Letter to MediaWatch Regarding the Catalyst Wi-Fried Program

CATALYST - WI- FRIED

From: Stephanie Honeychurch <honeychurch.s@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, Feb 27, 2016 at 9:58 AM
Subject: CATALYST - WI- FRIED
To: Mediawatch@your.abc.net.au
Cc: Magda Havas <drmagdahavas@gmail.com>, Olle Johansson <Olle.Johansson@ki.se>

Dear Sir/Madam,

I write to you as Chair of a not-for-profit organisation called Safer Wireless Technology New Zealand (Inc).  We are privileged in that independent experts, Assoc. Professor, Dr Magda Havas, (Canada) and Professor Olle Johansson, (Sweden), are our scientific advisors.

Safer Wireless Technology NZ (SWTNZ), would not exist if the New Zealand mainstream media were honest and ethical in reporting on potential health effects from emissions from Wi-Fi, smart meters, etc..  As a result of media bias, most New Zealanders, like most Australians, are unaware that they and their children are being saturated in ever-increasing and accumulating levels of a Class 2B human carcinogen in the form of microwave radiation from Wi-Fi routers, etc..  The aim of SWTNZ is to inform people of the facts, therefore we are always pleased when a high quality programme on the subject, such as 'Wi-Fried,' brings this issue to public attention.

Mediawatch's attack on Dr Maryanne Demasi and her presentation of the Catalyst programme 'Wi-Fried,' is unreasonable, unscientific and so extreme as to be deserving of international condemnation.  If Mediawatch were worthy of the name it operates under, instead of launching a personal attack on Dr Demasi, it would be asking why the Australian media ignored the press release sent by the great majority of the world's experts last May:

INTERNATIONAL EMF SCIENTISTS APPEAL TO UN TO PROTECT HUMANS AND WILDLIFE FROM ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS AND WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY

When 213 scientists from 39 countries make an urgent appeal to the UN on an issue concerning every Australian, goes unreported, Mediawatch is happy to keep Australians in ignorance. Does Mediawatch have any explanation why it was complicit in failing to inform the public about this important Appeal?  By selectively ignoring or attacking scientific data and opinion on this subject that is unwelcome to the telecommunications industry, Mediawatch is pandering to corporate lobbyists and not serving the public, whose watchdog it pretends to be.

Yours sincerely,

Stephanie Honeychurch,

Chair,

Safer Wireless Technology New Zealand (Inc)

c/- 31 Alison Road,

Waiheke Island,

New Zealand.

Letters from MDs, Scientists accuse MCPS of posting false info. on wireless safety

Letters from MDs, Scientists accuse MCPS of posting false info. on wireless safety

Parents of students in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland have been advocating for use of safer technologies in their schools.

A couple weeks ago I sent out a Fox News Story questioning the safety of wireless technology used at Maryland County Public Schools 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMkuR4FV-B0

In response to parents concerns, MCPS has put information on their website addressing these concerns, however many renowned experts from the US and abroad have called the posted information false and misleading, and they have asked MCPS to correct their website in this press release.  These experts have backgrounds in pediatric neurology/autism, children's learning, cancer epidemiology, engineering, medicine, and/or biochemistry and other sciences  EHT President Dr. Devra Davis commented, "The erroneous information provided by Montgomery County Public Schools on its website is emblematic of a nationwide problem. Local schools and policymakers are not provided adequate information about the possible health risks of wireless radiation from the federal health agencies on which they rely. The EPA, the CDC and the FDA have not reviewed current science and determined US exposure limits to be safe. Most people assume that the federal government has radiofrequency regulations that protect children from health effects from long-term exposures, but that is a myth. We have no proof of safety."

Please read all 15 letters - they are all very well written and very enlightening.

This letter from Dr. Martin Pall, Professor Emeritus, Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences,   Washington State University should be read first.   He discovered that wireless radiation can activate (open) VGCC's in cell membranes of excitable cells (e.g. muscle, glial, neurons) which increases calcium within cells - this increased intracellular calcium concentration accelerates death of these cells (e.g. neurons and myelin cells protecting nerves) and degrades essential cell structures.  This 2013 paper [8] was honored by being placed on the Global Medical Discovery web site as one of the most important medical papers of 2013. Dr. Pall got his BA in Physics at Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD and PHD in Biochemistry and Genetics at the California Institute of Technology, CA. He is former Acting Chairman of the Program in Genetics, Washington State University, and has been a Professor of Genetics and Cell Biology and Biochemistry and Professor of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences.  

