriously and even normal daily life. Once one has fallen into this condition, it will take several years for a complete recovery.

We anticipated that students not attending school suffered from CCFS; their symptoms would be similar to and as common as those of adult chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) patients. We have tried to determine the medical and physiological backgrounds of the condition for more than 15 years. Consequently, we obtained various data that support dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system [2,3], dysregulation of the sleep–awake rhythm [2,4,5], dysregulation of deep body temperature [5,6], and disturbance of the hormonal secretion rhythm [2,4,5] in school refusal cases. Their daily life was similar to that in atypical chronic jet lag.

An oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and energy metabolism of lipids also were abnormal [7,8]. Some CCFS patients showed abnormally high titers of antinuclear antibodies (ANA), so-called anti-Sa-antibodies [9], suggesting an immunologic abnormality via the central nervous system. In addition, we observed decreased cerebral blood flow in both frontal and left thalamic areas on single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) [10] and Xe-CT [11], and accumulation of choline in the frontal area in a magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study [12].

Based on these medical and physiological data, we concluded that deterioration of life force was a common phenomenon leading to dysfunction of learning and memory because of a decrease of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and acetylcholine. These data also suggested that children experience strange fatigue with deteriorated psychosomatic activity, and that this condition is currently a common phenomenon in the world. We should pay more attention to the background of daily life in children living today. It has a strong influence on brain functions such as cognition, memory, and the will to learn. In this article we review briefly the results of our study.

2. Strange fatigue in children

A research group of the Ministry of Health and Welfare reported that the chief complaints of children considered to have psychosomatic diseases were easy fatigability and/or a feeling of dullness (16.4%), headache (10.7%), and abdominal pain (10.4%). In addition, 40–80% of them exhibited sleep disturbance such as difficulty in getting to sleep, difficulty in getting up in the morning, frequent awakening during sleep, and sleepiness during the day. The report suggested that this strange and spreading fatigue in children has sleep problems as a common background. Actually more than 80% of school refusal cases showed the sleep disorders mentioned above, with easy fatigability, and learning and memorization dysfunction, resulting in deterioration of school performance.

3. Circadian rhythm disturbances

The human biological rhythm comprises three circadian rhythms: (1) sleep–wake rhythm; (2) core body temperature rhythm; and (3) hormonal secretion rhythm.

3.1. Sleep–awake rhythm disturbance [1,3,4]

More than 80% of school refusal cases suffer from sleep disorders, with a tendency of day/night reversal, especially in the period immediately after termination of school social life. An overnight EEG study revealed a decrease in deep NREM sleep and delayed latency of REM sleep (Miike et al., unpublished data). Most of them need 10 hours’ sleep to remain awake for the rest of the daytime. These data suggest a deteriorated quality of night sleep. Even though sleep disorders are considered to begin in childhood, there have been no in depth studies on this problem.

3.2. Core (deep) body temperature rhythm (CBT or DBT) [5,6]

The three circadian rhythms mentioned above are closely related to each other. We examined the circadian CBT rhythm in CCFS cases using a special instrument developed by Terumo Company (Tokyo, Japan) [6]. The CBT rhythm was well-matched to the brain temperature rhythm. For this study 41 patients (24 males and 17 females) from 10 to 19 years of age (mean: 15.2 years) were referred to our clinic from 1993 to 1998. For normal age-matched controls, we recruited healthy school children as volunteers; six males and three females from 10 to 21 years (mean: 17.3 years). The results are summarized in Table 1. In the CCFS patients, the mesor of the circadian CBT rhythm was significantly higher than that in normal controls. In particular, the mean CBT at night and nadir were higher, and the nadir recorded on appearance was significantly delayed in the patients.

3.3. Hormonal secretion disorders [2,4,5]

Twenty-four-hour blood sampling was performed through an indwelling catheter in a forearm vein at 4-h intervals. Each blood sample was immediately centrifuged at 4 8C and stored at 280 8C until assays of melatonin, cortisol and b-endorphin. They were all abnormal; peak secretion time was delayed, and the amount of secretion was decreased. The area under the curve (AUC) of cortisol secretion was significantly smaller in the patients than in control subjects (167.3 ^ 46.3 vs. 202.8 ^ 28.4) (Fig. 1) [13]. Also, the peak shift of cortisol was significantly delayed in the patients than control subjects (9.11 ^ 4.25 am vs. 6.00 ^ 1.14 am; P 1⁄4 0:0278). These data suggested that circadian rhythms are deranged in CCFS patients, and indicate that the starting time of daily life is seriously delayed, because of delayed preparation for mental and physical activity supporting daily life. This result is in accordance with the observation that CCFS patients are in a poor condition in the morning and in a relatively good condition in the afternoon.

Low hormonal secretion may be the main cause of the inactivity, dullness, and stagnant condition in CCFS.

4. Mammalian circadian clock

Circadian rhythms are driven by endogenous biological clocks that regulate many biochemical, physiological and behavioral processes in a wide range of life forms [14].In mammals, there is a master circadian clock in the supurachiasmatic nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus. Deranged circadian rhythms are well recognized in jet lag. One may have symptoms (dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, sleep–wake rhythm, and mental and physical activity), similar to those seen in CCFS patients. We believe that CCFS patients suffer from an atypical but continuous jet lag condition in their daily life. They are dazed and inattentive. The wakefulness level of the brain is somewhat poor in the patients. The limbic system dysfunction causes deteriorated cortical function secondarily.

5. Higher cerebral (cortical) function

To investigate the cognitive function as one of the cortical functions, we examined event-related-potentials (ERPs) using a visual oddball paradigm. Two hundred and sixty-four healthy children (controls) and 319 CCFS patients participated in this study. The relationship between their autonomic functions (component analysis of cardiographic R–R interval) or frontal lobe function (KANA-pick up test) [15] and ERP results was also analyzed. The CCFS patients were divided into three categories; type I (n 1⁄4 53): the ERP latency after target stimuli significantly longer than that in controls (P , 0:001); type II (n 1⁄4 63): the FRP latency after target stimuli significantly shorter, and the ERP amplitude induced by non-target stimuli significantly higher in the patients (P , 0:001); and type III (n 1⁄4 203): the latencies and amplitudes of ERP with both target and nontarget stimuli not significantly different. Type I was a delayed type, possibly of child dementia. Type II may be a hypersensitive and hyperactive type, followed by a typical exhaustion. Component analysis of the cardiographic R–R interval revealed significant suppression of the peak of the high frequency component (HFC; parasympathetic component) in the CCFS patients.

