Baltimore Sun: Letter from Dr. Cindy Russell on The Health Risks of Wi-Fi In School

Baltimore Sun: Letter from Dr. Cindy Russell on The Health Risks of Wi-Fi In School

Thank you for publishing the recent commentary by Devra Lee Davis regarding limiting wifi in schools ("Wifi in Md. schools may put your kid at risk for cancer," March 24). I am pleased that the Children's Environmental Health and Protection Advisory Council looked at the science carefully before recommending precaution with our children's health by limiting wifi in schools.

Contrary to some criticism that "junk science" was used, I felt the council was both informed and balanced. There was an abundance of peer-reviewed scientific research in their materials presented that showed evidence of harm. Non-ionizing microwave radiation from wireless devices we commonly use has been shown in the broad scientific literature to impair sperm, cellular structures, plants, trees, animals and insects in addition to humans, and the research is growing. One only has to read the published science to be convinced this is an unaddressed important public health issue.

More science is needed, but at this stage, precaution is sensible and necessary, especially for children. People need to be more aware and concerned about this and not be lulled into complacency by those who ignore or dismiss a large body of science showing harm from this type of radiation. That is truly antiscience.

Dr. Cindy Russell, Portola Valley, Calif.

Read it at the Baltimore Sun  HERE. 

Read Dr. Russells article on Wi-Fi in Schools here. 

Are We Playing It Safe With Our Kids? Dr. Cindy Russell

The Santa Clara County Medical Association Bulletin 

March/April 2015

READ IT HERE

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2.45 GHz Wi-Fi Microwave Radiation Induces DNA Damage in Ovaries and Testes of Rats

Short-duration exposure to 2.45 GHz microwave radiation induces DNA damage in Sprague Dawley rat’s reproductive systems
Usikalu, M. R.1 , Obembe, O. O.2 *, Akinyemi, M. L.1 and Zhu, J.3
This published paper is about 2.45 GHZ, the same radiation frequency used in Wi-Fi. 

The genotoxic effects of 2.45 GHz microwave (MW) radiation on the testis and ovary of Sprague Dawley rats was investigated. The animals were exposed to varying levels of specific absorption rate (SAR) of 0 (control), 0.48, 0.95, 1.43, 1.91, 2.39, 2.90, 3.40, 3.80 and 4.30 Wkg-1 , for 10 min. The induction of DNA damages was assessed using DNA direct amplification of length polymorphisms (DALP) and validated with single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE) comet assay for same cells at SAR 2.39 Wkg-1 . Potential damage at the organ level was assessed by histopathological study. The results show significant differences in the Olive moment and % DNA in the blood of the exposed animals when compared with the control (p < 0.05). Hyperchromasia was observed in the ovary of the animals exposed to MW radiation. Also, there was reduction in the number of germ cells and cell disorganization in the testis of exposed group with increasing SARs. These results suggest that MW radiation has the potential to affect both male and female fertility adversely.

This is an image of damaged ovaries. 

"Our results reveal that short exposure to low level 2.45 GHz microwave radiation alters the DNA genome band pattern, causes DNA single strand break and modifies the cells in the testis and ovary of the exposed animals"

This is an image of damaged testes. 

Conclusion 
We reported for the first time, alteration in DNA bands pattern, single strand break and reduction in the number of male germ cells of Sprague Dawley rats as a result of exposure to 2.45 GHz microwave for just 10 min without change in body temperature. Our findings reveal that exposure to microwave radiation of 0.48 Wkg-1 and above produces genotoxic effects on testis and ovary as observed from the genomic result, comet assay and the histopathology results. Thus, there is high possibility of compromising the fertility in the exposed rats. Although, rats are known to be more metabolically active than humans, however, these results give an indication of possible long term effects that may be expected on the reproductive organs in humans when exposed at similar microwave radiation for a considerable period of time.
Download the full paper here. 

Middle School Bans Cell Phones in School Because They Are A Safety Risk

Collinsville IL Middle School in Southern Illinois near St. Louis MO changed its cellphone policy, banning students from using their phones during the school day. Principal Kimberly Jackson said electronic devices have become distracting and pose a potential safety risk because they can be used to bully students or send explicit messages. 

