EMR

Media Articles

Dr Sanjay Gupta is an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine and associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia.

Disclaimer: Below is a selection of newspaper articles that have appeared in the press internationally. Some have sensational headlines but bear in mind that the public has been endlessly subjected to similar headlines on the other side of the argument.

For example, this headline which appeared worldwide last year No Link Between Cell Towers, Kids' Cancer Risk. On a closer read you'll see that this strong assertion was based on a case study analyzing 1,397 cancer cases in UK children below the age of 4 in the period 1999-2001 but many people don't get that far.

Please bear this in mind when reviewing as the articles are intended to provide information rather than hype.

Date	Country	Publication	Link
2011-11-02	SA	Tech Central	The ‘iDevice’ nightmare facing corporate IT shops
Employees bringing their own gadgets, from smartphones to tablet computers, into the companies they work for and expecting them to function seamlessly with corporate technology systems is proving to be a significant and growing challenge for IT departments. Warren Johnson, account technology specialist at Microsoft, says IT departments are struggling to figure out how to accommodate the growing range of devices and online ecosystems that employees expect will interoperate with company-managed systems. In many cases it’s creating a security headache for IT directors, he says. It’s becoming a tricky balancing act for many companies as they try to figure out how to benefit from this “consumerisation of IT”, while at the same time ensuring their systems aren’t compromised and the IT department doesn’t become overloaded because it’s supporting a multitude of nonsanctioned devices and ecosystems. The challenge for many IT departments is it’s often the CEO that is demanding his iPad or other new-fangled device interoperates seamlessly with the corporate backend systems, meaning they don’t have the choice of simply barring their use. “The executives want the funky stuff. Four years ago they were saying you have to secure and manage everything because it’s too costly for us. Now they’re saying bypass it for me because I want my funky laptop.”
2011-11-02	Canada	CBC News	Edmonton dials up for more data on cell towers
Edmonton city council is asking staff to look into the placement of cell phone towers in residential neighbourhoods. "Other municipalites have updated their policies," said Coun. Karen Leibovici. "What elements of their policies can we incorporate in Edmonton? "For example, address mail notifications to tenants and homeowners regarding cell phone tower applications." Many Edmonton communities including Westmount, Hazeldean and Greenfield are fighting or at least debating the presence of cell towers in their neighbourhoods. While some residents claim they are an eyesore, others worry about health effects. Leibovici wants to know what changes the city can make. She asked for a report to be completed as soon as possible.
2011-11-02	India	IBN Live	Mobile towers potential health hazards: Juhi Chawla
Actress Juhi Chawla today sought removal of mobile towers installed on the government buildings in the city dubbing them as "potential health hazards" for the local residents. Talking to reporters, Juhi, who lives opposite the state government guest house, Sahyadri, in posh South Mumbai, said "local residents were facing health problems due to these towers". The actress claimed that the guest house has 14 mobile towers and radiation levels in the vicinity are very high. "Considering the health hazards being faced by the local residents, the towers should be removed immediately," she said... "The condition of local residents living nearby the mobile towers was like staying in a microwave oven," the actress said, adding standards of radiation should be reconsidered in the densely-populated areas.
2011-11-01	USA	CNN	Don't sleep with your smart phone nearby
The addiction question is often one that people silently ask themselves. Shouldn't we be spending less time checking and rechecking our many screens, large and small, and more time taking part in what used to be regarded as real life? Is there something inherently wrong when people being separated from their phones, computers and tablets makes them feel nervous, irritable, tense -- in other words, when they begin to exhibit classic withdrawal symptoms? For guidance on this, I got in touch with Sieberg, who has given as much thought to the subject as anyone of whom I'm aware. A former CNN correspondent, he is a lecturer, writer and broadcaster on technology issues who, in his own life, became increasingly conscious of the unhealthy hold that digital devices can have. He wrote a book called "The Digital Diet" that argues persuasively that there can come a time in a person's life when he or she is a good candidate for technology detox. Sieberg is hardly a guy stuck in some dust-covered, pre-technology past: He has always been among the first to own each new portable device, and he likes the many good things the digital experience can provide. But he realized -- when his wife would wake up in the middle of the night to see him, in bed, illuminated by the glow of one screen or another that he had decided to check one more time before he fell back asleep -- that something might need remedying. There is, he said, a feeling common among people who are digitally hooked that, when it's just them and the real world and no screen, they are somehow cast adrift, cut off: "It's a sense of, 'What am I missing?'" But in truth, a strong case can be made that when a person lives too many hours a day in the digital universe, that is when he or she is really missing something -- missing the things that are taking place in the flesh-and-blood world.
2011-10-29	USA	ABC News	You Ask: How is a cell phone tower allowed in my neighborhood?
El Dorado Mobile Home Park, at Twain and Arville, is home to hundreds of senior citizens. Most of them strictly oppose plans to put in a cell phone tower in the middle of their neighborhood. But they say their concerns aren't being heard. That's why they called Action News for help. The issue first came up back in August. After much debate, it was decided that a cell phone tower would not be placed on the property. But just this week, residents got a notice in their mailboxes, saying the proposal for a tower is back on the table, and quickly moving forward. "We don't want this in our backyard," says Gayle Parker. "They're pushing it," adds Phillip Ankney. "It's the method they're using of pushing it on us. It's not right." People who rent spaces at El Dorado, emailed Action News, asking how the property owner could move forward on a cell phone tower, without their permission. "This is our home," Parker says. "There's 250 residents here that are paying rent, what say do we have in the matter?"
2011-10-10	UK	The Guardian	A shocking connection: film-maker uncovers Blood in the Mobile
Frank Poulsen's eye-opening new documentary exposes a link between the war in DR Congo and our mobile phones We all love our mobile phones, and the smarter they get, the more we want them. There is, though, a dark side to this affair. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, our demand for phones has been helping to finance a civil war which has killed more than 5m people. There is, according to the title of Danish director Frank Poulsen's eye-opening documentary, blood in the mobile. Minerals from mines under the control of warring factions have been making their way into our mobiles for years. The UN raised the issue a decade ago. But even though it involves more of us than, say, blood diamonds, how many of us know about it? "I knew there was a war in Congo, but I didn't know it had anything to do with my phone," says Poulsen. "I think we often forget, or maybe don't know, how closely connected we are. Things that go on in Africa seem to be very far away and have very little to do with us, but it has a lot to do with us. My mission, as a film-maker, is to make these connections."
2011-10-06	South Africa	People's Post	Cellphone tower voting poll
Online poll of Capetonians perceptions about cellphone towers: 5% : cellphone towers are harmless 90% : are a serious health risk 5% : the jury is out results as at 11 Oct 2011 based on 42 responses
2011-10-05	India	The New Indian Express	Cellphones ring in alarm bells
Cellphones have revolutionised communication to become a part and parcel of our everyday life. But the fallout is beginning to be discernible. The gadgets that have become the most common features in the hands of the rich and the poor alike are beginning to take their toll on human health, exposing them to central nervous system (CNS) and brain disorders. Cellphone usage is now increasingly associated with a vast number health problems ranging from headaches, migraines, insomnia, hearing and comprehension problems to serious CNS and possibly cancer too. A hospital-based study on medical students of the VSS Medical at Burla has revealed worrying trends on adverse health impact of cellphone on users. Headaches, anxiety, loss of memory, fatigue, insomnia along with burning of the face and pain in ear were the most common problems faced by the users, the study said. Undergraduate students between the age of 20 and 30 years were put under observation by Professor and Head of Physiology, Dr R R Mohanty and assistant professor KC Purohit to deduce the effects of long duration calls through cellphones among the youngsters. The results were astounding. Majority of the users complained of headache while sleep disturbances, pain in the ear and burning sensation in the face were fairly common. As high as 27.65 per cent reported persistent headache to the extent of even migraines. The problem was more manifested in the sections who are continuously on the phone. About one-fifth reported sleep disturbance or insomnia, while around 15 per cent complained of memory loss and an almost equal number of lack of concentration. Mobile phone usage also attributed to fatigue in about 13.47 per cent of the students under study. The males were more prone to the common symptoms than their female counterparts, the study published in the latest issue of Journal of Community Medicine Orissa stated. According to Dr Purohit, the effect of the electromagnetic fields created by the phones and the radiation permeating from them was turning out to be a serious problem. “Microwave radiation impacted by the phones affects blood-brain barrier system and dopamine opiate system to cause CNS symptoms.
2011-10-04	USA	CBC News	San Francisco cellphone retailers must issue warnings
Mobile phone companies are fighting back after San Francisco passed new requirements for cellphone retailers to warn customers about limiting their exposure to radiation. Among the requirements that kick in this week, stores will have to display "informational posters" explaining that cellphones emit radio frequency energy that's absorbed by the head and body. The posters will also have to explain how to reduce that exposure risk — by doing things like using a headset or speaker phone, texting instead of talking, and limiting use by children. It's the first cellphone ordinance in the United States, created after numerous studies examined by the International Agency for Research on Cancer led the organization to classify cellphones as possibly carcinogenic to humans. Leading epidemiologists who have studied how cellphone radiation is absorbed by the body have also recommended that the public be warned of potential risks, particularly with children. On Tuesday, Health Canada said that while "at present, the scientific evidence is far from conclusive and more research is required" about any cellphone links to cancer, it issued warnings about cellphone usage. The new regulations are somewhat watered down, after earlier proposed regulations were stalled due to a different lawsuit by the cellphone industry. Phone companies argued that phones should not have to display their SAR rating — the Specific Absorption Rate of radiation emitted by each phone. Fact Sheet Poster [source]
2011-10-04	Canada	CBC News	Cellphone call limits suggested by Health Canada
Parents should encourage children under 18 to limit the time they spend talking on cellphones, Health Canada said Tuesday in new advice on mobile phone usage. The guidance is a nuanced change from previous advice, which suggested that people could limit their use of cellphones if they were concerned about an unproven suggestion the devices increase one's risk of developing brain cancer. "Really it's more proactive in encouraging cellphone users to find ways to limit their exposure, and … to empower parents to make healthy choices to reduce their children's exposure," explained James McNamee, division chief for health effects and assessments in Health Canada's bureau of consumer and clinical radiation protection. The new advice, a response to a World Health Organization report issued in May, reminds people they can reduce their exposure to radio-frequency energy by limiting the length of their cellphone calls and substituting text messages or chats on hands-free devices in the place of phone-to-ear cellphone calls. Radio-frequency energy is the type of radiation emitted by cellphones. It's also given off by AM-FM radios and TV broadcast signals.
2011-10-02	Australia	The Telegraph	Tumour fear cuts chatter as woman switch off their mobile phones
Women are switching off their mobile phones in droves amid fears they are harming their health, a new study reveals. The study, one month after World Health Organisation experts warned of a link between mobile phone use and brain tumours, found one in four Australian women have cut back on their talk time. Australia's Biggest Health Check, an online survey of more than 30,000 women, also found an additional 21 per cent of respondents wanted to reduce their mobile phone use in the future. The WHO warned in June that mobile phone users were at an increased risk of brain tumours. The debate over whether mobile phone emissions are carcinogenic has divided experts. But University of Sydney oncologist Bruce Armstrong said the evidence shows a link to brain tumours. He urged women to try to limit mobile use to text messaging or to use landlines. "The fact that women are either cutting down on their mobile phone use or planning to cut down on their mobile phone use is quite consistent with that advice," Professor Armstrong said. "It just indicates that people are seeing this as a risk."
2011-09-30	South Africa	Cape Times	Letter: Please tread carefully on cell mast radiation exposure
The reality which faces us all is that with the rapid uptake and deployment of wireless communication technology in the last few years radiation exposure levels have increased significantly. Society now has a host of innovation including iPads and 3G phones with internet access used to download movies, photos, movies, emails, books. In the not too distant past cell phones were used only for phone calls and texting. The guidelines used to regulate these emissions is based on policy formulated in 1998 at a period when high frequency cellular technology was in its infancy. With inadequate studies having been completed before this technology went to market the safety guidelines were based on the known physical properties of microwave radiation at the time and focused only on the thermal properties of this type of radiation. Subsequent scientific research now suggests that there could be a serious health risk resulting from heavy long term exposure to these emissions, which is why a growing number of scientists, doctors and world leaders are calling for greater precaution. Last month, in response to pressure from a DA spokesperson, Environment Minister Molewa said she had no immediate plans to reconsider “buffer zones” or other new action to regulate cell phone masts. We are therefore appealing to her through increased public awareness and petition to update 1998 ICNIRP guidelines which don't take into consideration the non-thermal biological effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, and reinstate Environmental Impact Assessments for cell mast sites, as well as public participation in the approvals process Co-inciding with our own community's opposition, the Cape Town City Council is currently updating their 2002 policy governing the erection of cell masts. On 1 August 2011 the public were invited to comment on the new policy by the end of the month, but this deadline has now been extended to the end of September. As recently reported in the press, some of the guidelines include that antennae on top of the sites must be more than 50m away from any 'habitable structures' [and] all sites must be in commercial and business areas..." Practically however this 50m distance isn't guaranteed or enforced in the new policy - not even in residential areas or school playgrounds.
2011-09-21	Various	Various	Audio broadcasts with doctors, researchers, engineers, legislators
Thomas M. Rau, MD, Medical Director, Paracelsus Clinic, Switzerland Dietrich Klinghardt, MD, PhD, Director, Klinghardt Academy of Neurobiology, expert in the health consequences of electromagnetic fields and leading educator of physicians. Sam Milham, MD, MPH, Pioneer in studying electromagnetic factors in health and author of “Dirty Electricity: Electrification and the Diseases of Civilization.” Karl Maret, MD, President, Dove Health Alliance, Physician and Electrical and BioMedical Engineer Olle Johansson, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Sweden; Professor, Royal Institute of Technology; Authored Bioinitiative Report’s section on EMF and the immune system. Jerry L. Phillips, PhD, Director of the Science Learning Center, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Henry Lai, PhD, Research Professor, Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington. David Carpenter, MD, Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, and Director, Institute for Health and the Environment, School of Public Health, University of Albany, SUNY Co-Editor, The BioInitiative Report (www.BioInitiative.org) B. Blake Levitt, Award-winning science journalist and Author, Electromagnetic Fields, A Consumer’s Guide To The Issues And How To Protect Ourselves, the classic book in this field. Member, Bioelectromagnetics Society. Duncan Campbell, Esq., Host of Living Dialogues® and previously a leading entrepreneurial lawyer, pioneering computer and high tech law. Magda Havas, PhD, Associate Professor, Environment & Resource Studies, Trent University, Canada. Expert in radiofrequency radiation, electromagnetic fields, dirty electricity and ground current. Whitney North Seymour, Jr., Esq. Retired Partner, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP; Former New York State Senator & United States Attorney, Southern District of NY Co-Founder, Natural Resources Defense Council ....
2011-09-20	South Africa	People's Post	Plumstead's cellphone mast debate
The first round of public participation into the proposal to put up a 25m Cell C mast at the Plumstead Tennis Club ended last week, but residents will have several more opportunities to have their say. It is envisioned that the tower, disguised as a pine tree, will be erected behind the club house and surrounded by a 2,4m palisade fence, occupying an area of around 60m. The Plumstead Civic Association's Michael Kent says the association received "quite a lot" of written comments from residents near the proposed site, and he says most of these object on health-related grounds. "Most people that we deal with are against these masts. As a result, we are having an open meeting on Thursday 28 September at St Pius X Church in Lympleigh Road at 19:45 to listen to some of the concerns and try to address these," explains Kent.
2011-09-14	UK	Mail Online	Mobile phone radiation 'may harm brain'
Alarming evidence that normal levels of mobile phone radiation can harm the brain emerged from a new study today. The research from Finland indicates that microwaves from cellphone handsets may increase leakage of the natural barrier that protects the brain from toxic substances. If backed up by studies on human volunteers, the findings will send shock waves through the mobile phone industry. An animal study by a French team is already believed to have lent further weight to the evidence, by showing that mobile phone radiation can promote leakage of the blood-brain barrier in rats. The Scandinavian study was led by Professor Darius Leszczynski, of the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland. Results from both investigations are due to be presented at a conference in Canada this month.
2011-09-13	UK	BBC	'Wi-fi refugees' shelter in West Virginia mountains
Dozens of Americans who claim to have been made ill by wi-fi and mobile phones have flocked to the town of Green Bank, West Virginia There are five billion mobile phone subscriptions worldwide and advances in wireless technology make it increasingly difficult to escape the influence of mobile devices. But while most Americans seem to embrace continuous connectivity, some believe it's making them physically ill. Diane Schou is unable to hold back the tears as she describes how she once lived in a shielded cage to protect her from the electromagnetic radiation caused by waves from wireless communication. "It's a horrible thing to have to be a prisoner," she says. "You become a technological leper because you can't be around people. "It's not that you would be contagious to them - it's what they're carrying that is harmful to you." Ms Schou is one of an estimated 5% of Americans who believe they suffer from Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS), which they say is caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields typically created by cell phones, wi-fi and other electronic equipment. Symptoms range from acute headaches, skin burning, muscle twitching and chronic pain. Her symptoms were so severe that she abandoned her family farm in the state of Iowa and moved to Green Bank, West Virginia - a tiny village of 143 residents in the heart of the Allegheny Mountains. Green Bank is part of the US Radio Quiet Zone, where wireless is banned across 13,000 sq miles (33,000 sq km) to prevent transmissions interfering with a number of radio telescopes in the area. The largest is owned by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and enables scientists to listen to low-level signals from different places in the universe. Others are operated by the US military and are a critical part of the government's spy network. As a result of the radio blackout, the Quiet Zone has become a haven for people like Diane, desperate to get away from wireless technology. Bob Park is a physics professor at the University of Maryland. He says that the radiation emitted by wi-fi is simply too weak to cause the type of changes in the body's chemistry that could make people sick. Seventy-year-old Nichols Fox says she understands such scepticism - it took several years before she became convinced that her debilitating pain and fatigue were caused by electromagnetic radiation emitted by her computer. "It's so important that people understand that this is a very serious disability, it's a life changing disability. It leads to an earlier death - I have absolutely no doubt about that and I think it's just unfortunate that this is not recognised," she says. But even in this secluded part of America, the incursion of wireless technology is relentless...
2011-09-09	USA	Science Insider	Planned 4G Network Draws Fire From House Science Panel
A multibillion dollar proposal to create a 4G wireless broadband network in the United States could interfere with several scientific services that use the Global Positioning System (GPS), including forecasting the weather, monitoring climate change, and tracking volcanic activity, U.S. federal officials told a Congressional panel yesterday. Their concerns are the latest in a crescendo of objections raised against the proposal by federal agencies and providers of GPS-based services. LightSquared, a company based in Reston, Virginia, has already spent over $4 billion to set up the network, which would provide improved cell phone and Internet connectivity across the country. The network would be supported by LightSquared's geostationary satellites and some 40,000 ground transmitters operating in a frequency band adjacent to the band used by GPS, a satellite-based navigation system used the world over. That plan is awaiting a final green light from the Federal Communications Commission. In the meantime, however, it has run into considerable opposition from the government and the private sector. The Federal Aviation Administration has pointed out that the LightSquared network will intrude upon its Next Generation Air Transportation System, impinging on the FAA's efforts to make flying safer. Commercial providers of GPS services have raised concerns that LightSquared's transmitters will cause problems for millions of GPS devices used in everything from car-navigation systems to fishing boats. These concerns have been validated by tests conducted earlier this year by a technical working group that included representatives from LightSquared and the GPS industry.
2011-09-06	South Africa	People's Post	Simonstown in two minds about tower
A proposal to install a Vodacom cellphone mast in Murdoch Valley, Simon's Town, will be decided upon by subcouncil on 19 September. The City of Cape Town's Department of Planning and Building Development Management has provisionally approved the application to install the 11,5m mast - with two antennae - near the Watsonia Road water reservoir.
2011-09-01	South Africa	IOL	More time to comment on Cape cellphone masts
Cape Town residents have until the end of next month to comment on the city's new policy regulating cellphone masts. The public comment period for the draft policy was to have ended tomorrow but has been extended. Cellphone network providers argue there is no evidence the masts cause health problems. Vodacom has pointed to studies on the World Health Organisation (WHO) database that found there was no proof that masts were dangerous. It also says cell masts emit a lower electromagnetic frequency than many hand-held devices. But residents' forums in the city disagree. The Electromagnetic Radiation Research Foundation of SA said several international studies had found people living near masts had fallen ill and that international studies had found people had fallen ill because of exposure to the masts. Complaints had included heart palpitations, respiratory problems and headaches. Foundation chairwoman Tracey-Lee Dorny said: "While Vodacom is saying it cannot be proved unsafe, there are thousands of studies showing effects. They cannot prove it is safe and will not sign any guarantees." Ronelle Clarke, the senior environmental professional in environmental, heritage and resource management for the city, said the new policy would deal with all telecommunications infrastructure. The new policy had a more "cautionary approach", emphasising that the infrastructure must be located away from "habitable structures". If within 50m of such a structure, the company must provide details of the radio frequency and electromagnetic fields George Sierah, the chairman of the Durbanville Community Forum, which is calling for amendments to the draft policy, said no "conclusive evidence" had been produced to prove the masts were safe. The forum is calling for a clause preventing masts from being erected in residential areas, saying they should be at least 1km from "the closest human habitation", and that no masts should be erected on school or church grounds.