6. Image analysis of the central nervous system (CNS) >

The observations reported above indicate that CCFS possibly originates from the central nervous system-derived fatigue, and involves impairment of cognitive, learning, and memorization function.

6.1. SPECT and Xe-CT [10,11]

To investigate the correlation between regional cerebral blood flow and central nervous system symptoms in CCFS manifesting as school refusal, we examined cerebral blood flow using SPECT with 111 MBq 123I-iodoamphetamine and Xe-CT. None of the patients exhibited evidence of focal structural abnormalities on magnetic resonance imaging. In the SPECT study, cerebral blood flow was found to be markedly lower in the patients with school phobia manifesting as CCFS, when expressed as the corticocerebellar ratio in the frontal, temporal, and occipital lobes. Xe-CT images were obtained by xenon-enhanced CT after 3-min inhalation of a 30% xenon, 30% oxygen and 40% nitrogen gas mixture. Xe-CT of 230 CCFS patients revealed a significant decrease in cerebral blood flow in both the frontal and left thalamic areas of the patients (Fig. 2).

6.2. MRS [12]

For monitoring of the cerebral metabolic level, 42 patients with CCFS manifesting as school refusal and 20 age-matched control subjects were studied using localized proton magnetic MRS. Spectra were obtained for a 1.5 £ 1.5 £ 1.5–1.7 £ 1.7 cm 3 volume of bilateral frontal white matter. The peak areas of N-acetylaspartate (NAA), choline esters (Cho), and total creatine (tCr: creatine plus phosphocreatine) were determined for each voxel. Then the NAA/tCr and Cho/tCr ratios were calculated on the basis of the signal intensity of each compound. Cho/tCr was significantly elevated in the CCFS patients (P , 0:05) (Table 2) [16]. This result suggested that excessive cholinergic activity was followed by impairment of higher cortical functions. An elevated choline level in the brain is important for glucose metabolism and energy production in mitochondria.

7. Glucose metabolism [7]

Abnormal glucose metabolism is commonly observed in autonomic nervous system dysfunction, e.g. amyloid neuropathy. We conducted a 3-h OGTT in 81 CCFS patients (40 males and 41 females; 11–19 years).

They were in the range of 215 to þ20% (20.04 ^ 8.6) of ideal body weight. The blood glucose (BG) levels at all OGTT time intervals and cumulative blood glucose (,BG) were significantly higher in CCFS than normal controls ( P -BG): 39.5 ^ 4.4 vs. 33.3 ^ 3.4 mmol/l (P , 0:01).

The insulin response was abnormally low as compared to in hyperglycemia; P IRI (cumulative immunoreactive insulin)/ P -BG] was 232 ^ 129 and. 375 ^ 27 1, respectively, in the patients and controls (P , 0:01). However, the beta cell secretory ability was normal; P -IRI was 2805 ^ 1274 and 2523 ^ 1219 pmol/l, respectively, in the patients and controls. We concluded that insulin secretion was low in the patients. A paradoxical increase in growth hormone also was observed in 19 patients after glucose loading (Fig. 3). The glucoregulatory system probably compensates for decreased cerebral blood flow by increasing the blood glucose concentration, thereby providing sufficient glucose as a primary energy source for normal brain metabolism.

8. Disturbance of energy supply

In addition to the abnormal glucose metabolism mentioned above, serum pyruvic acid was rather high (data not shown). We conclude that disturbed energy production in mitochondria is the main cause of the easy fatigability and learning/memorization dysfunction (Fig. 4).

Actually, CFS patients become exhausted more rapidly than normal subjects after graded dynamic exercise [17]. They have a relatively reduced intracellular ATP concentration. The authors of this report concluded that these data suggest a defect of oxidative metabolism with acceleration of glycolysis in the working skeletal muscle of CFS patients, and that this metabolic defect may contribute to reduced physical endurance.

9. Deterioration of will for learning and academic ability

This problem is getting serious not only in Japan but also in other developed countries. At present, children and adults live in common environmental conditions: 1. chronic shortage of sleep followed by an irritable brain; 2. continuous psychointellectual tension with excessive information in a competitive society; and 3. self-denial and/or self-suppression with a cooperative life style.

In addition to these common living environmental backgrounds, biological rhythms will fail if there are additional stress factors:

1. Reaching a responsible social position.
2. Hard study for entrance examinations and/or hard training at sports clubs. Hard training for 7 days a week is common at sports clubs in junior high schools in Japan and even in primary schools.
3. Suffering a serious traffic accident or natural disaster.
4. Exhaustion after viral infection.
5. Serious trouble with human relations, e.g. bullying.
6. Changing living environments (climate, noise, housemoving, etc.).

10. Common and serious problems in the world

School refusal caused by CCFS and deteriorated scholastic ability in children are common and serious problems not only in Japan but also throughout the world, especially in developed countries. This suggests that the roots of this problem exist not only in the educational system, but also in the physical and mental conditions of the children themselves. We are convinced that the data we have obtained during the last 18 years provide clues for resolving these problems. We emphasize that the most important key points are the mammalian circadian clock and biological rhythms. Actually, we experienced a case with recurrent hypersomnia that was closely related to desynchronization of biorhythms, particularly the circadian rhythm of hPer2 gene expression [18].

11. Brain science and education

The biological clock, which maintains life, the autonomic nervous system, and rhythms of activity and rest in humans, is disappearing from children living in the present age. The primitive biological clock seems to be affected seriously by the current global lifestyle. Children lose their will to live, let alone scholastic ability. The first thing we should do is to determine why children lose their will to live vividly. We emphasize that it is important to analyze the living environmental conditions and biological rhythms of children for solution of this problem. Acknowledgement Most of this work was performed through Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Japanese Government.

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[16] Miike T. Childhood type chronic fatigue syndrome and school refusal. Igaku Ayumi 2003;204:387–91.

[17] Wong R, Lopaschuk G, Zhu G, Walker D, Catellier D, Burton D, et al. Skeletal muscle metabolism in the chronic fatigue syndrome. In vivo assessment by 31 P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Chest 1992;102:1716–22.

