Cell Tower and Small Cell Radiation and Cell Phone Radiation in Montgomery County Civic Association Newsletter 2017
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
New Movie on The Wireless Revolution: Could Loving Our Cell Phones Be Zapping Our Health ?
The Official Trailer for the Movie "Generation Zapped" Has Been Released.
The movie Generation Zapped is set for release and the trailer is now available! Please watch the trailer below followed by an invitation from Sabine El Gemayel, Director of Generation Zapped.
For more information, tips and updates, and to sign up for a screening in your community please go to: www.generationzapped.com.
"In less than a generation, cell phones and the Internet have revolutionized virtually every aspect of our lives, transforming how we work, socialize and communicate. But what are the health consequences of this invisible convenience?As a mother of teenagers I am concerned with the shadow side of wireless technology on our children. I am troubled by the increased health risks and how it is sociologically impacting children’s development and behavior. As a citizen and consumer, I am disturbed by the business ethics behind the wireless revolution and its ubiquitous use in schools, at work, and at home.
I love technology and the many conveniences it has offered us, yet I believe that increased transparency is vital, including pre-market testing, post-market monitoring, and revised policies and regulations.
Finally, I invite audiences to consider the case for honoring the precautionary principle when it comes to the adoption of wireless technology – to simply slow down, turn it off at night and “plug it in” until more extensive research is validated and complete."
-- Sabine El Gemayel (Director of Generation Zapped)
For more information, tips and updates, and to sign up for a screening in your community please go to: www.generationzapped.com.
Follow Generation Zapped on facebook , twitter and instagram and join the discussion.
Want to learn more?
Environmental Health Trust posted online resources for parents, for young adults and for pediatricians.More from Environmental Health Trust below
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), our nation's largest organization of pediatrician and pediatric specialists, has repeatedly warned of children’s high vulnerability to wireless radiation and recommended policy action to update our nation’s radiofrequency radiation limits and inform consumers about cellular radiation. The AAP recommends to parents that exposure to children be reduced and has issued ten strategies to reduce families’ exposures. The AAP is only one of many medical organizations recommending reducing exposures, and we invite you to review the breadth of medical expert opinion worldwide.
What’s new?
Most recently, the Maryland State Children’s Environmental Health and Protection Advisory Council (CEHPAC), a group of pediatricians, government representatives and environmental health experts, has issued a Report advising the Department of Education to recommend local school districts reduce classroom wireless radiation exposures as low as possible by providing wired—rather than wireless—internet connections. These recommendations are the first recommendations on radiofrequency by a state body to be issued in the United States. Read the full press release here.In addition to CEHPAC, several US policy initiatives and expert recommendations in the United States support reducing radiofrequency exposure to protect children. For example, the Connecticut Department of Health issued specific recommendations to reduce exposure stating, “It is wise to reduce your exposure to radiofrequency energy from cell phones whenever possible.” Students are using cell phones to do research in class and they carry the devices around in pockets close to their bodies, unaware that this practice allows radiation absorption that surpasses our government limits—as documented by the release of radiation measurements by the French government in June 2017. Berkeley California passed a Cell Phone Right To Know Ordinance that informs users about the fine print FCC separation distances for cell phones.
In 2014, the US Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS) developed Best Practices for LOW EMF classrooms that details how schools can reduce electromagnetic exposures by replacing wireless networks with wired networks and replacing cordless phones with wired phones. In September 2016, the New Jersey Educational Review published an article entitled, “Minimize health risks from electronic devices” reiterating the CHPS criteria and adding additional measures including, “Hard wire all fixed devices such as printers, projectors and boards.” Read the article on the NJEA Review here.
Worldwide, over a dozen governments, medical organizations and physicians recommend reducing radiofrequency radiation to children, and many countries are directly addressing school exposures. For example, Cyprus has removed Wi-Fi from elementary classrooms and has a strong public awareness campaign educating parents. France has banned advertising cell phones to children and also has banned Wi-Fi in kindergarten. In French schools, Wi-Fi is turned OFF as the default setting. Belgium has banned cell phones for young children. Haifa, Israel has installed corded connections in all schools, and the country of Israel officially recommends wired connections in schools.
In the United States and around the world, many public and private schools are removing the wireless.