2011-08-31	Philippines	The Philippine Star	Are you suffering from Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome?
Do you suffer from chest pains/heart problems? Do you have a headache? Are you feeling weak, nauseous, dizzy? Do you have panic attacks? Do you suffer from insomnia? Are you suffering from poor concentration or memory loss? Do you have skin itch/rash or feel a burning, tingling sensation? Then you probably have Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity Syndrome (EHS). Studies have linked exposure to EMR to a higher rate of leukemia, brain cancer, breast and other cancers, depression of the immune system, neurological problems, learning and performance disabilities, among a whole gamut of disorders. Oui, this issue has sent shock waves around the world that four libraries in Paris have turned off their WiFI connections, installed in late 2007, after their staff complained of some health problems. Since WiFi radio waves are designed to transit huge amounts of data, they also emit greater amounts of electromagnetic radiation.
2011-08-24	South Africa	Southern Mail	New city policy examines cellphone safety
Your cellphone may give you cancer according to the World Health Organisation, however the jury is still out on whether cellphone masts pose the same threat. The City of Cape Town is proposing "precautionary measures" to offset potential health dangers from cellphone masts. Councillor Lungiswa James, mayoral committee member for health, said research into potential health hazards of telecommunication infrastructure was ongoing. "In 2002 the City approved a policy but the rapid development of technology has obliged us to look at a much wider field than just cellular communication. The draft policy aims to facilitate the expansion of new and existing telecommunications systems in the city without negatively affecting the health of the community," she said The City bases its guidelines on those of the National Department of Health according to the document. A department circular says there is no conclusive evidence that base station emmissions threaten public health. Some of the guidelines include that antennae on top of the sites must be more than 50m away from any "habitable structures", all sites must be in commercial and business areas, cabling should be placed underground, and no unauthorised people should be allowed access to the top of the structure, and they cannot come within 5m of the antenna.
2011-08-20	USA	News Channel 10	School zones to become cell phone-free zones
Big changes are coming to Amarillo's city laws starting Monday, August 22nd. Starting on the first day of school, it will be against the law to use your cell phone in Amarillo ISD school zones. That includes talking and texting, from the moment the lights start flashing in the morning to the moment they stop flashing once the school day is over.
2011-08-19	US	American Autism Society	Could Cell Phone Radiation be a Cause of Autism?
Autism has increased sixty-fold since the late 1970s. But autism rates really took off during the past 10 years. The scientific community is not really sure what causes autism. Now there is evidence that wireless devices…cell phones, WI-FI devices, cellular towers…all may be having an adverse effect. Research conducted in Australia studied children with autism over a five year period. The study looked at the effect EMR or electromagnetic radiation has on kids. The study, published in the Journal of the Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine found a correlation to heavy metal concentrations, exposure to EMR and autism. The study noted the increase in the rate of growth of autism diagnoses parallel the growth in the use of cell phones and the increase in the amount of EMR that children are exposed to. The researchers believe that the dramatic increase in the rate of autism must have an environmental component. And their research points to a possible cause. Researchers believe that the increase in exposure to EMR from all of these wireless devices in combination with environmental and genetic factors is creating the perfect storm.
2011-08-18	USA	The Bay Citizen	City Sends Mixed Signals on Cell Phone Safety
The sixth-floor rooftop terrace of 333 Baker St. in San Francisco has panoramic views of the city, but to enjoy those vistas the apartment building’s 200 residents, most of them elderly, must first pass a series of alarming signs. “Notice. Radio Frequency Exposure Area,” reads one sign. “Radio frequency fields beyond this point may exceed FCC exposure guidelines.” The exterior of the building, a converted 1908 hospital now called Mercy Terrace, a for-profit independent-living facility, is peppered with six cellphone antennas — with more planned to help feed the city’s ever-expanding appetite for technology. Mercy Terrace will be paid to host the installation, but neither the carrier, T-Mobile, nor the building manager would say how much. San Francisco has become the center of a growing — some say alarmist — debate over the health impact of cellphone technology. While there is no consensus in the scientific community about ill effects, and the city continues to approve additional cellphone infrastructure, city leaders have begun a high-profile effort to alert the public to potential dangers, risks they admit are unknown.
2011-08-17	USA	Dialled in	Cities and states consider cell phone radiation laws
Though the science on the possible health effects of cell phone radiation is far from conclusive, several state and local governments are proposing legislation to address public concerns. And though no law has been implemented yet, it's clear the issue isn't going away. Maine largely led the way in early 2010 with a bill that would have required warning labels that cell phones may cause brain cancer. That legislation later died in a Maine House of Representatives committee, but other states and a few cities soon followed (Congress held a couple of committee hearings in 2009 but has taken no action). Then, almost a year ago, San Francisco really got the ball rolling when it passed a groundbreaking ordinance that required cell phone retailers to display the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) (defined by the FCC as "the amount of radio frequency energy absorbed by the body when using a mobile phone") for each phone model sold. That ordinance also was scrapped following opposition from the wireless industry, but San Francisco is trying again. And as the following list shows, lawmakers in city halls and statehouses across the country are joining the cause.
2011-08-17	South Africa	The Tygerburger	Cell mast doubts
While the City of Cape Town has renewed its land lease agreements for existing cellular masts in several northern suburb neighbourhoods last week, the City is in the same breath reviewing its policy about cellular and radio masts. In a draft policy the City is proposing added public safety measures such as that companies who apply to install telecommunication masts must first declare the radio frequencies and electromagnetic energy levels to the Municipality. The draft policy also discourages telecommunication infrastructure in places where it may negatively impact on environmental and heritage resources, as well as habitable structures. The City has agreed to renew five year land leases with Cell C, MTN, Vodacom and Sentech for their cellular and radio masts in Durbanville (adjacent to the power substation on Fairtrees Road in Amanda Glen and at the GlenGarry reservoir off Brackenfell Boulevard), Bellville (at the Welgedacht reservoir in Viola Street), Kuils River (at the reservoir off Church Street), as well as in Mamre and Gallows Hill. The City also approved new applications for cellular and radio masts respectively at the Western Province Motor Club (off Potsdam Road) and on the clubhouse of the Atlantic Beach Golf Club. These decisions were still taken under the City’s policy on cellular telecommunication infrastructure, which dates back to May 2002. Copies of the new draft policy can be viewed at all Subcouncil offices and public libraries or downloaded from www.capetown. gov.za. Residents can also submit enquiries to ti.policy@capetown.gov.za
2011-08-17	Canada	Toronto Sun	Woman claims exposure to wireless radiation affects her health
Veronica Ciandre lives in a shrinking world where she is now so painfully sensitive that any exposure to wireless radiation turns her body into a pulsating tuning fork. And she lays the blame on her landlord, who rented out his roof for the installation of 10 cell phone towers just above her top floor apartment at 2 Regal Rd. The single mom will be at a landlord and tenant hearing Wednesday to argue that by exposing her to so much radiation without her consent, she shouldn't have to pay her $1,500 monthly rent from the time the towers were installed last December until she formally moved out in June. Her case comes at a time when parents in Barrie argue that Wi-Fi in schools is making their children sick and scientists remain are divided as to whether electromagnetic radiation can harm your health. "I loved my apartment for 12 years," says the elegant, articulate woman. "It had the most incredible view of Toronto. There is not one reason in the world I wanted to move." But, Ciandre says, she had no choice. Shortly after the towers went up - so close she could touch them with a broom from her balcony - she began having ringing in her ears. Then she developed a headache that lasted for two weeks, while her daughter broke out in strange rashes. Nausea and dizziness followed, and electric shocks every time her body touched her walls, her bed, even the cats. The worst, though was lying sleepless every night because her entire body was tingling.
2011-08-16	USA	Enterprise News	Metal thieves scale new heights: Cell phone towers, including one in Lakeville
Lakeville Police Chief Frank Alvilhiera said police who went to a Verizon cell tower off Route 140 earlier this month found a man attempting to steal copper plates used to ground the towers during lightning strikes. “The officers reported that he was over 100 feet above ground,” said Alvilhiera. “This is the first time we have had a theft from a cell tower that I can recall. This has been the trend with copper prices high. Thefts are on the rise everywhere.” In fact, cell towers have been targeted by copper thieves around the country: In Spartanburg County, S.C., copper has been stolen from seven cell towers this summer, including from four AT&T towers on a single day in July. Police said the rise in thefts may have been prompted by a new law to take effect later this month that will require anyone selling copper to obtain a permit from the county sheriff. In Richland, Penn., two copper grounding plates were discovered missing from a cell tower last week. Each plate costs $500 to replace, according to a technician. In New Hampshire, three cell towers were targeted in Salem and Londonderry during the last weekend in June. In April, two men were arrested in Salem and charged with stealing copper wire from National Grid. In Des Moines, Iowa, a spokesman for AT&T said thieves have stolen about 150 feet of copper wire from five cell phone towers since the end of May. Replacement costs were estimated at $2,500.
2011-08-15	USA	TB News Watch	Mayor: “Towers do not belong in residential areas, period.”
City council will wait until Sept. 19 to make a decision on whether or not give its nod of approval to Industry Canada on a proposed 165-foot communications tower Bell Canada wants to erect on John Street Road. ... Giertuga said he’s convinced council will simply push through their backing of the project, and are just “going through the motions.” He found an ally in Mayor Keith Hobbs. “I don’t think towers should be in residential areas anywhere,” Hobbs said. “Towers do not belong in residential areas, period.” ... Regina Street resident Marian Giorgio said council made a mistake by comparing the proposed tower to the other 15 that can be found throughout Thunder Bay. It’s comparing apples to oranges, she said. “This tower is different. It’s in a residential area, with two schools within a kilometre distance, with people and new houses,” she said.
2011-08-13	South Africa	The Weekend Argus	It's all talk and little action for South Africa's telecoms sector
The proverbial licence to print money is not the chain of casinos or bottle stores of a generation ago. It’s a telecommunications company. This sector generates massive revenues. Vodacom, South Africa’s biggest network provider with 26,6-million customers, in the past year turned over R54 billion and almost doubled net profits to R8 billion. MTN, with 18,8-million local subscribers, increased profits by 20% and had SA revenues of about R37 billion. It is also one of the sectors drawing the most consumer complaints. So it was logical that the new National Consumer Commissioner, Mamodupi Mohlala, targeted it as a priority in implementing the new Consumer Protection Act (CPA). One of Mohlala’s first acts was to force our four cellular network operators and two fixed-line providers to bring their customer contracts in line with the CPA. Despite knowing the intentions of the Act for five years, not a single one was compliant and, in most cases, 75% of their cellphone contracts were in breach. Basically, these companies were quite happy to take advantage of consumers – many illiterate and poor, and for whom a cellphone is a necessity that comes at a disproportionately large monthly cost – for as long as it could.
2011-08-11	South Africa	Cape Times	Health concerns versus cellphone quality demand
A number of residents in Murdock Valley say they are opposed to the erection of a cellphone reception mast in the area because of health concerns. The row over the proposed base station and mast for Vodacom in Simon’s Town has been going on for years – but residents also say there is a demand for better cellphone reception in pockets of the area. Bruce Parker and his wife, Barbara, live about 500m from the proposed site and say they are opposing the installation because of health concerns relating to radiation emissions from base stations. Scientific research has been unable to provide definitive evidence about health risks such as cancer. In his objection letter, Parker said he was objecting in terms of the constitution, which says: “Everyone has the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well-being and to have the environment protected for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that prevent pollution and ecological degradation.” Ward councillor for the area, Simon Liell-Cock, said he would look at both arguments before deciding on his vote. “Most people are in favour of it because there is a big communication problem and the dangers of these masts have not been proven or disproven, so we have to handle it very carefully and find the most appropriate place for it,” Liell-Cock said.
2011-08-10	US	International Business Times	Fraud and Errors in Scientific Studies Skyrocket
A rise in the number of studies published in scientific journals has been accompanied by a surge in retraction notices, casting into doubt findings that influence everything from government grants to prescriptions written for patients, a Wall Street Journal analysis found. Citing data compiled by Thomson Reuters, the Journal found a steep rise in retraction notices in peer-reviewed research journals, from just 22 in 2001 to 339 last year. The number of papers published in such journals rose 44 percent in the same time frame. The article pointed to other studies finding that fraud and misconduct were becoming incrasingly prevalent. In addition, doctors rely on research to prescribe the most effective treatment. An ultimately discredited study suggesting that two high blood pressure drugs worked better in concert led doctors to put more than 100,000 patients on a treatment schedule that may offer no benefits and dangerous side effects. Part of the problem is that scientists are locked in competition for the prestige and money that flows from being published in a recognized journal. "The stakes are so high," said the Lancet's editor, Richard Horton. "A single paper in Lancet and you get your chair and you get your money. It's your passport to success."
2011-08-07	USA	The New York Times	How Congress Devastated Congo
It's a long way from the marble halls of Congress to the ailing mining towns of eastern Congo, but the residents of Nyabibwe and Nzibira know exactly what’s to blame for their economic woes. The “Loi Obama” or Obama Law — as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform act of 2010 has become known in the region — includes an obscure provision that requires public companies to indicate what measures they are taking to ensure that minerals in their supply chain don’t benefit warlords in conflict-ravaged Congo. The provision came about in no small part because of the work of high-profile advocacy groups like the Enough Project and Global Witness, which have been working for an end to what they call “conflict minerals.” Unfortunately, the Dodd-Frank law has had unintended and devastating consequences, as I saw firsthand on a trip to eastern Congo this summer. The law has brought about a de facto embargo on the minerals mined in the region, including tin, tungsten and the tantalum that is essential for making cellphones. See the documentary here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQhlLuBwOtE
2011-08-05	USA	ENS	Obama Cabinet Secretaries Sign Environmental Justice Agreement
Heads of a host of federal agencies agreed Thursday to develop environmental justice strategies that will protect the health of people living in communities "overburdened" by pollution. Environmental justice, they agreed, means that all communities facing pollution - particularly minority, low income and tribal communities - deserve the same degree of protection from environmental and health hazards, equal access to the federal decision-making process, and a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work. Agency heads across the administration signed the "Memorandum of Understanding on Environmental Justice and Executive Order 12898," agreeing to make environmental justice part of their mission and to work with the other agencies on environmental justice issues.
2011-08-04	South Africa	The Tatler	Call to stop cellmast
Cellphone network operator, Cell C, has denied that pupils at Rondebosch East Primary and residents living nearby are at risk of developing skin rashes, headaches and ringing in the ears from radio signals which will be emitted by a cellmast which is nearing completion at the school. Cell C had apparently also approached Islamia College in Lansdowne Rd three years earlier but they had been "wise enough" and rejected the offer. Bronagh Casey, spokesperson for Education MEC, Donald Grant, said there was no official policy on the installation of cellphone masts in public schools. The Department of Education has not applied precautionary measures or followed international trends, eg. Taiwan removed 1500 masts in and near all their schools in 2007.
2011-08-04	South Africa	The Mercury	New cellphone health alert
South Africa’s health and environment ministers have been urged to review local safety regulations for cellphone technology following a recent World Health Organisation study which found that wireless phones could be linked to a greater risk of brain cancer. However, Environment Minister Edna Molewa said she had no immediate plans to consider “buffer zones” or other new action to regulate cellphone masts or base stations. Molewa was responding to written questions in Parliament from Gareth Morgan, the DA spokesman on environmental affairs. Morgan had asked whether her department had reviewed the study on the health risks of cellphones and radio frequency electromagnetic fields. The report was published on March 31 by the organisation’s specialist agency on cancer, the International Agency for Research on Cancer. In response to Morgan’s concerns this week, Molewa said she had received a letter from the Department of Health indicating that it was “satisfied that the health of the general public is not being compromised” by exposure to cellphone base stations. However, the Health Department letter was written in March (before the more recent classification). He said Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi had failed to respond to similar written questions and was concerned that Molewa was “not being rigorous” in examining the new information.
2011-08-03	South Africa	BizCommunity	80% of cancer victims in 500m radius of cellphone towers in Brazil
A new study in Brazil finds direct link to 4924 cancer deaths from cellular antenna radiation. The research was conducted by scientists at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Brazil's southeastern state whose capital is Belo Horizonte According to the study, more than 80% of people who die in Belo Horizonte by specific types of cancer live less than 500m from the 300 identified cell phone antennas in the city. Scientists found between 1996 and 2006 that a total of 4924 victims died in Belo Horizonte of cancer types that may be caused by electromagnetic radiation, such as tumours in the prostate, breast, lung, kidneys and liver.
2011-08-03	South Africa	Tech Central	The 31 000 square kilometre hotspot
Anyone with a laptop or a smartphone has a love-hate relationship with Wi-Fi. When it works it’s like magic, but too often you find yourself just out of range, or struggling to remember which password you used with this or that hotspot. But imagine if a Wi-Fi hotspot could completely cover an entire city. What sounds like science fiction is quickly becoming fact. Yesterday the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) published their newest wireless standard — wireless regional area network (WRAN), or IEEE 802.22 in geek speak. Using this standard, a single “hotspot” could cover over 31 000 square kilometres. That means a well-placed mast could cover the whole of Johannesburg and some of Pretoria. But the really brilliant thing about WRAN is that it uses leftover pieces of frequency known as “white space”.
2011-08-03	South Africa	Bolander Property	Battle of the masts goes on
The Vodacom application to erect a cellular telephone mast on Irene Avenue in Somerset West has gone away, but the application by CellC to erect a mast in the Helderberg Nature Reserve still appears to be on track. Environmental practitioner Mark Day of Enviroworks in Somerset West, the firm driving the public participation process on behalf of Vodacom, told Bolander last week that Vodacom had decided not to go ahead with the application, to the relief of residents in the area, who strongly opposed the application. “It was a valuable participation process, and I want to thank the public and all civil society institutions for their inputs. Vodacom has decided to withdraw the application after considering the response from the community,” said Mr Day. The application by CellC also resulted in strenuous resistance from the community, which was side-lined by reducing the tower height from 25 to 15 metres, which effectively does away with the need for environmental approval, and the matter now sits with the City of Cape Town. Residents in Hillcrest Avenue – which borders the Helderberg Nature Reserve where the mast will be erected – are furious, believing that the process is flawed. Lynda Viljoen, who has taken a lead in mobilising residents against the erection of the mast, spoke to Bolander on Friday. “They’re trying to slip this in via the back door. We need to protect the environment, not only for ourselves, but for our children as well. If we allow this to happen in the nature reserve, what will be next?” This is setting a dangerous precedent. We know how fragile nature is, particularly now, and we need to protect it. We must all take a firm stand as a community. It’s not just my backyard, it’s all our backyards. This is our nature reserve and it must be protected,” she said.
2011-08-01	USA	The Coast News	Local doctor shares his views on dangers from electromagnetic field radiation
According to Dr Dan Harper, M.D. there is now "10 million times the background radiation in San Diego compared to 1970.” “It is caused by technology such as cell towers and high-powered transformer lines; military telecommunications; Doppler radar and sonograms shot into earthquake faults. It is also generated by wi-fi communications for computers and games, SDG&E smart meters and transformers on poles and on the ground of local neighborhoods (camouflaged) as green boxes.” He said that 3 percent of the population is severely and rapidly affected with symptoms such as headaches, confusion, tachycardia, anxiety, skin burning and hives. “Sixteen percent will only feel the fatigue, insomnia, ‘brain farts’ and memory issues, and the other 81 percent will look at that 19 percent and recommend a good psychiatrist until 30 or 40 years down the road (medical) articles will begin to report that cell phones and wi-fi are more dangerous than cigarettes, asbestos and leaded gasoline put together,” he said.
2011-07-26	USA	Business Wire	FCC Must Update Cell Tower Safety Regulations, Say Health and Environmental Advocates
Citizen-activists are being urged by Citizens for Health, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine and the EMF advocacy group, ElectromagneticHealth.org, to contact their representatives in Congress to request the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to update its obsolete cell tower safety regulations. The FCC’s cell tower safety regulations need to be revised immediately because: 1. WHO’S International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified RF Radiation as a “Possible Carcinogen” 2. Current Regulations Have Long Overlooked the Harm from RF Radiation’s “Non-Thermal” Biological Effects 3. Biological and Health Effects from RF Radiation Are Widely Occurring In Both Adults and Children 4. Evidence for RF Damage to the Ecosystem is Mounting “We encourage all citizens to write Congress about the widespread, unchecked, non-stop proliferation of radiofrequency radiation in our midst and the inaction of the FCC to revise its safety regulations to protect the public’s health. Citizens must become involved for the sake of our health, genetic code and the environment.”
2011-07-24	Nigeria	allAfrica.com	Telecom Mast - Service Provider Or Death Trap?
"Those who argue that this radiation does not produce hazardous effect are saying so because of their ignorance. Now, what is known to be associated with this radiation is the heating effect, the ability to generate heat whenever they interact with biological tissues. Our research for the past few years, that is, five to six years has confirmed that this radiation produces more than heating effect. So, the ability to cause cancer is as a result of the radical that is generated, when someone is exposed to radiation. As for radiation coming from the mast, we have existing regulation. But people are not keeping to it. I think they need to be aware of that. Some telecom companies go from place to place erecting their masts and giving money to the landlords. The level of poverty in the country is one major reason this is common. The landlords are ignorant of the consequences of the radiation on them. Our people should be aware of this and resist the temptation to allow the telecom companies to erect masts close to their residential areas and areas where people stay for long. The government should enforce the existing regulations. It should be very strict in its enforcement."