[18] Tomoda A, Jhodoi T, Kawatani J, Hamada A, Ohmura T, Tonooka S, et al. Differences in human Per2 gene expression, body temperature, cortisol and melatonin parameters in remission and hypersomnia in a patient with recurrent hypersomnia. Chronobiol Int 2003;20:891–898.


* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ81-96-373-5195; fax: þ81-96-373-5200.

E-mail address: miketeru@kaiju.medic.kumamoto-u.ac.jp (T. Miike).

Saturday, July 07, 2007

UK Independent: "Two in three believe cell phone radiation damaged their health"

Two in three believe radiation from phones damaged their health

By Geoffrey Lean

Published: 08 July 2007

Independent on Sunday Newspaper

http://news.independent.co.uk/health/article2745131.ece

Two-thirds of Britons believe radiation from mobile phones and their masts has affected their health, a startling official survey shows. And huge majorities are dissatisfied with government assurances about the potential threat.

The survey is the result of a giant European Union exercise that polled more than 27,000 people across the continent, 1,375 of them in Britain. It shows that concern about the radiation is far greater than even the most ardent campaigners had dared to believe, and that official attempts to downplay the issue have backfired.

It also goes some way to explain the overwhelming public response received by The Independent on Sunday since we started raising questions about the effect of the radiation on people and wildlife in April.

This month, two councils - Haringey in London and Carmarthenshire in Wales - will be considering whether to allow Wi-Fi in their schools, after concern expressed by Sir William Stewart, the chairman of the Health Protection Agency. Sir William told the BBC's Panorama, "I believe that there is a need for a review of the Wi-Fi and other areas ... I think it's timely for it to be done now."

The survey, by the EU's Eurobarometer programme, which samples opinion across the continent, found 65 per cent of Britons believed mobile phones affected their health, and 71 per cent thought the masts did.

Across Europe, the figures were 73 and 76 per cent respectively, sharply up from 55 and 58 per cent five years ago.

Recent years have seen increasing evidence of risks from the phones. Scandinavian studies have suggested that people who have used them for more than 10 years are much more likely to get brain tumours, and thatthe radiation kills brain cells, which could lead to today's young people being senile from their forties.

There is much less evidence on effects from the masts, but studies have revealed a worrying incidence of symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, nausea and memory problems. Campaigners also claim they may cause cancers.

The survey shows that more than half of Britons are "very" or "fairly" concerned about such potential health effects, despite efforts at reassurance by ministers, officials and some scientists. Moreover, it reveals great dissatisfaction with the information they are given.

Nearly three-quarters of Britons say they are "not very well" or "not at all" informed about the official "protection framework" against the "potential health risks" from the radiation.

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Mainichi News: "Overuse a cell, and zap your brain cells."

The once silent - about EMR - Japanese media seems to have started to cover the EMR issue in Japan. Hopefully, this trend will continue. The only reason for this that one can fathom can only be the steep escalating number of people being made sick here from it is that it is just becoming too difficult to ignore.

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai/news/20070629p2g00m0dm008000c.html

Overuse a cell, and zap your brain cells.

Using a mobile phone gives an unbearable headache; simply walking by a utility pole brings on nausea -- these are just a couple of symptoms often felt by the growing number of Japanese suffering from electromagnetic wave hypersensitivity, according to Sunday Mainichi (7/8).

No standards exist to judge whether someone has picked up the crippling disease and there's no known cure.

The afflicted suffer physically and mentally, yet because their condition is not recognized as a disease, they receive little support from those around them. And they can receive little respite, either, with electromagnetic waves almost literally everywhere around them.

"Electromagnetic waves are like the radiation leaked from high-voltage power lines, electrical booster stations, power stations, microwave ovens, mobile phones and other electronic goods," Shoya Ogino, head of the Electromagnetic Wave Environment Laboratory, tells Sunday Mainichi. "Electromagnetic waves are around everywhere you can find electricity."

Mutsuo Sano found out he'd developed electromagnetic wave hypersensitivity after undergoing an MRI examination back in 1993.

"The examination went on for 1 hour, 40 minutes and I collapsed as soon as it finished," Sano tells Sunday Mainichi. "My head and chest were searing with a pain that felt something like a burn. I couldn't sleep for three days afterwards."

Sano received painkillers, which provided some relief, but as soon as he stopped taking them, the symptoms would return. He sought help from a dozen hospitals, but was told his pain was all in the mind. Finally, he was told he had electromagnetic wave hypersensitivity. Ever since, he's moved house six times to avoid high-voltage power lines or mobile phone transmission bases. He can't use a computer, or mobile phone, must sit at least 6 meters away from his TV and can't stand for long in front of his fridge.

Sadatoshi Okubo, head of an activist group dedicated to research electromagnetic waves, says his group gets about 30 calls a month from people suspecting they have the same condition as Sano.

"We started getting more and more calls from about five years ago, just as mobile phones were becoming more deeply involved in people's lives," Okubo says. "What really stood out was the number of people who complained that their ears felt like they were burning every time they used their mobile."

Motoharu Miyoshi, the head of the Hosumekku Clinic in Kanagawa Prefecture, says he has found electromagnetic wave hypersensitivity in about 60 people.

"It's really hard to diagnose and I just have to guess by asking patients about their condition," Miyoshi tells Sunday Mainichi, adding the only way to deal with the condition is to try and avoid being near electromagnetic wave sources. "The only way you can tell the difference between what they're feeling and depression or other nervous disorders is to hear what happened to them just before they started feeling sick." (By Ryann Connell)

June 29, 2007

WaiWai stories are transcriptions of articles that originally appeared in Japanese language publications. The Mainichi Daily News cannot be held responsible for the contents of the original articles, nor does it guarantee their accuracy. Views expressed in the WaiWai column are not necessarily those held by the Mainichi Daily News or Mainichi Newspapers Co.

Townsend Letter: (July 2007) "Hazards of WiFi" or "WiFi Blues"

Wireless broadband Internet access is all the rage.
The noise is drowning out concerns for this technology's risks.


Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love is going to have it; many in San Francisco want it: wireless broadband Internet access (WiFi)1 seems too good to be true. At relatively low cost, anyone can get on the Internet anywhere in a city. All the city needs to do is install a network of WiFi antennas. An often-repeated argument in favor of citywide WiFi is that it will help close the digital divide, since the poorer you are, the more limited your access to the Internet and its wealth of information resources. Cities like Philadelphia and San Francisco are actively trying to close the digital gap. One option is WiFi.