Learn more at EHTs International Policy Update Site
Letter On Health Risks Of Digital Technology Sent By The Child And Youth Health Service Of Geneva To All Teachers
Letter On Health Risks Of Digital Technology Sent To All Teachers By The Child And Youth Health Service Of Geneva.
In July 2017, the Child and Youth Service of the Department of Public Instruction of Geneva Switzerland issued a letter on the health risks of digital technology to be transmitted to all teachers at the start of the school year. The letter reminds the reader that screens also affect sleep and eyesight, and are linked to the development of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.
The letter mentions electromagnetic radiation in the context of cancer risk and the precautionary recommendations by the Federal Office for Public Health regarding use of Wi-Fi- WLAN. The letter includes the recommendations to “Only switch your WLAN on when you need it. With laptops, in particular, it is a good idea to switch the WLAN off as otherwise the device will repeatedly try to connect to a network, leading to unnecessary radiation and a shorter battery life” and “Don’t hold your laptop close to your body while it is connected to a WLAN.”
Read the September 5 2017 Letter online at the Geneva Childhood and Use Services ”Uses of the digital technology, health risks: information, preventive measures and points of attention”
Republic and Canton of Geneva
Department of Public Instruction, Culture and Sport
Office for Children and Youth
Child and Youth Health Service
Uses Of Digital Technology: Health Risks
July 2017 – Translation by the Editor of “Towards Better Health”
Introduction
In the course of the last two decades, the use of MITIC (media, images and information and communication technologies) has grown tremendously and children’s access to screens, limited up until now to television, has considerably developed. Today, young children are already exposed to these technological devices. The concerns of the medical and educational world about the possible effects on the health and development of children are the subject of more and more studies and publications.
The use of digital technology for educational purposes and in teaching is gaining momentum. It is important to know the health effects of MITIC and to take into account that the use of these devices for entertainment purposes is also increasing. Most of the problems described below are all the more important as the use of screens comes early and is prolonged. The introduction of digital technology in school is also an opportunity to communicate preventive messages to children and young people for an optimal use of these devices.
This document reviews observed effects, emerging issues, and some precautionary measures to follow (recommendations at the end of the document) and promote proper use of screens and digital technology.
Use by children
Children become familiar very rapidly with these new very attractive devices and develop great ability in manipulating them. More and more, we observe use of mobile devices in very young children, aiming to capture their attention and distract them. From school age, children can regularly be occupied, viewing two screens at once, like television and a laptop.
In Great Britain, a teenager spends on average six hours a day in front of screens. Canadian and American children devote between 7 and a half and 8 hours per day, more than half of their waking hours.
At age 7, a child born today will have already spent one year of his life looking at screens. At age 18, this duration is estimated to be 3 years and at age 80, it is around 18 years of a person’s life spent in front of screens.
Effects on development
Already at the beginning of the 21st century, studies concerning the effect of television on children revealed a relationship between the daily duration of viewing and the risk of developmental and attention deficit disorders with or without hyperactivity (ADHD). For each hour spent by young children aged 1 to 3 in front of the TV, the risk of developing ADHD increased 9%. Similar observations were made in older children and in teenagers and young adults. Curiously, one sometimes observes an “attention paradox” in children who can remain glued for hours to a video game but who, afterwards, are incapable of paying attention to homework, for example, because the attention to external light stimuli (called “bottom-up”) completely exhausts voluntary control of attention (“top-down”) involving motivation, the capacity to tolerate negative emotions and solve a problem.
Games and action films have a negative marked effect on children’s decision-making.
We have observed that dopamine, a neurotransmitter essential to maintaining attention, is secreted in significant fashion in young adults playing online games. Dopamine is also a cerebral component of the system of reward and would thus be implicated in the development and maintenance of an addiction to these games and to viewing screens in general. The problem of addiction affects relatively few young people but can constitute a real health problem, justifying appropriate therapy.
Several studies have clearly shown that children’s use of screens was associated with a delay in speech. Each daily hour of video, so-called adapted and shown to the youngest children, aged 8 months to 16 months, translates into an impoverishment of vocabulary on the order of 10%. Two hours of daily TV for children aged 2 to 4 triples the risk of speech delay. The reason for this is essentially the significant reduction of intra-familial verbal exchanges.
In order to develop, cognitively and emotionally, the child needs interactions with other children and adults. He learns the need to communicate by exploration, touch, and imitation. The viewing of two-dimensional images and interaction with a screen does not favor this learning. Even passive exposure to TV (the child is not watching it but playing in the same room) has a negative effect on the development of the child.