2011-07-22	Spain	El Intransigente	Grave: 9 people die of cancer under the influence of mobile antenna in Salta
Translated from a Spanish news article: The Manager of the Hospital San Rafael in the town of El Carril referred to the Attorney s report required environmental health monitoring in due course, from the concerns expressed publicly by the inhabitants of that city before the installation and operation of a cellular phone antenna Belranose streets and Pellegrini, belonging to the company Telecom Personal. The manager of the hospital, Dr. Dario Isasmendi, reported that analyzed the cases registered between 2006 and 2010, taking into account the perimeter of 600 meters of the antenna, it was determined a total of 19 fatal cases, of which 10 were men and 9 women. In their report, Isasmendi established a total of 9 patients who died under probable influence of the antenna (3 men and 6 women) who suffered various cancers, including prostate, bile, uterus, liver, kidney, pancreas and brain.
2011-07-21	Spain	EuroWeekly	Torrox residents protest over phone mast
MORE than 200 residents at the Generacion del 27 Urbanization between Torrox Costa and El Morche are complaining that a phone mast is making people sick and causing tumours. Over the past two months, they have begun to protest due to the increasing number of health problems they are experiencing which they believe to be directly related to the existence of a mobile phone mast just 50 metres from some of their homes. The spokesman, Jose David Ruiz, claim that families are living in fear as children and youths with healthy lifestyles have developed tumours.
2011-07-20	USA	CisionWire	San Francisco Unanimously Upholds Cell Phone Radiation ‘Right to Know’ Law Despite Industry Opposition
With strong support from Environmental Health Trust and other public health experts, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted today 11-0 to improve and strengthen the nation’s first cell phone radiation law, in spite of legal intimidation and threats from the cell phone industry. After the city passed the nation’s first cell phone radiation law in June, 2010 with a vote of 10-1, the industry promptly responded by issuing a legal challenge claiming their 1st amendment constitutional rights were violated by having to disclose the radiation levels of every phone marketed in the city. The city reacted by temporarily shelving its consumer “right to know” law.
2011-07-20	UK	4frv	Electronic Communications Code To Be Reviewed
The Electronic Communications Code governs the rights of electronic communications network providers to install and maintain infrastructure on public and private land. Ministers set out their ambition to look at the code in the superfast broadband strategy published in December and the review will feed into the Government’s wider Communications Review. Reviewing the code is among several pieces of legislation the Commission has included in its latest programme of law reform projects after widespread consultation with people and organisations across England and Wales.
2011-07-18	UK	The Telegraph	Cancer rates rise by a fifth in a generation
Cancer rates in the middle-aged have jumped by almost a fifth in a generation, a new analysis shows today. The number of cases among those aged 40 to 59 has risen by 17,000 a year, according to Cancer Research UK, up from 44,000 in 1979 to nearly 61,000 in 2008. After changes in the structure of the population have been taken into account, that equates to an 18 per cent rise in cancer rates - up from 329 per 100,000 people to 388.
2011-07-15	India	Times of India	15mins on cellphone can give you brain cancer
A new research has indicated that using a mobile phone for just 15 minutes a day can substantially increase the risk of brain cancer among its users. A series of studies across 13 countries found that the longer people used their mobile, the higher was the risk. Elisabeth Cardis, leader of the Interphone Study, said an increased risk of brain tumours, known as gliomas, was seen in the 20 per cent of users with the highest exposure to radio-frequency emissions. She said there was an increased risk of brain cancer close to where users held the phones to their heads. Those who had used handsets for 15 minutes a day for seven years, showed a 72 per cent higher incidence of gliomas. Gliomas are fatal, usually within three to five years of diagnosis, even with treatment. The research comes just two weeks after the World Health Organisation warned for the first time that mobile phones may cause cancer, urging phone owners to limit their use.
2011-07-14	UK	The Guardian	42% of Britons will get cancer, statistics show
It was one of the starkest statistics about the nation's health – that one in three of us would get cancer. Sadly, the figures have just got worse. Cancer experts now believe 42% of Britons will get the disease. Macmillan Cancer Support has revised the figure after its researchers analysed official data covering diagnosis of cancer, death from the disease and overall mortality. Of the 585,000 people who died in the UK in 2008, 246,000 of them – 42% – had been diagnosed with cancer at some point. The one in three figure has been used by cancer experts, campaigners and ministers for a decade. It is based on the fact that research into every death in the UK in 1999 showed that 220,000 people – some 35% of the 630,000 total deaths – had previously been found to have the disease.
2011-07-12	UK	Swindon advertiser	Victory as phone mast is rejected
Residents have claimed a victory over a phone company after fighting off plans for a telephone mast in Haydon Wick. More than 200 residents, with support from the Adver and councillors, have managed to get the application from 02 thrown out.
2011-07-03	Turkey	Sunday's Zaman	Nobel laureate: If the cellphone were a drug, it would be banned
Once carrying three cell phones with her, Nobel Prize-winning oncologist Devra Davis gave up using them after conducting a study over the dangers of these devices. She says we allow our brain cells to die every time we speak on the phone and stresses that if the cell phone were a drug, it would be banned because it entered our lives without having been tested. The professor was in Turkey last week for a conference regarding the harms of the cell phones. In an exclusive interview with Today’s Zaman, she says she wrote “Disconnect” in order to get people to use cell phones properly. “There is a misperception that if something is being sold, it is safe to buy it. This is wrong. I used to carry three cell phones with me, but after conducting a study about its harms, I gave that up. Sometimes, if I see a cell phone in my grandchild’s hand, I get upset. The microwave radiation between a cell phone and cell tower that is emitted when we do not use it is very harmful. The body and the brain absorb half of this microwave radiation. While we are speaking on the phone, because of the microwave radiation, our brain cells begin to die,” she says. In writing a book about the harms of cell phones, Davis acknowledges that it is not easy to get rid of the devices; however, users can at least try to use them properly. “If you carry your cell phone on your person, it means the danger is in your pocket. Only if it is turned off should you carry it on your person. In fact, this is written in all cell phone manuals, but no one reads and follows them. It is necessary to use an earpiece while speaking on a cell phone,” she warns. Davis has friends who had brain cancer because of cell phone use. She dedicated her book to them. She says people have started to learn more about the dangers of cell phones and have begun to use them more carefully. “Some people working at CNN have given up using cell phones altogether,” she adds. Davis also comments on the cancer risks she observed during her stay in Turkey. The smoking ban in public indoor areas got a thumbs-up from the professor; however, many cancer risks caught her eye as well. “A basic problem in Turkey is that cell towers are very close to private homes and hospitals. I am very surprised to see that. When I saw Çaml?ca, I was shocked. In this field, Turkey does not take Switzerland as its model. Her advice: Use a speaker, a hands-free device or an earpiece. Try to use a landline whenever possible. Try not to carry a cell phone on your person. Beware of weak signals. When the signal is blocked, radiation emission increases as the phone works harder to establish contact. Keep cell phones away from children. Microwave radiation from cell phones affects children twice as much as adults. Pregnant women should keep phones away from their abdomen. Don’t sleep with a cell phone turned on and placed next to the bed or under a pillow.
2011-06-30	UK	The Telegraph	Mobile phones cause 'five-fold increase in brain cancer risk'
People who started using mobile as teenagers and have been doing so for more than a decade are at a five-fold risk of developing a common type of brain cancer, new evidence indicates. Campaigners said the research, published in the International Journal of Oncology, was further evidence of the need to educate children of the potential dangers of talking on mobile phones. Researchers from the University Hospital of Örebro and Umeå University examined the mobile and cordless phone use of more than 1,200 Swedes, who were diagnosed with malignant brain cancer between 1997 and 2003. The Department of Health advises that "children and young people under 16 should be encouraged to use mobile phones for essential purposes only, and to keep calls short". Although an increasing number of people wear Bluetooth wireless headsets or standard wired earplugs, both still carry the risk of radiation - the former because it is itself a transmitter, and the latter because radiation can pass down the wire into the ear. According to official cancer registeries, there are about 8,600 diagnoses of 'primary' brain tumour per year in the UK. However, according to the Samantha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust, it is "widely accepted that these figures are an under-estimate of the actual numbers". The true number could be almost double that, the charity fears. A spokesman said: "The human cost is alarming. Malignant primary brain tumours take more years off the average person’s life than any other cancer. They are the most significant cause of cancer death amongst men under 45 and women under 35, and approximately 500 children are diagnosed with a primary brain tumour each year."
2011-06-30		Sprout Savvy	Are Cell Phones and Other Wireless Devices Putting your Health at Risk?
Sprout Savvy interviewed Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman about her book, Zapped, which outlines the dangers associated with cell phones and other wireless devices. The parotid gland is one of the salivary glands located in front of the ear and above the jawbone, so it is located precisely where most people hold their cell phones. Extensive use of these devices may lead to brain tumors, changes in brain metabolism, and parotid gland tumors. Researchers like Dr. Martin Blank of Columbia University have proven that cell phone radiation breaks up DNA, which can then lead to mutations and genetic damage as well as leaks in the blood and brain barrier. In 2008, Dr. Siegal Sadetzki testified at a U.S. Senate hearing on cell phones. He said that an Israeli nationwide case controlled study reported that regular users of cell phones, and those subject to conditions that may yield higher levels of exposure, showed consistently elevated risks of developing a parotid gland tumor (PGT). For example, anyone who has used a cell phone for five years or more and spoken on the phone for more than 266.3 hours increases their chances of developing a PGT by 50 percent. Also, the antennae in rural communities are spaced farther apart, so cell phones have to emit higher levels of radiation to communicate with the nearest cell antenna. Anyone living in those areas has a 96 percent increased risk of developing a PGT if they have a lifetime exposure of more than 1,035 hours on their cell phone.
2011-06-24	USA	News Times	Film about health effects of wireless technology to be shown Sunday in Warren Read more: http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Film-about-health-effects-of-wireless-technology-1439595.php#ixzz1YqlmAiw4
A screening of "Full Signal," an award-winning documentary on the health and environmental effects of wireless technologies, will take place Sunday at 3 p.m. at the Academy on Sackett Hill Road in Warren. The 62-minute film was produced and directed by Talal Jabari. It chronicles the proliferation of wireless communication systems, including cell phones, Smartphones and WiFi, in countries around the world. The film will be introduced by Warren resident Nancie Brodhead. A question and answer period afterward will feature: B. Blake Levitt, an award-winning science journalist and author, who has been researching the biological effects of non-ionizing radiation since the late 1970s. Whitney North Seymour Jr., a former federal prosecutor, New York senator and co-founder of the Natural Resources Defense Council, who has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court three times on the preemption provisions of the 1996 Telecommunications Act. Gabriel North Seymour, a legal advocate for towns and citizens fighting to protect constitutional/human rights, landmark and environmental preservation. Starling W. Childs, a lecturer at the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, who has focused on the effects of electromagnetic radiation on other species, will also be on hand.
2011-06-23	USA	Portland Independent Media Centre	Parent suing Portland, Oregon Public School System in district court for violation of 14th amendment over use Wi-Fi
A parent and child are suing Portland Public Schools (PPS), for installing a wi fi infrastructure throughout the school system. Citing amongst other violations, a parent's 14th Amendment right to choice, the plaintiffs in the case have serious, legally and scientifically established concerns about the safety of wi fi technology and its potential biological effects on children. These concerns have been made more urgent by the recent (June 2011) World Health Organization classification of radio frequency radiation as a Class 2B "possible" carcinogen. The parent contends that PPS policy of using wi fi impinges on his rights and fundamental liberties under the Fourteenth Amendment to the care and control of his child's health and continued well being. The parent will seek an injunction to stop the use of wi fi immediately until the case is resolved by the courts. The Portland School Board would not consider the many scientific studies that have been made available to them and would not speak to Mr. Morrison despite numerous attempts by him to discuss the matter. PPS use of wi fi is also a breach of the Americans With Disabilities Act (although not alleged in the Complaint) which requires a safe environment for people with disabilities. In peer reviewed studies, Magda Havas, PhD (www.magdahavas.com), has shown that wireless technology affects blood sugar and medical implants which makes a wi fi environment even more precarious for children with diabetes, implants, and certain other health related conditions that are affected by exposure to radio frequency radiation from wi fi emissions.
2011-06-20	South Africa	Sheq Africa	Cellphone health leaves science in two minds
St John’s College in Johannesburg responded to a schoolboy health science poster project in July 2011 by terminating the lease of a cellphone tower in their grounds. The school’s learners, staff and parents now acknowledge radiation exposure health risks within 300m of cellphone masts. The school’s united action raises the question of why the general public, parents, workers and authorities took many years to acknowledge that we are at risk from structures related one of our daily habits, or why we do not behave accordingly. As human excuses to not want to assess personal risk mounted up, so did 21 known radiation related symptoms among 14 to 16 year olds, which the amateur researchers bravely link to cellphone masts; • Skin rash • Sharp muscular pains unexplained • Heart palpitations • Extreme fatigue • Gastric disturbances • Lymph nodes swollen • Tinnitus (ears hissing or buzzing) • Allergic reaction • Metallic taste in mouth Respondents aged 14 to 16 at the three schools with cellphone masts, returned theses results; 79% had some of the 21 symptoms 30% had more than 4/21 symptoms each 5% had more than 10/21 symptoms 1% had 12/21 symptoms
2011-06-20	UK	The Peterborough Examiner	Scientist cites existing distance of 120m from celltowers to residences as unsafe
City council got hung up on how to handle applications for new cellphone tower locations for about three hours at its meeting Monday night. Cellphone company representatives and residents concerned about potential health effects from radiofrequency radiation from telecommunications towers took turns addressing council. The city's policy of discouraging cellphone towers from being built within 120 metres of residential areas doesn't go far enough to protect residents' health, said Magda Havas, an associate professor at Trent University who has done research on the health effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic energy. "People are going to become ill if antennas are placed that close to population," she said. "The safe distance is probably in the order of 300 to 400 metres."
2011-06-18	NZ	The Press	Danger in the air?
If you can't see, hear, taste or smell something, could it still be dangerous to your health? In October 1996, The Press published a story about Christchurch resident Penny Hargreaves. She and more than 100 other residents were worried that a high-frequency radio mast at Ouruhia, near Bottle Lake, was causing widespread health problems in the area. In a muddled, disputed way the mast was tested and the fears dismissed. But the fears never went away and 15 years later Hargreaves is still fighting to get her case heard in the High Court. A growing chorus of scientists around the world are now calling for independent research into the hidden dangers of radiation from cellphones, cordless phones, wi-fi, radio and electricity towers and even baby monitors. Meanwhile, in May the Supreme Court of Italy ordered Vatican Radio to compensate Cesano, a small town near Rome, following allegations the broadcaster's high-powered, inappropriately sited, AM/FM transmitters put children at a higher risk of cancer. Reports emerged in 2001 that electromagnetic radiation produced by Vatican Radio's transmitters near the town was above the legal limit. A health authority released a study claiming that children in the area were six times more likely to develop leukaemia. The 300-page report prepared by Italy's most prestigious cancer research hospital called the connection between Vatican antennas and childhood cancer "coherent and significant". Hargreaves believes all this underlines she was right to battle on and says she'll keep fighting for future generations
2011-06-13	UK	Money Week	Mobile phones could bring down the global economy
There is no shortage of stuff out there to make investors feel nervous. The euro could get blown apart if a long, hot summer of protest in Greece and Spain boils over into civil unrest. The Chinese economy might suddenly turn down, removing just about the only source of global growth. Inflation might suddenly rip out of control, provoking central banks into raising interest rates sharply. But there is one other risk that most people probably haven’t thought about. What if mobile phones really do give you cancer? Mobile technology has the potential to be another tobacco – a huge and powerful industry that was just about destroyed by the unfortunate fact that it killed people. If this happens, hundreds of billions will be wiped off stockmarkets around the world. According to the International Telecommunication Union, there are now 5.3 billion mobile-phone subscriptions. That takes in 77% of the world’s population. More than a billion handsets are being sold every year. Vast quantities of capital have been poured into building mobile networks. The rise of smartphones means that people are doing more with and spending more money on their phones every year. The rise of tablet computers will only send those figures even higher. For starters, investors should be monitoring the medical data and keeping up with the latest developments. They should be demanding that the mobile companies do everything they can to research the risks – and mitigate them. There is no point in simply denying that such a risk exists, in the way that the tobacco industry did for decades. Investors should also be preparing an exit strategy. If a link is ever proved beyond a doubt, you don’t want to be holding the shares or bonds of any of the main players in the industry. You might want to avoid holding equities full stop – the knock-on effects for the rest of the markets would be so severe. Meanwhile, don’t give up on some fairly old-fashioned technologies. Fixed-line operators, such as British Telecom, could be set for one of the greatest bounce backs of all time. The shares yield 4%, so tuck a few away. If we all decide to get rid of our mobiles and start using the landline again, these shares will soar.
2011-06-06	Giza	Almasry Alyoum	Giza residents end cell phone tower protest
Protesters in Ayyat, Giza, ended their protests on Monday after blocking trains for 17 hours, eyewitnesses said. A train bound for Cairo left at 11:30 am. The protests had blocked railway movement on the Cairo-Upper Egypt line. The decision to end the protest came after Assistant Interior Minister Ahmed Gamal Eddin, Giza Governor Ali Abdel Rahman and Giza head of security Abdeen Youseef met to discuss the situation. The residents of Ayyat had begun demonstrations to protest the establishment of a cell phone tower in their village.
2011-06-05	India	Thaindian News	Stricter radiation norms soon for mobile handsets
Concerned by the latest World Health Organisations (WHO) study linking mobile phone usage with brain tumours, Minister of State for Communication and Information Technology Sachin Pilot has said that the government will come out with stricter norms for mobile handsets and towers. The group, which consists of experts from DoT, ministry of health, department of biotechnology, ministry of environment and forests and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), has proposed stricter norms for both mobile handsets and towers.
2011-06-05	India	Thaindian News	Mobile phone radiation poses health risks: Government panel
Next time you chat away for hours on your mobile phone, think about the grave health risks from the emitted radiation. It causes loss of memory, lack of concentration, digestive and sleep disturbances, says a government panel on hazards posed by electromagnetic radiation.According to a study by the eight-member inter-ministerial committee, comprising representatives from the health ministry and the departments of biotechnology and telecommunications, startling violations of radio frequency levels according to international standards were found. The localised Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) as per the Indian guidelines standard is 2 watt per kg, averaged over a six minute period. According to the study however, the radiation effects are more in Indians than Europeans due to the tropical climate in India, low mass index and low fat content. The report also recommends the use of hands-free technology to lower physical contact with the body and the cell phone and the mobile phones not adhering to standard levels of energy radiation should be banned. Apart from health risks, the study also indicates that mobile phone radiation creates environment hazards like disappearance of butterflies, bees, insects and sparrows from big cities. “Mobile towers should not be installed near high-density residential areas, schools, playgrounds and hospitals,” the report said.
2011-06-02	Canada	The Peterborough Examiner	WHO's new classification of RFR: what does this mean for Canada
After a week-long meeting in Lyon, France, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC)—an arm of the World Health Organization (WHO)—classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (otherwise known as radiofrequency radiation or RFR) as a class 2B carcinogen, meaning that it is “possibly carcinogenic to humans”. Lead and DDT are two examples in the same category, and both are banned for public use in Canada. It means that the placement of antennas near schools and homes and on high-rise buildings should be curtailed and, where necessary, shielding be used to minimize public exposure. Studies show that a minimum distance of 400 meters is necessary to reduce electro-hyper-sensitivity (EHS), which can cause one or numerous symptoms including sleep disturbance, chronic pain, mood and cognitive disorders, dizziness, nausea, heart problems, tinnitus (high-pitched or ringing noises in the ear) and various other symptoms.
2011-06-02		CNet News	The trouble with the cell phone radiation standard
Steve Filippone, a 65-year-old New Jersey resident who sells indoor air filter equipment, is concerned about what his cell phone could do to his body. That's why he recently downloaded an app from a company called Tawkon that estimates the amount of cell phone radiation that he is likely being exposed to when he is talking on his BlackBerry. Is Filippone just being neurotic? Every cell phone model sold in the U.S. must adhere to standards set by the Federal Communications Commission and Food and Drug Administration--an SAR that is less than 1.6 watts per kilogram taken over a volume containing a mass of 1 gram of tissue, even under the worst conditions, to be considered safe. While no one is accusing U.S. regulators or the cell phone industry of lying to the American public about the safety of cell phones, there is reason to believe that the current standards may not be the best means of determining the safety of cell phones nor of helping concerned consumers reduce their exposure. For one, the studies on which these limits are based were conducted in the 1980s and the standard itself hasn't been updated since 1996. Also, the amount of radiation a phone emits and that's therefore absorbed by a person is highly variable and dependent on many factors, ranging from how close the device is to someone's body to the strength of the cell phone's signal. The further from the body the device's antenna is, the less radiation is being absorbed. And the stronger the signal strength from a cell phone tower, the less radiation that users are likely absorbing. Finally, there are studies that suggest biological changes can occur at much lower levels than the FCC and FDA say are safe. "The SAR rating itself is not meaningful," said Henry Lai, a researcher and professor at the University of Washington, who has conducted studies on the biological effects of cell phone radiation. "What we really need to know is at what level we begin to see biological effects. And there are several published studies suggesting it's at much lower levels than what the FDA or FCC says is safe."