Yet, in weighing the options, virtually nothing is heard about the potential health risks. Saturating an entire city with WiFi adds to the existing burden of radio frequency radiation (RFR). That burden, called electrosmog 2 by some, consists of long-term, low-level exposure to non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation in the radio frequency and microwave range from familiar sources like radio and TV broadcast signals, radar, and the ubiquitous cell phone.

Health Risks
Henry Lai, PhD, has been researching the biological and health effects of RFR for 35 years. His research focuses on the effects of RFR in the range used by cell phones and other wireless technologies. His laboratory at the University of Washington in Seattle is the single remaining lab in the US that conducts such research. Ten years ago, Dr. Lai's laboratory was one of four.

There is no funding in the United States for research of the biological and health effects of RFR and electromagnetic fields (EMF). No foundation, government agency, or corporation will lay down money to help clarify the science behind concerns about WiFi, cell phones, and other wireless devices. Dr. Lai keeps his lab going by doing cancer research, some of it concerning the use of electromagnetic radiation to treat cancer.

In Europe, there are many well-funded projects in RFR research. Citizens are more organized. Public figures have championed the issue. And the European Union has a much greater public health orientation than the United States. These days we have to rely on the Europeans for the science of wireless technology health risks. 3

It was not always so. For example, in the early 1990s, the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA) came up with $25 million for research into the potential health effects of cell phones. The CTIA is the cell phone industry's trade organization. Their intention was to lay concerns about cell phones to rest. The Wireless Technology Research (WTR) program administered the funds and research program. When the $25 million was spent, the WTR final report submitted in 2000 recommended further study. The CTIA cut a deal with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to spend another $1 million to review further research. 4 The money is still there. The FDA has been waiting since 1999 when the deal with CTIA was cut to spend the money. According to the FDA website, "the FDA plans to convene a meeting in the near future to evaluate all completed, ongoing, and planned research, looking at health effects associated with the use of wireless communication devices, and to identify knowledge gaps that may warrant additional research." 5

Initially, the WTR found no cause for concern. But in 1995, Dr. Lai and his colleague NP Singh, PhD, found that exposing the brain cells of rats to RFR at a level similar to cell phones produced breaks in strands of DNA. Their discovery was a turning point in the research and in the CTIA's enthusiasm for the project. Dr. Lai and Dr. Singh had uncovered a mechanism that explained how RFR exposure might cause health effects. 6

Since 1990, Dr. Lai has maintained a database of research on the effects of RFR on humans, lab animals, and cell cultures. He has amassed over 300 studies published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. To avoid bias, he excludes his own research from the database. Of these studies, 56% show a biological or health effect 7 from exposure to RFR. These effects include the following:

• cancer;8
• genetic effects, such as to DNA;9
• cellular and molecular effects, such as reduction in enzymes critical to the central nervous system;10
• changes in electrophysiology, such as reduced activity between nerve cells;11 and
• physiological and behavioral changes, such as impairment of peripheral vision.12

Biased Research?
An interesting thing happens when the studies from Dr. Lai's database are placed in two stacks: one stack containing studies funded by the wireless industry (30% of the studies), the other stack of independently funded studies (70%). Of the studies that show a biological or health effect from wireless RFR, 14% are industry-funded, while 86% are independently funded. Of studies showing no effect, 49% are industry-funded, while 51% are independently funded.

To make the point another way, of industry-funded studies, only 27% found an RFR effect. Independently funded studies found an RFR effect 68% of the time. This discrepancy is consistent among the effects listed. Of studies that found an effect on cancer, 11% were industry-funded; 47% were independently funded. Cellular and molecular effects: 19% industry, 69% independent. Electrophysiology effects: 33% industry, 77% independent. Physiological and behavioral effects: 57% industry, 83% independent.

If Dr. Lai's research were included in the tally, the percent of studies showing an effect from RFR would be even greater. But when Dr. Lai is asked about these statistics, he often says that 50% of the studies show an effect. And then he points out that 50% is a significant number, significant enough to justify a precautionary approach that minimizes exposures.

The differences between the industry-funded stack of studies and the independently funded stack suggest bias. Bias enters research through the way a study is designed, the methods used in the study, how data is collected, and how results are interpreted. It might be that some independently funded researchers are biased because they are consumed by a burning passion to eliminate RFR exposures or, even more sinister, destroy the wireless industry. They might have consciously or unconsciously designed their studies, chosen methods, collected data, and interpreted the results to show health effects from RFR. However, the rewards for doing so are not great. Many researchers who advise precaution regarding RFR have been ostracized, or their research funding has been slashed. Careers have been stalled and, in some cases, terminated – hardly circumstances that would encourage jumping on that particular bandwagon. 13

The rewards for producing industry-friendly results are obvious: funding, professional recognition, a clear career path, and employment opportunities in industry. This is not to say that these researchers are dishonest. It is to say that rewards are more likely as a consequence of producing the "right" answers. In other words, researchers typically aren't corrupted into conducting biased research. More often they're already biased, and the rewards flow to them as a consequence. 14

Within each group, whether industry- or independently funded, results don't always agree – some studies show an effect, while others do not, regardless of who did the funding. That difference suggests another kind of problem: scientists don't know enough yet to conduct decisive experiments that can produce something like a professional consensus regarding the biological and health effects of wireless RFR. Many of the scientists who work in this field and who believe that there's ample reason for concern will say that the science is not yet conclusive. 15 This drives some activists crazy. Yet it is a true statement about the state of the science.

We should not be surprised that this lack of conclusive science has led the wireless industry to claim that cell phones and other wireless technologies are safe. The FDA is with them, stating that "[t]he available scientific evidence does not show that any health problems are associated with using wireless phones. There is no proof, however, that wireless phones are absolutely safe." 16 This carefully constructed statement is intended to reassure us. Yet Dr. Lai's database puts the lie to the first sentence: it's simply false. The framework set up for us is that a technology should be adopted, unless there's conclusive evidence that it does harm. Not all regulatory agencies think this way.