Some studies have also established a significant link between screens (watching TV is the one most studied – since the 1980’s) and academic failure. One study has shown that each hour of daily TV viewing in primary school increased by 43% the risk of a child leaving school without a diploma.
Effects on sleep
Generally speaking, during the course of the last five decades, the daily amount of sleep of the population has decreased on average 90 minutes over 24 hours. If the causes are multifactoral, it has been established that exposure to screens has a profound deleterious effect on sleep. The presence of any screen in the bedroom of a child is inversely correlated with the amount of sleep and probably also its quality. Children’s use of tablets is also associated with a reduction in nighttime sleep, only partially compensated by an increase in daytime sleep of the youngest children.
The probable causes are:
- The delay in going to bed due to looking at screens.
- The psychological and physiological excitation regarding the content of what one is watching, causing a delay in falling asleep.
- The blue light emitted by screens, particularly smartphones, which disturb the physiological circadian rhythm (decreasing the secretion of melatonin).
Effects on physical health
Numerous cohort studies show a significant relationship between exposure time to screens and many diseases that are harmful to health:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Cardiovascular diseases: hypertension, coronary disease
- Obesity
Sedentariness induced by prolonged exposure to screens certainly plays an important role but does not explain everything. The stress generated by the use of TIC (information and communication technology) over a long period persists even during the night and disturbs the cortisol cycle and the secretion of insulin and raises blood pressure whether the person engages in physical exercise or not.
The attention given to screens also modifies the feeling of satiety and the memory of having eaten, pushing one to eat in erratic fashion which is unhealthy.
Effects on eyesight
The effects of blue light on the eyes have especially been studied along with use of LED lighting. Besides its effect on sleep, blue light can cause retinal lesions.
Limit values exist for exposure which are generally respected but little is still known about long-term effects.
We know that children are more sensitive to blue light and absorb it more easily, which is another reason for limiting their exposure to screens, in particular to smartphones, and to select digital devices with filters.
The prolonged use of screens can also cause dryness and irritation of the eyes and ocular fatigue. It is known that this is also contributing to the epidemic of myopia that we have been seeing for several years, even if other factors also cause this.
Risk of cancer
Electromagnetic fields generated by digital devices are causing concern regarding the potential carcinogenic effects of this radiation. Based on current scientific knowledge, there is no major risk identified, except an eventual small risk of a brain tumor observed in persons significantly using a mobile phone long-term (a device which emits more waves and is used closer to the brain). This has caused the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization to define exposure to these electromagnetic waves as possibly carcinogenic to humans.
The fields generated by wireless installations are below the defined standards and are considered without risk. However, we still know little about the eventual long-term effects. The issue continues to raise concern and controversy and to be the subject of studies. It is important to respect certain rules as a precautionary measure.
Effects on mental and social health
Several studies show negative effects of the use of information and communication technology on mental and social well-being. The interface via a screen is not without consequences on the relational well-being of children and young people.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has published a report on the impact of social networks on children where one section describes « Facebook Depression». Other studies show that children who watch screens too much are more at risk of developing psychological difficulties and have less self-esteem. Several mechanisms raised are:
- Less face-to-face contact (co-presence)
- Less direct social interaction
- Less linguistic competency, and « live » conversations : vocal, body language, non-verbal expression of emotions.
The development of empathy and emotions is mediated by face-to-face contact. The observation and imitation of social behavior is essential to the development of the brain and cannot be made via screens: it is difficult to transpose real life to what one sees on screens. A cerebral MRI study has shown that when one uses the internet, zones of the brain associated with empathy are not stimulated. The more intensive and the earlier the use of media, the less the development of emotional capacity.
Exposure to violent images has three short- and long-term effects :
- It increases the probability of recourse to verbal and physical aggression
- It gets us used to violence and favors the acceptance of violence
- It favors withdrawal and increases our feeling of living in a hostile and malevolent world.
Of course, the general problem of violence in the world largely exceeds the issue of exposure to violent images. That being said, persons unable to develop their psycho-social and linguistic competencies, and their capacity for empathy and emotions (as described above) are also more at risk at using violence to express their frustrations.
