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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

What do Experts say about WiFi and Children?


(1) Safe School 2012: Report by doctors, doctor's associations and international scientists calling for the protection of children against the health effects of Wi-Fi and cellphone radiation. A must-read by parents and teachers!

(2) Dr. Dariusz Leszczynski - Research Professor at STUK (Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, Finland): 
As a member on the May 2011 Expert Panel of the World Health Organization's International Agency on the Research of Cancer (IARC) which classified RF-EMF as a 2B Possible Carcinogen to Humans, Dr. Leszczynski wrote on Washington Times,
"In summary, IARC classification:
· justifies implementation of the Precautionary Principle [Editor: this means we should take preventive measures NOW.]
· confirms existence of non-thermal effects that can cause health risk [Editor: this debunked Health Canada's theory that electromagnetic radiation only causes thermal effects, i.e.rise in body temperature.]
· indicate that current safety standards are insufficient to protect health of the users” [Editor: Health Canada's standards, which follows ICNIRP standards, is outdated, obsolete, and inadequate for protecting our children's health. ]

(3) The Austrian Medical Association:
"Wi-Fi environments will lead to high microwave exposure for students and teachers which might increase the burden of oxidative stress. Oxidative stress might slow down the energy production especially in brain cells and may lead e.g. to concentration difficulties and memory problems in certain individuals. The Austrian Medical Association recommends Wi-Fi free school environments."

(4) Israel's Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman implored Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar to immediately suspend the installation of wireless Internet in schools due to the hazards of electromagnetic radiation.

(5) Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (RNCNIRP): "Electromagnetic radiation from Wi-Fi creates an additional burden for the child brain, whose body is in a state of development and the formation of mental activity. During this period, children are most susceptible to adverse environmental factors (WHO, publication number 3, April 2003)... [RNCNIRP] recommend the usage of wired networks in schools and educational institutions, rather than a network using wireless broadband systems, including Wi-Fi."

(6) Switzerland's Physicians for the Environment (MfE): " the risk of cancer for this type of [wireless] radiation is thus similar to that of the insecticide DDT, rightly banned... From the medical point of view, it is urgent to apply the precautionary principle for mobile telephony, wifi, power lines, etc.” 

(7) The American Academy of Environmental Medicine: "Adverse health effects, such as learning disabilities, altered immune responses, headaches, etc. from wireless radio frequency fields do exist and are well documented in the scientific literature. Safer technology, such as using hard-wiring, must be seriously considered in schools for the safety of those susceptible individuals who may be affected by this phenomenon. "

(8) The American Academy of Pediatrics:
The American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP) represents “60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists".
"Children are disproportionately affected by environmental exposures, including cell phone radiation.  The differences in bone density and the amount of fluid in a child’s brain compared to an adult’s brain could allow children to absorb greater quantities of RF energy deeper into their brains than adults.  It is essential that any new standards for cell phones or other wireless devices be based on protecting the youngest and most vulnerable populations to ensure they are safeguarded through their lifetimes... Many more people, especially adolescents and young adults, now use cell phones as their only phone line, and they begin using wireless phones at much younger ages.  Despite these dramatic changes in mobile phone technology and behavior, the FCC [same standard as Health Canada] has not revisited the standard for cell phone radiation exposure since 1996... the current exposure limits may not reflect the latest research on RF energy, and that current mobile phone testing requirements may not identify maximum RF energy exposure. "

http://kucinich.house.gov/uploadedfiles/aap_support_letter_cell_phone_right_to_know_act.pdf

(9) UK EM Radiation Research Trust: 
Previous Chairman for the UK Health Protection Agency and previous Chief Scientific Advisor to Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair’s government appeared on a National TV investigation on wifi and stated that he could not rule out the possibility that there may be biological effects, adding that this means there may be changes in cognitive function and indications that there may be cancer inductions along with molecular biology changes within the cell.

