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Important Note on Surveys
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Mast sanity wishes to thank everyone for participating in the health survey. Unfortunately, due to funding issues we have not been able to progress the information and thus all forms have been destroyed according to data protection ruling. If you inadvertently receive a health survey, please do not fill it in. Just destroy it.
As the data controller, it was an anguishing task to read some of these questionnaires and learn of the agonies suffered as a result of the insensitive siting of Masts by the mobile phone industry. Tetra, in particular caused severe reactions.
ES UK is now receiving calls from many who have been affected by the close proximity of the masts in addition to the general proliferation of equipment generating electromagnetic radiation. Mast Sanity and ES UK continue the fight albeit it feels very much like a David and Goliath battle. One can only pray that in the end, like David, we will defeat the giant.
Respectfully, Nancy Watts, Trustee, Mast Sanity
Smart Meter Warning from Sweden 11/03/2011
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- Parent Category: Wi-fi, DECT and Smart meters
Dear Sir,
We live in Sweden. Here the so-called smart meters from the power company EON ( www.Eon.se ) were installed in 2007 and / or the old "Ferrari counter" replaced. They justified the measure by saying that the customer only wants to pay for the electricity that they really used.
We were luckily able to avoid installing the new meter in our house since we are members of the Association of Electrosensitives ( www.feb.se )
We did not want a continuous beam [of microwaves] in our basement.
We explained the reasoning.
Many people who got the meter exchanged had health problems, many even had to leave their homes.
The bills are more expensive, especially in the winter at higher Power consumption costs explode.
We are now forced to read the meter each month and to send the data to EON.se . Even from vacation! Otherwise we are threatened as it is a mandatory exchange [of data].
Some meters are wrong and the customers have to pay bills that are too high.
All this is not motivated by power saving goals.
Rather, it is to get customers to divulge information.
The remote meter reading requires that there is a wireless connection [coverage] from any basement to the GSM [2G] network. Alternatively, it is sent over the power grid, which also leads to electrosmog.
Warning: it's early enough for people to join together to stop this nonsense. The plan is the introduction of smart meters across the EU. The old meter is to be scrapped if it is not smart, they have to be present at least. Many have already asked to have the old meter put back.
Best regards
Ingrid Brandt
Why Our Urban Trees are Dying by Andrew Goldsworthy 2011
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- Parent Category: Health
Introduction
Trees are now dying mysteriously from a variety of diseases in urban areas all over Europe and are also showing abnormal photoperiodic responses. In addition, many have cancer-like growths under the bark (phloem nodules) and the bark may also split so that the underlying tissues become infected. All of these can be explained as being a result of weak radio-frequency radiation from mobile phones, their base stations, WiFi and similar sources of weak non-ionising radiation. But first let us look at how living organisms use electric currents that they generate themselves and which perform vital functions in their normal day-to-day metabolism and growth. We will then go on to see how weak electromagnetic fields can disrupt these and bring about many unwanted biological effects.
Read more: Why Our Urban Trees are Dying by Andrew Goldsworthy 2011
Wi-Fi - Open Letter to Swindon Advertiser by Barrie Trower
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- Parent Category: Health
To Whom It May Concern
I write in comment to the article in Swindon Evening Advertiser 16/02/2011 which was bought to my attention entitled ‘WiFi worry is Unfounded says Council’.
I gave a presentation in Swindon last October 2010 at the Pilgrim Centre ‘Know the Dangers .. Hear the Truth ‘ which was organised by Liz Brackenbury and attended by members of the public along with local councillors, representatives from Talk Swindon Forum and an MP.
During the question and answer session a local councillor stated his intention to go ahead and use wifi in schools etc. When asked what the safe level of exposure to microwave irradiation for a child was he replied ‘ i don t know’
Hence the title of this article is untrue.
Wifi worry is Unfounded says council. In fact the councillor was correct in his comments that he does’ t know what the safe level of microwave irradiation is for a child because there is NO safe level of microwave irradiation for a child known anywhere in the world.