Here are the 14 other letters:

Dr. Martha Herbert’s Letter, pediatric neurologist and neuroscientist  on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and on staff at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Board Certified in Neurology with Special Competency in Child Neurology, and Subspecialty Certification in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Dr. Anthony Miller's Letter, physician epidemiologist specializing in cancer etiology, currently Professor Emeritus at the School of Public Health, University of Toronto. Director, Epidemiology Unit, National Cancer Institute of Canada.  Chairman, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, University of Toronto. Former member of the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)

Dr. Lennart Hardell’s Letter , MD PhD, Dept of Oncology, Oreboro University Hospital, Sweden, former member of WHO IARC

Dr. Carpenters Letter, MD, Director Institute for Health and Environment, University of Albany, Co-Editor of Bioinitiative Report

Dr.  Olle Johansson’s Letter, associate professor, The Experimental Dermatology Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm

Dr. Devra Davis' Letter , PhD MPH, Oncology Epidemiologist, President Environmental Health Trust

Cris Rowan Letter,,, Pediatric Occupational Therapist BScBi, BScOT, SIPT,

Katie Singer’s Letter, author of Electronic Silent Spring

Letter from Cindy Sage, MA and Co-Editor of Bioinitiative Report, and Trevor Marshall, PhD Director, Autoimmunity Research Foundation, Senior Member IEEE, Fellow, European Association for Predictive, Preventive and Personalised Medicine (Brussels)

Ellie Marks Letter , Director, California Brain Tumor Association

Arthur Firstenberg  Letter, president of the Cellular Phone Task Force. B.A. in mathematics and physics, studied bioelectromagnetics for 35 years.

Mikko Ahonen PhD, Lena Hedendahl MD and Tarmo Koppel MSc PhDs Letter, Mr. Mikko Ahonen, PhD, Research manager of Finland, Institute of Environmental Health and Safety, Tallinn, Estonia & Partner.  Dr. Lena Hedendahl, M, Sweden.  Mr. Tarmo Koppel, MSc., PhD Can.Department of Work Environment and Safety, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia,

Cece Doucette’s Letter, leader of local education foundation, school district grant coordinator to secure iPads, Chromebooks, smartboards, Apple TVs

Alisdair Philips Letter, Technical Director of EMFields, the company that manufactures the Acoustimeter for RF measurements

Lloyd Morgan’s Letter , Senior Research Fellow, EHT

Peter Sullivan's letter. BA Psychology, MS Computer Sci. Silicon Valley Education Philanthropist

Letter from Ms. Véronique Terrasse of the World Health Organization confirming Wi-Fi is in the Carcinogenic classification, 

Dr. Elizabeth Cardis confirming 30 minutes a day resulted in increased brain cancer. lead researcher for the Interphone study and international ionizing and non-ionizing radiation expert, research showing links between long-term cell phone use and cancer after 1640 hours of lifetime use. This roughly corresponds to about 30 minutes a day over ten years.

44 Reasons To Believe Cell Phones Can Cause Cancer

44 Reasons To Believe Cell Phones Can Cause Cancer

From Global Research

By Lloyd Burrell

Global Research, February 27, 2016

Excerpt:

Cell phones emit microwave radio-frequency radiation. Fact.

This radiation has the ability to penetrate our bodies. Fact.

Our governments do virtually nothing to protect us from these dangers. Fact.

And yet there is strong evidence, multiple peer reviewed studies, to indicate that cell phones cause cancer and other diseases.

Take a look for yourself at these facts.

SNIP

Read the post here.

EMFs Promote Cancer in Massive Animal Study Italians Seek “Reevaluation" of EMF Safety

EMFs Promote Cancer in Massive Animal Study Italians Seek “Reevaluation" of EMF Safety

Important report from Microwave News:

Once again, power-frequency magnetic fields have been found to act as a cancer promoter.

Eighteen months ago an international team led by Elisabeth Cardis in Spain showed cancer promotion in workers exposed to chemicals and extremely low frequency (ELF) EMFs. Now an Italian team has found essentially the same promotional effect in animals exposed to ionizing radiation and ELF EMFs…. The new study, which was carried out at the Ramazzini Institute in Bologna, Italy, is part of the most ambitious EMFanimal project ever attempted. SNIP

Read the post here.

