MAJOR U.S. GOVERNMENT STUDY FINDS CELL PHONE RADIATION CAUSES CANCER, Spin vs Facts

MAJOR U.S. GOVERNMENT STUDY FINDS CELL PHONE RADIATION CAUSES CANCER, Spin vs Facts

Please take a moment to circulate the press release, Microwave News article, and fact sheet below to your local news outlets and other favorite news media.  Write letters to the editor.  Please also send this information to your local, state, national elected officials.  It is time for them to take action to protect the public health.  Local governments can immediately turn off WiFi and wireless transmitters on all their electronics within their buildings and install fiber optic or other communication cables to enable all workstations to access the internet safely.  

Ron Melnick Ph.D., who led the design of the NTP rodent study which found a link between wireless radiation and cancer, wrote a letter rebutting false information being put out about the study.  In it he states "a pediatrician would be acting irresponsibly if he or she knew and understood the implications of the human and animal cancer data on cell phone radiation and did not offer precautionary advice to the parents of his or her patients" (See article below.)  It is time for governments and schools to act in a precautionary way and stop using wireless, especially WiFi.  No one should be forced to be exposed to a carcinogen when connectivity can be achieved in ways that do not carry that risk and even operate at higher speeds.

Help spread the word on social media about the National Toxicology Program findings that radiation from cellphones causes cancer - post links on Facebook, Twitter, and the numerous other social media sites.  It is time for Congress to take action since it is their fault that wireless technology got promoted without first being safety tested!

• Request Congress to amend Section 704 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 so that the health and environmental effects of cell towers and other commercial wireless facilities can again be a legal, legitimate component of all deliberations involving antenna placement, construction, and modification.  This would allow communities to remove antennas.
• Request Congress to shift authority for setting and enforcing RF safety limits (for both wireless technology and "dirty" electricity) from the FCC back to the EPA and to provide funding to perform these duties. (FCC is too conflicted by their duty to promote technology to have these key responsibilities.)
• Request Congress to immediately require Government buildings and places of public accommodation, particularly hospitals and schools to use wired connections exclusively and turn off all the transmitters on their equipment.  
• Request Congress to immediately require removal of antennas from building roofs since this leads to very high exposure levels for building occupants.
• Congress should instruct the FCC to halt it's 13-39 Rules process that will relax the existing (and grossly outdated) public safety limits.  The FCC should not make the existing cell phone radiation standards less restrictive… they should not complete this process until after the full NTP series of results are published, at a minimum.

In the meantime, suggest people read the Solutions page at www.electricalpollution.com for steps to take to minimize their own RF exposure.  And, of course pass the link for the Solutions page on to those you care about and spread it around on social media too.

Best, Catherine

Protecting my health and that of others by using a hardwired computer in a low RF environment.  For more information, seewww.electricalpollution.com

In case any of you missed it, Dr. Joel Moskowitz has written several articles on the NTP including this one below and put together a great 1-page flyer "Spin vs Facts" attached. Attached is the press release I sent out with the news. The references for quotes are:

http://www.saferemr.com/2016/05/national-toxicology-progam-finds-cell.html

Monday, May 30, 2016

National Toxicology Program Finds Cell Phone Radiation Causes Cancer

 

SPIN vs FACT: National Toxicology Program report on 

cancer risk from cellphone radiation

 

The National Toxicology Program (NTP) of the National Institutes of Health reported partial findings from their $25 million study of the cancer risk from cellphone radiofrequency radiation (RFR). Controlled studies of rats showed that RFR caused two types of tumors, glioma and schwannoma. The results “…could have broad implications for public health.”

 

A factsheet on the NTP study that summarizes some biased statements, or “Spin,” about the study that tend to create doubt about data quality and implications, as well as “Facts” from decades of previous research is available at http://bit.ly/NTPspinfacts.

