My kids have been educated on the dangers of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from cell phones, cordless phones and WiFi networks, so they were aware enough to come home and tell me how they’re unwillingly getting exposed to EMR at their school – via other kids’ cell phones and the wireless computers in the computer room.
My children have told me that many children in their classes own cell phones, which are allowed to remain turned on, whilst in the classroom. Whether these phones are set to ring or just vibrate is not the issue. If they are turned on, then they are transmitting (and receiving) to the nearest cell phone tower continually and emitting electromagnetic radiation (EMR) throughout the classroom.
My son has also told me that all the computers in the computer room are wireless. Again, as computers on a WiFi network are in the “ultra-high frequency range” and nearly up to the “super high frequency” range (see info below on radiation frequencies from NASA), this likewise is transmitting very high EMR to the children (and teachers) in that classroom.
When we were in Singapore in 2001, there was huge coverage in all the newspapers because 20-year-olds throughout the city were having heart attacks and they couldn’t figure out why. Then, someone figured out it was because it was the fashion at that time for young people to wear their cell phones on decorative cords around their necks. This meant that their cell phones were hanging right next to – you guessed it – their heart. So a warning went out in all the local newspapers, telling kids not to wear their cell phones on these cords. But funnily enough, no one I’ve spoken to in Canada (or the U.S.) ever heard about that. And no one thought about warning people not to wear their cell phones clipped to their belt, or in their pocket.
Of course there are huge revenues at stake with wireless technology and until recently, not much long-term hard data on the risks or effects. But as you can see from the first reference listed below (from the head of a cancer research institute), that has now changed, and there IS enough data in place for respected scientists and doctors to conclude that cell phone and other ultra-high frequency wireless devices are not safe for long-term, or cumulative human use – especially for children.
I have also listed my own research below – including hard data from NASA’s website, that has led me to completely avoid cell phone, cordless phone and wireless computer usage in my family and my house.
Many people are comparing cell phones and WiFi network usage to cigarettes – which were also once thought to be a “private” choice, but later acknowledged as a public health issue – where your choice affects my health.
I encourage you to review the research and sources below – of the thousands of references available (over 2,000 scientific, peer-reviewed studies), I have included only a few of the most pertinent.
And if you would like a set of “action tools” that you can download and hand out to neighbours, schools, other parents, etc. to help get WiFi removed from your school, they’re all available at my kids’ site: www.RadiationEducation.com
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Associated Press
Thurs., July 24, 2008
PITTSBURGH – The head of a prominent cancer research institute issued an unprecedented warning to his faculty and staff Wednesday: Limit cell phone use because of the possible risk of cancer.
The warning from Dr. Ronald B. Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, is contrary to numerous studies that don’t find a link between cancer and cell phone use, and a public lack of worry by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Herberman is basing his alarm on early unpublished data. He says it takes too long to get answers from science and he believes people should take action now — especially when it comes to children.
In the memo he sent to about 3,000 faculty and staff Wednesday, he says children should use cell phones only for emergencies because their brains are still developing.
Adults should keep the phone away from the head and use the speakerphone or a wireless headset, he says. He even warns against using cell phones in public places like a bus because it exposes others to the phone’s electromagnetic fields.
“Although the evidence is still controversial, I am convinced that there are sufficient data to warrant issuing an advisory to share some precautionary advice on cell phone use,” he wrote in his memo.
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CBC News
Saturday, July 12, 2008
“Toronto’s department of public health is advising teenagers and young children to limit their use of cellphones to avoid potential health risks.”
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Dr. Robert Becker, M.D., one of the first medical pioneers to study natural electrical currents in the human body and to caution about electropollution, answers the question, “Can EMR exposure cause harm?” in this interview. Dr. Becker was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize in Medicine.
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Good summation article on CELL PHONE RISKS TO CHILDREN by Dr. Joseph Mercola:
Children today will experience previously unimaginable exposure to information-carrying radio waves from mobile phones because they start out using them at a very early age.
I am absolutely convinced that the explosion of cell phone usage around the world is a health disaster in waiting, and contributing to the rapid rise in several neurological epidemics, such as autism and early-onset of Alzheimer’s.