The UK's equivalent to the FDA, the Health Protection Agency (HPA), has declared a voluntary moratorium on marketing cell phones to children as a precautionary measure.17 The moratorium has so far been observed by the UK cell phone industry. The HPA opens its discussion of the health risks from cell phones with the following statement:

There is a large body of scientific evidence relating to exposure to radio waves, and there are thousands of published scientific papers covering studies of exposed tissue samples (e.g., cells), animals, and people. It is not difficult to find contradictory results in the literature, and an important role of the HPA Radiological Protection Division (RPD) is to develop judgments on the totality of the evidence in controversial areas of the science. 18

Unlike the FDA, the HPA points to contra-dictory science regarding cell phone radiation. The reassurance is that they're paying attention, not that cell phones very likely don't cause harm. The HPA goes on to cite the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), which reviews the science and recommends standards. The NRPB, and with it the HPA, explicitly adopt a precautionary standard. With regard to children, the NRPB's 2004 report recommends that "…in the absence of new scientific evidence, the recommendation in the Stewart Report on limiting the use of mobile phones by children remains appropriate as a precautionary measure." 19

In 2004, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) decided that they would not permit cell phone antennas on firehouses. The decision was made by resolu-tion at the IAFF's annual delegate assembly. The resolution directed the IAFF to review the potential health risks from cell antennas. If the science demonstrated a risk, then the union would oppose the use of fire stations as sites for cell antennas until further science demonstrated that cell antennas are safe. 20 The resolution was passed in August 2004. In April 2005, the union's Health and Safety Department completed the review of the science. They found more than ample evidence to conclude that the union should oppose cell antennas on fire stations. The position paper included 49 references and a bibliography of 40 citations. 21 Based on that evidence, the resolution cites a wide range of effects experienced by fire fighters:

• slowed reaction times,
• lack of focus,
• lack of impulse control,
• severe headaches,
• anesthesia-like sleep,
• sleep deprivation,
• depression,
• tremors, and
• vertigo. 22

Three things are worth noting about the substance of the resolution and the union's official position. First, the firefighters were focused on their ability to do their job. Second, firefighters were involuntarily exposed to a health risk. And third, the firefighters oppose cell antennas on fire stations until they are proven safe.

The decision that the firefighters faced – a decision we all face – is how to evaluate the safety of wireless technologies and decide what level of involuntary risk we are willing to take:23

• use it unless there's good evidence that it's harmful,
• or don't use it until there's good evidence that it's safe.

So consider this: 47% of independently funded studies found cancer effects, 69% found effects on cell function, 77% found effects on electrical signaling in the body, and 83% found physiological and behavioral effects. Suppose you have several hundred marine biologists study your swimming pool. Forty-seven percent (or 69% or 77% or 83%) of the biologists say you've got a shark in your pool. Would you dive in? Would you let your kids dive in? 24

RFR Exposures
Citywide WiFi is only the latest RFR wireless technology to place us involuntarily at risk. Cell phone networks are the best-known; these include personal digital assistants (PDAs) such as the Blackberry™. Wireless networks at home and at the office are newer than cell phones and are another RFR exposure. Even if you don't have one, your neighbor might, and that will expose you. Also relatively new are the Bluetooth technologies used for applications such as hands-free telephone headsets that operate using RFR. The familiar cordless phone is another RFR exposure that might put you at as much risk as a cell phone. 25

What these technologies share is reciprocal receiving and transmitting of RFR signals between an end-user device and antennas that link the device to a network. There are three characteristics of these RFR signals that are believed to contribute to the biological and health effects of wireless technologies: signal strength, frequency, and modulation. 26

Citywide WiFi uses a signal strength similar to cell phones. Signal strength is measured in watts, a standard unit of energy. Wireless networks for the home and office have less signal strength (although they can be increased with boosters), while Bluetooth devices and cordless phones have even less strength.

All these technologies use roughly the same frequency band: 0.3 to 3 GHz. GHz stands for gigahertz. A hertz is a standard measure of electromagnetic radiation created by sending an alternating electrical current through an antenna that is one cycle per second. A gigahertz is one billion cycles per second. The higher the GHz, the faster the current alternates.

An alternative way of measuring RFR is in wavelength. Wavelengths have an exact and inverse relationship to frequency: higher frequencies correspond to shorter wavelengths. Visible light is electromagnetic radiation with higher frequencies and shorter wavelengths than RFR, with red light having a lower frequency and longer wavelength than blue light.

Modulation refers to whether the signal comes at a constant frequency (as in AM radio and analog cell phone systems) or in pulses (as in FM radio and digital cell phones). All digital wireless technologies are pulsed.

Risk increases with signal strength. The frequencies used by wireless technologies are to some extent "ideal" for affecting our bodies because the wavelengths are at a human scale. Digital (pulsed) signals are of greater risk than analog signals. 27

Short-term, high-intensity exposures to wireless RFR have received the most research attention, in particular the acute affects of cell phones. Far fewer studies have looked at long-term effects of cell phone use let alone the use of other wireless devices. Even less-studied are the effects of the low-intensity, persistent exposure to RFR from cell phone and WiFi antennas.

Electrohypersensitivity
Much of the discussion about RFR health effects is framed as a concern for people who are electrohypersensitive. Unlike immune-mediated hyper-sensitivity that responds to allergens, electrohypersensitivity is a reaction to nonionizing electromagnetic radiation from video display monitors, cell phones, cordless phones, wireless routers, or other RFR source. Characteristic symptoms of electrohypersensitivity can include any of the following: 28

• localized heat and tingling,
• dry upper respiratory tract and eye irritation,
• brain fog, headache, and nausea,
• swollen mucus membranes,
• muscle and joint pain,
• heart palpitations, and
• progressively severe sensitivity to light.

Critics argue that electro-hypersensitivity is not a physical ailment but a psychological one. Research led by Olle Johansson, MD, at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm identified changes in mast cells in electrohyper-sensi-tives. 29 So Dr. Johansson exposed rats to RFR exposures similar to his human subjects, assuming that the rat psyche is not predisposed to produce the symptoms of electrohypersensitivity. The study produced results similar to what he found in human subjects: enlarged mast cells aggregated close to the surface of the skin. Dr. Johansson went further and tested both electrohypersensitive and nonsensitive human subjects in similar exposures. Though the nonsensitives had no hypersensitivity symptoms, the mast cells in their skin showed the same behavior as electrohypersensitives, although the effect was less severe. 30 Based on this research, Dr. Johansson and his colleague Shabnam Gangi proposed one mechanism for the health effects of RFR as an immunological response, hypothesizing as to how this mechanism affects internal organs such as the cardiovascular and neurological systems. 31

In The Hidden Disease,32 Finnish journalist Gunni Nordström associates electrohypersensitivity with multiple chemical sensitivity and chronic fatigue syndrome. People in Sweden made electrohypersensitivity a public health issue when cathode ray tube-based video display monitors were introduced into offices. The rise of Silicon Valley – both in the original Silicon Valley and the many Silicon Valleys that have developed around the world – gave rise to similar health effects among computer-manufacturing workers. Researchers observed a relation-ship between materials used in products and their synergistic reaction with electromagnetic radiation. 33 But both funding for research and data collection on occupational health quickly dried up when these issues came to light.
Electrohypersensitives are not an unlucky few. They are likely harbingers in a complex landscape of environmental risks. Just like any other environmental stressor, RFR affects some people more than others. And as with other environmental stressors, the greater the overall burden, the greater the risk of becoming one of the "unlucky few."

