* Synergistic possibilities, Health Effects of EMF Exposure and Charting the hidden force at street corners - Protein folding/homocysteine/amyloid,etc. - E-MAIL ACTIVISTS AT WORK - EMF-Omega-News (12/1/03)
Synergistic possibilities and Charting the hidden force at street corners

Comment from Lyn Milnes, re list of diseases in Dr Havas' study on street corners (cancer, miscarriages, depression, Lou Gehrig's disease and, possibly, Alzheimer's disease)

Most of these are degenerative diseases. May I draw people's attention to the recent work on degenerative diseases looking at exposure to mercury combined with exposure to electro-magnetic fields? This combination (synergistic effect) is known to produce degenerative diseases (see below).

Sources of mercury in the environment include amalgam fillings in teeth AND I believe there is a mercury component in the triple vaccine given to infants, which has recently been strongly linked with childhood autism. (Eli Lilly drug company makes this vaccine. Did you know that aclause making it impossible to sue Eli Lilly for this was mysteriously added on to the bottom on the Homeland Security Bill in US? That's the recent Bill to "combat terrorism".)

Below is something on the subject - it is well-referenced but sorry, haven't kept the attribution and am not clear who wrote it.

Informant: Lyn Milnes excerpt from messages to/from Roy Beavers

and

Health Effects of EMF Exposure

In the review of a long term comprehensive EMF risk assessment study by the California Dept. of Health Services, all reviewers concluded that it is highly likely that EMF causes some forms of cancer, along with chronic neurological conditions like ALS (Lou Gerhig's disease) and depression. They also found a significant likelihood that EMF causes cardiovascular problems and increased suicide(37).

Actually there is strong evidence in the medical literature already supporting these conclusions and documenting mechanisms by which the effects occur. The evidence is based on the fact that mercury exposure has been documented to cause all of these conditions (50), and EMF exposure has been documented to cause significant release of mercury into the body from those who have amalgam, the majority of the population.

Some studies have found persons with chronic exposure to electromagnetic fields(EMF) to have higher levels of mercury exposure and excretion(38). Magnetic fields are known to induce current in metals and would increase the documented effects of galvanism(45). EMF is also documented in animal and human studies to cause cellular calcium efflux and affect calcium homeostasis(39,40), which may be a factor in the reduction of melatonin levels caused by EMF exposure in animal and human studies(40,41). In studies on chicks this had significant adverse effects on viability of embryos and chicks. Melatonin is known to be protective against mercury and free radical activity, as well as regulating the circadian rhythm cycle and sleep cycle. EMF exposure lowers melatonin production and disrupts the sleep cycle(41). Another study provides evidence for an association between occupational electromagnetic fields and suicide(46). The authors indicate that a plausible mechanism related to melatonin and depression provides a direction for additional laboratory research as well as epidemiological evaluation.

Occupational exposure to higher levels of EMF have also been found in many studies to result in much higher risk of chronic degenerative neurological conditions such as ALS(42), Alzheimer's Disease(43), as well as Leukemia and Cancer(44).

Since EMF causes increased mercury exposure in those with amalgam, and mercury is also known to cause these conditions, the relative importance of mercury or other factors is not clear since the studies were not controlled for mercury levels or number of amalgam fillings.

(37) California Dept. of Health Services, California EMF Program, Draft of final risk evaluation report,

http://www.dhs.cahwnet.gov/ehib/emf/RiskEvaluation/riskeval.html

(38) F.Schmidt et al, "Mercury in urine of employees exposed to magnetic fields", Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen, 1997, 117(2): 199-202; & Sheppard AR and EisenbudM., Biological Effects of electric and magnetic fields of extremely low frequency. New York university press. 1977; & Ortendahl T W, Hogstedt P, Holland RP, "Mercury vapor release from dental amalgam in vitro caused by magnetic fields generated by CRT's", Swed Dent J 1991 p 31

(39) Aldinucci C; Palmi M; Sgaragli G; Benocci A; Meini A; Pessina F; Pessina GP. The effect of pulsed electromagnetic fields on the physiologic behaviour of a human astrocytoma cell line. Biochim Biophys Acta 2000, 11;1499(1-2):101-108.

(40) Pablos MI; Agapito MT; Gutierrez-Baraja R; Reiter RJ; Recio JM. Effect of calcium on melatonin secretion in chick pineal gland I. Neurosci Lett 1996 Oct18;217(2-3):161-4; & Nikaido SS; Takahashi JS. Calcium modulates circadian variation in cAMP-stimulated melatonin in chick pineal cells. Brain Res 1996 15;716(1-2):1-10; & Youbicier-Simo BJ; Boudard F; Cabaner C; Bastide M. Biological effects of continuous exposure of embryos and young chickens to electromagnetic fields emitted by video display units. Bioelectromagnetics 1997;18(7):514-23 ;

