On December 7, 2015 Dr. Elisabeth Cardis, lead researcher for the Interphone study and international ionizing and non-ionizing radiation expert, wrote a Safe Tech parent confirming that a key "fact" was in fact false on the MCPS website. She confirmed that the research showing links between long-term cell phone use and cancer defined "heavy cell phone use" as more than 1640 hours of lifetime use. This roughly corresponds to about 30 minutes a day if you divided it over ten years.
MCPS is basing its decision to keep wireless networks because of this very fact. MCPS states in it's Radiofrequency FAQs Section (as of 12/8/2015) that:"The 2B classification was based on studies of extremely heavy cell phone use: 1,640 hours or more per year, which is equal to holding a cell phone to the side of one’s head for four hours a day, every day for an entire year. "
This”fact” is used to justify the following statement made by MCPS on the webpage.
“Using the Group 2B classification of the entire spectrum of radiofrequencies as an indication that Wi-Fi is harmful when the classification came about due to extremely heavy cell phone use and not Wi-Fi does not accurately represent the intention of the classification.”
NOTE: When the website first came out on November 20, MCPS presented this "fact". Safe Tech parents and several cancer researchers then wrote Montgomery County schools that this "fact" was wrong. So MCPS later changed the text. Only- Rather than post the correct fact, they decided to quote another website that got the fact wrong as well with the new statement that:
- According to the Office of the Provincial Health Officer in British Columbia the 2B classification was based on studies of extremely heavy cell phone use: 1,640 hours or more per year, which is equal to holding a cell phone to the side of one’s head for four hours a day, every day for an entire year. Again, this is cell phone use, not Wi-Fi. The information may be accessed at the following link: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/about-bc-s-health-care-system/office-of-the-provincial-health-officer/current-health-topics/do-cell-phones-cause-cancer
Read the email exchange in full by clicking here.
Why is This Fact So Important ?
The reason this fact is so important is that Montgomery County schools says that since four hours a day of cell phone use is extremely heavy use, it is not comparable to Wi-Fi exposure. They are holding this fact up as justification to not to take action on this issue. They are using it to minimize the health issues related to wireless radiation.
This”fact” is used to justify the following statement made by MCPS on the webpage.
“Using the Group 2B classification of the entire spectrum of radiofrequencies as an indication that Wi-Fi is harmful when the classification came about due to extremely heavy cell phone use and not Wi-Fi does not accurately represent the intention of the classification.”
“This is not just a debatable twisting of the truth. This is false. 1640 hours for lifetime use is not the same as 1640 hours a year. 30 minutes is not 4hours. ” states Scarato and adds, “Instead of making responsible accurate corrections to their website based on statements of fact, Montgomery County Tech staff found another flawed government website and decided to simply quote that. The Office of the Provincial Health Officer of British Columbia needs to be informed just as much as Montgomery County schools does."
"The fact of the matter is that what was once was considered "heavy use" 10 years ago is not heavy use now. It is also a fact that the World Health Organization carcinogenic classification pertains to the full range of radio-frequency radiation including emissions from wireless devices. Wireless exposures in the classroom contribute to children's cumulative exposure to radio-frequency radiation. This is an unnecessary risk. The county could simply remove the wireless antennas and put in safe wired systems. Solutions exist. Let's use them. "
We hope MCPS will update its FAQ's soon so that the facts are accurate.
See this video featuring the International Agency for Research on Cancer
Secretary Dr. Robert Bann clearly stating the results of the research and clearly stating the carcinogenic classification pertains to ALL Radiofrequency radiation.
- The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) May 31, 2011 Press Release by the International Agency for Cancer states, “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 10‐year period).”
- The Interphone Study that MCPS is referring to states in their press release that “The majority of subjects were not heavy mobile phone users by today's standards. The median lifetime cumulative call time was around 100 hours, with a median of 2 to 2½ hours of reported use per month. The cut-point for the heaviest 10% of users (1640 hours lifetime), spread out over 10 years, corresponds to about a half-hour per day. “
Read the Press release here.The journal article on the Interphone Study Results can be accessed in full at this link. http://oem.bmj.com/content/68/9/631.full.pdf+html?sid=ca3ce25f-a8c2-446a-9395-98f6b13cfbae
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