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/news/local/education/article134497379.html#storylink=cpy

COLLINSVILLE 

A local middle school decided to ban cellphones during school hours because the technology became a distraction, as well as a tool for cyberbullying and sharing of “explicit content.”

Starting March 1, the only electronic devices that students will be allowed to use between 8:25 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. at Collinsville Middle School are school-issued Chromebook computers. Cellphones will be required to be “completely out of sight” while students are in the building, according to a letter Principal Kimberly Jackson sent to parents.

Read the full article here 

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/news/local/education/article134497379.html#storylink=cpy

Addiction to cell phones: are there neurophysiological mechanisms involved?

Addiction to cell phones: are there neurophysiological mechanisms involved?

Maria Paz de la Puente1 , Afonso Balmori
Published in Proyecto, Vol. 61: pp. 8-12, March 2007
At first glance we could consider the addiction to cell phones as belonging to those addictions that are substance-free, also called psychological addictions. Yet, unlike these, cell phones emit microwaves that reach the brain, making investigators wonder if there could be a physiological base for such addictions. The following article gives a brief overview of the studies made that analyze the effects that these radiation produce and that bring us closer to the possible addictive effect, similar to those provoked by conventional drugs. In them, the authors dare to sound the alarm of the abuse that young people, whose brains are still in the process of maturing, could be prey to the risks derived from their improper use, and consider that there should be specific education of the responsible use of cell phones.

Read it here 

Wifi OFF switches installed in a Finnish school

Classroom Hotspots Can Now Be Turned OFF In Every Classroom Due To Parents Advocating For Their Children's Health.

Press Release March 2017 from a Finnish Parents written by Olli Tammilehto 

In the Fiskars primary school located in Raasepori in Southern Finland parents have long struggled against Ipad and Wifi based learning. They couldn't prevent the installation of Wifi hot spots, but their struggle had results: now in every class room there is a switch by which the radiation emitting hot spot can be turned off.

Most parents and teacher of the Fiskars school opposed the plan of Raasepori city administration to use tablets and microwave based wireless network in the school. Their critical stand was based on the recommendations of the Council of Europe*, health risks**, pedagogy, the limitations of tablets as computers, and the desire to keep children's screen time reasonable. In spring 2016 names were collected to a petition demanding postponement of the Wifi and tablet school project. The petition was signed by 90 parents whose children are in Fiskars school now or will be in the near future. In the school there are only 60 pupils.

As the city was not forthcoming to the demand of parents and teachers, they suggested a compromise: let us install switches to the Wifi hot spots so that there wouldn't be radiation when tablets were not in use. However, the city officials maintained that installing the switches is technically impossible.

Somehow this impossibility was overcome in December 2016 when the switches were indeed installed to every classroom. Earlier the microwave radiators were on 24/7 as in numerous other schools in many countries. Now the Wifi hot spot is normally turned off. The teacher puts it on only when tablets are used and the Internet connection is needed. The timer in the switch turns it automatically off after 30 or 60 minutes so that you cannot accidentally leave the hot spot radiating for a long time.

The teachers have been satisfied with the new switches. They find the installation of the switches sensible also therefore that in the first grades tablets are only rarely used.

The installation work was done by a professional electrician. It was financed by a local child welfare association. The city administration did not support the project financially or otherwise butafter long negotiations it gave a permission to install the switches.

*) The resolution 815 of the Parliamentary Assembly of the European Council adopted in 2011 ”The potential dangers of electromagnetic fields and their effect on the environment” (http://assembly.coe.int/nw/xml/XRef/Xref-DocDetails-EN.asp?FileID=17994&lang=EN) states: ”The Assembly recommends that the member states of the Council of Europe ... for children in general, and particularly in schools and classrooms, give preference to wired Internet connections, and strictly regulate the use of mobile phones by schoolchildren on school premises;”

**) About the health risks see for example the International EMF Scientist Appeal signed by 224 scientist from 41 nations. All of these researchers have published peer-reviewed papers on the biological or health effects of non-ionizing radiation. According to the appeal these effects include “increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in human”:https://www.emfscientist.org/index.

