On the eve of this nation s Independence Day celebrations, local legislators from coast to coast are taking the lead to ensure that in addition to the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, Americans also have the right to know about cell phone radiation - and that they can easily learn safer ways to use these ubiquitous devices in their homes and workplaces. With the World Health Organization declaring microwave radiation from cell phones a potential cause of cancer - much like engine exhausts and some pesticides - a number of officials are moving to place warnings directly on phones.
'Democracy rests on the fundamental principle that citizens have a right to know about potential dangers of products that they choose to use, and that they also have a right to live free from intrusions into their homes and families,' says Devra Davis, Ph.D., MPH, founder of the Environmental Health Trust and author of Disconnect - The Truth about Cell Phone Radiation, What Industry Has Done to Hide It and How to Protect Your Family. 'Democratic principles also require that industry and government have a duty to inform citizens about hazards that may constitute a clear and present danger to public welfare. Whether from pesticides or cell phones, we should take serious steps to curtail exposures to suspected hazards.'
As the nation s fifth largest city and the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence, Philadelphia is on the forefront of the cell phone radiation issue. The eyes of the country will be on Pennsylvania later this summer (August 31st), because passage of a new bill would require that retailers prominently display a warning label on cell phones and their packaging detailing potential harm of cell phone radiation, specifically to children and pregnant women.
Advanced by former-speaker of the House Pennsylvania State Rep. Dennis O?Brien (R-169, and State Rep. Vanessa Brown (D-190), the Pennsylvania cell phone safety bill (HB-1408) would provide the first state action in the US reflecting growing scientific consensus from the WHO and from EHT s Doctors? Pamphlet on Safer Cellphone Use, written by some of the world s top neurosurgeons.
Pennsylvania State Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown believes that cell phones should be treated like cigarettes. 'It is simply too early to prove without doubt that cell phones are not harmful,' she has said. 'Therefore, the choice is simple: be a more responsible cell phone user, especially around young children, or keep taking chances. Just as children can t smoke, they shouldn t hold cell phones next to their brains. The purpose of the label is to prevent damage and promote safer cell phone practices among Pennsylvania s families,' she adds.
Rob Stuart, a Senior Advisor to Environmental Health Trust, and a leader of the Pennsylvania effort is confident about the need for legislative action and its prospects for passage. 'This is a non-partisan matter that is bringing together all parties in the State to stand up for liberty and truth in labeling about cell phone radiation. We have to protect our children now, rather than wait for damaging health consequences from radiation to emerge.'
Founding Fathers of Cell Phone Issue: More Work Needed (Again)
In the US over the past two decades, three congressional hearings have addressed the cell phone health risk issue: Congressman Edward Markey (D-MA) in 1993; Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) in 2008; Senators Arlen Specter (D-PA) and Thomas Harkin (D-IA in 2009). Ellen Marks, Director of Government and Public Affairs at EHT, believes it s time to move beyond talk about the problem to real action. 'Calls for warnings and public education about cell phone safety are sweeping the nation as Pennsylvania, Maine, California (San Francisco, Berkeley, Burlingame), New Mexico, Jackson, Wyoming, and perhaps New York City are now proposing serious legislative changes in labeling and public education.'
The State Senates in California and Pennsylvania will soon be reviewing proposals for major public education campaigns so that consumers have the right to know how to use phones safely. In a recent speech highlighting the fine print warnings found in packaging to keep cell phones away from the body, cell phone legislative sponsor California State Senator, Mark Leno concluded, 'They (the cell phone industry) know and the more they resist, it only makes me wonder how much more they are not telling us.'
Israeli legislators recently announced a new bill with several striking demands for cell phone companies, including sending an SMS every day at 12 noon to cell phone users, which warns that the WHO has determined that mobile phone radiation is a possible cause of cancer and that cellphones should be used with care. A similar warning would appear on the screen when the phone is turned on. The bill includes a stipulation that purchaser of a cell phone will have to sign a statement indicating that they understand the risks of its use, especially in children.
John Cockburn,
Director, Equipment Division,
Office of Energy Efficiency,
Department of Natural Resources,
930 Carling Avenue (CEF, Building 1, Observatory Crescent),
2nd Floor, Room 25,
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0Y3
(tel.: 613-996-4359; email: equipment@nrcan.gc.ca)
Re: Canada Gazette, Part I, Regulations Amending the Energy Efficiency Regulations
I am delighted that Natural Resources Canada is considering a two-year delay for banning incandescent light bulbs.
In 2008, Tom Hutchinson and I sent a petition to the Auditor General of Canada that is attached. It outlines the key problems with CFL bulbs and includes the following:
1. Mercury content a concern during breakage inside buildings (homes, schools, offices, etc) and disposal in waste dumps contributes to the global load of mercury. It is also contributing to ill health among many Chinese workers. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6211261.ece
2. CFL emit UV radiation and Health Canada has already issued a warning that people should sit further away and use the light bulbs for less than 2 hours at a time to minimize their UV exposure. Some bulbs now have a double envelope, which does reduce the UV considerably, but many bulbs still generate UV radiation.