Another quote in the article is also untrue. ‘Both the WHO and the HPA say there is no convincing evidence .... of ill effects’ This statement was made by their spokesperson who has since left to ‘consult’ for the mobile phone industry.
In fact 80% of the Data held by the WHO does show damage from continuous low level microwave irradiation, the WHO told the EU Parliament it would not comment on such dangers to adults until 2015 and only started observing effects on children in 2009, which means the WHO will not comment on children until roughly 2024.
A document published in 1976 by the US Government addressed to all world governments warned that low level microwaves could cause neuropathological and physiological illness in adults and children, at current wifi levels.
Since then the research published by the industry itself and universities have confirmed this. At particular risk is the embryo and young girls.
Research per reviewed and published shows damage to ovaries, testes, immune systems,nervous systems, sleep patterns etc. Unknown to most people is that children absorb more microwave irradiation than adults.
Childhood leukaemia’s were diagnosed from low level microwave irradiation ( by scientific advisor for the WHO – Dr J Goldsmith) as far back as 1950 ‘s
Neither children nor microwaves have changed since.
So tell me councillors: What is the safe level of microwave irradiation for a pupil or a pregnant teacher?
Who takes full legal responsibility for microwave transmitters in schools?
Will you show me the line of writing from your insurance policy which covers illness from microwave irradiation to the people you represent?
And finally what does no convincing scientific evidence.... mean?
Convincing to whom?
Our Government Scientists who assured us over smoking, BSE, Thalidomide, Asbestos?
The Government who take a share of the three trillion pound industry?
Please name for me and the mothers and fathers of Swindon just one credible person who will say ‘continuous low level microwave irradiation is safe for embryo s , infants and children, here is the evidence, peer reviewed and published.
I await your response.
Barrie Trower, Scientific Advisor to Radiation Research Trust and International
Lecturer on Microwave Radiation
DISGRACEFUL! - Karolinska ‘Nobel Prize’ Institute threatens work of noted wireless safety researcher
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- Parent Category: Home
(DUBLIN) An eminent Swedish professor at the prestigious Karolinska Institute in Stockholm is being blocked from completing replication experiments aimed at seeking a definitive answer to the effects of electromagnetic frequencies on the human body.
Prof. Olle Johansson (in happier times on a visit to London)
Prof. Olle Johansson, a long-time critic of wireless communications technology based on his research, has been informed that his offices and lab are required for other purposes, effectively blocking privatelysupported experiments scheduled for August and September. Johansson is associate professor and head of department at the Experimental Dermatology Unit in the institute’s Department of Neuroscience in Stockholm. He is also a professor with the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology.
Johansson first came to the attention of the public when his work led to improved computer screens to protect office workers from what he found as the adverse effects of radiation emitted from monitors.
Next month’s planned experiments are intended to replicate the experiments of Dr. Magda Havas of Trent U University, Canada whose work led to the cancellation of wi-fi in San Francisco and the recent new law requiring warning labels on mobile phones. San Francisco has yet to address the issue of radiation from mobile phone and other telecommunications masts.
Observers claim the current controversy at the Karolinska Institute follows Johansson’s efforts to assist activists in Ireland opposed to the proliferation of telecommunications masts to protect children who absorb up to 75 percent of this type of radiation into their brains. During a visit to Ireland he was quoted as saying “No level of radiation is safe.” The cash-strapped Irish government through the communications regulatory body, ComReg, has introduced what it calls “Test and Trial”, a program where companies are invited to test their wireless equipment in a live environment.
Most recently, Ericsson, the Swedish telecommunications giant conducted tests in the 2.3GHz band at speeds of up to 80MBits/sec using a license issued under ComReg’s Test and Trial licensing program. The experiment used TD-LTE, originally promoted by China Mobile using paired spectrum with separated channels as a competitior to Intel’s Wimax, signal. The TD-LTE technology provides high-speed broadband services which can be used to support services such as high-definition TV, video conferencing and many others” without the need for new devices. Ericsson has two Irish addresses: one in Dublin and its Software Campus at Athlone, Co. Westmeath, the company’s first R&D lab outside Sweden.