The risks linked to use of social networks are significant:
Abuse, cyberbullying, damaging one’s image, threatening one’s identity. These aspects are developed in other documents.
It is also important to warn children and young people about “games” or other programs inciting risky behavior to which they may be confronted. (An example is the Blue Whale which proposes to children a challenge that is at first trivial, then more and more risky that can lead to placing one in significant danger.)
The internet and social networks are also used for propaganda purposes, namely to incite the radicalization of particularly fragile young persons.
Preventive measures and matters for attention
General recommendations
For the well-being and health of children and young people, exposure time to screens must be limited according to age.
At all ages, it is important to promote movement and physical activity and to make children and young people understand the health issues and limit time on “screens” by insisting on the negative effect on sleep and encouraging reading in the evening which has no influence on falling asleep.
The attitude of adults towards MITIC plays an important role. Constant dialogue on use of screens, about everything we are seeing, the promotion of their use for educational purposes and not only for entertainment, the development of a critical look play an essential role for the development of young people and the protection of their health and integrity.
Devices in bedrooms should be limited: no TV, computers, tablets. Cell phones should be banned or switched off depending on the child’s or young person’s ability to take responsibility.
Age and duration of exposure
These are the determining factors favoring optimal use of screens while encouraging the proper development of the child and protection of his health.
The SSEJ proposes the following recommendations 1 linked to the age of the child.
The approach is stated positively and not by denouncing problematic practices.
These recommendations take three directions:
- a) Learning self-regulation: fixing a schedule for the young child and proposing a contract for an older child.
- b) Practicing alternance : varying stimulation and developing activities using the five senses.
- c) Support: making the child talk about what he has experienced with screens in order to use his spatial and narrative intelligence.
Before age 3
No TV or DVDs. The child really needs to experience his body in space and in relation to others thanks to psycho-motor and sensorial activities (sight, hearing, touch, smell, movement). He needs to be in relationship with others (language, model, emotions). He is not apt to understand the content of films and DVDs, even educational programs.
From age 2, a tablet can be used 10 minutes per day in the company of an adult who can interact with the child.
Between ages 3 and 6
Television can be allowed with control of the programs. The tablet should also be used in the company of an adult. Limiting the exposure time to screens to one hour a day is desirable.
From age 6
One can introduce video games at this age (avoid violent games). Favor games for several persons allowing interaction between the players (or play as a family). Limit the duration and availability of games. Adults are encouraged to discuss the content with children.
Access to the internet must be limited, controlled, and in the company of an adult.
From this age, the total exposure time to screens should be limited to one hour a day.
From age 9
The child can surf the internet alone provided there is parental control. The child is encouraged to discuss what he sees with adults and talk without delay about what disturbs him.
The exposure time should also be limited to two hours a day for all screens.
Access to social networks must be limited and authorized towards age 12-13. It is important to explain to children the aspects concerning protection of the individual, privacy, the role of images in order to make them conscious of the risks of non-controlled diffusion of what they exchange, of the permanence of what is placed on the internet and favor the development of a critical look at the subject one is reading. www.actioninnocence.org/ http://www.sergetisseron.com/3- 6-9-12/
Electromagnetic radiation
Following are recommendations of the Federal Office for Public Health aimed at limiting exposure to radiation:
- Only switch your WLAN on when you need it. With laptops, in particular, it is a good idea to switch the WLAN off as otherwise the device will repeatedly try to connect to a network, leading to unnecessary radiation and a shorter battery life.
- Don’t hold your laptop close to your body while it is connected to a WLAN.
- Wherever possible, install the access point one metre away from places where you work, sit or rest for long periods of time.
- Position the access point centrally so that all the devices in the network have good reception.
- Choose the WLAN g standard in preference to the b standard. Exposure to radiation is lower with this standard because it transmits data more efficiently.
- If it is possible to adjust the power of the network, the transmission power should be optimised at the access point for the area that needs to be supplied
- A WLAN transmitter must only be used with an antenna provided for this purpose by the manufacturer. If an unsuitable antenna with an excessive antenna gain is used, the maximum permitted transmission power may be exceeded.