Press Release: Experts Call for Montgomery County Public Schools to Correct Inaccurate Website on Wireless Radiation

Press Release: Experts Call for Montgomery County Public Schools to Correct Inaccurate Website on Wireless Radiation

Safe Tech for Schools Maryland

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Press Release: Experts Call for Montgomery County Public Schools to Correct Inaccurate Website on Wireless Radiation Posted: 27 Feb 2016 09:39 AM PST Press Release SBWIRE: Experts Call for Public School District to Correct Inaccurate Website on Wireless Radiation Safety Parents raising Wi-Fi health concerns lead Montgomery County Maryland Public Schools to issue information about Wi-Fi cancer links resulting in a worldwide response. Teton Village, WY -- (SBWIRE) -- 02/17/2016 -- Fox News reported that Environmental Health Trust (EHT) experts identified numerous false and misleading claims about radiofrequency radiation and children's health on the Montgomery County Public School Maryland (MCPS) School District website. In a letter to MCPS, Lloyd Morgan, senior EHT advisor, detailed extensive errors, adding, "I am appalled that a public agency would rely on and relay outright falsehoods." Contrary to what MCPS asserts, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, of the World Health Organization, classifies wireless radiation from cell phones as well as wireless radiation from other devices as a possible human carcinogen, Morgan noted. EHT President Devra Davis PhD MPH commented, "The County assertion that the 20-year old FCC radiofrequency standards 'are not outdated' is wrong. The Government Accountability Office in 2012 reported that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 'RF energy exposure limit may not reflect the latest research.' This prompted the FCC to begin a formal reassessment which remains incomplete. In 2013, the American Academy of Pediatrics asked the FCC to update its standards in light of children's growing exposures." "The erroneous information provided by Montgomery County Public Schools on its website is emblematic of a nationwide problem. Local schools and policymakers are not provided adequate information about the possible health risks of wireless radiation from the federal health agencies on which they rely. The EPA, the CDC and the FDA have not reviewed current science and determined US exposure limits to be safe. Most people assume that the federal government has radiofrequency regulations that protect children from health effects from long-term exposures, but that is a myth. We have no proof of safety," stated Davis. "Any government agency, in my opinion, that has done a review in the last two or three years and hasn't made a significant change to their safety standard has not done a proper thorough review of the science," stated former President of Microsoft Canada, Frank Clegg, in a Tuesday, February 16, 2016 ABC Catalyst documentary WiFried which also featured Davis who cautioned, "Children today are growing up in a sea of radiofrequency microwave radiation that did not exist five years ago." Montgomery County has received over 15 letters: Dr. Martha Herbert’s Letter, Dr. Anthony Miller's Letter, Dr. Lennart Hardell’s Letter , Dr. Carpenters Letter, Dr.  Olle Johansson’s Letter, Dr. Devra Davis' Letter , Cris Rowan Letter,,Dr. Martin Pall’s letter, Katie Singer’s Letter,Cindy Sage and Trevor Marshal  Letter, Ellie Marks Letter , Arthur Firstenberg  Letter, Mikko Ahonen PhD, Lena Hedendahl MD and Tarmo Koppel MSc PhDs Letter, Cece Doucette’s Letter, Alisdair Philips Letter, Lloyd Morgan’s Letter , Peter Sullivan's letter. Letter from Ms. Véronique Terrasse of the World Health Organization confirming Wi-Fi is in the Carcinogenic classification, Dr. Elizabeth Cardis confirming 30 minutes a day resulted in increased brain cancer.  "MCPS extols the virtues of 21st century learning as a wireless classroom, yet the County has yet to consider 21st century best available science that shows wireless may not be such a smart technology after all," stated mother Thea Scarato in the February 9, 2016 MCPS Board of Education meeting. In a letter posted on a local blog started by concerned parents, Scarato detailed the "over 32 false facts" given by the County on wireless radiation health issues. Fifteen letters were also sent by by scientists, doctors and researchers to MCPS calling for minimizing wireless exposures in schools. In January, Dr. Devra Davis wrote a letter to MCPS raising concerns about the use of Google's Wireless Expeditions Program in classrooms. Davis presented preliminary imaging showing the radiation absorption into the brain of a child from the virtual reality "cardboard" viewer that is a smartphone held up at the eyes of children, and Davis called on the County to reduce such exposures. Environmental Health Trust scientists also wrote to the US Secretary of Education in October 2015, calling for the implementation of both "safe technology" and a national educational awareness program in schools, in order to reduce cell phone and other wireless radiation exposures. Montgomery County Public Schools is the largest school district in Maryland and the 18th largest in the United States. For three years, parents have been advocating for safe technology in the classrooms. However, the District continues to implement its Strategic Technology Plan, which includes high-density radiofrequency radiation wireless networks in all classrooms and a Bring Your Own Device Policy so that cell phones and other wireless devices are also used as classroom tools. Read the Full Press Release on SB Wire here http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/experts-call-for-public-school-district-to-correct-inaccurate-website-on-wireless-radiation-safety-665616.htm