Baltimore Sun: Wi-Fi in Md. schools may put your kid at risk for cancer

Baltimore Sun: Wi-Fi in Md. schools may put your kid at risk for cancer

Baltimore Sun "Wifi in Md. schools may put your kid at risk for cancer" by Devra Lee Davis PhD, MPH 

Thank you, Gov. Larry Hogan, for appointing thoughtful, brave medical experts to Maryland's Children's Environmental Health and Protection Advisory Council (CEHPAC). Your next challenge is to get the Maryland school superintendents to heed the council's well-founded advice: reduce and restrict children's wireless radiation (wifi). With distinguished experts in child health, neurodevelopment and pediatrics, the council draws on the well-established public health principle that stopping harm now is always better and cheaper than trying to fix damage later.

The council recommends wired rather than wireless classroom networks. Why? All wireless devices from laptops to tablets to cell phones work as two-way microwave radiating radios. While weak in power, this radiation is absorbed into our bodies, far more deeply into children who are smaller with thinner skulls. Two decades ago when the FCC set "safety" standards, authorities assumed that microwave radiation was harmless unless it produced heat. Research on children's long-term effects was nonexistent. Today millions of children regularly use microwave radiating devices. Read the full article online. 

A Town That Removed Wi-Fi To Protect Children's Health

A News Report on a town that removed WiFi in School in France several years ago. and installed a state of the art fiber optic system.

Public News Service: Technology Overuse Harmful to Children

Click to listen to the radio spot and read the full article online 

Twenty Questions to the Maryland State Department of Education About the Unsafe Use of Digital Devices in Classrooms

On Sunday March 19, 2017 this letter was sent to the Maryland State Department of Education.

Letter to Maryland Department o fEducation Superintendent on Unsafe Use of Digital Devices by Safe Tech For Schools on Scribd

American Academy of Pediatrics and Maryland State Medical Society Letter in Support of Medical Health and Safety Guidelines for Screens in Schools

Please Read the American Academy of Pediatrics Letter in Support of Medical Health and Safety Guidelines for Screens in Schools. Download image  HERE. Download PDF HERE






Download PDF of this HERE

MD State Department of Education Sends Seemingly Misleading Information To State Elected Officials

A letter written on State Department of Education Superintendent Karen B Salmon letterhead provides wishy washy statements and seems to imply that a law creating health and safety guidelines is not needed because there  is a "draft plan" that "addresses these concerns".

This is an insult to the intelligence of parents and teachers everywhere.
Go to the DRAFT and search for yourself.

As Janis Zink Sartucci, Esq.  states in a letter to the Department, 

"In my review of THE DRAFT DOCUMENT, I have not been able to find the specific section that addresses the amount of screen time that students should be on digital devices while in public school classrooms.  Can you please assist me in locating the section of the draft that speaks to this issue? "

The current draft does not address the issues of radiation. Could there be another draft floating around that does or are the statements below simply false? 

 

Click Here to Read the Other Egregious and Shameful  Letters of Opposition to the Child Health and Safety Screen Bill by School Officials

MD Department of Health Letter on Eye Damage To Children From Screens

The Department of Health Letter states several of the health effects digital devices pose to children and that there are no guidelines being followed in school.

Download the Letter Here 

Children in Classrooms Using Digital Devices on Laps: UNSAFE TO CHILDREN

Caught on Camera: Please note this image of children using digital devices in unsafe ways in an article about Baltimore Schools found here http://digitalpromise.org/district/baltimore-county-public-schools/

Please take a look at this video showing how radiation penetrates the body when a laptop is on the lap.

Testimony on Child Screen Digital Device Safety Bill March 2017 MD Senate

Please watch the videos below of the expert testimony presented to legislators on SB1089 cross filed as HB866. These bills protect children by ensuring that medical guidelines are developed for students in regards to cell phone use in schools. 

Shockingly,  the Senate committee voted this Bill down. We parents are at a loss to understand how any elected official who cares about kids could not stand up and support this effort. 

