The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent Federal
agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation
accident in the United States and significant accidents (including
selected highway accidents) in the other modes of transportation -- railroad,
highway, marine and pipeline -- and issuing safety recommendations aimed
at preventing future accidents.

http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2003/030603.htm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 3, 2003 SB-03-20

NTSB SAYS NOVICE DRIVERS SHOULD BE PROHIBITED FROM USING CELL PHONES
WHILE AT THE WHEEL

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The National Transportation Safety Board said today
that the nation's driver education courses should include warnings about
the dangers of distracted driving, and novice drivers should be
prohibited from using cell phones while at the wheel.

These were two of the recommendations contained in the Board's final
report on its investigation into a highway crash last year that took the
lives of 5 persons, including a driver who was using a wireless phone
at the moment she lost control of her vehicle.

On February 1, 2002, at about 8:00 p.m., a Ford Explorer was traveling
northbound on Interstate 95/495 (the Capital Beltway) near Largo,
Maryland at an estimated speed of 70 to 75 miles an hour when it veered
off the left side of the roadway, crossed over the median, climbed a
guardrail, flipped over and landed on top of a southbound 2001 Ford
Windstar minivan. All 5 persons in the two vehicles were killed.

The Board found that the probable cause of the crash was the Explorer
driver's failure to maintain control of her vehicle in the windy
conditions due to a combination of inexperience, unfamiliarity with the
vehicle (she had just purchased it that evening), speed and distraction
caused by use of a handheld wireless telephone.

The Safety Board has long been concerned with the issues of distracted
driving and novice drivers. The Board recommended to all States - except
New Jersey, which already has a similar proscription - to prohibit
holders of learner's permits and intermediate licenses from using
interactive wireless communication devices while driving.

"Learning how to drive and getting comfortable in traffic requires all
the concentration a novice driver can muster," NTSB Chairman Ellen
Engleman said. "Adding a distracting element like a cell phone is
placing too many demands on a young driver's skills."

The Board also urged the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
to develop a media campaign stressing the dangers of distracted driving,
and that it work with the American Driver and Traffic Safety Education
Association to develop driver training curricula that emphasize the
risks of distracted driving.

The Board cited a study showing that drivers engaged in phone
conversations were unaware of traffic movements around them.

In addition, the Board said that NHTSA should determine the magnitude
and impact of driver-controlled, in- vehicle distractions, including the
use of interactive wireless communication devices, on highway safety and
report its findings to the United States Congress and the States. The
NTSB noted that the extent of wireless phone use in car crashes is
unknown because most jurisdictions don't have driver distraction codes
on their accident report forms. The Board recommended that those 34
States change their forms to add driver distraction codes and include
wireless phone use in those codes.

Relating to another issue raised during this investigation, the Board
recommended that NHTSA expand its current evaluation of electronic
stability control (ESC) systems and determine their potential for
assisting drivers in maintaining control of passenger cars, light
trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans. Should this evaluation show
benefits in ESCs, then NHTSA should develop a schedule to mandate them
for these vehicles. The Board noted in today's report that such a device
might have helped the driver of the Explorer in the Largo crash maintain
control of her vehicle.

The Largo crash once again demonstrated the benefits of seatbelt use.
The driver of the Explorer, who was not wearing her seatbelt, was
ejected and killed (because of the severity of the impact, seat belt use
was not an issue for the four persons in the Windstar). However, during
the accident sequence a Jeep Grand Cherokee ran into the wreckage of the
minivan; the adult driver and the two children in the back seat were all
restrained and escaped with minor injuries.

"The NTSB will continue to be aggressive in pursuit of safety," Chairman
Engleman stated. "It is not enough to issue these recommendations, we
want to make sure they are implemented."

A summary of today's report, including the findings, probable cause and
safety recommendations, can be found on the Publications page of the
Board's web site, http://www.ntsb.gov. The complete report will be
available there in about six weeks.