The test was conducted using a “large black box” broadcasting from a taxi. No mention of public safety of the test was made by Ericsson.
Two weeks ago, the city of San Francisco passed the first law in the US requiring retailers to display the amount of radiation given off by mobile phones. In retaliation after the vote, the CTIA wireless trade group called off its Autumn show, set for San Francisco. The city stands to lose $80 million in economic activity generated by the 3-day Enterprise and Applications Show, attended by 68,000 visitors. The show has been staged In San Francisco five of the last seven years
Last week U.S. President Barack Obama signed a memorandum doubling the number of frequencies available for wireless devices. The move is intended to create jobs and boost investment in the $153 billion wireless market over the next 10 years. The availability of a bigger chunk of wireless spectrum would allow faster delivery of data and video onto smart phones and other next-generation devices. Digital television is generally regarded as particularly dangerous by the physics community due to the large volume of information incorporated into the carrier waves.
Obama’s memo jump-starts an effort to make available over the next 10 years 500 megahertz of government and commercial spectrum, which reflects a recommendation by the Federal Communications Commission in its National Broadband Plan released in March. In the nation's largest cities, local TV stations use about 150 megahertz, according to the National Broadband Plan.
Researchers such as Dr. George Carlo, of the Science and Public Policy Institute at the Institute for Healthful Adaptation in Washington, D.C. assert that it is not the microwaves but microwaves which carry information that are the cause of the drastic increase in a number of diseases. In Ireland, for example, in a request for funding infection-free examination rooms for cancer patients, the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland (RCPI) predicted last week that by the year 2025, half the population will suffer from some form of cancer.
In April, The European Academy for Environmental Medicine issued the Wuerzberg Appeal, outlining the increasing prevalence of chronic multisystem illnesses such as multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FMS) as well as cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, neurodegenerative diseases, auto immune diseases and cancer. These multisystem diseases are considered chronic inflammatory processes influenced by environmental factors including chemical pollutants, biological infectious agents and electromagnetic field (EMF) triggers.
Johansson’s difficulties began last year when he was approached by Staffan Cullheim, head of the neuroscience department, who informed the professor he was to vacate his premises immediately because they were to be used as an “animal house for ferrets”.
Johansson refused point blank and the issue was dropped. The professor became ill and required surgery. Still convalescing, he returned to work and was again confronted by Cullheim, this time with plans to use his office and lab for an imaging facility.
Commenting on the Karolinska Institute’s attempted closure of Johansson’s research facilities, Dr. Carlo, said, "Olle Johansson's lab is one of the few remaining places in the world where independent, non-industry funded research on EMR health effects is being
done. It would be a tragedy if he were to be suppressed from carrying on his work."
The Karolinska Institute has a long history of intellectual scientific rigor as well as honours. Each year the Nobel Assembly of 50 Karolinska professors collates the nominees for the world famous Nobel awards in the fields physiology or medicine.
Prof. Harriet Walberg-Henriksson, president of the Karolinska Institute, and Prof. Bernd Huber, chairman of the League of European Research Universities, have not responded to queries regarding Johansson’s status, research or the timing of the proposed closure of his lab.
Smoke Alarms and Electrosensitivity
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- Parent Category: Home
There have been a number of cases where electrosensitive individuals have been badly affected by smoke alarms, when they develop severe symptoms of electrosensitivity that seem to last longer than those from exposure to weak non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation. The most likely cause is that the cheap “ionizing” type of smoke alarm contains a radioactive isotope (Americium-241) that gives off small amounts of gamma rays that can trigger electrosensitive responses.
Americium-241 emits both alpha particles and gamma rays. The alpha particles ionize the air in a chamber inside the device, which allows it to conduct electricity from the battery. When smoke enters the chamber, it combines with these ions to neutralise them, which reduces the flow of current and sets off the alarm. The alpha particles cannot travel far through air and are contained within the casing of the alarm, but the gamma rays are more penetrating and escape to the outside.
