The BioInitiative Report (2012), released in late December, provides a public health wakeup call regarding the growing "wireless craze" sweeping our nation. It has major implications for our lives and even our existence. The Report reveals shocking new findings about the biological and health impacts of the type emitted by recent devices like cell phones and smart meters, calling for protection of the public health while there is still time to correct our current course.
The Report issues strongly worded public health warnings based on conclusions from 1800 new studies on the bioeffects and adverse health effects of RFR (radiofrequency radiation) and its broader category of EMF (electromagnetic fields including -frequency microwave (RF-EMF) radio and extremely low frequency fields (ELF-EMF). Its authors, an international team of twenty-nine independent researchers, physicians and experts, refer to these exposures as "a highly preventable source of disease but not without early enough translation of the science into action". They assert, "the time for arguing whether EMF health effects exist is over. We know they exist and that they result in human disease"[1], calling for public health policies and legislation to be enacted.
Warnings about biological and health impacts of RFR and EMF exposures were issued for high risk groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant women, special needs children (those with autism, attention problems (ADD), hyperactivity (ADHD), learning disabilities, emotionally disturbances, and conduct disorders); people with a broad range of medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, and cancer, and immune system, neurological, and coronary disorders. In one animal study, after five generations of exposure, irreversible infertility occurred. This has massive potential implications for the human race, now being heavily marketed "all things wireless", as well as all living beings.
Biological and health impacts reported
EMF (including radiofrequency radiation (RFR) and extremely low frequency fields) bioeffects reported for humans and/or animals[2]:
- are CLEARLY established
- occur at very low levels of exposure - and lower intensities are not always less harmful - no linear dose-response relationship exists
- can occur in the first few minutes of exposure
- EMF assaults the cells
- include genotoxicity - DNA; damage to sperm, ovarian development and follicles, and reproductive systems leading to cancer, potential infertility and mutations.
- can be a plausible biological mechanism for autism (now at 1 out of every 88 children born in the USA, a vast increase)
- include carcinogenicity (cancer-causing) in humans
- point to an association with the development of cancers, coronary, asthma, psychological and learning problems
- include neurotoxicity in humans and animals (interferes with the electrical activities of nerves, thus preventing them from functioning) - may be implicated in Altzheimer's, dementia, attention deficit disorders (ADHD), learning disabilities (LD), and behavioral disorders
- a decrease in melatonin, which protects against Altzheimers Disease
- can lead to adverse multi-generational health effects w/ chronic exposures
- impact brains of adults and children including leakage of the blood brain barrier (BBB), allowing toxins to enter sensitive brain tissue and cause damage
- sufficient evidence exists for IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization) to classify EMF as a known (Group 1) carcinogen
- can include for children and adolescents: headaches, concentration difficulties and behavioral disturbances
- can include for adults: sleep disturbances, headaches, and concentration problems
- indicate we are likely heading into a global epidemic of brain tumors due to use of cell phones and cordless phones
This means that scores of heavily marketed, recent technologies are placing our children, the general public, and our collective DNA (future generations) at serious risk. That now, wireless and technologies in common use may be implicated, via first-hand and second-hand exposures, in the development of cancer, autism, infertility, asthma, and other medical conditions and disabilities. These include wi-fi, cell phones, cordless phones,'smart' utility meters, 'smart' appliances with wireless chips being used in the Home Area Network (HAN) being promoted by utilities, cell towers and antennas, baby monitors, wireless security systems, gaming systems, laptops, and other wireless appliances and devices that emit RFR and EMF.
Children in schools -comments from BioInitiative Report 2012 (page 12):
- Children with existing neurological problems that include cognitive, learning, attention,memory, or behavioral problems should as much as possible be provided with wired (not wireless) learning, living and sleeping environments,
- Special education classrooms should observe 'no wireless' conditions to reduce avoidable stressors that may impede social, academic and behavioral progress.
