"Our Children Are Not Lab Rats" A Parent's Letter Details 32 False Statements Made by MCPS

February 8, 2016 

Dear Montgomery County Board of Education Members,

I would like to bring to your attention the following- The MCPS Statement Concerning Deployment of Wireless Computing Technologies and Radiofrequency Monitoring Summary Report contains:

1. False Statements: This document details the over 32  false statements on the MCPS RF webpage and provides documentation to each erroneous statement. I personally made inquiries as to the factual nature of  MCPS statements from agencies such as the FCC, FDA, NCI and the American Cancer Society. These agencies all confirmed certain statements to be 100% inaccurate.

2.Outdated Statements: Why is MCPS using decade old scientific reviews as “proof”?  Each outdated document is cited. The MCPS community deserves best available science, not outdated reviews.

3.Wireless Funded Statements: MCPS copiously cites sources that are either directly fully funded by the wireless industry itself and/or by persons whose jobs involve consulting for the wireless industry or making money by designing products for the wireless industry. The funding source of such  statements should at least be noted if not removed.

4. Misleading Statements: Statements are made that validate the opinion of MCPS but are not a true representation of the body of science nor the organization MCPS  references.  MCPS seems to be cherry-picking in that MCPS puts forth“quotes” which are missing the rest of the statement the cited organization made.  Such selective information presentation is misleading to families and staff who should be given all information in a transparent fashion.

5.No Proof of Safety For Students and Staff: Multiple experts have written to MCPS detailing problems with the 14,000 dollar measurement report citing inadequate instrumentation, inprecise measurements and a lack of adequate documentation on exposure scenarios. There is a sufficient number of concerns that it seems this Measurement Report cannot be used to verify whether the radiation levels are safe for students and staff. The parents, teachers and staff of Montgomery County Schools deserve accurate responsible information on the radiation levels in MCPS schools.

For MCPS to put forth information such as is on their website as proof of safety is an egregious error. Comparing MCPS’s measurements to FCC standards is meaningless as FCC limits are known to be hundreds of thousands times too high to protect public health.

A total of 15 experts have written MCPS about the health risks of wireless school networks and their concerns with the radiofrequency webpage and measurement report. They all recommend the schools use safe technology. Why are these expert letters not posted? Why is their information not integrated into the webpage for the public?   Why isn’t MCPS responding to the concerns they are raising?

Dr. Martha Herbert’s Letter, Dr. Anthony Miller's Letter, Dr. Lennart Hardell’s Letter , Dr. Carpenters Letter, Dr.  Olle Johansson’s Letter, Dr. Devra Davis' Letter , Cris Rowan Letter,,Dr. Martin Pall’s letter, Katie Singer’s Letter,Cindy Sage and Trevor Marshal  Letter, Ellie Marks Letter , Arthur Firstenberg  Letter, Mikko Ahonen PhD, Lena Hedendahl MD and Tarmo Koppel MSc PhDs Letter, Cece Doucette’s Letter, Alisdair Philips Letter, Lloyd Morgan’s Letter

The MCPS site was already changed twice after we repeatedly wrote MCPS to remove the unfactual statements. Only two statements were removed. The MCPS Statement still contains an abundance of false and misleading statements- over 30 false statements in fact. Once all of these false, misleading, and wireless funded statements are removed,  MCPS would have little text left on the webpage.

MCPS did get one thing right. The webpage states “It is not ethical to test a substance by exposing people to it and seeing if they get cancer from it.” Right now MCPS students are the equivalent of guinea pigs and are being exposed to unprecedented levels of radiofrequency radiation without their knowledge or consent.  We adults were not exposed to such levels as children.

Appendix V in this letter contains information on the mice and rat studies underway at the National Institute of Health Science (NIEHS) National Toxicology Program (NTP) where rats are being exposed to low level (FCC compliant levels just like MCPS) radio-frequencies at very low levels for hours a day just like our children in schools.

Wouldn’t it be ethical to wait until the NTP research results are available before the school system is de-facto performing what is basically the same study but instead of rats it is on children and teachers and staff. The rats, the mice and MCPS children are being exposed to  what the National Toxicology Program calls “chronic exposure to modulated radiofrequency radiation”.

Our children are not lab rats. Yet, just like the NTP rats, today’s schoolchildren will be “the statistics”. I imagine that a decade from now, researchers will count up the numbers of  young adults with cancer, neurological disease and infertility and look at the connection with lifetime wireless exposures.

It is unethical to knowingly post false information and not to act to protect children when such a serious matter is brought to your attention. You have a duty of care to every student and your job is to ensure their safety. Wireless is not safe and MCPS has yet to provide any documentation of safety.

Please remove the false and misleading information on the MCPS webpage.  I ask that MCPS take immediate action to minimize radio-frequency exposures in classrooms. Please hardwire the chromebooks and tablets, install safe technology communication networks and teach students and staff how to minimize exposures to cell phone and wireless radiation to protect their health and future.

Sincerely,

Theodora Scarato LCSW-C

APPENDIX 1: 32 False Statements Itemized with documentation

APPENDIX II: Outdated References

APPENDIX III Wireless Funded Research and Statements

APPENDIX IV: Misleading Statements including Details on Why the RF Measurement Report is Inadequate to Assess Student Safety

APPENDIX V: The National Toxicology (NTP) Study on Rodents and Radio-Frequency

Read The Full Letter Here