(41) Juutilainen J; Stevens RG; et al; Nocturnal 6-hydroxymelatonin sulfate excretion in female workers exposed to magnetic fields. J Pineal Res 2000; 28(2):97-104; & Akerstedt T; Arnetz B; Ficca G; Paulsson LE; Kallner A. A 50-Hz electromagnetic field impairs sleep. J Sleep Res 1999 Mar;8(1):77-81

(42) Savitz DA; Checkoway H; Loomis DP. Magnetic field exposure and neurodegenerative disease mortality among electric utility workers. Epidemiology 1998 Jul;9(4):398-404; & Savitz DA; Loomis DP; Tse CK. Electrical occupations and neurodegenerative disease: analysis of U.S. mortality data.Arch Environ Health 1998 Jan-Feb;53(1):71-4; & Johansen C; Olsen JH. Mortality from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, other chronic disorders, and electric shocks among utility workers.Am J Epidemiol 1998 Aug 15;148(4):362-8; & Davanipour Z; Sobel E; Bowman JD; Qian Z; Will AD. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields. Bioelectromagnetics 1997;18(1):28-35.

(43) Sobel E; Dunn M; Davanipour Z; Qian Z; Chui HC. Elevated risk of Alzheimer's disease among workers with likely electromagnetic field exposure. Neurology 1996 ;47(6):1477-81; & Sobel E, Davanipour Z. Electromagnetic field exposure may cause increased production of amyloid beta and eventually lead to Alzheimer's disease. Neurology. 1996 Dec;47(6):1594-600; & Sobel E; Davanipour Z; Sulkava R; Erkinjuntti T; Wikstrom J et al; Occupations with exposure to electromagnetic fields: a possible risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. Am J Epidemiol 1995 Sep 1;142(5):515-24.

(44) London SJ; Bowman JD; Sobel E; Thomas DC; Garabrant DH; Pearce N; Bernstein L; Peters JM. Exposure to magnetic fields among electrical workers in relation to leukemia risk in Los Angeles County. Am J Ind Med 1994 Jul;26(1):47-60; & Caplan LS; Schoenfeld ER; O'Leary ES; Leske MC. Breast cancer and electromagnetic fields--a review. Ann Epidemiol 2000 Jan;10(1):31-44

(45) Mercury Exposure and Health Effects from Dental Amalgam Galvanism, http://www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/galv.html

(46) van Wijngaarden E, Savatz D, Kleckner R, Cai J, Loomis D. Exposure to electromagnetic fields and suicide among electric utility Workers: a nested case-control study. Occup Environ Med 2000; 57:258-263.

(50) ALS: the Mercury Connection, http://www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/als.html

Depression: the Mercury Connection: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/depress.html

Mercury related health effects from amalgam fillings, http://www.home.earthlink.net/~berniew1/amalg6.html

(B.Windham(Ed.), over 2000 peer-reviewed medical studies reviewed and referenced

and

Charting the hidden force at street corners

Corky Adams
TORONTO STAR
JAN 4, 2003

There's a steadily growing conviction among some researchers that electromagnetic fields can promote bad things - cancer, miscarriages, depression, Lou Gehrig's disease and, possibly, Alzheimer's disease. But there's all-too-scanty knowledge of how much exposure people get in the course of a day.

To help bridge this knowledge gap, Magda Havas, who teaches in the Faculty of Environmental and Resource Studies at Trent University in Peterborough, has taken readings on the main streets of 60 Ontario communities ranging in size from Toronto (2.3 million people) to Burk's Falls (1,000).

She found that 49 of the communities (82 per cent) had readings above the level that is associated with childhood leukemia. The worst of all the communities, by far, was Kingston, followed by Oshawa, London, Peterborough, and Toronto. Burk's Falls had the lowest readings, followed by Cambridge, Newmarket, Madoc, Perth and Bradford.

Pinpointing sources is important, because it is the accumulated exposure, collected at different places from different sources during the course of a day, that determines health impacts.

Havas is quick to point out there is no proof, as yet, that electromagnetic fields directly cause illnesses. But there is plenty of evidence showing they are associated with illnesses and can promote them.

Her work on Main Street, Ontario, should be a wake-up call to public utilities and other businesses generating electromagnetic fields, such as banks and cellphone companies, which one day could face lawsuits from people claiming compensation for impaired health.

No doubt aware of potential liability, the California Public Utilities Commission ordered a study eight years ago on the effects of electromagnetic fields. Slated to cost $11.2 million, it is the most extensive study ever done and is about to be released. According to the London Sunday Times, the study will suggest hundreds of thousands of people may be at risk.

The strength of magnetic fields is measured in milliGauss (mG), after the German mathematician Karl Friedrich Gauss (1777-1855). According to federal government guidelines in Canada, a cumulative, 24-hour exposure of up to 1,000 milliGauss is safe.

However, Havas says, this guideline is ridiculous. Studies have established that a 24-hour exposure in the range of 2-4 mG doubles the incidence of childhood leukemia. A daily exposure of 16 mG has been shown to triple the risk of miscarriage during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. When breast cancer cells are exposed to 12 mG, their growth rate increases.