2011-06-02	USA	Time Magazine	Mobile Alert. A new study fuels debate over cellphones and tumours
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Cancer Institute, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and countless other bodies have agreed that cell phones are safe to use. On the World Health Organization's (WHO) website for "Electromagnetic Fields and Public Health: Mobile Phones," you can read the verdict in black and white: "To date, no adverse health effects have been established for mobile phone use." But those first two words may be key. At the end of May, 31 scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) — the WHO body that does what its name says — spent a week reviewing the latest studies on cancer and cell-phone-radiation exposure. And to the surprise of many cancer experts, IARC classified cell-phone-radiation exposure as "possibly carcinogenic to humans." The panel put cell phones in category 2B on the agency's willfully unhelpful scale, below sure carcinogens like cigarette smoke and in the same category as the pesticide DDT and gasoline-engine exhaust. "A review of the human evidence of epidemiological studies shows an increased risk of glioma and malignant types of brain cancer in association with wireless-phone use," Dr. Jonathan Samet, the chairman of the IARC working group, told reporters the day the study was released.
2011-06-01	UK	Mail Online	Mobile phones may cause cancer, warn world health chiefs
Mobile phones may cause cancer, warn world health chiefs: After years of contradictory claims, an authoritative verdict
2011-06-01	USA	CNN	Video: Can Cell Phones Cause Cancer?
World Health Organization says cell phone radiation could cause cancer. CNN's Nicole Collins reports.
2011-05-31	France	World Health Organization and Internatio	IARC classifies Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields as Possibly Carcinogenic to Humans
The WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B,) based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer associated with wireless phone use. ... today's IARC announcement strongly suggests that there is now even more reason for local governments and agencies to exercise care and common sense precautions with respect to the part they play in adopting policies regarding their use and approval of facilities that emit radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, be they cell towers or Wi-Fi installations in schools.
2011-05-31	Brussels	British Medical Journal	Radiation fears prompt possible restrictions on wi-fi and mobile phone use in schools
The Council of Europe is recommending that restrictions be put in place on the use of mobile phones and access to the internet in all schools across the continent to protect young children from harmful radiation. The parliamentarians said governments should “give preference to wired internet connections, and strictly regulate the use of mobile phones by schoolchildren on school premises” for children in general and particularly in schools and classrooms. In addition, they are pressing for steps to be taken to reduce exposure to electromagnetic fields especially for children and young people “who seem to be most at risk from head tumours.” Mr Huss had originally called for a blanket ban on all mobile phones, DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications) phones, wi-fi as well as WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) systems in schools, which was supported by the parliamentary environment committee. He agreed, however, to water down his demands to win the widest possible backing among parliamentary colleagues.
2011-05-31	USA	Time	WHO Says Cell Phone Radiation Is "Possibly Carcinogenic." Now What?
It's not clear exactly how much of an elevated cancer risk cell-phone users might face, or even the biological methods by which cell-phone radiation could cause brain tumors. (The radiation emitted by cell phones is non-ionizing, meaning that it shouldn't have enough energy to damage body tissue the way that ionizing — and carcinogenic — X-ray radiation can.) But IARC says that the results of epidemiological studies of cell-phone users, including the data from last year's rather problematic Interphone study, indicate an association between handset use and tumors. That's notable because until now, the WHO had reported that "no adverse health effects have been established for mobile-phone use." (In fact, that website is still up.) While medical muckrakers like Dr. Devra Davis, who wrote a 2010 book on cell phones and cancer called Disconnect, and academics like Dr. Henry Lai have questioned the possible role that cell-phone radiation could play in brain tumors, the mainstream medical establishment has all but dismissed any risk, along with most governments including the U.S. The IARC statement could change that. "This is the first real review of the evidence on data of cancer," said Dr. Kurt Straif, head of the IARC monographs program. "That WHO position was before the outcome of this meeting was ready. Therefore, the WHO will probably look into this and see what it should do."
2011-05-31	USA	Science Daily	40% increase glioama risk in highest category of heavy users (30mins per day over a 10yr period
Over the last few years, there has been mounting concern about the possibility of adverse health effects resulting from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, such as those emitted by wireless communication devices. From May 24-31 2011, a Working Group of 31 scientists from 14 countries has been meeting at IARC in Lyon, France, to assess the potential carcinogenic hazards from exposure to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. The evidence was reviewed critically, and overall evaluated as being limited among users of wireless telephones for glioma and acoustic neuroma, and inadequate to draw conclusions for other types of cancers. The evidence from the occupational and environmental exposures mentioned above was similarly judged inadequate. The Working Group did not quantitate the risk; however, one study of past cell phone use (up to the year 2004), showed a 40% increased risk for gliomas in the highest category of heavy users (reported average: 30 minutes per day over a 10year period).
2011-05-31		Digital Trends	Mobile phones listed as carcinogenic hazard
The International Agency for Research on Cancer now lists mobile phones as a group 2B carcinogen, alongside things like lead and DDT. The announcement comes from a team of 31 scientists from 14 countries, based on peer review of a number of studies on cell phone safety, including studies that are in-press and not yet available to the general scientific community. The listing puts mobile phones into “category 2B” items that are “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” The review found there was limited association between the use of wireless phones and both glioma and acoustic nueroma, and inadequate information for drawing conclusions for any other types of cancer. The group did not make any effort to quantify the risk, but notes that a 2004 study found a 40 percent increased risk for gliomas amongst people who used a mobile phone for 30 minutes a day over a 10-year period.
2011-05-20	Canada	Canada.com	Cellphone study a wake-up call for prospective dads
Results of a recent study led by a researcher at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., suggest the electromagnetic waves emitted by cellphones can lead to low sperm quality and decreased fertility in men. The study, published in the online version of the journal Andrologia, followed 2,110 men attending an infertility clinic in Austria between 1993 and 2007. The researchers found a "significant difference" between the sperm counts of men who used cellphones over the study period and men who did not. "The initial sperm count decreased. Even the ability of the sperm to move decreased over time," Shamloul says. Electromagnetic waves can affect cells all over the body, he explains, including reproductive cells, which are very sensitive to radiation. However, the frequency at which the radiation becomes damaging is still unknown.
2011-05-20	UK	Energy & Environmental Management Magazi	Scientists warn of potential WHO mobile phone cancer risk cover-up
A group of concerned scientists is cautioning that a World Health Organisation (WHO) body may be about to make a potentially dangerous cover-up in relation to the dangers of mobile phones. Next week, a special meeting of WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) will decide on the carcinogenicity of cell phones and wireless technologies based on a review of all published epidemiological and experimental evidence. This highly significant occasion will result in a Monograph that will determine the nature of global policy and research in the area in the next five years. But scientists from Europe, North America, Australia and Israel have sent an open letter to Dr. Christopher Wild, IARC's Director, calling for the meeting to be postponed pending the publication of full results of research concluded in 2004 and still not made public seven years later. They are also accusing some members of the committee of a conflict of interest and of being unduly influenced by the mobile phone industry. IARC conducted an international study called Interphone between 2000 and 2004 focusing on four types of tumours in tissues that most absorb RF energy emitted by mobile phones: tumours of the brain (glioma and meningioma), of the acoustic nerve (schwannoma), and of the parotid gland. After much delay, half of the results were finally published last year. These appeared to provide reassurance. It was concluded that there was no danger from mobile phone use. They also question the suitability of Professor Anders Ahlbom of the Karolinksa Institute in Sweden to chair the IARC expert group on epidemiology, which will judge on the carcinogenicity of RF/MW, because of "his extreme conflicts of interest and intellectual bias favouring the telecommunications industry." International EMF Alliance co-founder, Don Maisch, PhD, has documented the conflicts of interest at IARC in some detail. There have also been reports of disagreements within the committee. The study's former chief, Elizabeth Cardis, has since left IARC to work at another institution, CREAL. She has since distanced herself from the Interphone report, and said "We have a number of elements in the study which suggest that there might actually be a risk, and particularly we have seen an increased risk of glioma, which is one type of malignant brain tumour, in the heaviest users in the study—in particular on the side of the head where the tumour developed and in particular in the temporal lobe which is the part of the brain closest to the ear so closest to where the phone is held, so that’s the part of the brain that has most of the exposure from the phone."
2011-05-14	UK	The Telegraph	Ban mobile phones and wireless networks in schools, say European leaders
Mobile phones and computers with wireless internet connections pose a risk to human health and should be banned from schools, a powerful European body has ruled. A Council of Europe committee examined evidence that the technologies have "potentially harmful" effects on humans, and concluded that immediate action was required to protect children. In a report, the committee said it was crucial to avoid repeating the mistakes made when public health officials were slow to recognise the dangers of asbestos, tobacco smoking and lead in petrol. The report also highlighted the potential health risks of cordless telephones and baby monitors, which rely on similar technology and are widely used in British homes. Fears have been raised that electromagnetic radiation emitted by wireless devices can cause cancers and affect the developing brain.
2011-05-13		Digital Trends	Cell phone signals really are killing the bees, study shows
Researcher Daniel Favre of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology has found that wireless signals cause honeybees to become so disoriented that they finally just die. Favre’s team conducted 83 separate experiments that tested bees’ reactions to a nearby cellphone. It’s the “dramatic…colony losses” part that everyone should be concerned about. Honeybees are responsible for pollinating about 70 percent of the 100 or so crops on the entire planet that humans use for food. So-called “colony collapse disorder” among the world’s bee population has been recorded since 1972. But it wasn’t until 2006 that the drop in the bee population took a nosedive, with beekeepers noting a 30 to 90 percent loss of their bee colonies, up from 17 to 20 percent in previous years. Favre’s study corroborates a 2008 report that showed that honeybees would not return to their hive when a cell phone was placed nearby, which sparked the theory that wireless signals are the problem. There are other reasons scientists believe the world’s crucial bee population is plummeting, things like the use of clothiandin, a pesticide used to treat corn seeds. But Favre’s study shows that our cell phone habit is playing a major role in the current bee holocaust. New iPhone, anyone?
2011-05-10	South Africa	ITProPortal	Climate Changes Threatens To Damage British Wi-Fi Infrastructure
The UK government has warned that climate change is threatening the country’s entire Wi-Fi infrastructure. According to a report released by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), high temperatures caused due to the change in climate will have a negative impact on the quality and strength of Wi-Fi. The government's discovery that one of the most important sectors for the UK's economic recovery – electronic communications – could be affected by climate change, shows just how vital it is for our prosperity that we curb emissions now,” Chief policy adviser to Greenpeace Ruth Davis, said in a statement.
2011-04-10	Israel	Haaretz	Sssshhhh! Ministries look at cell phone-free zones on public transit
Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan last week asked Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz to establish a joint team to recommend ways to reduce the use of cell phones on buses and trains. Erdan warns that passengers not using cell phones are exposed both to noise and radiation that exceeds allowable levels. "My ministry has been receiving complaints about noise from the use of cell phones by some passengers on public transportation for quite some time now. Moreover, there is also the concern of unreasonably and unjustifiably high levels of radiation," Erdan wrote. Erdan based his statements on measurements by his ministry of radiation and noise emissions from cell phones. According to the data, when one fourth of the passengers in one train car or bus use their cell phones, all the passengers are exposed to a level of radiation higher than the allowable 0.8 watts per kilogram. Levels are higher in buses than in trains.
2011-04-02	USA	Consumer Affairs	Scientists: Adopt New Exposure Guidelines for Electromagnetic Radiation
A new report by international scientists calls for greatly reduced exposure limits for electromagnetic radiation from power line and telecommunications technologies -- including cell phones and wireless technologies. The report was published by the scientific journal Reviews on Environmental Health. The statement, called The Seletun Scientific Statement, was written based on "a large and growing body of science showing biological effects." Scientists say governments should take decisive action now to protect biological function as well as the health of future generations.
2011-03-25	South Africa	Bolander	Cell mast debate heats up
Cell-C’s application to put up a mast in the Helderberg Nature Reserve has taken an interesting turn. Lynda Viljoen of Hillcrest Road forwarded Bolander a letter from the Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEADP) dated March 2, in which Cell-C’s appointed EIA practitioner (Liuewe Boonstra of Warren Petterson Planning) is advised that because the mast height has been lowered to 15 metres, no environmental approval is required. Mr Boonstra confirmed that because of a change in environmental legislation gazetted in August last year, a mast of 15 metres or under does not trigger any of the clauses in the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) that would require environmental approval, as noted in the letter from DEADP. But Gavin Smith, environmental representative for Ward 84 forum says, “They’ve taken it out of the provincial realm and placed it on the desk of the local council. From an environmental point of view, we expect the provincial authorities to maintain oversight over what happens in the natural and built environment. Mrs Viljoen is far from happy. “We were left in the dark until we approached Mr Boonstra to ask what progess had been made. He then sent us the letter from the department (DEADP). As far as I know, nobody else has received it. If we had not enquired, how would we have found out about the change?” she asked. “Whether the tower is 2cm high or 200m is irrelevant. We do not want it in the (Helderberg Nature) Reserve.”
2011-02-27	US	JustMeans	Honeybees, Human Burns and Sustainable Development
Sometimes people think of environmental conservation as an after thought rather than a critical component of sustainable development. Yet environmental conservation is critical to sustainable development. Why? First, because of biophilia, or humanity's innate need for natural systems- as in nature calms us down and revs our immune systems. But also because, the resulting biodiversity, serves as the springboard for human ingenuity. Take for example, burn wounds. Severe burn wounds are notoriously difficult to treat. One of the cutting edge treatments for dealing with the dressing and the healing of burn wounds lies not in complex biotechnology, but rather in a foodstuff so ubiquitous it's available on six continents and dates back to antiquity. The future for burn victims may very well lay in honey. There is, however, only one problem. Worldwide, honeybee populations are declining. Between habitat loss and fragmentation, colony collapse disorder, and a myriad of other environmental factors we are losing both the volume of bees and the diversity among bees. North America, for example, plays home to some thirty-five hundred bee species. Most of us are only vaguely aware of the (European) honeybee and the bumblebee. As scientists narrow down what forms of honey (ask any beekeeper there are thousands) and what properties of honey best serve as dressings, worldwide bees are in a struggle for their very existence. This has repercussions beyond the burn unit - bees pollinate 80% of fruits and vegetables. We need the bees.
2011-02-24	USA	Tech News World	Your Brain on Cellphones: Effects Present, Consequences Unknown
An issue that periodically makes its way into public discourse -- the impact and possible dangers to brain development and health posed by the ubiquitous use of cellphones -- is being revisited thanks to a newly published scientific study in The Journal of the American Medical Association. However, rather than offering any definitive answers, the new research, led by Nora D. Volkow of the National Institutes of Health, raises more questions. Volkow and colleagues found that 50 minutes of cellphone use was associated with increased brain glucose metabolism -- a marker of brain activity -- in the region closest to the phone antenna. What that means is unclear. The research team was not unaware of the health controversies surrounding cellular telephones, particularly concerns that exposure to the devices' radiofrequency-modulated electromagnetic fields could potentially have carcinogenic effects. Epidemiologic studies of the association between cellphone use and the prevalence of brain tumors have been inconsistent, they pointed out in their report, with some, but not all, showing increased risk. That issue, in short, is unresolved.
2011-02-23	USA	Huff Post Tech	Cellphones speed brain activity, study shows
Spending 50 minutes with a cellphone plastered to your ear is enough to change brain cell activity in the part of the brain closest to the antenna. But whether that causes any harm is not clear, scientists at the National Institutes of Health said on Tuesday, adding that the study will likely not settle recurring concerns of a link between cellphones and brain cancer. "What we showed is glucose metabolism (a sign of brain activity) increases in the brain in people who were exposed to a cellphone in the area closet to the antenna," said Dr. Nora Volkow of the NIH, whose study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study was meant to examine how the brain reacts to electromagnetic fields caused by wireless phone signals. Volkow said she was surprised that the weak electromagnetic radiation from cellphones could affect brain activity, but she said the findings do not shed any light on whether cellphones cause cancer. "This study does not in any way indicate that. What the study does is to show the human brain is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation from cellphone exposures."
2011-02-22	USA	Time	Study: Cell Phones Cause Changes in Brain Activity
Do cell phones cause cancer? We'd all like to know, but unfortunately there's no clear answer — yet. Now an intriguing new study takes a first step toward a possible answer, suggesting that holding your cell phone to your ear does have a measurable effect on the brain, even during cell-phone sessions of less than an hour. Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (part of the National Institutes of Health), reports Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that a cell phone's electromagnetic field can cause changes in brain activity. Specifically, she and her team found that the regions nearest to the antenna of closely held mobile devices showed higher rates of energy (or glucose) consumption.
2011-02-21	SA	lookLocal	Cellmast to go ahead
For more than two years, Sarah Piketh has been fighting a never ending battle to prevent MTN from putting up a cell phone mast accross the road from her home. "MTN reiterates that the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD) has issued a valid and defendable Environmental Authorisation, which it is currently our intention to implement and with which we have every right to proceed. "Consequently, MTN would like to inform you that we will be commencing with construction within the next couple of weeks." So reads a registered letter that was sent to Sarah Piketh of Rangeview last week, in connection with the cell phone mast that is to be erected on the church property across the road from her home. "I am beginning to feel like I should just give up, but I can’t – I am doing this for my family," says Piketh. Piketh has two children, the youngest of which has a severe mental disability, and is unable to speak or react to any outside stimulus. "He can’t tell me what he feels, so how will I know how the waves will affect him? I can’t take the chance, he is already suffering so much, and I can’t chance putting him through anything more. MTN does not care about the people, only about making money," says Piketh. Piketh is adamant that she will continue to fight against the mast for as long as it takes.
2011-02-15	UK	eHow Health	Cell Towers & Schools
Many local communities in the U.S., Canada and England have taken matters into their own hands and have ruled that cell towers cannot be constructed within a certain distance of schools. In March of 2010, the local authority in Greenwich, Connecticut, stopped a T-Mobile cell tower from being built at a neighborhood school by voting to forbid new towers to come within 1,500 feet of an accredited school.
2011-02-13	UK	Thaindian News	New ‘lightRadio cube’ could spell the end for ugly mobile phone masts
Ugly mobile phone masts that blight the landscape could soon become a thing of the past, for scientists have developed tiny cubes which you can hold in your hand. The pioneering technology could also create a seamless wireless network and eliminate Internet ‘black spots’. Designers at Bell Labs, New Jersey have developed a tiny antenna that transmits signals without the need for huge unsightly towers, reports the Daily Mail. The ‘lightRadio cube’ is the size of a Rubik’s cube-vastly smaller than the ironing-board-sized antennas found on mobile phone masts. These tiny devices could be attached to lampposts, buildings or telephone poles as single cubes or in clusters, connected to the mobile phone network with optical fibres.
2011-02-04	South Africa	Bolander	No to cellular mast tower
Residents in Somerset West’s Hillcrest Road are up in arms over a proposal to put up a 25 metre high tower adjacent to a reservoir located in the Helderberg Nature Reserve. The tower, which is intended to carry cellular broadcast equipment for mobile network operator Cell C, will be located across the road from a number of homes on Hillcrest Road. “I’m appalled at the thought of having a 25m high tower inside the nature reserve – which is pristine area and which I feel should be kept that way, “ Mrs Viljoen told Bolander last week. “I’m also very concerned about the possible health risks involved, and that the presence of the tower will impact negatively on property values in the area. I will be objecting strongly against the erection of the tower. I also feel that the whole way in which this has been done reeks of deception."
2011-02-03	India	Hindustan Times	Mobile tower radiation fear grips Andheri colony
When Priya Aggarwal, 41, was detected with breast cancer in early 2007, she tried her best to make sure that it didn’t distract her son, Rohan, who was preparing for his Class 10 exams. But the Andheri resident couldn’t hide the affects of chemotherapy. One day Aggarwal came out of the bathroom, only to find a devastated Rohan staring at her nearly bald head. “He would keep saying ‘Why my mother?’, but nobody had an answer,” said Aggarwal. She isn’t alone. In the past five years, more than 15 housewives living in Sher-e-Punjab colony in Andheri (East) have suffered from various forms of cancer. Although there is no proof of a direct link, residents are drawing parallels between the appearance of the first cancer case and the installation of the first mobile phone tower in the society nearly seven years ago. According to Aggarwal, when she was first detected with cancer, her flat was right below a mobile tower. The family then rented another house in the colony. However, that too had a tower, thus forcing the family to move yet again. The colony, housing more than 100 buildings, has a cluster of at least 8-10 towers spread atop three buildings. All these cancer victims reside within a 500-m radius of those towers. Dr Parminder Bindra (name changed), a practising homeopath, was detected with ovarian cancer in June last year. “I’ve lived in this colony for more than 20 years. In the past, there had been only one case of cancer. The fact that all these cases happened only after these towers came up, and that too in a radius of 500m cannot be a coincidence,” said Dr Bindra.