 

 

 

Press release: June 1, 2016                                     For immediate distribution

 

Contact: Nina Beety 831-655-9902

Wireless Radiation Alert Network

 

MAJOR U.S. GOVERNMENT STUDY FINDS CELL PHONE RADIATION CAUSES CANCER

Last night the National Toxicology Program (NTP) of the National Institutes of Health issued the first in a series of reports that contains partial findings from their long-awaited, $25 million study of the cancer risk from cell phone radiation. This report summarizes the study of long-term exposure to cell phone radiation on rats. The report on mice will be issued at a later date.

 

Last Thursday, the U.S. National Toxicology Program released final peer-reviewed results of its $25 million study on rats and cell phone radiation exposure. The findings: 46 out of 540, or 1 in 12 male rats developed malignant brain tumors (glioma) or malignant heart tumors (schwannoma) or pre-cancerous lesions. None of the rats in the control group developed tumors of the brain or heart or pre-cancerous lesions. Birth weights for exposed animals were also lower than for control animals.

 

Microwave News, which announced the impending release of results, cited an unnamed source within NTP that senior scientists wanted to get this information out to the public as soon as possible.

 

Chris Portier, former associate director of the NTP, called this study a “game changer” and “a wake-up call to the scientific establishment.” These results concur with human studies such as the 5-country Interphone study which found significant 40-95% increases in glioma after only 10 years for cell phone usage as little as ½ hour per day. The latency for brain tumors is normally 15-30 years. The WHO IARC listed this radiation as a Class 2B carcinogen in 2011.

 

The NTP study was designed to mimic human exposure and look at effects on all parts of the body. Consumer Affairs says, “Rats are commonly used in cancer studies because their reactions to various carcinogens are similar to humans.” The study intentionally kept exposure levels low, below levels that would increase body temperature. As a result, the cancers were not caused by thermal effects. Current FCC exposure limits are only based on thermal effects. Wireless devices are tested for compliance with these thermal limits but are not safety tested.

 

Female rats developed tumors or pre-cancerous lesions at a lower level which was not considered statistically significant. American Cancer Society stated: “It’s important to note that these sorts of gender differences often appear in carcinogenic studies.”

 

The frequency tested was 900 MHz for 10 minutes on and 10 minutes off for a cumulative time of 9 hours per day. This frequency is close to that used by other wireless devices including PG&E wireless Smart Meters.

 

The American Cancer Society called the NTP report “good science,” saying

 

NTP staff were clearly aware of the potential importance of this study and went the extra distance to ensure the best science is used. They used double the number of animals required for this type of study; they convened not one but three panels to look at abnormal tissues from treated animals to ensure that what was identified as a brain and heart tumor was indeed a brain and heart tumor;

they solicited review from multiple scientists from outside the NTP to critically review all aspects of the data analysis and study findings, to ensure the findings would stand up to the critical assessment expected once these unexpected findings were released.

 

On Friday, the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) released a statement with comments from Ken Foster of the IEEE committee that reviews RF exposure limits:

With the NTP study results, Foster expects more governments to put out cautionary guidelines and radiation labeling for cellphones. He says he wouldn’t be surprised if California adds RF radiation to its Proposition 65 list of carcinogenic chemicals, and if the IARC ups its classification rating from 2B: possibly carcinogenic to humans to 2A: probably carcinogenic to humans. “And they wouldn’t be out of line in doing that,” he says. “This is going to change the rhetoric in the field. People can point to much more hard evidence that [cellphone RF exposure] really is a problem.”

 

Joel Moskowitz, Director, Center for Family and Community Health at the School of Public Health, UC Berkeley:

The results of the study reinforce the need for more stringent regulation of radiofrequency radiation and better disclosure of the health risks associated with wireless technologies -- two demands made by the International EMF Scientist Appeal -- a petition signed by 220 scientists who have published research on the effects of electromagnetic radiation.