Citywide WiFi adds to the existing burden of RFR.34 Just as burning more fossil fuels adds to the level of smog, adding more RFR adds to the level of electrosmog. You don't have to expose your home or your city to the increased burden created by WiFi. There's a viable alternative: a wired Internet access and network. The hype might make it seem less convenient and more expensive. But what's a good night's sleep – or reducing your risk of cancer – worth? 35



Notes
1. See the Wireless Philadelphia and San Francisco TechConnect websites: Wireless Philadelphia accessed October 5, 2006 at http://www.wirelessphiladelphia.org. and San Francisco TechConnect accessed October 5, 2006 at http://www.sfgov.org/techconnect.

2. The term is more familiar in Europe than in the US because of the greater political attention paid to the issue by citizen groups and politicians who support them. Beginning in Sweden in the 1980s, citizens suffering from electrohypersensitivity have been vocal advocates for research into the health risks from nonionizing electromagnetic radiation and for the reduction of electrosmog. See Swedish Association for the Electrosensitive website: Swedish Association for the Electrosensitive accessed October 5, 2006 at http://www.feb.se/index_int.htm.

3. Slesin, Louis. EMF Health News. Your Own Health And Fitness. L. Berman: KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley, CA. 2006: 60 minutes.

4. Carlo G, Schram M. Cell Phone: Invisible Hazards in the Wireless Age: An Insider's Alarming Discoveries About Cancer and Genetic Damage. New York, NY: Carroll & Graf; 2001.

5. FDA. Cell Phone Facts: Consumer Information on Wireless Phones. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/wireless/braincancer040606.html . Accessed July 3, 2006

6. The original Lai and Singh research was published in 1995 (Lai H, Singh NP. Acute low-intensity microwave exposure increases DNA single-strand breaks in rat brain cells. Bioelectromagnetics. 1995. 16: 95-104.). The next year they published a paper showing even more alarming effects on DNA: double DNA strand breaks (Lai H, Singh NP. DNA single- and double-strand DNA breaks in rat brain cells after acute exposure to low-level radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation. Int J Radiat Biol. 1996. 69: 513-21.). Subsequent research has confirmed these findings and found that the breaks can persist in cell cultures through multiple mitotic cycles. Gandhi, G. Genetic damage in mobile phone users: some preliminary finding. Ind J Hum Genet. 2005. 11(2): 99-104.

7. The phrase "biological or health effect" is common in this literature. Some research is focused specifically on illness while other research simply looks at effects on the organism which might have a downstream health effect.

8. For example, Hardell L, Carlbert M, Hansson K, Mild KH. Pooled analysis of two case-control studies on use of cellular and cordless telephones and the risk of malignant brain tumours diagnosed in 1997-2003. Int J Oncol. 2006. 28(2): 502-18.

9. For example, Diem E, et al. Non-thermal DNA breakage by mobile-phone radiation (1800mhz) in human fibroblasts and in transformed Gfsh-R17 rat granulosa cells in vitro. Mutat Res. 2005. 583: 178-83 and Gandhi G. Genetic damage in mobile phone users: some preliminary finding. Ind J Hum Genet. 2005. 11(2): 99-104.

10. For example, Barteri M, Pala A, Rotella S. Structural and kinetic effects of mobile phone microwaves on acetylcholinesterase activity. Biophys Chem. 2005. 113(3): 245-53.

11. For example, Xu S, et al. Chronic exposure to Gsm 1800-Mhz microwaves reduces excitatory synaptic activity in cultured hippocampal neurons. Neurosci Lett. 2006. 398(3): 253-7.

12. Langer P, et al. Hands-free mobile phone conversation impairs the peripheral visual system to an extent comparable to an alcohol level of 4-5 G 100 Ml. Hum Psychoparmacol. 2005. 20(1): 65-6.

13. A telling example is described in the November 2005 edition of Microwave News: Slesin, L. When enough is never enough: a reproducible EMF effect at 12 Mg. Microwave News. 2005. 25(2): 1-2. Beginning in 1992, seven separate research projects have demonstrated an effect on breast cancer cell metabolism from extremely low electromagnetic radiation, intensities much lower than current standards and well below intensities that are supposed to have any effect. The effect disrupts cell signaling. Each report was ignored. The original researcher was, as Louis Slesin describes it, "drummed out of the EMF profession." The others have had funding cut and endured other harassments. An even more chilling example is described in Gunni Nordström's The Invisible Disease: The Dangers of Environmental Illnesses Caused by Electromagnetic Fields and Chemical Emissions. (New York: O Books. 2004.) She describes how the once-promising career of Olle Johansson, MD, a leading dermatological researcher at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, has been damaged. With over 400 peer-reviewed publications and major discoveries in dermatology, Dr. Johansson has been refused promotion to full professorship, denied research funding, and denied research facilities for his continued interest in RFR health effects and for his advocacy for electrohypersensitives.

14. The notorious example of how pharmaceutical companies shape medical research and medical practice is described by two insiders: Marcia Angell, MD, a former editor at the New England Journal of Medicine and John Abramson, MD, a professor at the Harvard School of Medicine Angell, Marcia. The Truth About the Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It. New York: Random House; 2004; and Abramson, John. Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine. New York: Harper; 2005.

15. Dr. Lai's 2005 review article is a good example. It describes the many issues in the field that remain unresolved: Lai H. Biological effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. In Encyclopedia of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering. G.L. Bowlin and G. Wnek: Taylor & Francis Books; 2005.