2011-02-01	India	My Bangladore	Limit your mobile phone usage to avoid health hazards
If you are a hyper user of cellphones or live in the vicinity of mobile towers, beware! According to a report by the Department of Telecom, cell users especially children and pregnant women should talk less and prefer SMS to avoid health hazards. Expressing serious concern over high level of electromagnetic radiation emanating from mobile towers and handsets, a government panel has recommended that cell users especially children, adolescents and pregnant women should talk less and prefer SMS to avoid health hazards. An inter-ministerial committee headed by Ram Kumar, Advisor (Technology) Department of Telecom, has also called for imposing strict restrictions on installing mobile towers near high-density residential areas, schools, playgrounds and hospitals. It has recommended the immediate revision of radiation norms to suit Indian conditions and environment. The report also said that the Government may consider amendments to the Indian Telegraph Act 1885 so that only the mobile handsets satisfying radiation standards be permitted for import / manufacture or sale in the country. “For the future expansion of telecom network in the country use low power micro cell transmitters with in-building solutions in place of the present trend of using high power transmission over mobile towers or high-rise buildings,” it said.
2011-01-14	UK	London Evening Standard	TfL mast campaigner wins appeal over his email tirade at 'corrupt' Boris Johnson
An anti-mast campaigner who admits calling Boris Johnson a “w**r, corrupt and a scoundrel” has won an appeal against his conviction over an email campaign. Bryan Haven, 48, was convicted in April last year of causing “annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety” after bombarding the Mayor's office with more than 30 emails in protest at a bus communications mast Transport for London erected outside his home in Streatham. Haven had complained via the TfL website that after the 60ft mast went up he had started suffering headaches and nausea and could not sleep. He said he tried to contact the Mayor but only received an automatic reply, and admitted that subsequent emails may have been “a bit spicy”. Outside court, Mr Haven said: “It started quite politely. I quite naively thought if they give an email address then it gets a response. It did get a bit spicy… At worst I only called him a w**r, corrupt, and a scoundrel.” He said the mast had now been removed. Mr Haven was cleared on appeal of making use of a public communications network for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety to another under the Communications Act 2003. The Mayor's office declined to comment.
2011-01-01	Japan	JALT Publications	Thinking critically about wireless technologies and language learning
"Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance." -- Albert Einstein I am disturbed to increasingly be seeing reports of presentations blindly extolling the benefits of cell-phone and other wireless-device usage in the language-teaching classroom. Last year, at a university in Thailand, I was getting ready to teach an EFL class and was taking role when I noticed Noi (a pseudonym) had been absent for five classes. I had just been having a conversation with the students about cell phones explaining to them that the research is showing an increase in brain tumors after ten years of use. When I asked Noi why she had been absent she replied, “It is because I have a brain tumor.” This was a terribly sad thing to know from a young woman who was just beginning her adult life. Yet, I have recently been hearing an increasing number of personal accounts from people with this problem. At this same university, one of my colleague’s friends had died of a brain tumor. Several of my coworkers from when I was working in China the previous year had parents with brain tumors. Another friend of mine wrote to me to tell me of his dismay at seeing his five-year old nephew being treated for a brain tumor. Brain tumors, surpassing leukemia in 2002, are now the leading cause of cancer death in children. .... I personally suffered from an illness back in the spring of 2005 when I started to exhibit a host of bizarre and (at the time) unexplainable symptoms which included extreme fatigue, insomnia, brain fog, concentration and memory problems, dry and irritated eyes, swollen lymph nodes, heart pain and palpitations, anxiety attacks, increased allergies and sensitivities, night sweats, chills, headaches, dizziness, intestinal disturbances, eye pain and vision problems, nausea, extreme thirst, frequent urination, tinnitus, and extreme and sudden weight loss. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome by a doctor at Kyushu University Hospital—and was told there was nothing I could do to recover. However, after six months of a progressively worsening condition and the frantic search for both the cause and a cure, I finally started to suspect ambient electromagnetic radiation (also known as “electrosmog”) exposure —especially the microwave radiation pumped out into our environments for cell phone and WiFi use—as being the culprit. I moved into a log house in the mountains of Saga, where there was no cell phone reception, and within 24 hours noticed a complete disappearance of approximately 50% of my symptoms. I stayed in this log house for four months and was pronounced completely cured by another Japanese doctor one year after I initially started to experience symptoms. Further research into this issue led me to the knowledge that not only did people start getting ill with this mysterious illness in 1984—the same year that the first commercial cell phone network began operating across the United States, but also that the symptoms of CFS mimic what have been termed Radio Wave or Microwave Sickness.
2011-01-01	USA	Seattle Mag	UW Scientist Henry Lai Makes Waves in the Cell Phone Industry
UW scientist Dr. Henry Lai never set out to link cell phones to cancer, but his work—and efforts to discredit him—suggest that he was on to something. A greeting card on bioengineering professor Henry Lai's office wall at the University of Washington contains this quotation from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." This philosophy could well sum up Lai’s work on the effects of low-level radiation on DNA, as well as what he believes should be the guiding principle of science: independent investigation and research leading to discovery for the public good. Yet the soft-spoken scientist’s steadfast belief in that principle has placed his research at the center of a persistent global controversy and created powerful enemies that tried to get him fired and essentially succeeded in drying up the source of funding for the type of research he was doing. Lai admits that he was naive. He came to the UW in 1972 and earned a doctorate in psychology. Two decades later, as a bioengineering researcher, he studied esoteric scientific topics in relative obscurity. He and a fellow researcher, Narendra “N.P.” Singh, were looking at the effects of nonionizing microwave radiation—the same type of radiation emitted by cell phones—on the DNA of rats. They used a level of radiation considered safe by government standards and found that the DNA in the brain cells of the rats was damaged—or broken—by exposure to the radiation. Ironically, cell phones weren’t even on Lai’s mind when he performed the initial studies. Funded initially by the Office of Naval Research, Lai was investigating how radar, which emits radio-frequency radiation, affects the health of operators. “We did not really pay attention to the importance of this thing,” he recalls. But during his research, cell phone giant Motorola Inc. indicated that someone had told the company about Lai’s unpublished results. Motorola asked to meet with him in his lab and at a meeting in Copenhagen.
2010-12-01	South Africa	Carte Blanche	The effects of a cell tower in South Africa that went up in August 2009
A Carte Blanche documentary on the immediate side effects of a cellphone tower erected in a residential community in Craigavon, Gauteng. What can't be demonstrated is the hidden long-term damage.
2010-11-01	NZ	Organic NZ	Wifi in schools – at what cost?
Life without access to the internet has become unthinkable for most of us. Its evolving nature means exciting and innovative applications and opportunities are being constantly created. It has proved a boon too for schools, enabling immediate access to information, videos, educational games and activities from all over the world. Most schools’ chosen means for internet access is now wireless technology, or wifi. It has been installed from kindergarten through to high school level. But warning signals are now flashing, with many leading scientists, doctors and public health professionals claiming that wifi poses potentially serious health hazards, and that children are the most vulnerable in our community. Opponents of wifi believe that from the moment it is switched on an odourless, invisible, silent, energetic form of air pollution is introduced into our environment. Their research indicates that this microwave frequency has the potential to be neurotoxic, carcinogenic and teratogenic (causes abnormalities in the embryo). Frequencies at the higher end of the electromagnetic spectrum (for example, gamma, x-ray, and UV) are known to have more energy and greater potential for harm. Now many scientists are acknowledging there are biological effects caused by exposure to frequencies, such as microwave and radio, on the non-ionising (lower) end of the spectrum. Barrie Trower, a former scientific advisor for the British Military Intelligence, emphasises there is ‘not a single known safety level for microwave radiation for children’,1 a view shared by the late Dr. Neil Cherry, Professor of Environmental Health at Lincoln University, who found ‘the only safe exposure level [for electromagnetic radiation] is zero.' Dr. Andrew Goldsworthy, a retired cell biologist from Imperial College, London and expert in radio frequency radiation, describes how these electromagnetic frequencies affect our fragile cell membranes causing leakage of calcium ions, which is the cement holding these membranes together.5 This explains why some wifi users complain of insomnia, headaches, migraine, attention deficiency, dizziness, nausea, vertigo, visual distortion, or tinnitus. The ability of microwaves to impact on human cognitive function was documented by Professor Abraham Lilienfeld and his team from John Hopkins University in 1967. They studied the health effects on US embassy staff in Moscow, who were unwittingly exposed to low-level microwaves from 1953–1962. Alarmingly, Lilienfeld found evidence of chromosomal changes, haematological changes, reproductive effects and increased cancer. Dr. Henry Lai, Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington, has demonstrated the biological effects caused by non-ionising radiation at athermal (non-heating) levels.10 His findings show that exposure to radio frequency radiation is capable of causing strand breaks in DNA. When DNA strands rejoin, mutations can occur, allowing the possibility for cancer to develop. Lai and other scientists suggest long-term exposure to low frequency radiation could have the same effect as short-term exposure to high frequency radiation. Neurological, reproductive and cardiac problems emerge before cancer, which takes longer to develop, but when it does, it typically appears as brain tumours, leukaemia and lymphoma. In 2005, Dr. Gerd Oberfeld, Medical Director of Public Health, sent a letter to all schools in Salzburg, Austria, warning against the danger of wifi in schools.12 In the same year, Olle Johansson, a neuroscientist at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, sent a letter to concerned parents quoting research showing the link between radio frequency radiation and negative health effects.13 Last year Dr. Magda Havas, environmental toxicologist at Toronto University, sent a letter to all school principals and boards in Canada warning against the use of wifi in schools on health grounds. Many scientists have called for the current international guidelines set by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation (ICNIRP) to be replaced by those set in the BioInitiative Report 2007. The ICNIRP standards are set at thermal (heat) affect, but many scientists and medical doctors claim these standards are obsolete, due to research finding biological affects at athermal levels. Have schools jumped too soon onto the wifi wave, not realising the wave could crash?
2010-10-05	UK	Kids & Advertising	Ban On Mobile Phone Ads to Kids: Could it Work in the UK?
Although the evidence is mounting against their use - in the UK the kids' mobile phone market is currently booming. At the minute the average age that a child receives their first mobile phone is eight, and that age is dropping all the time. Mobile phone usage by young people has doubled over the last ten years, with 90% of the UK's 16 year olds now owning a personal handset. In part this growth is due to some nifty advertising. On one hand kids are being enthralled with handsets on which they can talk or text to their friends while downloading games and playing music. On the other parents are attracted to mobiles because they can help children stay in contact during an emergency. Some health campaigners have accused the British government of trying to sweep the link between brain cancer and mobiles under the carpet. They point to the fact that ministers appear to have ignored previous reports recommending that children under 16 should be put off using mobiles - and their promotion to children heavily regulated. Still - with growing pressure from Europe the governments' stance could well change.
2010-10-03	UK	Mail Online	Brain tumours affect almost 50,000 people each year. So why does it remain such a difficult cancer to treat?
Brain tumours are now the most common solid tumour found in those under 16, and have overtaken leukaemia as the biggest cancer killer of children in the UK - a statistic no doubt resulting from the amount of money and research devoted to leukaemia and which has led to it becoming a treatable disease. More men under 45 and women under 35 die from a brain tumour than any other cancer. Of those diagnosed with a brain tumour, just 14 per cent will be alive five years later.
2010-09-23	USA	ABC News (Technology)	NY Town Enacts Tough Cell Tower Limits
A Long Island township has imposed restrictions on the placement of new cell towers that are among the toughest in the country. The ordinance passed unanimously this week by the Hempstead town board prohibits wireless companies from installing equipment closer than 1,500 feet to homes, day care centers, schools and houses of worship, unless they submit compelling evidence that there is an absolute need. Hempstead, home to America's first suburban community — Levittown — is a densely populated township just east of New York City. Despite a 1996 federal law prohibiting municipalities from considering health issues in approving locations for cell antennas, a group of mothers concerned about what they consider risky cell towers outside their children's schools successfully lobbied the town of Hempstead.
2010-08-04	South Africa	Business Day	Calling off the perils around us
Globally, brain cancer rates are rising sharply, including among children and young adults under 20. The reasons are to be found in our environment, at work and at play, in exposure to toxins in the environment, and in our high-tech lifestyles, say specialists. Genetics plays a role, says US neurosugeon Dr Keih Black, chairman of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. But it is well known that the risk of onset and development of cancer is a combination of genetics - the body's natural ability to neutralise environmental toxins - offset by the quantity of exposure to those toxins. Black says a classic example of the interplay between genetics and environment in cancer "is the guy who lives to 105 while smoking two packs of cigarettes and drinking every day. "On the flip side you can have a patient who has had much less environmental exposure to toxins and still get cancer," he says. "We are specifically suspicious of air particulate matter, nanoparticles in air pollution that can cross directly into the brain and cause tumours", says Black.
2010-07-21	USA	East Bay Express	Are SmartMeters Dangerous, Too?
SmartMeters — automatic meter reading devices already in 73 percent of buildings in Alameda County — are the first step in creating a national smart grid that will enhance energy efficiency and make widespread adoption of renewable energy easier. The new meters communicate data from houses and businesses to PG&E through a mesh network of radio signals. In replacing antiquated analog meters that require a human to read, SmartMeters allow people to measure their energy consumption in real time in order to reduce it — or at least reduce their bills by using energy during off-peak hours. Although the World Health Organization maintains there are no consistent studies showing adverse health affects from radio-frequency exposure, there is plenty of research that suggest long-term exposure is linked to cancer and other diseases. In short, PG&E's rapid deployment of SmartMeters appears to be something of a leap of faith, a "trust us" moment — not unlike the promises made over the years by plastics manufacturers who claimed the chemicals they used were safe, too.
2010-07-14	Italy	BBC Europe	Experts: Vatican Radio transmitters 'pose cancer risk'
There is a "coherent and significant connection" between radiation from Vatican Radio aerials and childhood cancer, researchers have said. The Italian experts looked at high numbers of tumours and leukaemia in children who live close to Vatican Radio transmitters. The 60 antennas stand in villages and towns near Rome. Italian courts have been investigating for 10 years whether of an abnormally high number of deaths from cancer among families living near the aerials just north of the Italian capital can be attributed to electromagnetic radiation. The 300-page report, ordered by the courts and carried out by Italy's most prestigious cancer research hospital, now concludes that there is a connection between radiation and the cancer incidents.
2010-07-14	Italy	BBC News Europe	Vatican Radio transmitters 'pose cancer risk'
There is a "coherent and significant connection" between radiation from Vatican Radio aerials and childhood cancer, researchers have said. The Italian experts looked at high numbers of tumours and leukaemia in children who live close to Vatican Radio transmitters. The 60 antennas stand in villages and towns near Rome. The 300-page report, ordered by the courts and carried out by Italy's most prestigious cancer research hospital, now concludes that there is a connection between radiation and the cancer incidents. Some 60 huge steel aerials were erected on farmland owned by the Vatican during the last century. They transmit Vatican Radio programmes around the world on medium and short wave. However, the technology is now largely obsolete, as Catholic radio stations in many countries rebroadcast Vatican Radio shows after picking them up on the Internet.
2010-06-30	USA	CNN International	Study links bee decline to cell phones
A new study has suggested that cell phone radiation may be contributing to declines in bee populations in some areas of the world. Bee populations dropped 17 percent in the UK last year, according to the British Bee Association, and nearly 30 percent in the United States says the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Parasitic mites called varroa, agricultural pesticides and the effects of climate change have all been implicated in what has been dubbed "colony collapse disorder" (CCD). But researchers in India believe cell phones could also be to blame for some of the losses. In a study at Panjab University in Chandigarh, northern India, researchers fitted cell phones to a hive and powered them up for two fifteen-minute periods each day. After three months, they found the bees stopped producing honey, egg production by the queen bee halved, and the size of the hive dramatically reduced. It's not just the honey that will be lost if populations plummet further. Bees are estimated to pollinate 90 commercial crops worldwide. Their economic value in the UK is estimated to be $290 million per year and around $12 billion in the U.S. Andrew Goldsworthy, a biologist from the UK's Imperial College, London, has studied the biological effects of electromagnetic fields. He thinks it's possible bees could be affected by cell phone radiation. The reason, Goldsworthy says, could hinge on a pigment in bees called cryptochrome. "Animals, including insects, use cryptochrome for navigation," Goldsworthy told CNN. "They use it to sense the direction of the earth's magnetic field and their ability to do this is compromised by radiation from [cell] phones and their base stations. So basically bees do not find their way back to the hive."
2010-06-14	UK	video: Barrie Trower	WiFi Is Not Safe For Kids
British military expert, Barrie Trower, tells us why wireless computers, cell phones, cordless phones and other microwave radiation devices are NOT safe for children "Wi-fi uses non-ionising pulsed radiation, which can be up to three times more powerful than a phone mast outside a school."
2010-06-12	India	Thaindian News	Fear of mobile tower radiation grips Delhi area
Residents in northwest Delhi’s Shalimar Bagh are demanding the demolition of a mobile phone tower in the residential area, alleging that electromagnetic radiation from it poses a threat to their lives. Sudha Sharma, an angry resident, said: “Why don’t they (mobile network companies) understand residents’ problems? We have to suffer because of mobile towers.” “For over two years since the erection of the mobile tower, we have been suffering health problems like headache, fatigue and vomiting because of radiation. My six-year-old son is the worst-hit,” she claimed. “My doctor has confirmed these health issues are linked to radiation from the mobile tower,” she added. Sharma said their neighbour was suffering from cancer in the spinal cord, while another resident had complained of heart ailments. According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi has over 5,000 mobile phone towers, of which 2,500 are illegally erected. Shockingly, most of these are in residential areas.
2010-05-18	South Africa	My Fourways	World renowned international scientist Barrie Trower talks about electromagnetic radiation
ON April 19, 2010 a renowned British military scientist, Barrie Trower, gave a talk ON AT Fourways High School about the effects of electromagnetic radiation caused BY broadband AND cellphone towers ON our environment AND lives. The talk was welcomed BY ALL those who had been personally affected BY EM radiation. During the Cold War, Trower specialised IN microwave AND "stealth" warfare, AND his forte was IN the interrogation of what he calls "microwave spies" -- agents infiltrated into the West who were using pulsed microwaves to target politicians and other influential people, as well as dissidents, in order to affect their health and mental state. It IS a fact that microwaves have been used AS a stealth weapon IN this way FOR over 60 years. ONE of the more famous incidents was the decades-LONG microwave irradiation of the US Embassy IN Moscow, which saw many staffers becoming ill, AND three ambassadors dying of leukaemia. An official enquiry concluded that this irradiation, although carried OUT AT very low levels, had a serious impact ON the health of embassy staff. IN the course of Trower's work, he compiled a list of 40 pulsed frequencies and about 60 effects they caused, including psychological problems such as depression, mood swings, sexual aggression, suicidal tendencies and impaired judgement, and health problems like lowered immunity and cancer.
2010-05-03	NZ	Otago Daily Times	The boy who quit cellphones
When Daniel Golding worked at the ODT a few years back, he was a two-cellphone boy, always texting, typical of many Generation Y kids. Now 25 and working as an editor in Wellington, he has spent the past few months living without a mobile. By choice. Intrigued by this experiment, Chinn-wag got Dan to write about it in this guest post. Cell phones. That's what I used to do. Sell phones too. Back then, I was making both Telecom and Vodafone rich. I rid myself of the 027 a couple of years ago now, and it was with great pleasure that I recently walked into a Vodafone store and asked to end my 021 affair also. After walking into a river that was deceptively deep and shorting all the technology in my pockets, I emerged realising that I no longer wanted to be contactable at all hours. No longer did I want to be constantly reaching for the "what are you up to?" answer.
2010-04-22	South Africa	Times Live	Cellphone health study launches
A new decades-long study examining the link between the use of mobile phones and long-term health problems such as cancer and neurological diseases has launched across five European countries. Organisers said the Cohort Study on Mobile Communications (COSMOS) would be the largest of its kind, examining more than 250 000 people aged 18 to 69 in Britain, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. The professors said many of the studies into mobile phone use had only looked for a link to cancer, whereas the COSMOS study will examine all health developments and look for links to neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
2010-04-22	South Africa	Sunday Times	Cellphone health study launches
A new decades-long study examining the link between the use of mobile phones and long-term health problems such as cancer and neurological diseases has launched across five European countries. Organisers said the Cohort Study on Mobile Communications (COSMOS) would be the largest of its kind, examining more than 250 000 people aged 18 to 69 in Britain, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark. Professor Paul Elliott, the Principal Investigator at the Imperial College London on the British study, said previous research examining the health link had so far been reassuring but pointed out these had often only lasted around 10 years. With many cancers taking longer to develop and mobile phones still being relatively new, Elliott said there was a need for a longer-term study. “For the sake of current users and future generations this is the sensible thing to do,” he told a press conference in London. “Research to date has necessarily mainly focussed on (mobile phone) use on the short term, less than 10 years.
2010-04-20	South Africa	Times Live	Telecoms: Too good to be true?
Africa has been catapulted into the electronic age during the past decade- and-a-half by an almost incomprehensibly swift growth in telecommunications technology, driven primarily by a massive roll-out of cellphones and wireless technology throughout the continent. While few can deny the economic benefits that this growth has brought to a continent historically hobbled by a patchy telecommunications infrastructure, the physical risks on the health of the people of Africa have neither been quantified nor are they being monitored.