One reason for this is that the information-carrying radio waves from cell phone base stations and cell phones make children’s exposure to vaccines and heavy metals much more dangerous than they typically are. EMR can actually trap heavy metals inside your cells, causing cellular damage and hindering your body from detoxifying. For this reason — while I realize that most people will not get rid of their cell phones because of their convenience — I would still urge you to not let your kids use them.
I am so convinced this danger is real, on par with the dangers of tobacco, which all the “experts” claimed was safe, that I’m writing an entire book on the subject, due out in 2009.
And, I’m not alone in trying to educate the public. In fact, some European countries are already working on public health campaigns designed to warn school-age children of the dangers, by putting up posters in schools and community halls.
Will Europe Ban Cell Phones for “Under-age” Use?
The Vienna Medical Association is demanding the removal of zero tariffs and the banning of mobile phone advertising targeting children and adolescents. Says Erik Huber, environment advisor for the association: “Children under the age of 16 should never use a mobile phone.”
Many scientists and government agencies in Europe have already accepted that EMF from cell phones does pose health risks, reflected in Huber’s statement, “Scientists do not argue anymore whether mobile phones are harmful, but how harmful they are.”
Don’t be Deceived – SAR is Not an Indication of Safety
Although the National Research Council’s report states that Specific Absorption Rates (SAR) for children are likely to be higher than for adults, let’s not get confused.
Because the danger from most land-based portable phones, cell phones and WiFi routers is NOT from the magnetic radiation or the microwave carrier wave for which typical SAR ratings are given on phones. Unless you have massive exposures like you might expect in a microwave oven, these thermal effects are insignificant.
So simply lowering the allowable SAR will NOT make cell phones safer.
Instead, nearly all the biological damage comes from the modulated signals that are carried ON the carrier microwave. These modulated information carrying radio waves resonate in biological frequencies of a few to a few hundred cycles per second, and can stimulate your cellular receptors causing a whole cascade of pathological consequences that can culminate in fatigue, anxiety, neurological decline, and ultimately cancers.
The density of your child’s skull is also far less than yours, and therefore their brain is far more susceptible to these information-carrying radio waves.
This Deserves Your SERIOUS Attention
The studies showing the long-term risks of cell phone use are just beginning to come in because cell phone use didn’t become widespread until the late 1990s. It typically takes at least 10 to 20 years for cancers to show up, so now is the time when these risks will become apparent.
It is almost as if NO ONE was smoking and then all of a sudden nearly 90 percent of the planet started. Of course, we would not see any spectacular increase in major damage for more than 10 years. It takes time for this damage to accumulate and be noticed.
Unfortunately, most people fail to correlate common symptoms and health problems to their exposure to cell phones and other radio frequencies, perhaps because these conditions can so easily be attributed to other causes (including so-called “unknown” causes) as well.
Take a look at these common illnesses and ailments, which have all been scientifically linked to cell phone information carrying radio waves:
* Alzheimer’s, senility and dementia
* Parkinson’s
* Autism
* Fatigue
* Headaches
* Sleep disruptions
* Altered memory function, poor concentration and spatial awareness
Although cancer and brain tumors are most often cited as the potential health risks from cell phone radiation, as you can see, cancer is not the only, or most common danger that you and your children face.
Protecting Yourself and Your Children From Dangerous RF
The best way to protect yourself would be to simply not use a cell phone and revert back to a corded phone. At the very least I would urge you to not let your kids use them or severely limit their use. Their developing nervous systems and thinner skulls are simply too vulnerable to cell phone damage.
If you choose to keep your cell phone, make sure you use a non-Blue Tooth headset. Also remember, even when you’re not using your phone, keep it as far away from your body as possible. Do not keep it on your belt or in your pocket as the radiation WILL penetrate your body wherever the phone is attached. According to a scientific study published in Fertility and Sterility in May 2007, statistically significant changes were found in men’s sperm count and health of the sperm, based on cell phone use.
Their conclusion?
“Use of cell phones decreases the semen quality in men by decreasing the sperm count, motility, viability and normal morphology. The decrease in sperm parameters was dependent on the duration of daily exposure to cell phones, and independent of the initial semen quality.”
So, make sure you stow your cell phone in a bag, briefcase, or your car’s glove compartment.
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Dr. Carolyn Dean MD ND shared this information:
Last September Dr. Devra Lee Davis, an epidemiology professor from the University of Pittsburgh testified before the U.S. Senate…
“Dr. Davis,” asked Senator Tom Harkin, chairman for Health & Human Services, “you said that a cell phone should not be kept any closer than an inch to your body?”