"Does the state of willful ignore exempt you from liability?" Silicon Valley Philanthropist writes Montgomery County Schools Posted: 27 Feb 2016 09:03 AM PST February 25, 2016 To the Montgomery County Board of Education: My wife and I love to empower children and are proud to help fund education here in Silicon Valley. Our first large grant to education 12 years ago was used to buy new computers and upgrade the wireless network at our local public school. So it may come as a surprise that I now believe that was a mistake. Obviously, we are still big supporters of education, but I believe the role of wireless networks (as opposed to wired Ethernet networks) needs to be carefully re-evaluated. With the same goal of empowering children in mind, I am also an environmental health funder. I look at factors like toxic lead exposures that can undermine intelligence and the ability to learn. After researching wireless for the last 5 years and connecting with researchers who have spent over 30 years on the topic, I now have some grave concerns. I was surprised by how much evidence of harm has been published, not just recently, but for more than three decades. This brings up some basic questions for educators: Does wireless exposure impact attention and learning? Do current wireless safety standards protect children?  What are the safety limits of other countries compared to the US? Why is school funding for wireless discussed in an ethics paper from Harvard? Finally, there is the issue of liability. Will your Wi-Fi vendor or cell tower carrier be liable, or have they already exempted themselves from liability for health in their contact? If you find there are health concerns, can you get out of a cell tower contract with a wireless carrier? If you don’t look at the research after being informed about it, does the state of willful ignore exempt you from liability? Like most people, I assumed this had been fully tested and failed to do adequate due diligence on this topic. Please don’t repeat my mistake. A short video version of this letter can be watched here: http://bit.ly/wirelessEd Sincerely, Peter Sullivan Founder and CEO Clear Light Ventures Download the letter here.  Alster, Norm. Captured agency: How the Federal Communications Commission is dominated by the industries it presumably regulates. Cambridge, MA: Edmund J. Safra Center for Ethics, Harvard University. 2015. Read it here.  Who is Peter Sullivan?  Peter Sullivan is founder of Clear Light Ventures whose mission is to improve human health and performance by removing widespread environmental health threats.  He has spent the last 15 years successfully recovering his two sons from autism and sensory issues.  Read about his work in Autism Magazine. Click here to read.  Over the last 10 years, he has funded efforts to reduce mercury and other toxic metals from the environment. He funded roughly half of the National Resource Defense Fund’s mercury program, and in 2008, they successfully sued the EPA to close the cement industry’s exemption from the Clean Air Act. This victory resulted in an annual healthcare savings of approximately 6.7 billion dollars. Today he is one of the leading funders in the country in EMF research, funding work at Harvard, Stanford, University of California, Berkeley and several leading environmental health non-profits. Peter speaks about autism and environmental health at conferences throughout the United States and abroad. Previously, he was a software designer for Netflix, Inc., Interwoven, Inc., Excite@Home, and Silicon Graphics. Prior to working in high-tech, Peter was an Executive Officer and pilot in the United States Navy. He has a B.A. in psychology from University of Detroit and an M.S. in computer science from Stanford University. Peter's work has been featured in the book "Toxin Toxout: Getting Harmful Chemicals Out of Our Bodies and Our World", the book The Out of Sync Child Grows Up: Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder in the Adolescent and Adult Years, and will be featured in the 2016 season of CNN's Inside Man with Morgan Spurlock.  He has an excellent blog Clear Light Ventures and readers may be interested in this recent post on college: Campus Safety: How to Survive and Thrive in the Wireless Era

Effects of long-term pre- and post-natal exposure to 2.45 GHz wireless devices on developing male rat kidney

Effects of long-term pre- and post-natal exposure to 2.45 GHz wireless devices on developing male rat kidney

Kuybulu AE, Öktem F, Çiriş İM, Sutcu R, Örmeci AR, Çömlekçi S, Uz E. Effects of long-term pre- and post-natal exposure to 2.45 GHz wireless devices on developing male rat kidney. Ren Fail. 2016 Feb 24:1-10. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract

Purpose The aim of the present study was to investigate oxidative stress and apoptosis in kidney tissues of male Wistar rats that pre- and postnatally exposed to wireless electromagnetic field (EMF) with an internet frequency of 2.45 GHz for a long time. 

Methods The study was conducted in three groups of rats which were pre-natal, post-natal. and sham exposed groups. Oxidative stress markers and histological evaluation of kidney tissues were studied. 