School Computer Use Can Cause Eye Damage: Cindy Eckard's  Testimony to MD Senate

 American Academy of Pediatrics MD Testifies in FAVOR of Child Screen Safety Bill

Health Protections for Technology Use in Schools is Critical: Testimony to MD Senate

Physician Testifies About Eye Damage He Has Seen From Overuse of Screens
 Physician Testifies That Screens Can Damage Children’s Sleep: Classroom Digital Device Bill

 2000 Member Health Group In Support of Medical Guidelines For Screens in School

PTA of Baltimore County Testifies in Favor of Medical Guidelines for Screen Use in Schools


Q & A Digital Device Medical Guidelines For Digital Devices in Schools MD Bill

Read this from Screens and Kids

"Senate EHE Committee votes down screen safety bill, putting MD students at risk for blindness from school equipment. http://bit.ly/2kWKCGp 

Waiting to see the vote so we know exactly who turned their backs on our children, when they were presented with all the facts. Who would blind a child for political gain?"

March 17, 2017

Dear Delegate Arentz and Co-sponsors of HB866,

Last night the Senate EHE committee voted down SB1089, the cross filed bill for HB866, which directs DHMH to do its job, and create safety guidelines to protect our children from hazardous school equipment, as part of its Office of School Health. A simple, no-cost request that our children do not suffer from permanent damage from using devices that are unsafe.

The Committee voted it down last night, following Wednesday's hearing wherein the Senators saw a very informative video, received favorable oral testimony from a pediatric ophthalmologist and the American Academy of Pediatrics Maryland chapter, all of which underscored the urgency of this effort.

Piles of letters were received by the Committee in support as well, outlining all the risks our children face because of unregulated use of devices in school. Experts from around the country in a variety of specialties from optometry to psychiatry weighed in, alongside some of Maryland's largest parent coalitions.

Please do everything within your power today to persuade your colleagues in the Ways and Means Committee to favorably review HB866. A social media campaign was launched before dawn this morning among parents across the state, and across the country. 

Whosoever knowingly harms a child will be held responsible.

Thanks very much for your help,

Cindy Eckard

@screensandkids

www.screensandkids.us

Cindy Eckard has a website at www.screensandkids.us. Please visit her website to learn more and take action in Maryland. 

The Impact of Technology on Child Development: Occupational Therapist Cris Rowan

The Impact of Technology on Child Development, Learning and Behavior by Occupational Therapist Cris Rowan

Dr. Hardell Warns Against Wi-Fi in Classrooms

Dr. Lennart Hardell's 2017 Lecture 

Wireless Radiation and Children's Health

Doctor Who Stood Up to Monsanto & Declared Agent Orange Carcinogenic Warns Us on Wireless

Dr. Lennart Hardell Initiated the Reykjavik Appeal on to Halt Wireless Technology in Schools

Dr. Lennart Hardell did research on Agent Orange in the 1970's and determined it to be carcinogenic and toxic. He spoke out on his research and was discounted and dismissed by officials-  later found to be on the payroll of Monsanto.

Read his 2 most recent publications

Carlberg, Michael and Lennart Hardell. “Evaluation of Mobile Phone and Cordless Phone Use and Glioma Risk Using the Bradford Hill Viewpoints from 1965 on Association or Causation.” BioMed Research International, vol. 2017, 2017.

“Corporate Ties That Bind: An Examination of Corporate Manipulation and Vested Interest in Public Health” Chapter 3: “A Battleground - From Phenoxyacetic Acids, Chlorphenyls and Dioxins to Mobile Phones--Cancer Risks, Greenwashing and Vested Interests” by Lennart Hardell Skyhorse Publishing Link Google Book Link

Please watch this video where he discusses why wireless in school should be banned. 

"Wi-Fi in schools, in contrast to wired internet connections, will increase risk of neurologic impairment and long-term risk of cancer in students. Promoting wireless technology in schools disregards current health warnings from international science and public health experts in this field." Lennart Hardell, MD, PhD, and Michael Carlberg, MSc, Department of Oncology, Orebro University Hospital, Sweden

Read Dr. Hardell's letter on wireless radiation to MCPS 

Is Dr. Hardell the only concerned Doctor? 

No. There are literally hundreds. You can read their statements here. If you want to see letters from many other Doctors asking that schools remove wireless please click here. 