16. FDA. Cell Phone Facts: Do Wireless Phones Pose a Health Hazard? Available at: http://www.fda.gov/cellphones/qa.html#22. Accessed July 3, 2006.

17. In April 1999, the UK's Ministry of Health formed the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones to evaluate the safety of cell phones. Chaired by Sir William Stewart, the commission of independent scientists (which became known as the Stewart Group) reported in May 2000 that enough scientific evidence existed to be concerned about health risks from "subtle effects on biological functions, especially those of the brain." The Stewart Group noted in particular that children would be more susceptible to harm. See the Stewart Group's report: Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones. Chilton, Oxfordshire, UK: National Radiological Protection Board 2000. Available at http://www.iegmp.org.uk. Accessed July 3, 2006.

18. Health Protection Agency. Mobile Telephony and Health: Health Protection Advice. Available at: http://www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/understand/information_sheets/mobile_telephony/health_advice.htm. Accessed July 3, 2006

19. National Radiological Protection Board. Chilton, Oxfordshire, UK: National Radiological Protection Board; 2004: 11.

20. International Association of Fire Fighters. International Association of Fire Fighters, Division of Occupational Health, Safety and Medicine. 2005.

21. Ibid. pp. 13-38. Dr. Lai's database was used as a resource.

22. Ibid. p. 13.

23. For an excellent discussion of how to evaluate environmental risk, see Mary O'Brien's Making Better Environmental Decisions: An Alternative to Risk Assessment . Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press; 2000.

24. Some might rightfully howl at this analogy. An "exposure" to a shark is nothing like an exposure to RFR. No analogy is perfect. So consider another. Hundreds of microbiologists test your pool water for cholera, and 47% find it. Or hundreds of chemists test your pool water for a powerful toxin with both short-term and long-term effects, something like mercury, and 47% find it at various concentrations. Sharks are just so much more dramatic. And the analogy makes the same point: how much agreement among scientists do you need to be assured that something is safe?

25. Although the signal strength from cordless phones is far less than cell phones, people tend to use them for longer periods of time: exposure per unit time is less for the cordless phone, but the total exposure is equivalent to that of a cell phone. A European study found equivalent cancer risks for cell phone users and cordless phone users (Hardell L, Carlbert M and Mild KH. Pooled analysis of two case-control studies on use of cellular and cordless telephones and the risk of malignant brain tumours diagnosed in 1997-2003. Int J Oncol. 2006. 28(2): 502-18.)

26. Lai H. Biological effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. In Encyclopedia of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering . G.L. Bowlin and G. Wnek: Taylor & Francis Books, 2005.

27. Ibid.

28. Johansson O. Screen dermatitis and electrosensitivity: preliminary observations in the human skin. In Electromagnetic Environments and Health in Buildings. D. Clements-Croome. New York: Spon Press; 2004: Chapter 20. Nordström G. The Invisible Disease: The Dangers of Environmental Illnesses Caused by Electromagnetic Fields and Chemical Emissions. New York: O Books; 2004. and Swedish Association for the Electrosensitive. Available at http://www.feb.se/index_int.htm. Accessed October 5, 2006.

29. A mast cell is a type of immune cell that stores histamine crystals, which are released during an allergic response. The skin of the electrohypersensitives Dr. Johansson examined had an abnormally high concentration of mast cells close to the skin's surface that also had high loads of histamine. In other words, these subjects' immune-mediated responses are in a reactive state.

30. Johansson O. Screen dermatitis and electrosensitivity: preliminary observations in the human skin. In Electromagnetic Environments and Health in Buildings. D. Clements-Croome. New York: Spon Press; 2004: Chapter 20, Johansson O, et al. A case of extreme and general cutaneous light sensitivity in combination with so-called 'screen dermatitis' and 'electrosensitivity' – a successful rehabilitation after vitamin a treatment – a case report. Journal of the Autralasian College of Nutrition and Envrionmental Medicine. 1999; 18(1): 13-6.

31. Gangi S and Johansson O. A theoretical model based upon mast cells and histamine to explain the recently proclaimed sensitivity to electric and/or magnetic fields in humans. Medical Hypotheses. 2000; 54(4): 663-71.

32. Nordström G. The Invisible Disease: The Dangers of Environmental Illnesses Caused by Electromagnetic Fields and Chemical Emissions . New York: O Books; 2004.

33. LaDou J. Occupational health in the semiconductor industry. In Challenging the Chip: Labor Rights and Environmental Justice in the Global Electronics Industry . Smith T, Sonnenfeld DA, Pellow DN. Philadelpha, PA: Temple University Press; 2006: Chapter 3.

34. The total burden of already existing electrosmog goes beyond send-receive wireless technologies like WiFi and cell phones and includes pedestrian technologies like radio and television broadcast signals. Research by Dr. Johansson and his colleague Örjan Hallberg at the Karolinska Institute looked at the incidence of cancer and other 20th Century illnesses in Europe and the US and found a striking association between the increase in certain cancers during the 20th Century and exposure to RFR as measured by radio and TV broadcasts. Hallberg O, Johansson O. Cancer trends during the 20th century. Journal of the Autralasian College of Nutrition and Environmental Medicine. 2002a; 21(1): 3-8; Hallberg O, Johansson O. Melanoma incidence and frequency modulation (Fm) broadcasting. Archives of Environmental Health. 2002b; 57(1): 32-40; Hallberg O, Johansson O. Fm broadcasting exposure time and malignant melanoma incidence. Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine. 2005; 24: 1-8.

35. The Your Own Health And Fitness radio show (http://www.yourownhealthandfitness.org) has carried several interviews over the past year on RFR health risks and safeguards. Havas, Magda. Dirty Electricity and EMF Health Dangers. Your Own Health And Fitness. L. Berman: KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley, CA. 2006: 60 minutes; Johansson, Olle. The Science of RFR Health Risks. Your Own Health And Fitness . L. Berman: KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley, CA. 2006: 60 minutes; Johansson, Olle and Doug Loranger. Electrosmog. Your Own Health And Fitness. L. Berman: KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley, CA. 2005: 60 minutes; Levitt, B. Blake and Jan Newton. Wireless Public Health Crisis. Your Own Health And Fitness. L. Berman: KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley, CA. 2006: 60 minutes, Sage, Cindy. Smart Exposures: Understanding Risks from EMF and RFR. Your Own Health And Fitness. L. Berman: KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley, CA. 2005: 60 minutes; Sage, Cindy and B. Blake Levitt. Where You're Exposed and What to Do: EMF and RFR. Your Own Health And Fitness. L. Berman: KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley, CA. 2006: 60 minutes; Slesin, Louis. EMF Health News. Your Own Health And Fitness. L. Berman: KPFA 94.1 FM Berkeley, CA. 2006: 60 minutes.