Results Renal tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and total oxidant (TOS) levels of pre-natal group were high and total antioxidant (TAS) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels were low. Spot urine NAG/creatinine ratio was significantly higher in pre- and post-natal groups (p < 0.001). Tubular injury was detected in most of the specimens in post-natal groups. Immunohistochemical analysis showed low-intensity staining with Bax in cortex, high-intensity staining with Bcl-2 in cortical and medullar areas of pre-natal group (p values, 0.000, 0.002, 0.000, respectively) when compared with sham group. Bcl2/Bax staining intensity ratios of medullar and cortical area was higher in pre-natal group than sham group (p = 0.018, p = 0.011). 

Conclusion Based on this study, it is thought that chronic pre- and post-natal period exposure to wireless internet frequency of EMF may cause chronic kidney damages; staying away from EMF source in especially pregnancy and early childhood period may reduce negative effects of exposure on kidney.

http://1.usa.gov/1QCfuB6

Excerpts

We used six rats in the exposure system in the same time (Figure 1). A 217 Hz pulse RF source (SET ELECO, Set Elektronik, Istanbul, Turkey) and its monopole antenna were used for the 2450 MHz experimental exposure. Using this equipment, 45.5 V/m electric field intensity could be obtained with 1 W of antenna power in the near-field region. However, antenna output power was limited to 0.8 W to obtain a realistic value of 0.1 W/kg of whole body SAR ... Whole body average SAR can be tuned to a value of 0.1 W/kg (exactly 0.143 W/kg).

Twelve 3-month-old female Wistar albino rats were mated with 12 male rats at the beginning of the study. Each rat was placed in a cage overnight with a male rat, and the first 24 h period following the mating procedure was designated as day 0 of pregnancy. All pregnant female rats were placed in one cage and randomly distributed among three groups: pre-natal, post-natal, and sham exposed (control). The ‘‘pre-natal group’’ was exposed to EMF in utero (mother rats were exposed to a 2.45 MHz EMF (0.1 W/kg, 1 h/day) during the time of pregnancy and then from 18 days of age (2.45 MHz, 0.1 W/kg, 1 h/day) till 12th week. The ‘‘post-natal group’’ was exposed to EMF (2.45 MHz, 0.1 W/kg, 1 h/day) from 18 days of age till 12th week. The third group was sham exposed. The mother rats of ‘‘post-natal’’ and ‘‘sham’’ groups were also sham-exposed. As the pups remained with their dams through the suckling period and could not be placed in separate cages, pre-natal and post-natal groups were exposed to EMF after 18 days of suckling. This time was also proper for gender assignment. At 18 days of age, eight male rats from each group (two from each rat) were randomly selected and isolated. The male pups from the pre-natal and post-natal groups continued to be exposed to 2.45 GHz EMF, SAR 0.1 W/kg for 1 h/day. Male pups selected from the sham exposed were sham-exposed until 12th week.

In our study, both pre-natal and post-natal exposure to EMF at 2.45 GHz resulted in high levels of 24-hour urinary NAG in rats. In addition, examination of sections stained with hematoxylin and eosin showed that pre-natal EMF exposure caused tubular damage.

In conclusion, pre-natal electromagnetic field exposure may cause induction of apoptosis in the early periods, then long-term compensation is tried to be established with an increase in anti-apoptotic factors. Secondly, intrauterine exposure of electromagnetic fields may be a serious risk factor for chronic renal diseases and proliferative destructive diseases.

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/0886022X.2016.1148937

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Pregnancy and Wireless Radiation Risks
http://bit.ly/saferemrprenatal

Recent Research on WiFi Effects
http://bit.ly/wifiresearch

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

Electromagnetic Radiation Safety

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

The Dominant Media ... and the Illusion of Consensus

The Dominant Media ... and the Illusion of Consensus

The following article appeared in Truthout on 25 February, although it primarily ideals with the bizarre presidential circus currently underway in America, the topic of manufacturing a false consensus in the media is all too relevant to the recent media ‘witch-hunt’ against the Catalyst program “Wi-Fried”, and presenter Maryanne Demasi by sections of the Australian media. This was sparked off following the media release by the Australian Science Media Centre (AusSMC). In that release, Rodney Croft gave his expert opinion (in part) that there “is no substantiated evidence that the low levels of radiofrequency emissions encountered by mobile telecommunications can cause any harm” and after comparing WiFi to orange juice, stated that “we we can be very confident that the emissions are indeed safe”. He also mentioned the international consensus view in this area which is that of ICNIRP.

How often do we read and hear about this supposed international consensus which does not stand up to even a rudimentary examination? This was thoroughly debunked by my Procrustean Approach thesis but I doubt that it is on the ICNIRP/ACEBR reading list.

I could, of course go on but instead have a read of the excellent article by Michael Corcoran in Truthout, excerpts follow.

Read the post here.