Dr. Davis nodded.
“Where does that come from?” asked Senator Harkin.
“That actually comes from the BlackBerry manual,” replied Dr. Davis, “as well as from the iPhone manual. If you read the manual– which almost none of us does — that is what they say.”
Seeing is believing… so I found a PDF copy of iPhone’s “Important Product Information Guide” online which states: “iPhone’s SAR measurement may exceed the FCC exposure guidelines for body-worn operation if positioned less than 15 mm (5/8 inch) from the body…”
The BlackBerry manual takes it 10mm further by advising: “…keep the device at least 0.98 inches (25mm) away from your body…”
So if you can’t avoid cell and cordless phones entirely — at least do what the industry’s own manuals suggest: Avoid any direct physical contact while they are activated.
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An article in the Los Angeles Times reported:
“Belgium, France, Finland, Germany, Russia and Israel have publicly discouraged use of cellphones by children. (Independent research in Sweden last year concluded there was an astonishing 420% increased chance of getting brain cancer for cellphone users who were teenagers or younger when they first started using their phones.) France has gone so far as to issue a generalized national cellphone health warning, banned cellphones in elementary schools and considered outlawing marketing the phones to children.”
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WIFI RESEARCH
You can go here to NASA’s site to get an easily understood definition of exactly what electromagnetic radiation is, and the distinction between the different types of waves.
This article tells you what wavelength/freqency wireless computer devices work with (frequency and wavelength are inter-related as explained in the NASA article):
Once we know the frequency wireless (WiFi) technology uses, we can then compare that to Radios and TVs.
FM Radio is in the 88 – 110MHz range
Analogue TV (what most people have in their homes) is at 400 – 600MHz
Digital TV is at 600 – 1000MHz.
Here’s a great definition of radio frequency and then an excellent chart showing the strength of the various frequencies:
Radio frequency is also abbreviated as rf or r.f. – any frequency within the electromagnetic spectrum associated with radio wave propagation. When an RF current is supplied to an antenna, an electromagnetic field is created that then is able to propagate through space. Many wireless technologies are based on RF field propagation.
These frequencies make up part of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum:
• Ultra-low frequency (ULF) — 0-3 Hz
• Extremely low frequency (ELF) — 3 Hz – 3 kHz
• Very low frequency (VLF) — 3kHz – 30 kHz
• Low frequency (LF) — 30 kHz – 300 kHz
• Medium frequency (MF) — 300 kHz – 3 MHz
• High frequency (HF) — 3MHz – 30 MHz
• Very high frequency (VHF) — 30 MHz – 300 MHz
• Ultra-high frequency (UHF)– 300MHz – 3 GHz
• Super high frequency (SHF) — 3GHz – 30 GHz
• Extremely high frequency (EHF) — 30GHz – 300 GHz
CONCLUSION: WIFI IS NOT SAFE FOR FREQUENT, ONGOING USAGE
So, based on the information gathered above, here’s where each item (cell phones, radio, TV, wireless computers) lies in terms of intensity of electromagnetic radiation:
FM Radio is 88-110 MHz –> Low frequency electromagnetic radiation
Cell phones are 824-869 MHz –> Ultra-high frequency electromagnetic radiation.
Wireless computers/internet are 2.4 GHz –> Ultra-high frequency electromagnetic radiation (but nearly up into Super High frequency range).
Therefore, surprise-surprise, wireless computers and their networks are NOT SAFE for frequent, ongoing human use! And when salespeople, politicians and presidents of wireless companies tell you that “there’s no problem, it’s the same as FM Radio” – you will know they are lying, or misinformed.
Worrying also is current TV transmission at 400-600 MHz (Ultra-high frequency) and Digital TV in the 600-1000MHz range (also Ultra-high frequency). But at least one tends to sit a good distance away from a TV!
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For lots more info on this issue, check out the EMR Network (a non-profit organization).
Thank you for sharing this important information. Moms for Safe Wireless improves public understanding of how wireless products work and their potential health effects. We are particularly interested in protecting children from RF. You can learn how to reduce your exposure to radiofrequency radiation and get cell phone safety tips at http://www.momsforsafewireless.org.