NTSB Press Contact: Ted Lopatkiewicz (202) 314-6100
NTSB Home | News & Events

Informant: Janet Newton, The EMR Policy Institute, P.O. Box 117,
Marshfield VT 05658, Tel: (802) 426-3035, FAX: (802) 426-3030
Web Site: http://www.emrpolicy.org

Blood-thymus barrier

Hi,

I am looking for contact with hematologist / EMF specialist to speak of :
Indeed, we often hear that there are no explanations concerning
connection between children leukaemia and EMF

Nevertheless we can note that the maturity of lymphocytes makes in the
thymus and so if this one is a target of the EMF it explains the
majority of leukaemia lymphoblastic and the ascendancy at the children
(the thymus disappears in the adolescence).

Of more the thymus possess a barrier blood-thymus equivalent in the BBB
(which is altered with the radiofrequencies) and the breaks of this BTB
were recently made responsible for a following cancerization.

Salutations
Dr Richard GAUTIER
http://www.csif-cem.org

RE: Can you help

Torts are always difficult; those in the area of RF radiation yet more
difficult.

The way we make progress, however, is to do what is right, regardless of
the difficulty. Someone must be first to "stick his neck out", as we
unfortunately say in the US. While we support this woman and her
son in hoping for healing, we should help toward resolving the
injustice, as well.

"We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is ripe to do
what is right." ~ Nelson Mandela

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing." ~ Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

"There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but
there must never be a time when we fail to protest." ~ Elie Wiesel

Susan

Answer:

There is no doubt that he will sue, and try, etc. That is not the
question, but the thing that makes this case hard is that the doctors
cannot say what kind of tumor he exactly has- so it is hard to connect
it to the specific research on the same cancer-Newman at least knows
it's astrocytoma.

What he can do is to demonstrate the biological damages like DNA etc,
but then, when I read about Newman's case, I saw they are looking for
details: That THIS particular cancer is caused by THAT level of
radiation (will have to measure the exact level from his Nokia). The
israeli judges are conservative, (like most of the judges in the world
I guess) and the companies...well, you already know them...

Best Wishes
Iris.

INFORMATION REQUEST

HI,

MAY YOU SEND SOME THING ABOUT THE EFECTS OF 8.2 MHZ RF IN THE HUMAN
BODY.

THANK YOU

PIERINO D'ANGELA

Help Save Mauna Kea

Take Action!
http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/Save_Mauna_Kea/83u57erq783bbw

Help us to defend our sacred mountain. From: Royal Order of Kamehameha
I, Mauna Kea Anaina Hou, Sierra Club, Fegerstrom, Ching KAHEA

Mauna Kea belongs to everyone it is the life giver for all and needs our
help today.

As many of you know a number of organizations and members of the
community petitioned the BLNR to deny the University of Hawai'i
Institute for Astronomy (UHIFA) application to operate and construct new
NASA/KECK Outrigger Telescopes in the Conservation District of Mauna Kea.

The UHIFA has requested that the BLNR grant their Conservation District
Use Application (CDUA). The Project proposes the construction of 6
Outrigger Telescopes around the 2 Keck Telescopes.

The mirrors are 6 feet across, the dome enclosures that house them are 3
stories high. Each of the two Keck Telescopes are each about 12 stories
high (121 feet). Therefore, the whole Project will consists of six 3
story buildings surrounding two 12 story buildings on a 5 acre area on
the Summit of Mauna Kea.

The Board of Land and Natural Resources (BLNR) granted a Contested Case
Hearing (CCH) proceeding to review the UH Institute of Astronomy's CDUA
permit application.

On June 6, 2003 the CCH Hearing Officer filed Proposed Finding of Facts,
Conclusions of Law, Decision and Order to the BLNR.

To summarize, the Hearings Officer found that UHIFA failed to produce a
Management Plan as required by state rules and regulations, he feels
that the UHIFA's CDUA application should be approved, under the
conditions that the UHIFA submit an "after the fact" Management Plan, by
July 18, 2003 for BLNR Approval.