2010-04-19	Botswana	The Monitor	Hosts of Cellphone Towers Are Liable For Lawsuits - Scientist
Many plot owners who earn money from hosting cellphone towers in their homes may not have a clue that they are the ones liable to be sued for radiation, not the cellphone companies. This emerged from a presentation by a world renown scientist in the field of microwaves, Barrie Trower of Britain, to Bakgatla at Rasesa on Friday in which he said even at low levels, microwave emissions can be very dangerous. He said he knew of a court case in which a plot owner was happy to receive the equivalent of P100,000 a year for hosting a cellphone tower on his farm but was sued for $4 million by his neighbours after the tower became a health hazard that resulted in the value of their properties falling.
2010-04-13	South Africa	SA Civil Society Information Service	The Unspoken Risks of Cell Phones and Wireless Networks
Africa has been catapulted into the electronic age over the past decade and a half by an almost incomprehensibly swift growth in telecommunications technology driven primarily by a massive rollout of cell phones and wireless technology throughout the continent. While few can deny the economic benefits that this growth has brought to a continent historically hobbled by a patchy telecommunications infrastructure, the physical risks of this explosive growth on the health of the people of Africa have neither been quantified nor are they being monitored. Nations, which maintain accurate statistical data, such as Sweden, have shown remarkable negative impacts on health and absenteeism rates after the installation of new generation data transmission systems. Consequently limitations have been placed on where base stations are located and the types of electromagnetic emissions that are permitted in various locales. In Africa and most of the global south there is little such oversight. Even supposedly technologically sophisticated nations like South Africa rely on outdated and largely irrelevant data to regulate this industry. That ICNIRP has inadequately interrogated critical aspects of electromagnetic radiation and its effects on living organisms remains ignored by health officials and oversight bodies.
2010-04-13	South Africa	Media Update	Military expert lifts lid on links between cancers and wireless technology
The issue of cellphones and health has raised much controversy in recent years. However, the truth is that the only people who really know the full picture of what is going on in the microwave spectrum (used by cellphones) are the military, who have been using microwaves for decades for radar and in 'stealth warfare'. However, it is very rare indeed that anyone from this top-secret world speaks in public about the dangers of microwave exposure. Barrie Trower is a retired British military intelligence scientist who for decades worked in microwave and stealth warfare. His particular expertise was on the impact of this radiation on health and brain functioning, and one of his main tasks over many years was debriefing 'microwave spies' and dissidents from the Soviet bloc during the Cold War. That microwaves were being used as weapons is well known - for example, the Soviets irradiated the US Embassy in Moscow with low-level microwaves for decades, with official enquiries establishing that this caused all kinds of health problems, including raised cancer rates, with three ambassadors dying of leukemia. Women staffers were particularly affected.
2010-04-09	UK	The Telegraph	Mobile mast blamed for cancer cluster
Half of the residents of Buckler, Cornwall, have complained of ill health since the structure was installed two years ago. They believe the 02 mobile phone mast has contributed to the death of eight residents from cancer since it was erected in 2007 and is also linked to two more cases just diagnosed with the disease. Residents in 75 homes in the village near St Austell now say they live in constant fear with many experiencing severe headaches, vertigo, depression and lack of sleep. Peter Lewis, 68, moved to the village with his wife four years ago and has persistently campaigned with his action group, Buckler Village Mast Sanity Group, for the mast to be moved. "We are living in a cancer cluster," said Mr Lewis. "More than fifty per cent of the residents here said they have had serious health problems since the mast was put up. "Then people suddenly started dying from cancer and now two more have just been diagnosed and one of those is terminally ill.
2010-04-01	Canada	The Toronto Star	What is electrosensitivity?
It started with nausea and vomiting in the morning, followed by insomnia and the annoying sound of clicking in her ears. Marika Bandera, sitting in her east-end Toronto apartment, begins to cry as she recalls how her symptoms gradually got worse over the course of a year. They included everything from shaking hands and blurred vision to burning skin and mild convulsions. Sessions at a sleep clinic, brain scans, an epilepsy test and numerous visits to her family doctor and various specialists in Toronto failed to determine the cause. “They would not listen, they are not hearing their patients,” she says.
2010-03-12		GenetiChemistry	Do Cell Phones Really Cause Cancer?
In July, the Pittsburgh Cancer Center issued a nationwide warning about cell phones. The warning: Cell phones cause brain tumors. The warning made national news. But do cell phones really cause cancer? Let me start by telling you a story. Illa Garcia was a fire lookout for the state of California. She worked at one of my favorite places on the planet — Mt. Shasta. Her site was a stone’s throw from a newly erected cell phone tower. No one informed Garcia and her co-worker Mary Jasso about the hazards posed by cell phone towers. There were also three state communication towers within six feet of where she had to walk every day. By the end of the 2002 season, Garcia and Jasso were so ill that they had to retire. The state closed the lookout. Garcia now has severe disabilities with fibromyalgia, auto-immune thyroiditis, and acute nerve degeneration. Medical tests confirm broken DNA strands in her blood and abnormal tissue death in her brain. Dr. Gunner Heuser is a medical specialist in neurotoxicity. He says there’s no doubt the EMF exposure made Garcia ill. He writes, “In my experience, patients develop multisystem complaints after EMF exposure just as they do after toxic chemical exposure.” Jasso had worked the lookout for 11 seasons. She has severe brain and lung damage. She also has partial left side paralysis, muscle tremors, bone pain, and DNA damage. Jasso is only 61. Her memory has been so severely impaired that she can’t remember back to when she had her first three kids. She found that all of the lookouts who worked nearby Likely Mountain since 1989 are disabled. But this horrible problem doesn’t stop with these two women. There are 22 members of their families that have a myriad of unexplainable horrible health problems. Jasso’s husband has a rare cancer. He spent time with her at the lookout. Garcia’s daughter was at the lookout two hours during her first pregnancy. Her daughter was born with slight brain damage and immunity problems. She spent three days there during her second pregnancy. Her son was born with autism. Doctors have confirmed that Garcia and Jasso have a terminal condition known as “toxic encephalopathy.” That means toxic inflammation of the brain. Their cells have severe DNA damage. When these cells divide, they produce daughter cells with the same damage. And they will continue to do so until their bodies finally shut down and die.
2010-03-12	India	Mumbai Mirror	Strong signal on cell tower hazard
Under mounting pressure from health conscious citizens and members in the Assembly, the state government’s health department has finally appointed a high-power committee to investigate the health hazards posed by cellphone towers on top of residential buildings. A Mirror survey of 2008 had measured electromagnetic radiation (EMR) levels emitted by cell towers in the city (see box). The results had shown alarming levels of radiation which could lead to several physical disorders. In February 2009, Mirror had reported how JJ Hospital had squarely refused to let cellphone service providers install a mobile tower on any of the 50 buildings inside the 43-acre campus. The proposal to have a tower was pushed by the VVIPs who regularly complained of bad network coverage inside the hospital campus though cellphones were banned in the ICU and other sensitive areas. The Dean, after consulting the radiology, pharmacology and neurology experts submitted a detailed report about the possible health hazards posed by the towers. The Dean, Dr R S Inamdar had told Mirror, “The report quoted the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) and the Telecommunication Engineering Centre (TEC), a core technical wing of the Department of Telecommunications, Government of India.” On the basis of this confidential report, the hospital refused to allow the cell towers to be installed.
2010-03-11	Malta	The Times of Malta	Microwave expert raises alarm over mobile phone antennae
Women, children and the elderly may be especially sensitive to microwaves emitted by mobile phone antennae and need particular consideration, according to an expert on the matter. Barrie Trower, an independent research scientist who spent 11 years questioning captured spies involved in microwave warfare during the Cold War, described as "frightening" the effect of genetic damage to the ovaries of young girls, which, he claimed, could be caused by the antennae. "If these women have girls, the genetic damage could carry on from generation to generation because it is irreparable. This is what we are gambling with," he said. Although there was a gap in the research on children, Mr Trower said it was known that they were more vulnerable to microwaves by virtue of their size: "Being the size of their wavelength, they can act like aerials, vibrating inside and undergoing some sort of stress." "We do not want to destroy them. Our ultimate aim is to reduce their power to harmless levels or move them away from residents," he said. Mr Trower said there were legal precedents, quoting three court cases that proved mobile phone transmitters caused cancer. He said it was often overlooked that two neighbouring transmitters could piggyback on each other, causing multiple effects. This meant that what was within the guidelines could suddenly not be any more. Mr Trower urged decision-makers to read scientific literature to set the correct safety levels. "When they say they are within international guidelines, they are quoting the maximum levels, not the safe levels," he warned. Mr Trower said it had been known since 1932, when microwaves were used for the first time, that they could make people sick, including severe headaches, fatigue, cancer and susceptibility to infection. "And we knew everything there was to know about their harm by 1971," he said. Mr Trower is on his way to South Africa for talks with ministers on the fact that, for the first time in its history, it has childhood leukaemia clusters and suicides around transmitters.
2010-02-03	USA	Chicago Tribune	Cell phone antennas blamed for kindergarten cancer cases
A lawsuit is set to be filed Monday alleging that the cancer afflicting students and teachers of a Bayville school is caused by the dozens of cell phone antennas attached to a nearby water tower. Three young students of Bayville Primary School have already died of leukemia and many more are sick. "We believe as much as 30 percent of the teachers, administrative staff and employees have been diagnosed with some type of illness, cancer, leukemia and things of that nature," said Attorney Andrew Campanelli.
2010-02-01	USA	GQ	Warning: Your Cell Phone May Be Hazardous to Your Health
Earlier this winter, I met an investment banker who was diagnosed with a brain tumor five years ago. He's a managing director at a top Wall Street firm, and I was put in touch with him through a colleague who knew I was writing a story about the potential dangers of cell-phone radiation. He agreed to talk with me only if his name wasn't used, so I'll call him Jim. He explained that the tumor was located just behind his right ear and was not immediately fatal—the five-year survival rate is about 70 percent. He was 35 years old at the time of his diagnosis and immediately suspected it was the result of his intense cell-phone usage. "Not for nothing," he said, "but in investment banking we've been using cell phones since 1992, back when they were the Gordon-Gekko-on-the-beach kind of phone." When Jim asked his neurosurgeon, who was on the staff of a major medical center in Manhattan, about the possibility of a cell-phone-induced tumor, the doctor responded that in fact he was seeing more and more of such cases—young, relatively healthy businessmen who had long used their phones obsessively. He said he believed the industry had discredited studies showing there is a risk from cell phones. "I got a sense that he was pissed off," Jim told me. A handful of Jim's colleagues had already died from brain cancer; the more reports he encountered of young finance guys developing tumors, the more certain he felt that it wasn't a coincidence. "I knew four or five people just at my firm who got tumors," Jim says. "Each time, people ask the question. I hear it in the hallways."
2010-01-18	Spain	Diariodesevilla	The school that is cursed
[Translated, original here: http://www.diariodesevilla.es/article/provincia/609574/colegio/maldito.html] A mobile phone mast installed on school property might be the cause of more than 100 cancer cases among the students and staff. Fear! Fear of cancer, fear of death, and the daily fear of finding another case among the pupils. Every morning, the fear of disease that might affect the person next to you because of the phone mast that has still not been removed … Two children ill, one dead and more than 100 people suffering from various kinds of cancer, all in a short space of time - a tally that shows something is dreadfully wrong. So much so that even the doctors in the main hospital in Seville are surprised, and ask each new patient if they live anywhere near the phone mast in Brenes. All the people affected blame the mobile phone antennas on the mast that was installed in the playground of the Manuel de Falla school in the town of Vega del Guadalquivir. Two pupils in the school now have cancer, one in the eye and another in the thyroid, and another child died suddenly, with no explanation from anyone being given to the family. A young woman who came to the school for work training has just been diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. In total there are more than one hundred cases of cancer among the pupils, the teachers, the domestic staff and the residents living nearby.
2009-11-03	UK	Mail Online	As new evidence links mobile phones to a greater risk of tumours, could using one cost your child their life
Mobile phones, just how did we live without them? At about 80 million, there are now more mobiles than people in the UK. But since the Nineties, when their use became more widespread, there have been nagging doubts about their safety. For many people these were resolved two years ago with a report from the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme. The programme, jointly funded by the Government and the industry, concluded that mobile phones, base stations and masts 'have not been found to be associated with any biological or adverse health effects'. However, according to a decade-long study, due out in the coming weeks, people who used mobiles for a decade or more had a 'significantly increased risk' of developing some types of brain tumours. The Interphone study, partly funded by the mobile phone industry, found an increased risk of glioma - the most common brain tumour. This follows the results of an American-Korean study published a fortnight ago which showed that mobile use increases brain tumour risk by around 25 per cent. And a similar report from Australian scientists in July showed double the risk after ten years' use. However, none of these reports included children - and they are the group experts are most worried about. 'I am seeing more patients than ever and at younger ages,' says Kevin O'Neill, consultant neurosurgeon at Charing Cross Hospital in London.
2009-09-24	Bahrain	Gulf Daily News	Ultimatum on phone masts
Telecom companies could be given by the end of the year to remove illegal phone masts on rooftops across the country or face legal action. Bahrain's five municipal councils are also planning to cut off electricity to homes with illegal masts to force companies get the proper licence. Councillors claim that telecom companies are visiting neighbourhoods and tempting needy families with a monthly amount of up to BD1,000 to use their rooftops for mobile masts. "We have no problem with the setting up of masts, if that's necessary for the development of the telecom sector, but we don't accept it being done in the present manner," said Northern Municipal Council chairman and joint councils anti-masts campaign head Yousif Al Boori. The Muharraq Municipal Council had already agreed to seek court orders to have the masts removed from homes before working with other councils to come up with joint measures.
2009-08-29	USA	PC World	Cell Phone, Cancer Link Claimed
A group of international scientists released a report last week that again raises concerns about cell phone usage and brain tumors, noting that one recent Swedish study saw a 400% increased risk for teenage cell phone users. "Some countries are already banning cell phones over health concerns, with France saying children in elementary schools can only use them for texting," said the report's author, Lloyd Morgan, in an interview. Morgan said the most damning research linking cell phone usage to brain tumors was noted in a study published in May 2009 in the International Journal of Oncology by a Swedish team of scientists led by Professor Lennart Hardell. It noted that digital cell phone and cordless phone use by users who started when they were teenagers or younger led to a 420% increased risk of brain cancer. Hardell had earlier found that analog cell phones caused a 700% greater risk of cancer, although today's digital phones lessen the power requirements and reduce the risk. "Cell phones can be used appropriately and have a certain usefulness, but I fear we will see a tsunami of brain tumors, although it is too early to see that now since the tumors have a 30-year latency," he added. "I pray I am wrong, but brace yourself."
2009-01-11	France	The Independent	French government bans advertising of mobiles to children
New laws cracking down on children's use of mobile phones are to be introduced in France amid growing fears that they may cause cancer and other diseases. All advertising of the devices to children under 12 is to be prohibited under the legislation – announced by the Environment Minister, Jean-Louis Borloo, last week – and he will also take powers to ban the sale of any phone designed to be used by those under six. The French government will also introduce new limits for radiation from the phones and make it compulsory for handsets to be sold with earphones, so that users can avoid irradiating their heads and brains. And one of the country's largest cities last month started an advertising campaign to discourage the use of the phones by children. The clampdown represents the most comprehensive action yet taken by any government worldwide. It contrasts sharply with the stance of British ministers, who have largely ignored the recommendations of an official report nine years ago that people aged under 16 should be discouraged from using mobiles, and that the industry should be stopped from promoting them to children. Since then their use by the young has almost doubled, so that nine out of 10 of the country's 16-year-olds own a handset. Swedish research indicates that children and teenagers are five times more likely to get brain cancer if they use the phones, causing some experts to predict an "epidemic" of the disease among today's young people in later life. But consideration of the threat to them has been specifically excluded from Britain's official £3.1m investigation into the risk of cancer from mobiles.
2009-01-11	UK	Daily Mail	France cracks down on children's mobile phone use, but Britain still ignoring warnings
France has begun a crackdown on children having mobile phones after research linked their use to brain cancer. Advertising mobiles to children under 12 is to be prohibited under the legislation announced by the environment minister Jean-Louis Borloo. He will also take steps to ban the sale of phones designed for those aged under six. In September, the European Parliament voted to urge ministers across Europe to bring in stricter radiation limits. In Canada health officials warn teenagers to keep calls shorter than ten minutes, and Russia advises under-18s to avoid using phones. Last night the Department of Health said it 'strongly advised' that children were encouraged to use mobile phones in emergencies only and to keep calls short.
2008-07-28	UK	Mail Online	Suspend wi-fi in schools, says union chief following reports it causes ill-health
The rush to install wireless computer networks in schools may be jeopardising children's health and should be suspended pending a full safety inquiry, a teachers' chief said yesterday. Philip Parkin said he is worried about reports linking wireless technology with loss of concentration, fatigue, reduced memory and headaches. Mr Parkin, general secretary of Voice, formerly the Professional Association of Teachers, believes a generation of children are effectively 'guinea pigs in a large-scale experiment'.
2008-07-28	USA	CNN	Video: Cell tower opposition
The telecommunications industry wants the public - and public health scientists and medical doctors! - to focus on: 1. only the potential for cancer as an outcome, which of course industry denies, when many horrific effects - particularly neurologic - are known to occur; 2. only long-term effects, no immediate or short-term effects; since the latter allow proof of cause-and-effect and therefore litigation and legislation; 3. only effects from (mostly voluntary) cell phone usage, not effects from involuntary infrastuctural (broadcast antenna) radiation exposure; since the latter would prove the need to remove the whole cell phone system; 4. only effects from a body absorption perspective (again, phone usage) rather than power density (involuntary system) exposure, where the science on the latter very strongly illustrates harm;
2008-07-10	UK	Ilkley Gazette	New technology blamed for Ilkley student's living nightmare
Andy, 27, is one of a growing number of people who say their lives have been blighted by the very fabric of modern society. He says he is made desperately ill by microwave radiation from mobile phone masts, wi-fi computer routers and cordless digital phones - and he has been driven to increasingly extreme measures in an attempt to escape their effects. He described how his comfortable existence in an executive flat had been replaced with days spent living in a field and nights in his parents' basement in Ilkley. Andy is a member of electro-sensitivity UK (esuk), which has 3,000 members who are convinced their crippling symptoms are caused by microwave radiation. The condition often sparks disbelief and ridicule among the public and Andy has asked us not to use his real name because of the stigma that could be attached to members of his family. But he has no doubt it does exist - and his concerns are backed up by a number of scientists. The Irish Doctors' Environmental Association has also voiced its concern about current safety levels for exposure to electro-magnetic radiation. In a statement issued recently, it says: "The Irish Doctors' Environmental Association believes that a sub-group of the population are particularly sensitive to exposure to different types of electro-magnetic radiation. The electro-sensitivity experienced by some people results in a variety of distressing symptoms which must also be taken into account when setting safe levels for exposure to non-ionising radiation and when planning the siting of masts and transmitters."
2008-06-30	Spain	Expatica.com	Brewing concern over cell phone usage among children
Ramón is in the doghouse. After they were hit for a EUR 50 bill in May, his parents have taken away his cell phone. The problem isn't that Ramón makes too many calls: EUR 40 of the bill was due to text messages he sent to take part in a raffle to win a car. Aged 11, Ramón is one of the 78 percent of Spanish adolescents with a cell phone. "Children, along with the elderly, are the only members of society that do not have cell phones, and companies are trying to attract them at younger ages," says Rubén Sánchez, a spokesman for the Federation of Consumers in Action (Facua). The figures speak for themselves: 77 percent of children have downloaded ringtones, 68 percent have done the same to acquire screensavers, and 72 percent of children say that they have received SMS messages inviting them to take part in lotteries or gambling, says Protégeles, a parents/children consumer watchdog specialising in new technology. "They are the perfect consumers," says Ramón's mother, Merche: "malleable, easily seduced, and unaware of the costs involved." Organisations like Facua say that a growing number of studies point to the negative impact on children of cell phone use. Young people can become addicted to using their cell phones, leading to stress and tiredness. Protégeles says that its studies show that one in three minors felt anxious when their phone was taken away from them; 11 percent of children admit to having lied to their parents about phone use, and some to having stolen money to pay for extra credit. But the phone companies say that they are responding to market demand. What they fail to mention is that this demand is a direct result of aggressive advertising targeting children in particular.
2008-06-20	India	Thaindian News	2 Billion may suffer from Mobile Cancer by 2020: Australian Health Research Institute
The studies and survey conducted by Australian Health Research Institute indicates that due to billions of times more in volume electromagnetic radiation emitted by billions of mobile phones, internet, intranet and wireless communication data transmission will make almost one-third of world population (about two billions) patient of ear, eye and brain cancer beside other major body disorders like heart ailments, impotency, migraine, epilepsy. These dangerous effects have been certified and confirmed repeatedly by many leading medical and scientific research institutions of the world including Ministries of health of various governments, W.H.O. and now have been admitted and confirmed by Govt. of India in their recent press releases.