 

Ron Melnick, retired from the National Toxicology Program, told Microwave News:

The NTP tested the hypothesis that cell phone radiation could not cause health effects and that hypothesis has now been disproved…After extensive reviews, the consensus is that there was a carcinogenic effect…This is a major public health concern because the cells which became cancerous in the rats were the same types of cells as those that have been reported to develop into tumors in cell phone epidemiological studies.

 

IEEE calls NTP studies “the gold standard for animal cancer assays”. The National Toxicology Program is part of the National Institutes of Health, and tests substances for toxicity and effects on human health.

 

NTP report: http://bit.ly/NTPcell1

For references to the research that found increased risk of malignant and nonmalignant tumors among long-term cell phone users see http://bit.ly/WSJsaferemr.

 

References:

http://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/ethics/cellphone-radiation-causes-cancer-in-rats

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/major-us-government-study-finds-cell-phone-cancer-link-052716.html

https://acspressroom.wordpress.com/2016/05/27/ntpcellphones/

www.microwavenews.com

http://www.saferemr.com/2016/05/national-toxicology-progam-finds-cell.html

Anti-Choice Groups Use Smartphone Surveillance to Target ‘Abortion-Minded Women’ During Clinic Visits

Anti-Choice Groups Use Smartphone Surveillance to Target ‘Abortion-Minded Women’ During Clinic Visits

May 25, 2016, 6:52pm

Sharona Coutts

Women who have visited almost any abortion clinic in the United States have seen anti-choice protesters outside, wielding placards and chanting abuse. A Boston advertiser’s technology, when deployed by anti-choice groups, allows those groups to send propaganda directly to a woman’s phone while she is in a clinic waiting room.

Excerpts:

Last year, an enterprising advertising executive based in Boston, Massachusetts, had an idea: Instead of using his sophisticated mobile surveillance techniques to figure out which consumers might be interested in buying shoes, cars, or any of the other products typically advertised online, what if he used the same technology to figure out which women were potentially contemplating abortion, and send them ads on behalf of anti-choice organizations? SNIP Flynn’s targeting of women seeking abortion presents a serious threat to the privacy and safety of women exercising their right to choose, as well as to abortion providers and their staff, a Rewire investigation has found. But due to weak and patchwork laws governing privacy and data collection in the United States, the conduct appears to be perfectly legal. SNIP

Read the post here.

Setting the Record Straight on the NTP Cell Phone Cancer Study Ron Melnick Corrects ‘Misinformation’ in the NY Times

Setting the Record Straight on theNTP Cell Phone Cancer StudyRon Melnick Corrects ‘Misinformation’ in the NY Times

On May 31, the New York Times ran a piece in what it calls “The Upshot” on the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) cell phone animal study. The column is a regular feature in the Times that seeks to give readers context for stories in the news. This one was titled “Why It’s Not Time to Panic About Cell Phones and Cancer.” It was written by Aaron Carroll, a pediatrician at the University of Indiana School of Medicine. He expressed skepticism about the study results, calling the effort "imperfect."

Carroll's critique prompted a response from Ron Melnick, who led the study’s design team before retiring from the NTP. In an eight-point rebuttal, Melnick corrected what he called “numerous and misleading statements.”

Read the full text of Melnick's letter here.

Louis Slesin, PhD

Editor, Microwave News

louis@microwavenews.com

http://microwavenews.com

Technology is making us blind: The dangerous complacency of the iPhone era

Technology is making us blind: The dangerous complacency of the iPhone era

Following is an oldie (2014) but goodie from Salon.com which is quite relevant to recent postings on “A Brave New World”.

Don

*********************

The rise of smartphones and social media has ushered in a new age of techno-optimism. And that’s a big problem
Charles Howarth
Nov 30, 2014

Excerpt

The technology pages of news media can make for scary reading these days. From new evidence of government surveillance to the personal data collection capabilities of new devices, to the latest leaks of personal information, we hear almost daily of new threats to personal privacy. It’s difficult to overstate the implications of this: The separation of the private and public that’s the cornerstone of liberal thought, not to mention the American Constitution, is being rapidly eroded, with potentially profound consequences for our freedom.