- The measures recommended by the FOPH for reducing radiation exposure when using mobile phones apply to WLAN-enabled mobile phones that are used for Internet telephony
1 Tisseron, S. (2013). 3-6-9-12 Apprivoiser les écrans et grandir. Toulouse : Erès.
Bibliography
Virtually addicted: why general practice must now confront screen dependency. Sigman A. Br J Gen Pract. 2014 Dec;64(629):610-1. doi: 10.3399/bjgp14X682597. No abstract available. PMID: 25452511 Free PMC Article
Time for a view on screen time. Sigman A.
Arch Dis Child. 2012 Nov;97(11):935-42. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2012-302196. Epub 2012 Oct 8. No abstract available.
PMID: 23044213
Effets de l’exposition chronique aux écrans sur le développement cognitif de l’enfant B. Harlé, M. Desmurget
Arch Pediatr. 2012 Jul;19(7):772-6. doi: 10.1016/j.arcped.2012.04.003. Epub 2012 May 18.
Daily touchscreen use in infants and toddlers is associated with reduced sleep and delayed sleep onset. Cheung CH, Bedford R, Saez De Urabain IR, Karmiloff-Smith A, Smith TJ.
Sci Rep. 2017 Apr 13;7:46104. doi: 10.1038/srep46104. Free PMC Article
Le médecin face aux bénéfices et aux dangers des réseaux sociaux. / [Doctors and the benefits and dangers of social networks].Tisseron, Serge.
Les écrans et l’enfant; apprendre à gérer plutôt qu’interdire! Christine Durgnat-Sciboz, Olivier Duperrex, Lausanne Paediatrica Vol. 24 No. 3 2013
Champs électromagnétiques et santé publique : téléphones portables
OMS Aide-mémoire N°193
Unofficial translation except for FOPH recommendations.
Read the September 5 2017 Letter online at the Geneva Childhood and Use Services ”Uses of the digital technology, health risks: information, preventive measures and points of attention”
Friday, September 8, 2017
French Polynesia Launches Major Public Awareness Campaign To Reduce Exposure To Cell Phones, Wi-Fi and Other Electromagnetic Radiation Sources
French Polynesia Launches Major Public Awareness Campaign
To Reduce Exposure To Cell Phones, Wi-Fi and Other Electromagnetic Radiation Sources
Prohibition placed on advertising cell phones to children under 14 and wireless internet banned from nursery school.
Prohibition placed on advertising cell phones to children under 14 and wireless internet banned from nursery school.
This information is From the Environmental Health Trust Press Release
French Polynesia has launched a major public awareness campaign to raise awareness about how to reduce exposure to the electromagnetic radiation from electronics, cell phones, and wireless devices as part of the country’s new law to reduce citizens’ exposures to electromagnetic radiation exposure. Legislation the country adopted in 2016 prohibits advertising of cell phones to children under 14, prohibits advertising cell phones without showing how to minimize radiation exposure to the head, prohibits wireless in nursery schools, limits wireless in primary schools and reduces exposures to workers.
The multimedia campaign of the French Polynesia Directorate-General for the Digital Economy (DGEN) includes video and graphics promoted on television, radio, and social networking platforms.
DGEN’s video “Electromagnetic Waves: Good Practices” visually depicts how common household electronics – such as a Wi-Fi router, video game console, and wireless baby monitor – emit microwave electromagnetic radiation like cell phone emissions. The campaign also addresses the electromagnetic radiation from electricity-powered alarm clocks and appliances.
A “Best Practices Guide” provides specific recommendations to reduce electromagnetic radiation in order to “protect children and youth.”
- Prohibition of advertising that promotes the sale or use of a cell phone to children under fourteen years old. Advertising should clearly and legibly show the limiting of exposure to the head. An offender is liable to a fine not exceeding 8,900,000 F CFP.
- Cell phones may not be marketed without an accessory that limits exposure to the head.
- Recommendations to limit head exposure and SAR levels should be readable and intelligible.
- Wireless is prohibited in nursery schools and spaces dedicated to “reception, rest and activities of children under three years of age.”
- Wireless should be turned to OFF in primary school unless specifically in use for digital activities.
- The government is implementing measurement and monitoring of levels of public exposure to electromagnetic fields throughout the country of French Polynesia.
Summary of Recommendations to Reduce Wireless Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation (Best Practices Guide)
- Children under 15 are advised to not use cell phones.
- Distance the phone away from the head.
- Make voice calls with a headset to reduce exposure to the brain.
- Move the mobile device away from electronic implants (pacemaker, Insulin pump, neuro-stimulator, etc.). A mobile device near the implantation area may interfere with the operation of a medical device.