On June 26, 2003 at 2:30 p.m., the BLNR will hear oral arguments
regarding the Hearing Officer's Finding of Fact, etc. by the Petitioners
and the UHIFA.

The BLNR will also be taking public testimony. Please try to appear if
at all possible and show your support.

Please take a short moment and let the Board of Land and Natural
Resources know that you think the sacred mountain of Mauna Kea deserves
to have a full review of the potential impacts to the fragile ecology
and to cultural practices of any proposed development on its summit.

The Case for A GM-Free Sustainable World

Executive Summary

Why GM Free?

1. GM crops failed to deliver promised benefits

The consistent finding from independent research and on-farm surveys
since 1999 is that GM crops have failed to deliver the promised benefits
of significantly increasing yields or reducing herbicide and pesticide
use. GM crops have cost the United States an estimated $12 billion in
farm subsidies, lost sales and product recalls due to transgenic
contamination. Massive failures in Bt cotton of up to 100% were reported
in India.

Biotech corporations have suffered rapid decline since 2000, and
investment advisors forecast no future for the agricultural sector.
Meanwhile worldwide resistance to GM has reached a climax in 2002 when
Zambia refused GM maize in food aid despite the threat of famine.

2. GM crops posing escalating problems on the farm

The instability of transgenic lines has plagued the industry from the
beginning, and this may be responsible for a string of major crop
failures. A review in 1994 stated, "While there are some examples of
plants which show stable expression of a transgene these may prove to be
the exceptions to the rule. In an informal survey of over 30 companies
involved in the commercialisation of transgenic crop plants...almost all
of the respondents indicated that they had observed some level of
transgene inaction. Many respondents indicated that most cases of
transgene inactivation never reach the literature."

Triple herbicide-tolerant oilseed rape volunteers that have combined
transgenic and non-transgenic traits are now widespread in Canada.
Similar multiple herbicide-tolerant volunteers and weeds have emerged in
the United States. In the United States, glyphosate-tolerant weeds are
plaguing GM cotton and soya fields, and atrazine, one of the most toxic
herbicides, has had to be used with glufosinate-tolerant GM maize.

Bt biopesticide traits are simultaneously threatening to create
superweeds and Bt- resistant pests.

3. Extensive transgenic contamination unavoidable

Extensive transgenic contamination has occurred in maize landraces
growing in remote regions in Mexico despite an official moratorium that
has been in place since 1998. High levels of contamination have since
been found in Canada. In a test of 33 certified seed stocks, 32 were
found contaminated.

New research shows that transgenic pollen, wind-blown and deposited
elsewhere, or fallen directly to the ground, is a major source of
transgenic contamination. Contamination is generally acknowledged to
be unavoidable, hence there can be no co-existence of transgenic and
non-transgenic crops.

4. GM crops not safe

Contrary to the claims of proponents, GM crops have not been proven
safe. The regulatory framework was fatally flawed from the start. It was
based on an anti-precautionary approach designed to expedite product
approval at the expense of safety considerations. The principle of
'substantial equivalence', on which risk assessment is based, is
intended to be vague and ill-defined, thereby giving companies complete
licence in claiming transgenic products 'substantially equivalent' to
non-transgenic products, and hence 'safe'.

5. GM food raises serious safety concerns

There have been very few credible studies on GM food safety.
Nevertheless, the available findings already give cause for concern. In
the still only systematic investigation on GM food ever carried out in
the world, 'growth factor-like' effects were found in the stomach and
small intestine of young rats that were not fully accounted for by the
transgene product, and were hence attributable to the transgenic process
or the transgenic construct, and may hence be general to all GM food.
There have been at least two other, more limited, studies that also
raised serious safety concerns.