C Hoch
When even a mainstream magazine like GQ runs a story on cell phone dangers…well, hopefully that means awareness and shift is soon to come!
http://www.gq.com/cars-gear/gear-and-gadgets/201002/warning-cell-phone-radiation?currentPage=1
Some of the comments left after this article are really good too.
As per Jini’s request, here is a recent email volley she and I had about this subject. It is imperative that parents in all school districts look into this issue, do some research (look at results of independent studies on electromagnetic radiation) and most of all, get engaged in this conversation with their school district and with all those already concerned about cell phones and Wi-Fi in schools.
This will inevitably uncover another “inconvenient truth” – that cordless phones and Wi-Fi in the home and school are not a good idea if you want to stay in vigorous health, and the we need to change the way we and our kids use cell phones (if they have one).
To contact me, use the contact form on the contact page of http://www.citizensforsafetechnology.org.
Carl Katz, Director, Citizens for Safe Technology.
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Hi Jini,
Carl Katz here. I’m an advocate around the “no wi-fi and cell phones in school” issue and made the front page of The Province in Sept. 2008. Also,m French CBC TV in Vancouver did a seven minute investigative piece on the group I started at my children’s school at the time in Vancouver – we had an 80 signature “change Wi-Fi to wired connection” petition that we presented to the French School board (which they fought vigorously).
I am working with Una St. Clair-Moniz on this issue who also made TV, radio and the papers last year. Una is executive director of CItizens for Safe Technology – I am a director.
Una and I are very deep into this process – we have met with the Health and Safety of the BCTF committee recently to present on this subject – there is significant concern on their part. This past Tues. night Una and I presented same to the PAC at my kids’ school, Peace Arch Elementary in White Rock in Surrey School District #36.
I think that there may be a lot of synergy in what we are doing.
Regards,
Carl
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Hi Jini,
Your letter appeared in Martin Weatherall’s nightly EMF newsletter digest.
I am very up on the science and tend to go with the theory that it’s the secondary Informaton Carryng Radio Wave (ICRW) that causes bio-effects and symptoms. The actual carrier waves (800, 850, 1900 Mhz in Canada for cell phones and 2.4, 5.8 Ghz for Wi-Fi) are supposedly not problematic – it’s when you piggyback data on the carrier wave (music, voice, data, video) that the secondary ICRW comes into play.
Did you see the article in GQ magazine this month? One of the top five articles on the subject in the last few years in my opinion:
http://bit.ly/aAQrzN
Talk to you soon,
Carl
[…] Cell Phone Usage Inside Schools […]
Hello Jini,
I am doing research into the dangers of emr. You mention the situation in Singapore back in 2001 where many 20-year olds were having heart-attacks, probably linked to the fashion of wearing your mobile phones on a cord around your neck. I have been searching for an article on that, but I was unable to find it. Perhaps you can find another source for this? Would you mind sending it to my emailaddress?
Thanks,
Jasper, the Netherlands
I’d like to know the link that Jasper asked for as well.
Hmmm, you could try searching the major English language papers in Singapore for 2000-2001 (the time span we were there).
That’s about all I can think of….
good luck and let me know if you find anything.
im 13 and i keep my phone on at school and ive kept my phone in my front pocket for 3 years, and i guess the vibration or radiation changed my sperm or testacles because now i have these little bumps in my sack but only from the side i had my phone on.. i wanna know if i could have cancer or something, please help
Hey 13 – you could have a variation of “Toasted Skin Syndrome”:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39490660/ns/health-more_health_news/
But you should definitely go to your doctor and tell him/her what you wrote above, so they know what to look for. Better to find out if anything’s wrong sooner rather than later!
You may also want to get your sperm tested (sperm count, motility, etc.) even just to have as a reference point. Then get it re-tested when you’re ready to have kids and see where it’s at, if it’s improved, etc. I’m assuming that you are either no longer carrying your cell phone on your body or (hopefully) hardly using it at all.
Cell phones are one thing but what about WiFi radiation. This is being inflicted on our kids and we are given little or no say in the matter.
People are getting concerned about cell towers but according to this report WiFi radiation in schools can be 3 times worse than cell tower radiation, see http://electricsense.com/2726/wifi-in-schools-gives-off-3-times-as-much-radiation-as-cell-towers/
i was looking for this information EVERYWHERE ! but i just couldn’t get it