- Do not call in areas of bad reception.
- Avoid carrying your phone in your pants pocket.
- Prefer texting SMS instead of voice calls.
- The base of the home cordless phone emits radiation constantly, so keep it at a distance and use loudspeaker.
- When indoors, prefer to connect to networks outside the building by using your device near a window.
- Distance the phone away from the head after dialing, as wave emission can be the strongest at that time.
- Avoid calling during high-speed travel (in cars or other vehicles) as the phone must emit at full-power to connect successively with different antennas to maintain the connection.
- Place yourself at least 1.50 m from your Wi-Fi box or router, and turn it off overnight. If you are ready to part with it, opt for cable (ethernet) connections (with Wi-Fi capability turned off) or very high-speed fiber optic if possible.
Summary of Recommendations to Reduce ELF Electromagnetic Radiation
- Do not charge your mobile phone near the bed, distance it as far away as possible.
- Maximize distance from the front of the television or computer monitor.
- Have a professional check home electrical wiring.
- Turn off electricity where no device or appliance is in use.
- Place the wireless baby monitor at least 2 meters (about 6.5 feet) distance from the baby and never in the crib or bed.
- Buy a new microwave oven every five years. Always distance yourself and others at least 1 meter away from the oven and unplug the oven when not using it.
- Distance yourself and others at least 1 to 1.5 meters (3 to 4.5 feet) away from induction stovetop or any appliance capable of generating electromagnetic waves such as your refrigerator.
- Install the electrical panel and large electrical equipment away from rooms and living areas.
- Turn off electrical appliances (by switching off power) when they are not in use, rather than putting them to sleep. This is also a gesture in favor of the environment and your budget.
Workplace Environment
- Suppression or reduction of risk:
Select equipment or processes that emit less intense electromagnetic fields, taking account of the work to be carried out. Use other working methods leading to less exposure to electromagnetic fields.
- Collective protection:
Establish technical or organizational measures to reduce the emission of electromagnetic fields (shielding, distance, locking, etc.).
- Access control:
Places where the electromagnetic field exceeds regulatory thresholds must be marked, labeled, barred, or marked on the ground in order to limit or control access.
All multimedia resources are officially provided in both French and Tahitian.
Public Education Video “Good Practices with Electromagnetic Waves”
NEWS ARTICLES
“Government puts electromagnetic waves under control” Tahiti Infos, August 3, 2017
“Electromagnetic waves: the CESC supports the precautionary principle” Tahiti Infos, July 19, 2016
School Removes WiFi and Installs Wired Internet USA
2017: San Diego California USA Waldorf School: Adopted CHPS guidelines installing wired internet with electronic free zones. Hardwired phones are in place and not cordless. Read the article published in Renewal Magazine.
Read article below in full and please share.
In addition Renewal Magazine has published other articles on reducing wireless radiation to Children. Please see them below. We are so thankful to Renewal for publishing such important news.
Read article below in full and please share.
San Diego Waldorf School Removes Wi-Fi and Reduces Wireless Radiation Exposure to Children by Safe Tech For Schools on Scribd
In addition Renewal Magazine has published other articles on reducing wireless radiation to Children. Please see them below. We are so thankful to Renewal for publishing such important news.
Dealing With WIFI by D'Aleo on Wireless Health Risks in Schools by Safe Tech For Schools on Scribd
"Pardon Me for Being Alarmist" on Wireless Health Risks in Schools by Safe Tech For Schools on Scribd
Saying Goodbye to Wi-Fi : Article on Removing Wireless From United States School To Protect Children's Heal... by Safe Tech For Schools on Scribd
Why is Montgomery County Public Schools Allowing Cell Phones in the Classroom Without Informing the Students That Cell Phones Violate Government Radiation Limits When Against The Body?
Physician Calls for Urgent Action to Protect Children: Cell Phone Emissions Can Violate Radiation Limits.
Why is Montgomery County Public Schools Allowing Cell Phones in the Classroom Without Informing the Students That Cell Phones Violate Government Radiation Limits When Against The Body?
Why is Montgomery County Public Schools Allowing Cell Phones in the Classroom Without Informing the Students That Cell Phones Violate Government Radiation Limits When Against The Body?
Scientific lecture marks the first time European government test results
were shared with US audience.