(10) S. Foster MSW, Advisor, Radiation Research Trust (U.S.): 
"I organized a brain study of firefighters, men who are considered to be the strongest of the strong among us, in California in 2004. They had been exposed to a cell tower beaming across their working/sleeping quarters for 5+ years. Each of the men who had their brains scanned showed a hyper-excitability of the neurons, or brain cells. This is considered to be a precursor to early cell death and potentially early onset Parkinson's, ALS, and Alzheimer's. Now, 8 years later, two of the men have had psychotic breaks with reality and all are suffering from memory impairment. All the men tested in 2004 had tremors, and some were still in their 20's. ”

(11) Girish Kumar - Professor, Electrical Engineering Department, I.I.T. Bombay, India: 
I have been following the development regarding radiation hazards of Wi-Fi in Schools.
I have attached my Presentation on Cell Tower Radiation Hazards and Solutions. Finally, Govt. of India has adopted 1/10th of radiation norms from Sep. 1, 2012. However, we are pursuing them to adopt 1/1000th of ICNIRP Guidelines.
Wi-Fi radiation is in the frequency range of 2.4 to 2.5 GHz and microwave oven frequency is 2.45 GHz, in which food is heated/cooked. Human body consists of 70% liquid and brain contains 90% liquid.

(12) Prof . Olle Johansson
Department of Neuroscience, Experimental Dermatology Unit, Karolinska Institute, Sweden: 
"The Precautionary Principle shifts the burden of proof from those suspecting a risk to those who discount it... Too many times, 'experts' have claimed to be experts in fields where actually the only expert comment should have been: "I/we just do not know". Such fields were e.g. the DDT, X-ray, radioactivity, smoking, asbestos, BSE, heavy metal exposure, depleted uranium, etc., etc., etc., where the "no risk"-flag was raised before true knowledge came around. Later on, the same flag had to be quickly lowered, many times after enormous economic costs and suffering of many human beings. Along those lines, it is now (regarding "the protection from exposure to electromagnetic fields" issue) very important to clearly identify the background and employment (especially if they sit, at the same time, on the industry's chairs) of every 'expert' in different scientific committees..."

(13) Dr. Andrew Goldsworthy, BSc, PhD
Honorary Lecturer, Imperial College London
Scientific Advisor, European Space Agency
Scientific Advisor, Bio Electromagnetic Research Initiative
Scientific Advisor, The Radiation Research Trust:

"The chilling possibility to emerge from this is that the biological effects of electromagnetic fields can be transmitted in the bloodstream and exposure in any part of the body could have an effect all over the body, not just the parts that are directly exposed. Nowhere in the body is safe from the effects of the radiation. No part of the body should be exposed to it. As someone who has studied the effects of electromagnetic radiation on animals and humans for many years, my advice is for all schools that have Wi-Fi equipment to remove it immediately, replace it with cable, and disable the Wi-Fi on any laptops that they wish to retain (quite easy to do given the schools have existing operating Ethernet systems)."
 

(14) Robert A Baan PhD, The IARC Monographs IARC, The World Health Organization:
"the classification 2B, possibly carcinogenic, holds for all types of radiation within the radiofrequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum, including the radiation emitted by base-station antennas [cellphone towers], radio/TV towers, radar, Wi-Fi, smart meters, etc. "

(15) Health Canada:
"... encourages parents to reduce their children's RF exposure from cell phones since children are typically more sensitive to a variety of environmental agents. As well, there is currently a lack of scientific information regarding the potential health impacts of cell phones on children."

(16) John Wargo, Ph.D., Professor of Environmental Risk and Policy, Yale University:

“The scientific evidence is sufficiently robust showing that cellular devices pose significant health risks to children and pregnant women. The weight of the evidence supports stronger precautionary regulation by the federal government. The cellular industry should take immediate steps to reduce emission of electromagnetic radiation (EMR) from phones and avoid marketing their products to children.”