- All children should reasonably be protected from the physiological stressor of significantly elevated EMF/RFR (wireless in classrooms, or home environments).
- School districts that are now considering all-wireless learning environments should be strongly cautioned that wired environments are likely to provide better learning and teaching environments, and prevent possible adverse health consequences for both students and faculty in the long-term.
- Monitoring of the impacts of wireless technology in learning and care environments should be performed with sophisticated measurement and data analysis techniques that are cognizant of the non-linear impacts of EMF/RFR and of data techniques most appropriate for discerning these impacts.
- There is sufficient scientific evidence to warrant the selection of wired internet, wired classrooms and wired learning devices, rather than making an expensive and potentially health-harming commitment to wireless devices that may have to be substituted out later, and
- Wired classrooms should reasonably be provided to all students who opt-out of wireless environments." (Herbert and Sage, 2012 – Section 20)
Current guidelines do not protect
The BioInitiative Report (2012) reveals that current public safety guidelines are at least 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than the levels needed to protect the general public and sensitive populations, based on bioeffects found in these studies. "EMF harms cells at a billion-times lower levels than conventional heating. Safety standards based on heating [ie. FCC] are irrelevant to protect against EMF-levels of exposure."[3] The Report calls for "biologically-based EMF safety standards" - those based on findings from independent scientific studies of bio-effects. The report further points out that FCC and other existing guidelines are insufficient to protect especially vulnerable populations such as the embryo, fetus, newborn, and very young child. The authors suggest a precautionary action level of 0.0003 uW/cm2 (microwatts per centimeter squared) to 0.0006 uW/cm2.[4]
Recommendations:
Specifically, the authors recommend that "proactive and immediate measures be taken to reduce unnecessary EMF exposures, which will lower the disease burden and rates of premature death."
The authors make an urgent call to public health agencies and legislators to immediately implement precautionary protective measures, while working to establish biologically-based standards, based on the bioeffects found in these independent studies.
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Center for Electrosmog Prevention (CEP) Comments:
Drastic measures are called for and it cannot be business as usual, given the overwhelming scientific and epidemiological evidence.
Practical suggestions for implementing the BioInitiative Report 2012 findings, in the interest of the health of your family and the general public.
Þ At home, at work, and in the community: Opt-out of smart meters (call your utility and demand removal), remove all wireless devices and wi-fi - use wired Internet connections and corded phones. No wireless security systems. Advocate for reduction of electrosmog pollution in your area. More info at www.electrosmogprevention.org.
Þ Pregnant women - avoid cell phone use, MRI's, using laptops and other wireless devices and environments
Þ Children - No use of baby monitors or cell phones. Wireless laptops and other wireless devices should be avoided for children of all ages. Parents can insist on a wi-fi free environment at school. All the child's environments should remain below the recommended precautionary action level of 0.0003 uW/cm2 (microwatts per centimeter squared) for sensitive populations w/ regards to RFR (radiofrequency radiation) levels.
Þ Special Needs Children - school environment should be free of wi-fi and other rf-radiation sources, or stay below the recommended precautionary action level of 0.0003 uW/cm2 (microwatts per centimeter squared) for sensitive populations w/ regards to RFR (radiofrequency radiation) levels[5]. Parents of students with disabilities or medical conditions that impact a major life activity (such as but not limited to ADHD, ADD, asthma, diabetes or cancer) may wish to have this written into the child's Individual Education Plan (IEP) or Section 504 Accommodation Plan.
Þ Everyone - Keep activated cell phones out of your pockets and away from your body. Use for emergencies only and on speaker phone. Avoid use in public, especially in line or near other people. Avoid use in the car (emissions higher there). Avoid all wireless technologies, including smart utility meters, smart appliances (with wireless built-in to communicate to smart meters). Advocate for businesses and schools to follow these recommendations. Stay below the recommended precautionary action level of 0.0006 uW/cm2 (microwatts per centimeter squared) for general populations w/ regards to RFR (radiofrequency radiation) levels[6]. To measure radiofrequency radiation in your occupied environments, consider a RF field meter such as Ten-Mars TM-195 or similar devices suitable to measure RF radiation up through 3 or 8 GHz.[7] Share this article with everyone you know.