Read the Guardian Article on Dr. Hardell and Agent Orange
Read a New York Times article from the 1990's on Dr. Hardell and Agent Orange

Dr. Lennart Hardell has a scientific blog. Click here. 
See some of his research here.

Carlberg, Michael and Lennart Hardell. “Evaluation of Mobile Phone and Cordless Phone Use and Glioma Risk Using the Bradford Hill Viewpoints from 1965 on Association or Causation.” BioMed Research International, vol. 2017, 2017.

Carlberg, Michael, et al. “Increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in the Nordic countries with main focus on Swedish data.” BMC Cancer 16.426 (2016).

Carlberg, Michael and Lennart Hardell. "Decreased survival of glioma patients with astrocytoma grade IV (glioblastoma multiforme) associated with long-term use of mobile and cordless phones." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 11.10 (2014): 10790-805.

Hardell, Lennart and Michael Carlberg. "Mobile phone and cordless phone use and the risk for glioma–Analysis of pooled case-control studies in Sweden, 1997–2003 and 2007–2009." Pathophysiology 22.1 (2015): 1-13.

Hardell, Lennart and Michael Carlberg. "Using the Hill viewpoints from 1965 for evaluating strengths of evidence of the risk for brain tumors associated with use of mobile and cordless phones." Reviews on Environmental Health 28.2-3 (2013): 97-106.

Read his letter to Montgomery County Schools here.

Reykjavik Appeal on Wireless Technology in Schools

Reykjavik Appeal on Wireless Technology in Schools 

Dr. Leszczynski presenting on children and wireless
in Iceland February 2017 where this Appeal was presented. 

We, the signers, are concerned about our children's health and development in schools with wireless technology for teaching. A vast amount of scientific studies have shown considerable medical risks with long-term exposure to Radiofrequency Radiation (RFR) from wireless devices and networks well below the recommended reference levels from the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). We ask the authorities to take their responsibility for our children's future health and wellbeing.

In May 2011 the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at WHO classified RFR as a Group 2B carcinogen, i.e., ‘possibly’ carcinogenic to humans. Since then more scientific studies on exposure to RFR in humans, animals and biological material have strengthened the association of an increased risk for cancer, especially brain tumors. Several laboratory studies have shown mechanistic effects in carcinogenesis such as oxidative stress, down regulation of mRNA and DNA damage with single strand breaks. The IARC cancer classification includes all sources of RFR. The exposure from mobile phone base stations, WiFi access points, smart phones, laptops and tablets can be long-term, sometimes around the clock, both at home and at school. For children this risk may be accentuated because of a cumulative effect during a long lifetime use. Developing and immature cells can also be more sensitive to exposure to RFR.

No safe level of this radiation has been determined by any health agency and therefore we have no safety assurances.

Besides the cancer risk, RFR may also affect the blood-brain barrier to open and let toxic molecules into the brain, hurt neurons in hippocampus (the brain centre for memory), down or up regulate essential proteins in the brain engaged in the brain's metabolism, stress response and neuro-protection and affect neurotransmitters. Sperms exposed to Wi-Fi have been seen with more head defects and DNA damage. RFR can increase oxidative stress in cells and lead to increase of pro-inflammatory cytokines and lower capacity to repair DNA single and double strand breaks.

Dr. Morris of Environmental Health Trust presenting at Conference

Cognitive impairments in learning and memory have also been shown. Results from the OECD's PISA performance surveys in reading and mathematics show decreasing results in countries that have invested most in introducing computers in school. Multitasking, too many hours in front of a screen, less time for social contacts and physical activities with risk for aches in neck and back, overweight, sleep problems, and information technology (IT)- addiction are some of the known risks and side effects of IT. They stand in marked contrast to the often claimed, but largely unproven possible benefits. We ask the school authorities in all countries to acquire knowledge about the potential risks of RFR for growing and developing children. Supporting wired educational technologies is a safer solution than potentially hazardous exposures from wireless radiation.

We ask you to follow the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle and Council of Europe Resolution 1815 to take all reasonable measures to reduce exposure to RFR.