Press Release from Environmental Health Trust
French physician Dr. Marc Arazi presented recently released results of cell phone tests conducted by France’s national government agency ANFR that found most cell phones can emit more radiation into human users than manufacturers report. The France documentation shows that many cell phones on the market can exceed allowable limits by over three times. The cell phone radiation absorption measurements of the over 350 cell phones France tested were presented in an expert scientific symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on July 31, 2017 sponsored by Environmental Health Trust. This lecture marks the first time the test measurements have been presented in the United States by an expert from France.
French physician Dr. Marc Arazi presented recently released results of cell phone tests conducted by France’s national government agency ANFR that found most cell phones can emit more radiation into human users than manufacturers report. The France documentation shows that many cell phones on the market can exceed allowable limits by over three times. The cell phone radiation absorption measurements of the over 350 cell phones France tested were presented in an expert scientific symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on July 31, 2017 sponsored by Environmental Health Trust. This lecture marks the first time the test measurements have been presented in the United States by an expert from France.
“In France we have a government agency that has been testing phones next to the body since 2012. We have recently had these results released and they clearly show that most phones—9 out of 10 in 2015—exceed current allowable limits by over 3 times,” stated Arazi.
Although France began testing cell phones in 2012, the measurements were not released until June 1, 2017 after months of pressure from Arazi. The newly released French documents revealed government safety limits are significantly breached when government tests mimicked the real-world scenario of zero distance between the phone and the user—i.e. holding the phone in your bra, shirt or pants pocket, or any other body contact position.
Arazi explained that manufacturers are not required to perform cell phone radiation tests in these direct body contact positions. Instead, manufacturers submit cell phone reports to governments based on radiation tests conducted by placing a specific distance between the phone and the user. Most cell phones are tested at between 10 to 25 mm distance from the body.
Arazi showed how when the government tested phones at body contact, the levels were over seven times higher than the levels when phones were tested at the manufacturer's stated separation distance. This increase resulted in many phones having levels that exceeded the European government's safety limits—levels were over 3 times higher than the limits. However, the phones were still marked as “compliant” because regulations do not require body contact testing.
“This is not just an European issue, it is an international scandal,“ stated Arazi, pointing out that all countries’ regulations are outdated. “Professor Om Gandhi—one of the originators of the test limits 30 years ago—says that if these numbers were converted to the US testing regime, we are talking about the reality that some cell phones exceed US regulatory limits by over 9 times the limit.”
“Dr. Arazi has made history,” stated Devra Davis PhD, MPH, President of the Environmental Health Trust. “His work in calling for transparency has resulted in comprehensive documentation that cell phones would be illegal if they were tested in the way people use them—touching the body.”
Davis points out that for over a decade researchers have repeatedly published about this issue and have long recommended updating “antiquated” cell phone radiation test systems. “Now we have government documentation on hundreds of cell phones providing clear and undeniable evidence that current cell phone test methods fail to protect the public.”
Arazi showed “Phonegate” has made news headlines in countries all over the world. Arazi ended his lecture with a call for immediate updates to European and International regulations regarding cell phone radiation testing methods.
“Tests must include children with consideration for their unique vulnerabilities. Not only are children smaller and thus will have proportionately higher exposures to cell phone radiation than adults but also remember that children’s brains are rapidly developing. Regulations must assure children are protected,” stated Arazi, reiterating the recommendations in the 2016 Government of France national health agency (ANSES) report on “Children’s Health and Radiofrequency,” which first alerted him to the test measurements.
Arazi has coined the issue as “Phonegate” comparing the scandal to the "Dieselgate" Volkswagen scandal. In "Dieselgate," government tests had uncovered real-world car emissions at higher levels than the car manufacturer reported in lab tests. Now government tests of cell phone emissions have uncovered higher radiation exposure levels in real-world scenarios than most cell phone manufacturers report in lab tests.
The July 31, 2017 scientific symposium also included lectures by Anthony Miller MD, Annie Sasco MD, Moe Mellion MD, Iris Udasin MD, Theodora Scarato MSW, and Devra Davis PhD, MPH. Environmental Health Trust plans to post videos of each of these lectures online at ehtrust.org.
Visit Environmental Health Trust Questions and Answers on Phonegate Website page.
Press Release from Environmental Health Trust
Press Release from Environmental Health Trust
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