As much as we may register a certain level of dismay at this, in practice, our reaction is often indifference. How many of us have taken to the streets in protest, started a petition, canvassed a politician, or even changed our relationship with our smartphone, tablet or smartwatch? The question is why are we so unconcerned?

We could say that it’s simply a matter of habit, that we have become so used to using devices in such a way that we cannot imagine using them any differently. Or we could, for example, invoke a tragic fate in which we simply have no option but to accept the erosion of our privacy because of our powerlessness against corporations and governments.

These are, however, retrospective justifications that miss the kernel of the truth. To reach this kernel, we have to excavate the substratum of culture to uncover the ideas that shape our relationship with technology. Only here can we see that the cause is a profound ideological shift in this relationship.

READ ON….

Read the post here.

Navy to test jamming West Coast, more news

Navy to test jamming West Coast, more news

5 major stories, 2 comment periods open. Dear Friends and Colleagues, This is an update of recent events in a busy month. Please forward this to your own networks to help maximize the number of public comments. 1. The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has decided not to clean up the toxic mess left by the Navy at “Naval Auxiliary Air Station Quillayute,†a currently unused 4,200 foot runway on the Olympic Peninsula west of Forks, WA. Until 3 days before the comment period closed, few knew about this because the USACE had failed to put the documents online; thanks to eagle-eyed people and others who quickly sent comments before that deadline, we got an extension that ends on June 26, and our request was granted for the documents to be put online. The documents are here:  http://www.nwk.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental/EnvironmentalProjects/FormerNavalAuxiliaryAirStationQuillayute.aspx Email your comments to: Mirek.S.Towster@usace.army.mil Suggestion for incorporating into your comment: I do not agree with the USACE’s decision to not clean up the toxic contaminants at Naval Auxiliary Air Station Quillayute. With its tetraethyl lead sludge disposal area, PCBs, VOCs and carcinogenic polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, some of which exceed federal screening criteria, this area requires decontamination. Since carbon tetrachloride exceeding federal standards has been consistently detected in one residential water supply well, and has been occasionally detected in five other wells, and since the USACE’s report concludes with four major uncertainties concerning future use of the site, it would be a mistake to not clean it up. It’s widely known that Formerly Used Defense Sites such as NAAS Quillayute are often left heavily contaminated, so shifting the blame and thus the responsibility for the source of some of those contaminants from the Navy to residential use of household cleaning supplies is absurd and unethical. Unless this site is to be used as an emergency runway in the event of a major disaster such as an earthquake, I further categorically object to any reactivation of NAAS Quillayute by the military for routine or training takeoffs and landings of jets, helicopters or drones, or storage of fuel, weapons, equipment or other non-disaster military assets.  2. A story on how the Navy is about to forcibly evacuate indigenous peoples from the island they’ve inhabited for 3,000 years so it can use the island as a live bombing range is here.  The West Coast Action Alliance is in touch with representatives for these people. 3. The FAA just issued a warning to pilots on the US west coast that the Navy will be testing a device (or devices) that will potentially jam GPS signals for as long as six hours per day on multiple days this month. A look at the map in this article that broke the story shows 9 states and large areas of Mexico affected with outages. Although news articles say that devices below 50 feet of elevation will not be affected, it’s widely known that hills exist in these areas. The map shows large areas of ocean will also be affected; GPS devices aboard commercial ships are often found in or near the wheelhouse, many of which exceed 50 feet above sea level. We have searched the internet for an EIS or an Environmental Assessment on this, because such widespread adverse effects would appear to qualify as a major federal action with potentially serious consequences for commercial and private aircraft and shipping; unfortunately, we have not been able to locate such a document. If that's the case, lack of NEPA and adequate public notification on such a project would appear to be outside the law. 4. Victims of hazardous Navy jet noise on Whidbey Island took their complaints and pleas for help to the Washington State Board of Health on June 6. According to Dr. James Dahlgren, whose declaration was shared with the Board, the noise that residents are being subjected to represents a “public health emergency.† Dahlgren is Diplomat of the American Board of Internal Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Toxicology. The State Board of health is being asked to get involved because reactions from the local board ranged from dismissal to ridicule. Story here. 5. A humpback whale died underneath the Navy’s docks at Bremerton last week. Necropsy revealed it did not die from starvation but from “more acute†causes, such as bruises caused by being trapped under there. This raises a lot of questions, such as: why did it swim under those docks? With the Navy’s most recent EIS stating it will be conducting 284 acoustic testing events per year at its docks, could the whale have been panicked by a sonar or acoustic blast? Story here. Can anything be done about noise and marine mammals? Yes. Read about NOAA’s “Ocean Noise Strategy Roadmap†summarized in this New York Times article and show your concern by sending comments to:Comment.ONS@noaa.gov Your subject line should say "ONS Roadmap Comments" and email your comments until July 1, 2016. Include any citations to scientific literature or analysis you know of, as this is a search for information, too. The health of whales is an indicator of the health of our oceans. The health of our oceans is an indicator of the health of our planet. Even the most jaded person cannot ignore the fact that a group of scientists estimate our oceans are worth $24 trillion dollars, and that if the ocean was a country it’d be the seventh largest economy on the planet. Finance aside, the way we treat these intelligent cetaceans will be a measure of our collective humanity. The way our military treats the people it is supposed to serve is a measure of the state of our democracy. The way the people respond to such treatment is a measure of their willingness to insist that their voices be respected. Thanks for your caring and dedication. Sincerely, The West Coast Action Alliance http://westcoastactionalliance.org Our News Stories page is frequently updated.