Practical rules for schools concerning children and wireless technology. 
 No wireless networks in preschool, kindergarten and schools.
 A hard wired direct cable connection is recommended to each classroom for the teacher to use during lessons.
 Prefer wired telephones for personnel in preschool, kindergarten and schools.
 Prefer cabled connection to Internet and printers in schools and turn off Wi-Fi settings in all equipment
 Prefer laptops and tablets that can be connected by cable to Internet.
 Students should not be allowed to use cell phones in schools. They can either leave them at home or the teacher collects them in turned off mode before first lesson in the morning.

Children, Screen time and Wireless Radiation – International Conference Reykjavik February 24, 2017

Signed by 
Lennart Hardell, MD, PhD Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, SE-701 82 Örebro, Sweden.
Tarmo Koppel, PhD candidate Department of Labour Environment and Safety Tallinn University of Technology, SCO351 Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn, Estonia
Lena Hedendahl, MD, Sweden Johan Wilhelmson, MD, Sweden
Michael Carlberg MSc, Sweden Mona Nilsson, Chairman Swedish Radiation Protection Foundation, Sweden
Rainer Nyberg, EdD, Professor emeritus, Finland
Franz Adlkofer, Professor, Germany
Peter Ohnsorge, Dr Med, Germany
Peter Hensinger, M.A., diagnose:funk, German consumer-rights organization
David Carpenter, MD, Professor, USA James Huff, PhD, USA
Cindy Sage, MA, Sage Associates, Co-Editor, BioInitiative Reports, USA

Click here to see the 133 signers from 24 countries 
Download the Appeal Here with References

Students in Peel School District Raising Awareness on Wireless Health Risks

Please watch this interview with two eleventh graders sharing their work with their youth organization in raising awareness about the health risks of wireless radiation.

Maryland State Superintendents Oppose Bill Protecting Children

All 24 public school superintendents in the state of Maryland, including oMontgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jack R. Smith, are opposed to legislation to protect children from computer vision syndrome and other consequences of unrestricted screen time in public schools.   
See this document obtained by the Parents Coalition of Montgomery County. 

This document curiously focuses on the radiation issues, rather than the myriad of other health issues related to screen use such as ergonomics, addiction, eye health and the lack of educational benefit.

HB 866 Health & Safety Digital Devices - W&M 2-24 by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd

Maryland Department of Health States no Health Guidelines Exist for Digital Device Use in Schools.

Maryland Department of Health Writes Letter to Maryland Congress stating that there are no health and safety guidelines on digital device use. This counters statements by MCPS about how State and Federal laws already protect children.
2017 Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene by Parents' Coalition of Montgomery County, Maryland on Scribd



The Montgomery County Board of Education is opposed to legislation that would authorize the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to develop safety guidelines for the use of computer screens in public school classrooms. 

The Montgomery County Board of Education "thinks" that the federal government has already regulated the use of computer screens in classrooms.  If such regulations exist, they apparently permit unlimited screen time for students of all ages while in school.  See below. 

Queensland Department of Education Informs Students To Keep Laptops and Digital Devices OFF Their Lap

Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment has issued Your Guide to Safe Technology guide in 2015 to all schools that states:

It’s not only physical hazards you need to consider when thinking about health and safety issues at work or home — you should also think about how you use technology. When using a computer, you need to think about:

• ergonomics and posture
• radiation
• vision impacts
• harmful lack of exercise (DVT).

“Wireless devices — smart/mobile phones, tablets, slates, monitors etc — all emit low levels of electromagnetic radiation and should be used correctly. When using electronic devices, the department recommends you follow WiFi/3G/4G best practice:

• follow the manufacturer’s usage guideline operate from a table or bench — not on your lap  
• use ‘hands-free’ devices to keep smart/mobile phones away from your head and body during phone calls  limit the number and length of calls  
• position the device antenna away from your body  
• do not sit within 0.5 m of a wireless router  use smart/mobile phone in areas of good reception to reduce exposure.”
• Watch a video on these recommendations here.
  