Þ Cities should immediately issue policies against wi-fi, wireless scanners, and cell phone use in public places and remove wi-fi if paid for with tax dollars (such as libraries, airports, city halls, downtown areas)
Þ Cities and counties should
- enact ordinances to ban wi-fi and cell phone use in all public places
- take strong measures not to allow proliferation of cell towers and antenna in the region, particularly near schools, hospitals, and residences for the elderly.
Þ Schools should remove wi-fi and reinstitute wired connections to Internet; and those without wi-fi should not transition to wi-fi, as this will impact learning and behavior. Schools should ban all cell phones on campus. Use of laptops, notebooks, and electronic devices should be limited, particularly for younger students, and schools may consider protective shielding provided that reduces exposure to recommended levels. Schools should monitor and keep RFR (radiofrequency radiation) levels to no higher than the recommended precautionary action level of 0.0003 uW/cm2 (microwatts per centimeter squared) for sensitive populations (children)[8].
Þ Employers should not force employees to use, wear, or carry wireless devices on their bodies during work hours including PDA, pagers, headsets, or cell phones - particularly if pregnant; should remove wi-fi from their place of business and set up wired connections to Internet.
Þ Employees - beware of wi-fi and wireless devices at work
Þ Physicians should not allow use of cell phones in office, no wi-fi in physician offices, and should recommend avoidance of wireless technologies, smart utility meters, smart appliances, wireless baby monitors, and cell phones, especially by pregnant women, children, the elderly, and their caregivers; warn all patients to avoid use, to consider using only in an emergency; to keep cell phone completely off (not in airplane mode) when not in use; not to carry cell phones in pockets or close to body, or use near head.
Þ Hospitals should remove wi-fi, wireless, and baby monitors, and forbid use of cell phones by both patients and physicians, while protecting patients from exposures to RFR and EMF from all sources, maintaining precautionary action levels for sensitive populations of no more than 0.0003 uW/cm2 (microwatts per centimeter squared).
Þ Legislators - enact protective legislation to provide precautionary action levels to protect the general public and sensitive populations in all public places from RF and EMF emissions.
Þ Public health authorities - enact protective and precautionary policies to provide precautionary action levels to protect the general public and sensitive populations in all public places and places of business, with warnings and recommendations for all citizens. Protection against second-hand RF radiation and EMF's should be implemented.
Not long ago, within the past decade or two, all of the above was the norm. There are alternate, safer technologies to utilize, that are wired. We can do this, for our health. We must, if we are to survive.
Susan Brinchman, M. Ed
Special Ed Resource Specialist and Special Day Class Teacher, retired
Owner, San Diego Tutors
Nonprofit Director
Center for Electrosmog Prevention
P.O. Box 655
La Mesa, CA
91944
director@electrosmogprevention.org
Smart Meter Dangers www.smartmeterdangers.org
SCASM Southern Californians Against Smart Meters
American Coalition Against Smart Meters (ACASM)
Follow Smart Meter News and CEP on Twitter
[1] BioInitiative Report, 2012, Section 24 Key Scientific Evidence and Public Health Policy Recommendations, Introduction, page 1 http://www.bioinitiative.org/report/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/sec24_2012_Key_Scientific_Studies.pdf
[2] (as above in #2)
[3] BioInitiative 2012 Conlusions Table 1-1 http://www.bioinitiative.org/report/conclusions/
[4] BioInitiative Report, 2012, p. 25
[5] (as above in #4)
[6] (as above in #4)
[7] Note: 10,000 uW/m2 (microwatts per meter squared) = 1 uW/cm2 (microwatts per centimeter squared) for those RF field meters measuring in m2.
[8] BioInitiative Report, 2012, p. 25