2008-05-23	France	La Vie Verte	Public libraries in Paris shut down wi-fi in response to health worries
The Sainte-Genevieve Library in the Latin Quarter in Paris has just become the fifth library in the French capital to shut down its wi-fi because of health concerns. The library’s director took the decision in response to complaints from an employee who claimed to be suffering from “violent symptoms” which he attributed to prolonged over-exposure to the electromagnetic fields. This issue is gathering momentum in Europe (Germany, Austria and Belgium have all advised schools against installing wi-fi networks). BBB Panorama in Britain ran a controversial documentary in Feburary this year looking at the health risks for wi-fi networks in schools.
2008-04-07	France	Next-up	France National Library gives-up WiFi

2008-03-31	Australia	The Sydney Morning Herald	Brain cancer fears over heavy mobile phone use
A top Australian neurosurgeon says the world's heavy reliance on mobile phones could be a greater threat to human health than smoking and even asbestos. Vini Khurana, who conducted a 15-month "critical review" of the link between mobile phones and malignant brain tumours, said using mobiles for more than 10 years could more than double the risk of brain cancer. He has called for "immediate and decisive steps" by industry and governments to reduce people's exposure to invisible electromagnetic radiation emitted by handsets. Dr Khurana also called for a "solid scientific study" observing heavy mobile phone users for a period of at least 10-15 years. Dr Khurana, who is a staff specialist neurosurgeon at the Canberra Hospital and an associate professor of neurosurgery at the Australian National University, said there had been increased reports of brain tumours associated with heavy and prolonged mobile phone use, particularly on the same side as the person's "preferred ear" for making calls.
2008-02-15		Science Daily	Heavy Cell Phone Use Linked To Cancer, Study Suggests
An Israeli scientist, Dr. Siegal Sadetzki, has found a link between cell phone usage and the development of tumors. Dr. Sadetzki, a physician, epidemiologist and lecturer at Tel Aviv University, published the results of a study recently in the American Journal of Epidemiology, in which she and her colleagues found that heavy cell phone users were subject to a higher risk of benign and malignant tumors of the salivary gland. Those who used a cell phone heavily on the side of the head where the tumor developed were found to have an increased risk of about 50% for developing a tumor of the main salivary gland (parotid), compared to those who did not use cell phones. The fact that the study was done on an Israeli population is significant. Says Sadetzki, "Unlike people in other countries, Israelis were quick to adopt cell phone technology and have continued to be exceptionally heavy users. Therefore, the amount of exposure to radiofrequency radiation found in this study has been higher than in previous cell phone studies.
2008-02-03	USA	CNN	Flawed Danish study reports that cellphones are safe
In December, 2006, an epidemiological study on cell phone dangers published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute sent the media into a frenzy.10 Newspaper headlines blared: "Danish Study Shows Cell Phone Use is Safe," while TV newscasters proclaimed, "Go ahead and talk all you want—it's safe!" The news seemed to be a holiday gift for cell phone users. But unfortunately, it's a flawed study, funded by the cell phone industry and designed to bring a positive result. The industry's public relations machine is working in overdrive to assure that the study get top-billing in the media worldwide.
2008-01-28	Switzerland	AFP	Cancer risk growing in developing world: UN agencies
Developing countries are facing a growing cancer epidemic and expected to see more than two thirds of new cases worldwide over the next 10 years, UN health officials warned on Monday. Some 84 million people risk dying from cancer over the next decade, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said. Cancer killed 7.6 million people in 2005, according to WHO statistics, making it the single biggest cause of death, ahead of AIDS, TB and malaria combined.
2008-01-20	UK	The Independent	Mobile phone radiation wrecks your sleep
Radiation from mobile phones delays and reduces sleep, and causes headaches and confusion, according to a new study. The research, sponsored by the mobile phone companies themselves, shows that using the handsets before bed causes people to take longer to reach the deeper stages of sleep and to spend less time in them, interfering with the body's ability to repair damage suffered during the day. The findings are especially alarming for children and teenagers, most of whom – surveys suggest – use their phones late at night and who especially need sleep. Their failure to get enough can lead to mood and personality changes, ADHD-like symptoms, depression, lack of concentration and poor academic performance. The study – carried out by scientists from the blue-chip Karolinska Institute and Uppsala University in Sweden and from Wayne State University in Michigan, USA – is thought to be the most comprehensive of its kind. Published by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Progress in Electromagnetics Research Symposium and funded by the Mobile Manufacturers Forum, representing the main handset companies, it has caused serious concern among top sleep experts, one of whom said that there was now "more than sufficient evidence" to show that the radiation "affects deep sleep".
2007-12-09	USA	South Sentinel	Cell phone risks cited in studies
Adding new fuel to the debate over cell phone safety, three European research groups in separate studies have found an increased risk of brain tumors in people who have used the phones for 10 years or more. Two of the studies, one in England and one in Germany, are part of the 13-nation Interphone Study, an effort sanctioned by the World Health Organization to assess possible health risks from the radiation emitted by cell phones. Both studies found an increased risk of glioma, an often deadly brain cancer, in people who had used cell phones 10 years or more.
2007-11-22	Canada	Inside Toronto	Convenience may be causing people to get sick
Electromagnetic hypersensitivity is a growing health concern and, according to Dr. Howard Fisher, a Toronto chiropractor and author of The Invisible Threat, The Risks Associated with EMFs, it can be attributed to several health disorders. Studies have confirmed these disorders include fatigue, sleep disturbances, loss of mental attention, headaches, depression, heart palpitations, memory problems and burning and tingling sensations in the head and extremities. Fisher also said EMFs have been proven to have effects on neurological tissues, contributing to nerve degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease.
2007-11-22	India	Express India	Mobile towers emit harmful rays, disturb ecology: Study
The Director of the Centre for Environmental Studies, Dr R K Kohli, said, “The electromagnetic radiations from the towers generate heat. Due to this, micro organisms present in the soil near it would be killed. This in turn harms those organisms which feed on them and it disturbs the ecological cycle.” “People say the number of sparrows, butterflies and insects of various types are decreasing gradually. It is one of the side effects of the rays from the mobile towers. There is no concrete study that we have conducted to determine the effect on human beings but certain symptoms like forgetfulness, anxiety, etc., can be attributed to the rays from the towers. While using mobiles we may harm ourselves, but mobile towers harm even those who are not mobile users,” he added. A study has also been conducted by three departments of PU, which has found that cellular towers are the dominating source of electromagnetic radiation in the city environment and this could lead to diseases in plants and animals.
2007-11-15	USA	emediaWire	Link Between Wireless Technology and Autism Unveiled in New Scientific Report
A groundbreaking scientific study published this week in the peer-reviewed Australasian Journal of Clinical Environmental Medicine warns that wireless communication technology may be responsible for accelerating the rise in autism among the world’s children. Autism is a disabling neuro-developmental disorder whose cause is not completely understood, but is known to involve heavy metal toxicity. American advocacy groups call autism "the fastest-growing developmental disability in the United States." Twenty years ago, only 1 in 10,000 children were diagnosed with some form of autism; U.S. government data show the rate in 2002 to be 1 in 150; clinicians who treat the disease estimate the occurrence today to be closer to 1 in 100.
2007-11-06	Taiwan	The China Post	1,500 cellphone base stations to be removed
Reporting at the Legislative Yuan in Taiwan, Su Yeong-chin, Chairman of the National Communications Commission (NCC), said the NCC’s promise to push the private MPBS operators to dismantle 1,500 of the controversy-ridden base stations in 2007 will be delivered without problems. Su said that as of the end of October, 1,472 MPBSs had been dismantled and removed, an achievement that represents 98.13 percent of the execution target. He added that the dismantling of the remaining 28 MPBS can easily be completed in the remaining two months of the year. Su made the remarks in response to questions from opposition Kuomintang Legislator Lai Shyh-bao, who wanted the NCC to ensure that all base stations in the country be established atop buildings of publicly run organizations instead of private buildings, buildings near schools or in residential areas.
2007-11-05	Korea	Biz-tech	Researchers Investigate Cellphone Cancer Link
If you tend to hold your mobile phone on your cheek or cheekbone when you're talking on it, you might want to reconsider that habit. A team of researchers has found that holding a mobile phone like that can lead to an increase in the amount of potentially dangerous electromagnetic waves absorbed into the brain and other body parts.
2007-10-16	Wales	icWales	Government accused of wi-fi deceptions
A leading radiation expert has accused government scientists of “deliberately deceiving” the public about the safety of wireless internet networks. Biologist Roger Coghill claims that a new Health Protection Agency (HPA) research programme into wireless local area networks will not address the real areas of concern. The safety of wi-fi has been repeatedly questioned by a growing number of parents and experts after it has been linked to cancer and a condition called electro-sensitivity. Independent scientists have also said that wi-fi should not be used in schools because of the risk of constant exposure to such radiation.
2007-10-16	Ghana	Joy Online	Do mobile phones have health implications?
Prof. Kofi Oduro-Afriyie, a Physicist at the University of Ghana, Legon, admits that no specific research has been done with regards to mobile phones in Ghana, but quickly confirmed that EMR is a known health hazard. And he says, "even though our human bodies need a certain level of radiation to survive, too much of it will cause genetic mutations, leukemia, cancer and impotence." He added, "electromagnetic radiation is all the more dangerous because these diseases take about 20 years before they show." EMFacts also reports that a research team led by Dr B. Hockings found that children living within four kilometres of TV transmission towers in Sydney showed higher rates of childhood leukemia, the disease most often implicated with exposure to EMR. In fact "childhood leukemia in the exposed (closer) group was 60 per cent higher than in the control (further) group." In this study, the level of EMR was 1000 times lower than the Australian standard. Of great concern to researchers is that children seem to be more affected by EMR than are adults. In other research, a 1990 study by Richard Hayes found that men who were exposed to micro and radio waves had a greater incidence of testicular cancer. A 1987 study by Dr W. Morton of the University of Oregon's Health Science Centre, found excess cancer among people living close to radio and TV broadcast towers. A Polish study found that soldiers exposed to EMR suffered from increased rates of leukemia and lymphoma. At the same time, Drs Henry Lai and Narendra Singh in Seattle, USA, found that exposing rats to 'safe' levels of radiation resulted in increased breaks in the DNA of their brain cells – and damage to DNA is associated with the initiation of cancer.
2007-10-10	Nigeria	Vanguard	Curbing health hazards of telecommunication masts
From epidemiologic research, persons living in places where telecommunication masts are erected are vulnerable to disorders like cancer, lung diseases, sleep disturbances and even physical disabilities. Hence, we are no longer faced by the question of whether these EMF (Electro-magnetic Frequency) fields cause health problems or not. What is uncertain is just how this ill-health will manifest in an individual; this is determined by the individual’s own constitution and health and may manifest in many ways. Evidence abounds that the EMF ultimately leads to some form of illness and disease in humans. Children, in particular, with their developing immune systems coupled with sick people are more prone to the effects. In a recent research on the increased incidence of cancer near a cell phone, it was found out that people living within the vicinity of base stations report various complaints not only of the circulatory system, but also of sleep disturbances, irritability, depression, blurred vision, concentration difficulties, nausea, lack of appetite, headache and dizziness.
2007-10-09	UK	Telegraph	Mobile phone cancer risk 'higher for children'
Prof Kjell Mild, of Orbero University, Sweden, who is a Government adviser and led the research, said that children should not be allowed to use mobile phones because their thinner skulls and developing nervous system made them particularly vulnerable. Professor Mild said the danger may be even greater than his study suggests because 10 years is the minimum period needed by cancers to develop. "I find it quite strange to see so many official presentations saying that there is no risk. There are strong indications that something happens after 10 years," he said. He has called for more research, especially into a possible link between mobile phones and Alzheimer's disease, since "we have indications that it might be a problem", as well as a possible link with Parkinson's. The need for greater research has been echoed by Prof Lawrie Challis, who led the MTHR research.
2007-10-07	UK	The Independent	Public health: The hidden menace of mobile phones
Using a mobile phone for more than 10 years increases the risk of getting brain cancer, according to the most comprehensive study of the risks yet published. The study – which contradicts official pronouncements that there is no danger of getting the disease – found that people who have had the phones for a decade or more are twice as likely to get a malignant tumour on the side of the brain where they hold the handset. The scientists who conducted the research say using a mobile for just an hour every working day during that period is enough to increase the risk – and that the international standard used to protect users from the radiation emitted is "not safe" and "needs to be revised". They conclude that "caution is needed in the use of mobile phones" and believe children, who are especially vulnerable, should be discouraged from using them at all. The study, published in the latest issue of the peer-reviewed journal Occupational Environmental Medicine, is important because it pulls together research on people who have used the phones for long enough to contract the disease. Cancers take at least 10 years – and normally much longer – to develop but, as mobile phones have spread so recently and rapidly, relatively few people have been using them that long.
2007-10-01	UK	EMH-Health.com	Cell Phone Towers: How Far is Safe?
If you or people you know live within a quarter mile of a cell phone tower, this may be of concern. Two studies, one in Germany and the other in Israel, reveal that living in proximity of a cell phone tower or antenna could put your health at significant risk.
2007-09-30	USA	New York Post	TUMOR HAS IT ... we may be ignoring new risk factors for cancer
In “The Secret History of the War on Cancer,” Devra Davis, director of the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh, argues that while government and businesses pushed for a “cure” for cancer, they long ignored environmental causes of the disease. For instance, as early as 1936, scientists saw a link between tobacco and lung cancer - yet it took decades for officials to get serious about anti-smoking campaigns. In this excerpt from the book, Davis argues that, similarly, we may not be paying enough attention to the possible dangers of today. ...
2007-09-29	UK	Telegraph	New link between cancer and Mobile Phone use!
Fresh fears over the health hazards linked to using mobile phones have been raised after scientists found that handset radiation could trigger cell division. A study found that exposure to mobile phone signals for just five minutes stimulated human cells to split in two - a process that occurs naturally when tissue grows or rejuvenates, but that is also central to the development of cancer. Official guidance that mobile phones were safe was based on the mainstream scientific assumption that electromagnetic radiation from such devices could damage cells and tissue only by heating them. But the new research, reported in this week's New Scientist, supports the position of those researchers who argue that handsets can trigger potentially harmful changes to cells irrespective of temperature changes.
2007-09-21	Nigeria	Nigerian Tribune	Mobile phone mast: Possible cause of cancer, fatigue
Phone masts have provoked protests throughout Britain with thousands of people objecting each week to planning applications. Meanwhile, many people in Nigeria are not aware of the possibility that phone masts may have negative health implications, when erected near residential areas.
2007-09-19	USA	Business Week	My Cell Phone is Safe...Right?
There is a disturbing and growing body of scientific evidence that points to health dangers associated with cell phones. The lastest comes from The French Interphone Study and the results are anything but reassuring. Europe has a precautionary attitude towards cell phones. That’s why they don’t market them to children and insist on labeling that notes the potential risks and dangers. In the U.S., things work differently...
2007-09-16	UK	The Independent	EU watchdog calls for urgent action on Wi-Fi radiation
Europe's top environmental watchdog is calling for immediate action to reduce exposure to radiation from Wi-Fi, mobile phones and their masts. It suggests that delay could lead to a health crisis similar to those caused by asbestos, smoking and lead in petrol. The warning, from the EU's European Environment Agency (EEA) follows an international scientific review which concluded that safety limits set for the radiation are "thousands of times too lenient", and an official British report last week which concluded that it could not rule out the development of cancers from using mobile phones.
2007-09-16	UK	The Independent	EU watchdog calls for urgent action on Wi-Fi radiation
Europe's top environmental watchdog is calling for immediate action to reduce exposure to radiation from Wi-Fi, mobile phones and their masts. It suggests that delay could lead to a health crisis similar to those caused by asbestos, smoking and lead in petrol. The warning, from the EU's European Environment Agency (EEA) follows an international scientific review which concluded that safety limits set for the radiation are "thousands of times too lenient", and an official British report last week which concluded that it could not rule out the development of cancers from using mobile phones. Professor Jacqueline McGlade, the EEA's executive director, said yesterday: "Recent research and reviews on the long-term effects of radiations from mobile telecommunications suggest that it would be prudent for health authorities to recommend actions to reduce exposures, especially to vulnerable groups, such as children."
2007-09-15	Australia	IT Wire	More bad news on the dangers of using cellphones
A massive study in the UK into the possible health effects of radiation from cellphones has been unable to rule them safe in the long term, and another international study has concluded that what are presently considered to be acceptable exposure levels to radio waves of all frequencies are too high and should be lowered.
2007-09-10	Germany	The Independent	Germany warns citizens to avoid using Wi-Fi
Environment Ministry's verdict on the health risks from wireless technology puts the British government to shame. People should avoid using Wi-Fi wherever possible because of the risks it may pose to health, the German government has said. Its surprise ruling – the most damning made by any government on the fast-growing technology – will shake the industry and British ministers, and vindicates the questions that The Independent on Sunday has been raising over the past four months. And Germany's official radiation protection body also advises its citizens to use landlines instead of mobile phones, and warns of "electrosmog" from a wide range of other everyday products, from baby monitors to electric blankets.
2007-09-09	USA	Washington Post	Hold the Line: The Debate Over the Health Effects of Wireless
A 2003 report from Lund University in Sweden found that rats at the development level of human teenagers experienced brain damage after being exposed to normal cellphone radiation; several recent studies have linked cellphone use to male reproductive damage and sleep disturbances in humans. "There are enough scientific data to indicate that one should limit direct exposures to cellphone radiation," says Henry Lai of the University of Washington in Seattle, a leading researcher on the subject. Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do to escape EMFs, though you can limit your use of cellphones and wireless devices, use headsets when possible and avoid living near power lines and cellphone towers.
2007-09-09	UK	The Independent	Germany warns citizens to avoid using Wi-Fi
People should avoid using Wi-Fi wherever possible because of the risks it may pose to health, the German government has said. Its surprise ruling – the most damning made by any government on the fast-growing technology – will shake the industry and British ministers, and vindicates the questions that The Independent on Sunday has been raising over the past four months. And Germany's official radiation protection body also advises its citizens to use landlines instead of mobile phones, and warns of "electrosmog" from a wide range of other everyday products, from baby monitors to electric blankets. The Environment Ministry recommended that people should keep their exposure to radiation from Wi-Fi "as low as possible" by choosing "conventional wired connections". It added that it is "actively informing people about possibilities for reducing personal exposure".
2007-09-05	India	India Times	Delhi pleads against cell towers
The growing number of mobile phone towers in the capital seems to have raised alarm bells in the power corridors. With no defined standards to check harmful electromagnetic radiation (EMR) being emitted from these towers, Delhi Government has sought Centre's help in the matter. "There are around 3,000 towers of cellular service providers and daily one or two tower is being added. However, there is no defined standards for safe radiation levels or say data about how much radiation is being emitted from them," a senior Delhi Government official told PTI here...He pointed out that phones and base station antennae used by telecom operators radiate energy that heats up tissues and may be harmful to human beings, especially children. Concurs Jawaharlal Nehru University Prof J Behari, who is conducting a research in this field, "It is not only in India that such things are creating panic among people, many years back, WHO had warned countries to adopt serious measures towards this possible hazard. "Many countries including Canada, Germany, Italy, China, US, Sweden etc have implemented various legislative measures in this direction," he added.
2007-08-31	UK	Spiked	Is it ethical to own a mobile phone?
My son is now starting his senior school and he wants to get a mobile phone. I wasn’t sure he really needed one, but then it got me thinking whether I really needed one, too. I must admit I sometimes find it very convenient but is it ethical to own a mobile phone?
2007-08-31	UK	Telegraph	New doubts raised over mobile phone safety
Just five minutes of exposure to mobile phone emissions can trigger changes that occur during cancer development, according to new research. The new research, highlighted in this week’s New Scientist, supports the position of some researchers who argue handsets can trigger potentially harmful changes to cells irrespective of temperature changes. Prof Rony Seger, a cancer researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, and colleagues exposed rat and human cells to electromagnetic radiation at a similar frequency to that emitted by mobiles. The power of the signal was around 1/10th of that from a mobile. After just five minutes the researchers identified the production of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1/2) – natural chemicals that stimulate cell division and growth.
2007-08-30	USA	Yahoo! News	Renowned Scientists Issue Wake-up Call on EMF and RF Radiation Hazards
An international working group of renowned scientists, researchers and public health policy professionals (The BioInitiative Working Group) has released its report on electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and health. It raises serious concerns about the safety of existing public limits that regulate how much EMF is allowable from power lines, cell phones, and many other sources of EMF exposure in daily life. The report documents scientific evidence raising worries about health impacts including childhood leukemia (from power lines and other electrical exposures), brain tumors and acoustic neuromas (from cell and cordless phones) and Alzheimer's disease. There is evidence that EMFs are a risk factor for both childhood and adult cancers. EMFs from such sources as electric power lines, interior wiring and grounding of buildings and appliances are linked to increased risks for childhood leukemia and may set the stage for adult cancers later in life.
2007-08-23	RSA	IT Web	SITA, MTN partner for MobiGov
The State IT Agency (SITA) is partnering with MTN to bring mobility to government services. Through the agreement, MTN will provide a private network for each government department that requisitions it, linking employees to their offices 24/7. The partnership agreement was signed at a media conference during the annual SITA GovTech 2007 conference, taking place this week in Cape Town. MTN Network Solutions CEO Mike Brierley says the MobiGov network protects against serious ICT security threats, as employees do not have to go through the public Internet to access their e-mail or government network. 'The huge penetration of mobile devices within this country paves the way for the access of government services anywhere and at anytime,' he says. SA has a reported mobile penetration of 89%.