Gamma rays damage the fatty components of cell membranes (in effect they go rancid) and the membranes leak. When this occurs in sensory cells, they trigger the release of neurotransmitters, which stimulate neighbouring nerve cells to send false signals to the brain. This then gives symptoms of electrosensitivity. Electrosensitivity to non-ionizing electromagnetic fields; e.g. from mobile phones, is probably due to membrane leakage caused by the temporary removal of some of the calcium ions that normally stabilise them, and is more rapidly reversed.
If you find you are affected by these devices, the best solution is to buy one or more “optical” smoke detectors. These contain no radioactive isotope. Instead, smoke entering the device interrupts a beam of infra red light and it is this that sets the alarm off. They are more expensive and the batteries may not last so long, but they are less likely to give false alarms when there is no significant smoke; e.g. from cooking or burning the toast.
Andrew Goldsworthy 2010
Interphone Study Design Flaws Video
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- Parent Category: TV Shows & Documentaries
Interphone Study Design Flaws from ElectromagneticHealth.Org on Vimeo.
17th May 2010 - Interphone Study : The Details Contradict the Soundbites
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- Parent Category: Media
(See our (embargoed) Press Release (below) for an evaluation of the Interphone Study that is/was scheduled for release tomorrow.)
It is interesting that the same sources that just cut and paste the Press Release from the Science and Media Centre (or the Mobile Operators Association) - such as the Guardian, Mirror and the BBC - will be publishing a 'no adverse effects' story this evening and/or tomorrow whilst other publications have looked at the detailsof the study and noted that the actual trends in the small print of the conclusions of the studies published within the Interphone Study still show a significant tumour threat whilst the studies omitted from the Report are even more clear-cut in showing a link between mobile phone use and brain cancer risk.
"Cause for Concern"
Daily Mail
Daily Mail
Express
Express
The Scotsman
Sunday Times
Telegraph
"No Adverse Effects"
BBC
Guardian
Independent
Mirror
The Times
The Times
Press Release 14th May 2010 - WHITEWASH - Interphone Study Report : Industry & Governments Cover-Up Proof of Brain Tumour Risk from Mobile Phones
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- Parent Category: Media
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) are issuing only partial results of the Interphone studies on Tuesday [0] . These published resultsjust include gliomas and meningiomas. They leave out the results for salivary gland tumours and acoustic neuromas - the results of which are even more damning. [7,8,9]
The results of this 13 country study are 5 years overdue with reports of deep divides between researchers. Perhaps a case of "Do we cover up the bad news or do we tell the truth?”
The summary within the report claims that there is no overall increased risk. However, the detail of the published results show a 40% increased risk for 1,640 hours use (10 years) for glioma and 15% for Meningioma, with more tumours on the side of the head where the mobile phone is held.
Previously a paper published in Pathophysiology[1] details 11 design flaws in the Interphone study. These flaws even led to one study claiming that mobile phone use actually reduced brain tumour risk by 20%! This is clearly ridiculous and shows how skewed the design was. Could the large industry funding have played a part in the design of the study?
That even this skewed set of studies still throws up an increase in brain cancer risk after 10 years use should make people worry. Brain tumours are increasing at the rate of 2% every year. So much so that brain tumours are now the biggest cause of cancer death in young men and women in the UK [10].
Brain tumour studies have been conducted by 2 research groups only - Interphone and Prof Hardell at Obrero University in Sweden.
Last year 5 scientists reviewed all the published studies to date i.e. Interphone and Hardell’s independently funded studies. [2]
This report showed a doubling of brain tumour risk after 10 years use with a 5 times increased risk of brain tumours for children using a mobile before age 20. [3] The authors assume this was an underestimate due to the flaws in Interphone.
Australian Television interviewed 2 of the researchers - brain surgeons Dr Teo and Dr Khurana. This is what they had to say:
Dr Teo, says: "If the question is do I believe that mobile phones can cause brain cancer? The answer is yes, I do."