  
  
  

One Smart Montgomery County Elementary School is Reducing Wireless Exposure with Chrome Book Policy

A MCPS Elementary School Chromebook Guideline states that "the Chromebook should be kept on a hard surface, not your lap".  These are instructions to children at one smart Montgomery County Maryland Public School Elementary School.

Are all Montgomery County Schools advising students and staff to keep Chromebooks on the lap?

Baltimore County Public Schools needs to be sharing this Montgomery County information with it's students. See below this video of Baltimore County students with wireless digital devices on their lap.  Why is Baltimore County allowing such hazardous use of these devices. 

Laptops emit radiation. Keep them off laps. 

Use a wired- not wireless- internet connection for safety.

Cyprus Removes Wi-Fi from Kindergartens and Halts Wireless Deployment Into Public Elementary Schools

Cyprus Minister of Education issues new Decree to minimize wireless radiation exposure to children in schools and require parental consent.

Online Press Release from Environmental Health Trust 

Breaking: The Cyprus Minister of Education and Culture issued a Decree on January 31, 2017, marked “urgent” to all Directors of Kindergartens and Primary Schools, with specific measures to eliminate and minimize wireless radiation exposure to children in schools. 
“We have taken the decision to have the wireless network Wi-Fi disabled in all Public kindergartens in Cyprus,” reads the Decree. Wireless is to be removed from all Cyprus kindergartens, and wireless installations have been halted in elementary schools and limited to administrative offices.

“The Ministry of Education does not intend to proceed with the installation of wireless points and Wi-Fi access classrooms in elementary schools.”

The Decree reminds teachers that wired internet is already available in all classrooms if the internet is needed for educational purposes. Wireless is only to be used, if needed, in the administrative areas of elementary schools, and wireless is not to be used in the classrooms.  

However, if the use of Wi-Fi is deemed necessary for a specific educational program, the Decree stipulates that, “necessary measures to protect children should be taken, and wireless access points should remain inactive when not in use for teaching purposes.” Furthermore, “the consent of parents should be ensured in advance.” The Decree instructs the School Directors to assure parental consent and send a letter to the parents of children who will participate in programs involving wireless technology - informing the parents of the reason and duration of Wi-Fi usage.           

                                                                                      

Alongside their other campaigns about tobacco smoke and toxic chemicals, The Cyprus National Committee on Environment and Child Health initiated a nationwide campaign several years ago to raise awareness about cell phone and wireless radiation exposures to children. The multimedia public awareness campaign was lauded at an international conference on Wireless and Health held at the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies at Hebrew University in January of 2017, and organized in cooperation with the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and Environmental Health Trust (EHT).

Dr. Stella Michaelidou, President of the National Committee on Environment and Child Health shared public service video announcements and brochures about children and pregnancy at the conference. “This Committee has developed tools that are a model for other countries to follow,” stated Devra Davis, PhD, MPH, of the Environmental Health Trust at the conference.

Several countries already have health policies in place to reduce school children's exposure to wireless. Cypress now joins France, Ghent in Belgium, and Israel in banning wireless in kindergarten classrooms and enacting strong measures to minimize wireless exposures in elementary schools. France passed comprehensive new legislation in 2015 and has developed tools to inform the public about how to reduce exposure, similar to the efforts underway in  Cyprus. Canada’s Standing Committee on Health of the House of Commons also issued a report recommending a public education campaign.

In the United States, the Maryland State Children's Environmental Health and Protection Advisory Council recently issued a Report advising the Department of Education to recommend all school districts in the State of Maryland install wired—rather than wireless—internet connections for classrooms. This action represents the first action of a state advisory body to issue guidance on wireless exposures. In Massachusetts and Oregon, several Bills have been proposed to address the health issues posed by electromagnetic radiation in schools and raised by consumers, researchers and medical professionals as concerns about school wireless exposures gains momentum in the United States.

From Environmental Health Trust

LINKS

Decree from the Cyprus Minister of Culture and Education

http://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/Egkyklios-Jan-17.pdf

National Committee on Environment and Children's Health of Cyprus

http://www.cyprus-child-environment.org/easyconsole.cfm/id/12/lang/en

Maryland State Children's Environmental Health and Protection Advisory Council Recommendations

Local/State/National and International Policy action on Wireless and Children