6. Dangerous gene products are incorporated into crops

Bt proteins, incorporated into 25% of all transgenic crops worldwide,
have been found harmful to a range of non-target insects. Some of them
are also potent immunogens and allergens. A team of scientists have
cautioned against releasing Bt crops for human use.

Food crops are increasingly used to produce pharmaceuticals and drugs,
including cytokines known to suppress the immune system, induce sickness
and central nervous system toxicity; interferon alpha, reported to cause
dementia, neurotoxicity and mood and cognitive side effects; vaccines;
and viral sequences such as the 'spike' protein gene of the pig
coronavirus, in the same family as the SARS virus linked to the current
epidemic. The glycoprotein gene gp120 of the AIDS virus HIV-1,
incorporated into GM maize as a 'cheap, edible oral vaccine', serves as
yet another biological time-bomb, as it can interfere with the immune
system and recombine with viruses and bacteria to generate new and
unpredictable pathogens.

7. Terminator crops spread male sterility

Crops engineered with 'suicide' genes for male sterility have been
promoted as a means of 'containing', i.e., preventing, the spread of
transgenes. In reality, the hybrid crops sold to farmers spread both
male sterile suicide genes as well herbicide tolerance genes via pollen.

8. Broad-spectrum herbicides highly toxic to humans and other species

Glufosinate ammonium and glyphosate are used with the herbicide-tolerant
transgenic crops that currently account for 75% of all transgenic crops
worldwide. Both are systemic metabolic poisons expected to have a wide
range of harmful effects, and these have been confirmed.

Glufosinate ammonium is linked to neurological, respiratory,
gastrointestinal and haematological toxicities, and birth defects in
humans and mammals. It is toxic to butterflies and a number of
beneficial
insects, also to the larvae of clams and oysters, Daphnia and some
freshwater fish, especially the rainbow trout. It inhibits beneficial
soil bacteria and fungi, especially those that fix nitrogen.

Glyphosate is the most frequent cause of complaints and poisoning in the
UK. Disturbances of many body functions have been reported after
exposures at normal use levels.

Glyphosate exposure nearly doubled the risk of late spontaneous
abortion, and children born to users of glyphosate had elevated
neurobehavioral defects. Glyphosate caused retarded development of the
foetal skeleton in laboratory rats. Glyphosate inhibits the synthesis of
steroids, and is genotoxic in mammals, fish and frogs. Field dose
exposure of earthworms caused at least 50 percent mortality and
significant intestinal damage among surviving worms. Roundup caused cell
division dysfunction that may be linked to human cancers.

The known effects of both glufosinate and glyphosate are sufficiently
serious for all further uses of the herbicides to be halted.

9. Genetic engineering creates super-viruses

By far the most insidious dangers of genetic engineering are inherent to
the process itself, which greatly enhances the scope and probability of
horizontal gene transfer and recombination, the main route to creating
viruses and bacteria that cause disease epidemics. This was highlighted,
in 2001, by the 'accidental' creation of a killer mouse virus in the
course of an apparently innocent genetic engineering experiment.

Newer techniques, such as DNA shuffling are allowing geneticists to
create in a matter of minutes in the laboratory millions of recombinant
viruses that have never existed in billions of years of evolution.
Disease-causing viruses and bacteria and their genetic material are the
predominant materials and tools for genetic engineering, as much as for
the intentional creation of bio-weapons.

10. Transgenic DNA in food taken up by bacteria in human gut

There is already experimental evidence that transgenic DNA from plants
has been taken up by bacteria in the soil and in the gut of human
volunteers. Antibiotic resistance marker genes can spread from
transgenic food to pathogenic bacteria, making infections very difficult
to treat.

11. Transgenic DNA and cancer

Transgenic DNA is known to survive digestion in the gut and to jump into
the genome of mammalian cells, raising the possibility for triggering
cancer.

The possibility cannot be excluded that feeding GM products such as
maize to animals also carries risks, not just for the animals but also
for human beings consuming the animal products.