3. CFL bulbs generate radio frequency radiation that flows along electrical wires and contributes to poor power quality also known as dirty electricity. Dirty electricity has been linked to ill health, increased blood sugar among diabetics who are electrically sensitive, increased tremors and difficulty walking among those with Multiple Sclerosis, and problems with student behaviour in schools. All of this is properly referenced in the attached Environmental Petition sent to the Auditor General of Canada.
4. CFL bulbs generate radio frequency radiation that can interfere with marine wireless communication and some GE bulbs have this warning on the package.
6. CFL bulbs are making people ill. This includes those who have migraine headaches, epilepsy, those with electrosensitivity, and those who have skin problems. Details are provided in the attached report.
If the government waits for an additional two years, light emitting diode (LED) technology will have improved in terms of light quality and intensity and the price will have dropped as did the price of CFLs when they first came on the market.
Canadians are attached to their incandescent light bulbs and it makes sense to use light bulbs that will add to the heating of rooms especially during the long Canadian winters. CFL technology is deeply flawed and it was a mistake for the government to tell people what type of light bulbs they should or should not use. There are alternative ways to alter choice without banning a product. I would urge the government to remove the ban all-together but extending it for an additional two years makes sense because it will give Canadians a choice with technology that is likely to be even more energy efficient without the side effects of CFL bulbs.
New Method for Measuring Parkinson s Disease Prevalence Reveals Sharp Increase in Israel
ScienceDaily (June 13, 2011) - In a new study published in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Parkinson s Disease, Israeli researchers report that by tracking pharmacy purchases of anti-Parkinson drugs they could estimate the number of Parkinson s disease (PD) cases in a large population. The study identified a sharp rise in PD prevalence from 170/100,000 in 2000 to 256/100,000 in 2007 in Israel, which warrants further investigation.
Here is an audio of a program in Calif. discussing how people can protect their legal rights against infringement by wireless technology.
Attorney Larry Bragman, is Mayor of the town of Fairfax in Marin County, California, where he introduced and authored Fairfax s 2010 groundbreaking Smart Meter Moratorium. Josh Hart is the director of Stop Smart Meters, a journalist and activist who is leading a citizen revolt against the roll of of wireless utility meters. They both join the show to discuss how citizen s can protect their civil rights, privacy and health with the proliferation of wireless technologies.
Smart Meter alternatives: Are wired transmissions better than wireless?
Planet Thrive
People around the country are protesting the mandatory placement of wireless 'smart' meters on their homes by electric utility companies. Citing serious health effects, privacy concerns and other issues, they are requesting 'opt-out' offers by their ...
July 6, 2011. Finally someone measured the mercury content of compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs!
We have been told that CFL bulbs contain 0.5 mg of mercury and that lower mercury-content bulbs will be produced in the future, yet many bulbs exceed this value as shown in the article below.
Li,Y. and L. Jin. 2011. Environmental Release of Mercury from Broken Compact Fluorescent Lamps, ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE. 28 (10), 5 pp. Click here for pdf with links and here for abstract.
The total amount of mercury in CFLs ranged from 0.1 to 3.6 mg.
What does this mean?
Lets' look at the water quality guidelines for mercury as a comparison.
The maxiumum concentration of total mercury in drinking water is 1.0 micro gram per litre. That number is 0.001 mg mercury per litre of water. Therefore the mercury content of a CFL bulb, at the nominal 0.5 mg per bulb, is 500 time higher than the concentration in a litre of drinking water!
Is there anyone out there who is a watch dog for this product or can CFL manufacturers do anything they want? We don t allow lead paint on toys from China yet we import light bulbs that contain mercury! This is not a bright idea for us, for the environment, or for the Chinese workers. Click http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6211261.ece to read ?Green? lightbulbs poison workers, Hundreds of factory staff are being made ill by mercury used in bulbs destined for the West.
Opinion: Energy-efficient bulbs - they are causing headaches for many of us
As the reader who reported daily migraine attacks noted, 'will the time come when you have to have a physicians? prescription to purchase a 100-watt bulb? Will you have to get special authority from Pharmacare to have them in your house?'
CFLs emit noteworthy levels of electromagnetic radiation, including radio... If a bulb breaks at home, its fragments are dangerous to bare skin and need ...
Schleching - Der mögliche Bau eines Digitalfunk-Sendemasten am Grieselberg oberhalb von Ettenhausen stößt in der Bevölkerung auf Widerstand.
Das dokumentierte die große Zahl von 40 Schlechinger Bürgern in der jüngsten Gemeinderatssitzung.
Der Grieselberg ist als Standort für einen Masten für den 'BOS-' (Behörden und Organisationen mit Sicherheitsaufgaben) Digitalfunk im Gespräch. Darüber hatte Zweite Bürgermeisterin Elfie Bachmann das Gremium bereits in einer Sitzung Anfang Februar informiert...
Wie eine Woche zuvor die Nachbargemeinde Reit im Winkl wünscht auch Schleching in Sachen BOS-Digitalfunk ein Moratorium (Denkpause). Einstimmig befürwortete der Gemeinderat einen entsprechenden Antrag der Bürgerinitiative (BI) 'Tetrafunkfreies...
Das ist gut für die Anwohner, denen der Anblick der Masten und Elektrosmog erspart bleibt - aber schlecht für die Verbraucher, denen wegen der höheren ...