Elon Musk's Brave New World: Become cyborgs or risk humans being turned into robots' pets

Elon Musk's Brave New World: Become cyborgs or risk humans being turned into robots' pets

Elon Musk envisions a future “Brave New World” where, in order to keep up with advances in artificial intelligence (AI) technology, future humans (those who can afford it that is) will have to have a “neural lace”, embedded within their brains, becoming cyborgs, or super humans, in order to keep pace with the technology. An interesting concept worthy of the best of SiFi writers but consider that such technology would not come cheap. No coverage through medical insurance, ensuring that only the elites of the world will be able to afford having a neural lace implanted within their brains.

Essentially what Musk is envisioning is an Olympian super race – part human/part AI, essentially populated by only those who can afford it – the 1 % of the world’s population who now owns half the world’s wealth. As for all those who cannot afford joining the lofty Olympians with all their neural lace emplants, what future for them? A high-tech serfdom perhaps?

Read on…,

Read the post here.

The Pentagon’s Mad Scientists Are Working on Mind Control

The Pentagon’s Mad Scientists Are Working on Mind Control

Let’s go inside DARPA’s secretive world

by MATTHEW GAULT

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has an incredible reputation for a group of super-scientists who create potentially world-ending weapons and technology.

The Pentagon’s mad scientists helped create the Internet, GPS and stealth fighters. Now they’re working on self driving cars, artificial intelligence and brain-computer interfaces. If you’ve read about in a science-fiction novel, there’s a good chance DARPA it trying to do it.

The powerful military organization operates behind a wall of secrecy and often the gulf between what it says it’s working on and what it’s actually working on is enormous. Today on War College, we sit down with author and journalist Annie Jacobsen to talk about her Pulitzer Prize-nominated book The Pentagon’s Brain.

Jacobsen spent years researching DARPA, interviewing its scientists and digging through its histories. Not an easy task for an organization so intent on staying private. What she discovered is both exciting … and terrifying. 

SNIP

Read the post here