Dr Teo also gives this warning: "I'm incredibly worried, concerned, depressed at the number of kids I'm seeing coming in with brain tumours. Malignant brain tumours. Just in the last three or four weeks I've seen nearly half a dozen kids with tumours which really should have been benign and they've all been nasty, malignant brain tumours. We are doing something terribly wrong."
Dr Vini Khurana says "Long-term use of mobile phones is associated with a doubling of the risk of being diagnosed with certain brain tumours....I actually think it may be a conservative estimate."[4]
According to Lloyd Morgan, B.Sc., lead author of the white paper, “Cellphones and Brain Tumors: 15 Reasons for Concern, Science, Spin and the Truth Behind Interphone” [5] "This data is already past its ‘sell-by’ date. Further delays in releasing the other data are not acceptable. In my opinion, the whole Interphone study has turned into a scandalous and expensive fiasco."
Mast Sanity calls upon (WHO/IARC) to come clean and admit that Mobile Phone use DOES cause Brain Cancer.
Furthermore, Mast Sanity call for an immediate release of all Interphone raw data to ensure transparency and complete disclosure, and the results of the unpublished studies to be made public.
[Note: This Press Release was Embargoed until 1.30am Tuesday 18th May 2010 and was clearly marked as such]
Dr. Andrew Goldsworthy Witness Statement April 2010
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- Parent Category: Health
(reproduced by permission)
Abstract
Many people suffer one or more of a wide variety of symptoms when exposed to weak non-ionising electromagnetic radiation, including that from cell phones and Wi-Fi. Those responsible for the radiation deny that these effects exist, saying that there is no plausible explanation. In this submission I explain just how these effects can arise, and how virtually all of them share one of two common mechanisms. The pieces of the jigsaw fit together remarkably well and leave little doubt that the majority of the reported effects are real and must be taken seriously. Knowledge of the mechanisms makes it possible to mitigate the worst of these effects and I have made a number of suggestions as to how this might be done. I have also explained how a simple test, taking just a day or two to perform, could be used to assess the biological safety of both new and existing wireless technologies. Until this has been done, it would be wise to halt the roll-out of new wireless technologies and withdraw from sale particularly hazardous items such as DECT baby monitors which radiate continuously next to a very young child.
Introduction
There are literally thousands of scientific papers written on the non-thermal effects of weak non-ionising radiation such as that from cell phones (www.bioinitiative.org ). Well over half of them show some sort of biological effect, many with either direct or indirect implications for human health. However, the results lack consistency and the cell phone industry uses this to imply that there are really no ill effects and that it is all due to experimental error. This argument is, however, flawed because it does not take into account biological variability.
Biological variability
It is a common mistake made by physicists and engineers alike that living organisms behave like simple physical systems and must always respond in the same way to physical or chemical perturbations. Nothing could be further from the truth. Living cells are not just chemical factories run by a fixed computer program. They are the product of thousands of genes that interact in countless ways, both with each other and the environment. Their physiology changes continuously to cope with rapid alterations in the environment and there are also epigenetic changes to their DNA that can be semi-permanent over the lifetime of the whole organism. It is these characteristics that enable the genes from two different parents to adapt to one another and give a viable offspring rather than a genetic disaster. You could not take a random mix of components from an Apple Mac and a PC, throw them into a box and hope to get a machine that worked. However, living organisms do this sort of thing easily.
It follows that living cells and organisms cannot always be expected to respond in the same way to chemical insults or to electromagnetic radiation. For example, not every smoker dies of cancer and we do not all suffer the same (if any) side effects from taking a medicinal drug. We cannot therefore expect non-ionising radiation to affect everyone equally. Because not everyone is affected by the radiation does not mean that no one is. Although it is understandable why the Industry prefers to use this argument, it is deeply flawed and potentially dangerous to those who are susceptible to the radiation.
Read more: Dr. Andrew Goldsworthy Witness Statement April 2010