12. CaMV 35S promoter increases horizontal gene transfer

Evidence suggests that transgenic constructs with the CaMV 35S promoter
might be especially unstable and prone to horizontal gene transfer and
recombination, with all the attendant hazards: gene mutations due to
random insertion, cancer, reactivation of dormant viruses and generation
of new viruses. This promoter is present in most GM crops being grown
commercially today.

13. A history of misrepresentation and suppression of scientific
evidence

There has been a history of misrepresentation and suppression of
scientific evidence, especially on horizontal gene transfer. Key
experiments failed to be performed, or were performed badly and then
misrepresented. Many experiments were not followed up, including
investigations on whether the CaMV 35S promoter is responsible for the
'growth-factor-like' effects observed in young rats fed GM potatoes.

In conclusion, GM crops have failed to deliver the promised benefits and
are posing escalating problems on the farm. Transgenic contamination is
now widely acknowledged to be unavoidable, and hence there can be no
co-existence of GM and non-GM agriculture. Most important of all, GM
crops have not been proven safe. On the contrary, sufficient evidence
has emerged to raise serious safety concerns, that if ignored could
result in irreversible damage to health and the environment. GM crops
should be firmly rejected now.

Why Sustainable Agriculture?

1. Higher productivity and yields, especially in the Third World

Some 8.98 million farmers have adopted sustainable agriculture practices
on 28.92 million hectares in Asia, Latin America and Africa. Reliable
data from 89 projects show higher productivity and yields: 50-100%
increase in yield for rainfed crops, and 5-10% for irrigated crops. Top
successes include Burkina Faso, which turned a cereal deficit of 644 kg
per year to an annual surplus of 153 kg; Ethiopia, where 12 500
households enjoyed 60% increase in crop yields; and Honduras and
Guatemala, where 45 000 families increased yields from 400-600 kg/ha to
2 000-2 500 kg/ha.

Long-term studies in industrialised countries show yields for organic
comparable to conventional agriculture, and sometimes higher.

2. Better soils

Sustainable agricultural practices tend to reduce soil erosion, as well
as improve soil physical structure and water-holding capacity, which are
crucial in averting crop failures during periods of drought.

Soil fertility is maintained or increased by various sustainable
agriculture practices. Studies show that soil organic matter and
nitrogen levels are higher in organic than in conventional fields.

Biological activity has also been found to be higher in organic soils.
There are more earthworms, arthropods, mycorrhizal and other fungi, and
micro-organisms, all of which are beneficial for nutrient recycling and
suppression of disease.

3. Cleaner environment

There is little or no polluting chemical-input with sustainable
agriculture. Moreover, research suggests that less nitrate and
phosphorus are leached to groundwater from organic soils.

Better water infiltration rates are found in organic systems. Therefore,
they are less prone to erosion and less likely to contribute to water
pollution from surface runoff.

4. Reduced pesticides and no increase in pests

Organic farming prohibits routine pesticide application. Integrated pest
management has cut the number of pesticide sprays in Vietnam from 3.4 to
one per season, in Sri Lanka from 2.9 to 0.5 per season, and in
Indonesia from 2.9 to 1.1 per season.

Research showed no increase in crop losses due to pest damage, despite
the withdrawal of synthetic insecticides in Californian tomato
production.

Pest control is achievable without pesticides, reversing crop losses, as
for example, by using 'trap crops' to attract stem borer, a major pest
in East Africa. Other benefits of avoiding pesticides arise from
utilising the complex inter-relationships between species in an
ecosystem.

5. Supporting biodiversity and using diversity

Sustainable agriculture promotes agricultural biodiversity, which is
crucial for food security and rural livelihoods. Organic farming can
also support much greater biodiversity, benefiting species that have
significantly declined.