2007-07-31	USA	AlterNet	Are your cell phone and laptop bad for your health?
For years, opponents of cell towers and wireless technology have voiced concerns about potential health effects of electromagnetic fields. Once ridiculed as crackpots and Luddites, they're starting to get backup from the scientific community.
2007-07-22	RSA	The Sunday Independent	Probe looks at effect of radiation on vital bugs
Radiation from cellphones, television sets, radios and other electronic gadgets could be destroying insect populations.
2007-07-20	RSA	IT Web	Vodacom results for the period ended 30 June 2007
South Africa increased its customer base by 6.9% since 31 March 2007 to 24.6 million customers in an increasingly competitive market. South Africa's customer base comprises 3.2 million contract customers and 21.3 million prepaid customers, reflecting increases of 7.5% and 6.9% since 31 March 2007, respectively.
2007-07-08	UK	The Independent	Two in three believe radiation from phones damaged their health
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. 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 that the 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.
2007-06-25	USA	The Gainesville Sun	Researchers split about risks posed by cell phones
A recent study linked heavy use of phones with a decline in male fertility. Other studies found long-term use of phones might cause brain cancer. And then there's the widely circulated - and since discredited - idea that cell phones are responsible for a mysterious disorder making honeybees flee from their hives. Cell phone producers say mainstream scientific opinion backs their stance that the phones are safe. But some researchers say a closer look reveals the industry has paid for studies showing cell phones are harmless. Henry Lai, a bioengineering professor at the University of Washington, found more than 70 percent of studies showing phones are safe involved researchers who were funded by or have acted as consultants to the industry.
2007-05-22	USA	Eyewitness News	Dying bees could impact food supply
Over half the bees in America have died in the last decade which points to a shortage of far more than just honey as bees pollinate a third of nearly everything we eat. Cellphone radiation is amongst the potential causes currently being investigated by scientists.
2007-05-12	AUS	IOL	Phone brain tumour scare leaves offices bare
The two top floors of a university building were temporarily closed following a demand by the academics' union for a health audit when it came to light that seven of the staff members have been diagnosed with brain tumours in the past seven years.
2007-05-07	USA	CBC News	Medical journal criticizes WHO for neglecting evidence
When developing "evidence-based" guidelines, the World Health Organization routinely forgets one key ingredient: evidence. That's the verdict from a study published in the Lancet online Tuesday. The medical journal's criticism of WHO will shock many in the global health community, as one of WHO's main jobs is to produce guidelines on everything from fighting the spread of bird flu and malaria control to enacting anti-tobacco legislation. "This is a pretty seismic event," Lancet editor Dr. Richard Horton, who was not involved in the research for the article. "It undermines the very purpose of WHO." The study was conducted by Dr. Andrew Oxman and Dr. Atle Fretheim, of the Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services, and Dr. John Lavis at McMaster University in Hamilton. They interviewed senior WHO officials and analyzed various guidelines to determine how they were produced. What they found was a distinctly non-transparent process. WHO's director of research policy Dr. Tikki Pang said that some of his WHO colleagues were shocked by the Lancet's study, but he acknowledged the criticism had merit, and explained that time pressures and a lack of both information and money sometimes compromised WHO work. The Lancet study - conducted in 2003-04 through analyzing WHO guidelines and questioning WHO officials also found that the officials themselves were concerned about the agency's methods. One unnamed WHO director was quoted in the study as saying: "I would have liked to have had more evidence to base recommendations on." Another said: "We never had the evidence base well-documented." "People are well-intended at WHO," Oxman said. "The problem is that good intentions and plausible theories aren't sufficient."
2007-04-23	UK	Medical News Today	Asia's Approaching Cancer Epidemic
Asia is 'on the cusp of a major cancer epidemic of unprecedented proportions'. This was the main topic of discussion for hundreds of delegates at the Lancet Asia Medical Forum in Singapore last week. According to information on the Lancet Asia Medical Forum website, the number of new cancer cases in Asia is set to increase from 3.5 million in 2002 to 8.1 million by 2020 if 'current prevention and management strategies remain unchanged'. Cancer kills more people globally than AIDS, TB and malaria combined.
2007-04-22	UK	The Sunday Times	Cancer victims ask: "Is it the phone mast's fault?"
Margaret Hines-Randle is fighting cancer, but she is not alone in her struggle. In fact most of the people in her road are battling alongside her, since they have the illness too. At the most recent count, 30 of her immediate neighbours were either suffering with cancer or had already died from it. “We are all in a line, it is quite extraordinary,” said the 64-year-old, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer eight years ago. “It is a very dramatic cluster of cancer. The people in the house behind us and the one at the side have it. Both the people in the first and second bungalows in the road had cancer and died. Now the person who moved in to one of them has breast cancer too.” Just down the road at St Edward’s Roman Catholic primary school, Pat Ward’s pockets are full of paper tissues, but he doesn’t have a cold. The deputy headmaster uses them to mop up the nosebleeds of his pupils: he finds that their noses haemorrhage with such frequency that a ready supply of tissues is a necessity. Next door at the Woodlands special school, no fewer than seven of the 30-strong staff have developed tumours in the last few years, including Ward’s 46-year-old wife Sally who teaches there. Two have died. A nearby caretaker has been diagnosed with a prostate tumour at the age of 37. Even the lollipop lady who helped the children to cross the road has died of cancer. The cause of all this illness in Coleshill is not clear. But many of those living in the affluent Warwickshire town believe much of it can be attributed to a mobile phone mast which looms large over its southern half. The schools, which are adjacent to the 27m-high structure, have stood in its shadow for nearly 15 years. More worrying perhaps is that although the Coleshill cluster is extraordinary, it is not unique. Tight bunches of cancers and other illnesses have been recorded around masts in other parts of the country, and fears about phone masts generally are widespread. It is already acknowledged that there is a link between electromagnetic radiation from overhead power cables and childhood leukaemia - something that was also disputed for many years. Campaigners estimate that at any one time in Britain today there are about a thousand active disputes going on over phone masts.
2007-04-15	UK	Sunday Times	Phone cancer report ‘buried’
T-MOBILE, the mobile phone giant, has been accused of “burying” a scientific report it commissioned that concluded handsets and masts contribute to cancer and genetic damage. The report argued that officially recommended limits on radiation exposure should be cut to 1/1000th of those in force. The suggestion has not been taken up by the company or by regulators. The Ecolog study, drawn up in 2000 and updated three years later, has only been published in Germany and was unknown to British campaigners until it was recently leaked to the Human Ecological Social Economic project (HESE), which examines the effect of electromagnetic fields on health. Ecolog’s report, which analysed dozens of peer-reviewed studies, stated: “Given the results of the present epidemiological studies, it can be concluded that electromagnetic fields with frequencies in the mobile telecommunications range do play a role in the development of cancer. “This is particularly notable for tumours of the central nervous system.” Full study here: http://www.emrsa.co.za/documents/ecolog2000.pdf
2007-01-19	USA	Microwave News	Public health officials urge precaution to limit cancer risk
'I believe there is solid evidence supporting an association between exposure to magnetic fields and the incidence of childhood leukemia', Wartenberg told the CSC. As a public health professional I believe strongly that prudent action to limit the exposure and possibly prevent several children from developing cancer is essential unless the costs...outweigh the value of the impact on these children's lives.'
2007-01-15	USA	Council on Wireless Technology Impacts	Library director resigns because of Wifi
A Library Director at a college in Santa Fe, NM left her position due to wireless internet (WiFi) in the library. 'I don't feel that I should have to jeopardize my health to secure or maintain employment, but allowing oneself to be irradiated is fast becoming a condition of employment for librarians. I just said no.' B. Blake Levitt, a medical journalist who has been researching the biological affects of nonionizing radiation since the late '70's, and author of: Electromagnetic Fields: A Consumer's Guide to the Issues and How to Protect Ourselves, and Cell Towers: Wireless Convenience? or Environmental Hazard? wrote, 'Once considered safe environments/professions, librarians and teachers are now in high risk professions.'
2006-12-21	AUS	ABC	ABC Toowong to close after cancer scare
The ABC will abandon one of its capital city headquarters within a matter of weeks because of a health investigation, which has revealed an unacceptably high incidence of breast cancer at the broadcaster's Brisbane base. The report showed women who work there have reported breast cancer at a rate 11 times higher than the general working community. The report examined the cases of 10 women who were diagnosed with breast cancer while working at the Toowong site. Most of them worked in the newsroom, and had been there for more than 5 years. The ABC's Managing Director has also revealed there will now be similar health studies at ABC sites around Australia.
2006-12-04	West Indies	Trinidad Newsday	Cell-tower radiation can kill
Hundreds of persons, from the very young to the elderly, living in and around cell-towers are unknowingly living with death as both local and international medical research indicate radiation from these towers may cause major diseases, sometimes with fatal consequences. This was the view expressed by several professors, researchers and public health scientists during a health symposium yesterday at the University of the West Indies, Mt Hope. Members of the panel found that brain tumours, memory loss, a reduced sperm count and leukaemia were some of the effects caused by constant exposure to cell-tower radiation. It was added that the towers should not be placed closer than 300 metres to where people live.
2006-11-26	Australia	video: Australia News Release, Channel 9	Cell phones and Brain Cancer
It was reported by a television channel in Sydney that brain tumours claim more young lives than any other form of cancer. The tumour rate has increased by over 21% in just a decade.
2006-11-13	RSA	Medill Journalism	Row stirs cell mast forest
Applications from cellphone providers to erect masts and antennae on residential and business properties in the Western Cape have more than doubled over the past year. As cellphone users continue to soar, providers are looking to residents and businesses to allow masts, antennae and base stations on their property. This has intensified debate over whether cellphone equipment should be sited so close to homes and whether the city is able to resolve disputes. According to some, the increase in contentious cases highlights the inefficiency of municipalities in dealing with cell-mast proliferation, especially in Cape Town. Attempts to get a comprehensive list of cellphone base stations in the metropolitan area last week were fruitless. City officials said the information was unavailable.
2006-11-01	UK	Cancer Active	Mobile Phone Mast radiation and Breast Cancer - Eileen O'Connor's story
Breast cancer rates are now at an all time high. The Daily Mail reported on 30/9/2006 that 37,000 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in England and Wales in 2004 - a 10 per cent increase on the previous year, so something must be done and clearly there is little thought given to the wider possible causes of cancer prevention in the UK! It cannot be simply a case of ‘less smoking and sunshine, more fruit and vegetables’. One other important fact is that since the Wishaw Mast was removed - on November 2003 - many of the residents are reporting a restored feeling of well-being, improvement in sleep patterns and increased energy levels. Simple things like the headaches and dizzy symptoms have disappeared. There has been a baby boom in the village. We have seen a return of wildlife in the area with woodpeckers, nuthatches and sparrows that simply weren’t there before and even the horse has since recovered and is now strong and healthy and no longer needs treatment.
2006-07-07	AUS	The Age	Cancer cluster worry at ABC studio
Past and present staff at the ABC's Toowong studios in Brisbane are considering legal action against the broadcaster after another woman was diagnosed with breast cancer. It is believed that 12 women had been diagnosed with breast cancer at the site, including seven in the last five years. In addition to breast cancer, cases of thyroid, testicular and prostate cancer have also been reported at the site, while six women are believed to have suffered benign lumps or unusual breast tissue.
2006-03-04	UK	Times Online	Phone revolution makes Africa upwardly mobile
Africa has the world’s fastest-growing mobile phone market which is expanding more than twice as fast as Asia's. At the start of 2000, there were eight million subscribers in Africa. According to a report by Informa, a telecoms analyst, there are now more than 100 million mobiles in use on the continent — one for every nine Africans.
2006-01-29	GER	Microwave News	Is There a Ten-Year Latency for Cell Phone Tumor Development?
A German research team, which is part of the Interphone project, has reported a 2.2-fold increase in the incidence of gliomas, a type of brain tumor, among those who had used a mobile phone for at least ten years. This result is based on small numbers (12 cases and 11 controls) and is short of statistical significance. Yet, if this new finding were to be confirmed, it would mark the second type of tumor to be associated with long-term cell phone use. This same ten-year threshold has previously been reported by two Swedish teams for acoustic neuroma, a benign tumor of the acoustic nerve.
2005-09-11	UK	Times Online	Electrical fields can make you sick
A government agency has acknowledged for the first time that people can suffer nausea, headaches and muscle pains when exposed to electromagnetic fields from mobile phones, electricity pylons and computer screens. The condition known as electrosensitivity, a heightened reaction to electrical energy, will be recognised as a physical impairment. A report by the Health Protection Agency (HPA), to be published next month, will state that increasing numbers of British people are suffering from the syndrome. While the total figure is not known, thousands are believed to be affected to some extent. Although most European countries do not recognise the condition, Britain will follow Sweden where electrosensitivity was recognised as a physical impairment in 2000. About 300,000 Swedish men and women are sufferers.
2005-08-06	UK	Telegraph	Leukaemia risk 70pc higher for children close to power lines
Researchers find that those whose childhood homes are within 200 metres of a power line have an almost 70 per cent greater risk of being diagnosed with leukaemia. The study, the largest of its kind to date, is published today in the British Medical Journal. It analyses 29,081 people from England and Wales who were diagnosed with cancer aged under 15 between 1962 and 1995. They are compared with the same number of healthy individuals, matched for sex and year and area of birth.
2005-07-25	Israel	IsraCast	Cell-phone radiation can cause visual damage
In a recent scientific study conducted by a team of researchers from the Technion, a possible link between microwave radiation, similar to the type found in cellular phones, and different kinds of damage to the visual system was found. At least one kind of damage seems to accumulate over time and not heal, challenging the common view and leading the researchers to the assertion that the duration of exposure is not less important than the intensity of the irradiation. The researchers also emphasized that existing exposure guidelines for microwave radiation might have to change. In the study conducted by researchers in the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technikon, and published in the journal Bioelectromagnetics, a new link has been found between microwave radiation and the development of cataracts. Although the researchers are cautious about interpreting the results of the experiment and its possible implications to public health, it seems that prolonged exposure to microwave radiation similar to that used by cellular phones can lead to both macroscopic and microscopic damage to the lens and that at least part of this damage seems to accumulate over time and does not seem to heal. Professor Levi Schchter, who worked on the research, told IsraCast that attention should be paid not only to the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) but also to the total energy absorbed by the tissue (SA), which is not currently under supervision by the appropriate regulative authorities. Implying that the duration of exposure is not less important than the intensity of the irradiation.
2005-07-12	USA	Consumer Affairs	WHO Study Examines Cellphone Risks to Kids
While cellphones are increasingly popular among kids, some scientists worry the devices are a health risk to them. The World Health Organization is completing a massive study to see if there's a link between cellphone use and brain cancer and other ailments. Cancer isn't the only focus of the WHO study, which will also look at conditions like memory loss and other decline in mental functioning. The study is also examining the questions of whether people can safely use cellphones while driving and how much they interfere with medical devices.
2005-03-01	USA	University of Washington Alumnus Magazin	Wake-up Call
Henry Lai has a vivid recollection of his introduction to the politics of big science. It was 1994, and he had just received a message from the National Institutes of Health, which was funding work he was doing on the effects of microwave radiation, similar to that emitted by cellular phones, on the brain. He and UW colleague Narendra "N.P." Singh had results indicating that the radiation could cause DNA damage in brain cells. The controversy goes back to a study by Lai and Singh published in a 1995 issue of Bioelectromagnetics. They found an increase in damaged DNA in the brain cells of rats after a single two-hour exposure to microwave radiation at levels considered "safe" by government standards. The idea behind that study was relatively simple: expose rats to microwave radiation similar to that emitted by cell phones, then examine their brain cells to see if any DNA damage resulted. Such damage is worrisome because DNA carries the body's genetic code and breaks, if not repaired properly, could lead to mutations and even cancer. When the study was first published, a spokesperson from the cell phone industry said it was "not very relevant because they didn't use the [same] cellular frequency or cellular power." True, responds Lai. But effects at one frequency could also happen at another frequency, and the exposure level in the experiment was actually lower than one can get from a cell phone. What it indicated was potential problems with the type of radiation the devices emit. "It's all about science, politics and money, and not necessarily in that order," Slesin says. "Henry and N.P. had the courage to buck the system, and they have paid dearly for that."
2004-06-27	UK	Times Online	Mobile phones can cut a man's fertility by a third
Research into the fertility of men who regularly carry and use mobile phones has suggested their sperm count can be cut by up to 30%, reducing chances of conception. In the paper, Dr Imre Fejes of the obstetrics and gynaecology department at the University of Szeged in Hungary concludes: “The prolonged use of cell phones may have a negative effect on spermatogenesis (sperm production) and male fertility, that deteriorates both concentration and motility.” Unlike previous studies, the researchers believe that phones may cause damage while in stand-by mode. Although not in use, they make regular transmissions to maintain contact with the nearest radio masts. It had been assumed such transmissions were too short to cause harm.
2004-06-01	UK	Ecologist Online	Killing Fields - Electromagnetic Radiation
An invisible electrosmog engulfs us, destroying the health of many who do not even know why they have fallen ill. Why is no one listening to the mass of evidence telling us we are frying our brains? Author:Arthur Firstenberg
2003-11-09	UK	Telegraph	Protesters topple mobile phone masts as health scare spreads
Activists have begun tearing down mobile-phone masts around the country, as public concern over the health impact of the radiation they emit continues to grow. Although government advisers say there is no evidence that the masts threaten peoples' health, those living near them have complained of illnesses ranging from cancer to motor neurone disease. Some scientific studies have suggested that the radiation produced by the aerials has an impact on sleep patterns and could have health implications.
2003-04-25	UK	Telegraph	Mobile mast 'spreading cancer'
Residents of a hamlet near a mobile telephone mast have recorded high levels of illness, including seven cases of cancer, raising fresh concerns over the safety of the transmitters. Among the 50 people living in Wishaw, Warwicks, 34 people have reported medical complaints in the past two years. Five women have been diagnosed with breast cancer and two men have been told they have tumours. All live within a mile of the mast.
2002-10-13	UK	The Observer	How mobile phones let spies see our every move
Secret radar technology research that will allow the biggest-ever extension of 'Big Brother'-style surveillance in the UK is being funded by the Government. The technology 'sees' the shapes made when radio waves emitted by mobile phone masts meet an obstruction. Signals bounced back by immobile objects, such as walls or trees, are filtered out by the receiver. This allows anything moving, such as cars or people, to be tracked. Previously, radar needed massive fixed equipment to work and transmissions from mobile phone masts were thought too weak to be useful. Within two years, all mobile phones are expected to have satellite-locating devices built into them.
1999-04-11	UK	The Observer	Lloyds of London refuses to underwrite cell phones
Concern about the safety of mobile phones has prompted a leading Lloyd's underwriter to refuse to insure phone manufacturers against the risk of damage to users' health. The move comes amid mounting concern about the industry's influence on research into the long-term effects of using a mobile. The London market provides insurance for everything from aircraft to footballers' legs. But fears that mobile phones will be linked to illnesses such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease have prompted John Fenn, of underwriting group Stirling, to refuse to cover manufacturers against the risk of being sued if mobiles turn out to cause long-term damage. New research published last week by Bristol University scientist Dr Alan Preece showed a 'highly significant' effect from mobile phone signals on brain function. Some previous studies linked mobiles to increased tumours in rodents, but they have been contradicted by other research. Experts at the NRPB say they cannot give mobile phones a clean bill of health until comprehensive research has been carried out into the non-thermal effects of microwave radiation emitted by handsets. Until now, the vast majority of research has been funded by the industry: there are 78 industry-sponsored studies under way worldwide, while governments fund only 14. The Department of Health says a new working group will be established, including industry and consumer group representatives, but its membership has yet to be agreed. Concerns are increasing about the industry's involvement in research. Some of the NRPB's conclusions have been based on research by Dr Camelia Gabriel, a technical adviser to network operator Orange and head of private consultancy Microwave.
1976-03-22	USA	Time Magazine	Foreign Relations: The Microwave Furor
TIME has learned that the State Department last week decided to launch a full-scale medical investigation of the thousands of U.S. diplomats and their families who served in Moscow since the early 1960s. In the wake of the microwave disclosures, former embassy employees and their families have recalled suffering strange ailments during their tenure in Moscow, ranging from eye tics and headaches to heavy menstrual flows. Some point out that former Ambassadors to Moscow Charles Bohlen and Llewellyn Thompson both died of cancer, within the last two years one other Moscow diplomat died of cancer, and five women who lived there have undergone cancer-related mastectomies—although no medical authorities attribute these deaths and illnesses to radiation. Only in recent weeks has Ambassador Walter Stoessel (who is said to be suffering from anemia and eye hemorrhaging) been briefing embassy staffers on the situation. Rumors that the waves can cause leukemia, sterility in males or birth defects are circulating around the embassy. U.S. Government studies say there could be harmful effects from microwave exposure due to their "cooking" of human cells. But no link to cancer has been demonstrated. Back home, the Democrats have not made a campaign issue of the affair—so far. But cold-warring Scoop Jackson will probably speak out sharply if the waves are not completely switched off pretty soon. Meanwhile, some former employees are considering legal action. One tactic may be to sue the department for more details, under the Freedom of Information Act.