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Japan Today: Radio Waves Causing "Respiratory problems, diarrhea, headaches, fatigue."

Hello! I am a bit suspicious that all these stomach ailments (colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's Disease) all started with increases in EMR in ourenvironment, WiFi, and cell phones? I talked to a guy who suffered from diarrhea for years - until he got rid of his cell phone and then his diarrhea mysteriously and completely disappeared. A number of stories posted on this list certainly connect intestinal disturbances to exposure to EMR. Sarah Docre had iritable bowel syndrome and a person who started the http://www.newtreatments.org/cfs list also had Crohn's Disease - and I know that with CFS (aka Microwave Sickness) one of my main symptoms was intestinal disturbances.

peace

Art KAB

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/kuchikomi/471

Radio waves causing host of ailments


The symptoms began in 2003, four years after the Hayashis (as we'll call them) moved into a house near high-tension power lines in Fuchu, Hiroshima Prefecture. Stomach pains, diarrhea, headaches, fatigue. The hospital diagnosed clinical depression, but the anti-depressants didn't work, and besides, why should four family members all get depressed simultaneously? To say nothing of the teenage son's chronic colitis and the teenage daughter's asthma. Then the third child, born six months after the family's move in 1999, had to be hospitalized with respiratory problems.

The parents suspected the power lines had something to do with it. They moved again and, says Sunday Mainichi (July 8), most of the symptoms cleared up – though even now when the weather's bad, the daughter can't walk near a cell phone transmission tower without feeling a tightness in her head.

Sadatoshi Okubo, who runs the Electromagnetic Wave Problem Citizens' Research Center in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, says the number of people coming to him to talk about similar symptoms began surging five years ago. There occurred another marked increase around the same time, he notes – the number of cell phones in use.

It's too soon to deduce cause and effect, Sunday Mainichi cautions. Nor are cell phones the only potential culprits – far from it. As far back as 1974, scientists in the former USSR identified what they called Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome, of which the Hayashis seem typical sufferers. The evidence accumulating since then suggests, without so far conclusively proving, that electromagnetism leaking from power lines or household appliance can cause heartburn, burning eyes, dizziness, fatigue – and possibly cancer.

On June 18, the World Health Organization (WHO) released new environmental health standards that warn of the potential danger of exposure to stray electromagnetism, and advised governments to take preventive measures. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) promptly set up a working group to discuss regulations pertaining to electromagnetic waves.

Other countries have declined to wait for iron-clad scientific confirmation. Sweden, Sunday Mainichi says, has made it illegal to build houses within 240 meters of high-tension power lines. In Britain, children under nine are forbidden to use cell phones. Researchers in Sweden and Austria fear that by 2017, half of us will be suffering from Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome.

Japan's medical establishment, meanwhile, scarcely acknowledges its existence. "It's your imagination, you better see a psychiatrist," 72-year-old Mutsuo Sano of Futtsu, Chiba Prefecture, says doctors told him when he complained of pains severe enough to keep him awake for three days at a time.

It was the Kitazato Research Center Hospital in Tokyo's Minato-ku that finally diagnosed his condition as Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome. Now he avoids the likeliest sources of electromagnetic leaks, but finds that stray current is pretty much ubiquitous. He's moved six times in as many years. He doesn't use a cell phone or a personal computer, and he watches TV from at least six meters away. He'd like to travel, he says, but is understandably afraid to.

METI's report is expected this fall. "Let's hope they manage to come up with preventive measures," concludes Sunday Mainichi.

July 1, 2007

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Wi-fi 'victory' for school protesters in the UK

Wi-fi 'victory' for school protesters in the UK

nlnews@archant.co.uk
http://www.tottenhamjournal.co.uk
04 July 2007

WIRELESS internet technology in schools should be suspended and an "open and honest debate" on the issue should take place, an influential [Tottenham] council committee has recommended.

The call was made by councillors after months of debate on the issue, which has focused on Tetherdown School.

Anti-wi-fi campaigners, who made a presentation to overview and scrutiny members, were delighted by the outcome.

Sarah Purdy, who has fronted a campaign against wi-fi and mobile phone masts near schools, said: "I'm pleased. I hope the executive will approve the recommendations and I hope Tetherdown will take note while they can and get some cabling in the school."

Concerned parents last month appealed to the governors of Muswell Hill's Tetherdown School not to install wireless internet in a new building because of the possible health risks.

Despite objections during consultation on the plans, the school decided to press ahead with the wireless networks, which links computers using pulsed radiowaves in a similar way to mobile phones and phone masts.

Campaigners cited a recent Panorama programme in which Sir William Stewart, chairman of the Health Protection Agency (HPA), suggested potential health risks should be reviewed.

Councillor Emma Jones (Labour), Bruce Grove, said: "I, quite frankly, think we are frying children's brains. I'm really worried we going to wake up in 20 years with serious problems."

Mrs Purdy added: "We really don't know what we are doing to them."

Ian Bailey, deputy director of the children's and young people's services, made clear he was not at the meeting to advocate wi-fi technology.

He said: "A fairly cursory five minutes spent on the internet will reveal there is an awful lot on contradictory advice available."

He added: "Since the well-known Panorama documentary we have kept track of the advice that's been issued but the advice of the HPA has not changed since soon after the documentary."

The committee recommended the council should write to all schools notifying them of the council's concerns, suspend wi-fi use and installation, host an open seminar on the issue, promote hard wired internet, consult parents over installation and only switch wi-fi on when it's needed.

Councillor David Winskill (Liberal Democrat, Crouch End), said: "There are genuine questions and concerns over the use of wi-fi in Schools. Up to now we have had to rely on spin from the IT and telecoms industries.

"A properly organised, neutral seminar will at least give head teachers and governors the opportunity to make choices and decisions based on the best available information and advice."

The proposals must now be approved by the council's cabinet.

Nationally about 70 per cent of schools are using wi-fi technology.

http://www.emfacts.com/weblog/index.php?p=758