Biodiverse systems are more productive than monocultures. Integrated
farming systems in Cuba are 1.45 to 2.82 times more productive than
monocultures. Thousands of Chinese rice farmers have doubled yields and
nearly eliminated the most devastating disease simply by mixed planting
of two varieties.

Soil biodiversity is enhanced by organic practices, bringing beneficial
effects such as recovery and rehabilitation of degraded soils, improved
soil structure and water infiltration.

6. Environmentally and economically sustainable

Research on apple production systems ranked the organic system first in
environmental and economic sustainability, the integrated system second
and the conventional system last. Organic apples were most profitable
due to price premiums, quicker investment return and fast recovery of
costs.

A Europe-wide study showed that organic farming performs better than
conventional farming in the majority of environmental indicators. A
review by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
(FAO) concluded that well-managed organic agriculture leads to more
favourable conditions at all environmental levels.

7. Ameliorating climate change by reducing direct & indirect energy use

Organic agriculture uses energy much more efficiently and greatly
reduces CO2 emissions compared with conventional agriculture, both with
respect to direct energy consumption in fuel and oil and indirect
consumption in synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Sustainable agriculture restores soil organic matter content, increasing
carbon sequestration below ground, thereby recovering an important
carbon sink. Organic systems have shown significant ability to absorb
and retain carbon, raising the possibility that sustainable agriculture
practices can help reduce the impact of global warming.

Organic agriculture is likely to emit less nitrous dioxide (N2O),
another important greenhouse gas and also a cause of stratospheric ozone
depletion.

8. Efficient, profitable production

Any yield reduction in organic agriculture is more than offset by
ecological and efficiency gains. Research has shown that the organic
approach can be commercially viable in the long-term, producing more
food per unit of energy or resources.

Data show that smaller farms produce far more per unit area than the
larger farms characteristic of conventional farming. Though the yield
per unit area of one crop may be lower on a small farm than on a large
monoculture, the total output per unit area, often composed of more than
a dozen crops and various animal products, can be far higher.

Production costs for organic farming are often lower than for
conventional farming, bringing equivalent or higher net returns even
without organic price premiums. When price premiums are factored in,
organic systems are almost always more profitable.

9. Improved food security and benefits to local communities

A review of sustainable agriculture projects in developing countries
showed that average food production per household increased by 1.71
tonnes per year (up 73%) for 4.42 million farmers on 3.58 million
hectares, bringing food security and health benefits to local
communities.

Increasing agricultural productivity has been shown to also increase
food supplies and raise incomes, thereby reducing poverty, increasing
access to food, reducing malnutrition and improving health and
livelihoods.

Sustainable agricultural approaches draw extensively on traditional and
indigenous knowledge, and place emphasis on the farmers' experience and
innovation. This thereby utilises appropriate, low-cost and readily
available local resources as well as improves farmers' status and
autonomy, enhancing social and cultural relations within local
communities.

Local means of sale and distribution can generate more money for the
local economy. For every £1 spent at an organic box scheme from Cusgarne
Organics (UK), £2.59 is generated for the local economy; but for every
£1 spent at a supermarket, only £1.40 is generated for the local
economy.

10. Better food quality for health

Organic food is safer, as organic farming prohibits routine pesticide
and herbicide use, so harmful chemical residues are rarely found.

Organic production also bans the use of artificial food additives such
as hydrogenated fats, phosphoric acid, aspartame and monosodium
glutamate, which have been linked to health problems as diverse as heart
disease, osteoporosis, migraines and hyperactivity.

Studies have shown that, on average, organic food has higher vitamin C,
higher mineral levels and higher plant phenolics - plant compounds that
can fight cancer and heart disease, and combat age-related neurological
dysfunctions - and significantly less nitrates, a toxic compound.

Sustainable agricultural practices have proven beneficial in all aspects
relevant to health and the environment. In addition, they bring food
security and social and cultural well-being to local communities
everywhere. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive global shift to
all forms of sustainable agriculture.

Science Society Sustainability http://www.i-sis.org.uk