To put this in context, kitchen appliances, measured at a distance of 30 centimetres, can run from 0.1 to 30 mG. In offices, photocopy machines emit up to 4 mG, fluorescent lights up to 3 mG and computer terminals up to 0.6 mG. Power drills can generate up to 4 mG and power saws up to 30 mG.

In Kingston, Havas monitored 36 street corners on Princess St. between Division and Ontario Sts. Her mean reading was 47 mG. In Toronto, the mean reading for 108 street corners on Yonge St. between Bloor and Front Sts. was 19.2 mG. In Oshawa, the mean on Simcoe St. was 29.5 mG; in London on Dundas St., 22.9 mG; and in Peterborough on George St., 20.8 mG.

That's not good news for sidewalk cafes, street vendors, couriers and people living over stores. Her study is published in The Science Of The Total Environment 298 (2002) at pages 183-206. An excellent review of studies on electromagnetic fields can be found at

http://www.powerlinefacts.com/EMF.htm?GXHC_gx_session_id_=386f15e88f9c9aa3


The study is good news in terms of raising awareness - and that's crucial to any health issue.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/
Article_PrintFriendly&c=Article&cid=1035776231161&call_pageid=968332188774


Protein folding/homocysteine/amyloid,etc.

Note that this email from Mr. Purdy mentions he would be interested in knowing about the "homocysteine" in our guinea pig (Kelley Z-1) who was diagnosed with the reactive amyloidosis. Mr. Purdy is "right on" in regard to the research and a connection to "homocysteine." I have not gone into a whole lot of detail but will mention that both my husband, Bud, and I have been tested and do have elevated levels of homocysteine!!!!! This is in spite of taking supplements. It appears hat our EMR exposure is causing "malabsorption" of nutrients (there is a lot of medical literature to support this). I am, of course, "not an expert"........

It is the connection between homocysteine, a mutant gene found in my husband, the short version of which is referred to as "C677 mutation (thermolabile form) in the MTHFR, which has to do with "malabsorption" (folic acid, Vitamins B-6 and B-12 in particular) as well as the findings in the guinea pigs of "hypersegmented neutrophils" (slowed DNA synthesis, that all are included in the medical literature as being connected with protein misfolding that leads to a build-up of amyloid.

There are too many references to even begin to include them at this time; however, Mr. Purdy does have a listing of some of the relevant items. Keep in mind when reviewing Mr. Purdey's work that "a complete metabolic panel" was done in conjunction with the necropsy on my guinea pig (Kelley Z-1) and, in her case, the University was not able to "identify a toxic source." The veterinarian in charge is a Ph.D. and I have communicated with her several times. It is obvious she was looking for something toxic to explain the "reactive amyloidosis" but was not able to make a link to excess arsenic, chromium, or other excess minerals.

We all know that EMF/EMR has been referred to in the medical literature as being "toxic." There is a strong correlation between what has happened to our family and the work that Mr. Purdy has done at least insofar as the literature is concerned. Mr. Purdy also has information on his website about EMF's (http://www.purdeyenvironment.com).

The Australian League of Rights has an article on its site titled: "On Target from New Zealand," Sept.-Oct. 2002, Vol. 20, No. 5, that cites an interview with Mark Nigel Purdy regarding mad cow disease. This interview is about half way down on the webpage.

Mark Nigel Purdy is an organic dairy farmer from Somerset, England, who refused to spray his cattle with pesticide to fight the warble fly. He fought in court and won. When the mad cow epidemic hit England neither he nor the other organic dairy farmers had cows with BSE.

While Nigel Purdy is "not an expert," he has studied the mad cow issue extensively and argues that "mad cow" is not spread by a virus, but is a result of organophosphate pesticides and toxic mineral overload. He states reasons why the disease does not spread from cow to cow. He also discusses "mineral imbalance" as one of the factors that can cause the disease.

It is "mineral imbalance" that appears to be a major factor in regard to many, if not all, of the health problems affecting our family as well as our animals. I can "make the link" from available journal articles but this will require a lot more time. I must reiterate that the use of the term "mad cow disease" does not mean to imply in any way that we or our animals have the disease. The disease involves "misfolding of proteins" (or some malfunction in the protein-folding process) that has similar findings but does not involve the protein "prion" that is found in the brains of affected cows.

*
* *
1-09-03 email from Nigel Purdy below:

Dear Joanne,
Thanks for your e mails. You are doing some intersting work - very enterprising. A few questions / comments from a non expert: Have you looked at copper, - levels in cells and plasma, the species present ie Cu2+ or Cu 3+, the proteins that transport it? A protection against emf that is often suggested is to put an aluminium sheet, even foil I think, between the electrical source and the room. The sheet should be earthed. Have you looked at this at all as part of your experiments? ie does it reduce the effects on the guineas. The elevated hsps means the cells are under oxidative stress (it doesn't prove that emfs are the source) but it correlates well with much of the other work on EMFs.There's some interesting work done with transgenic nematodes and biological stress - (try the local pet store for these!!)

Daniells C, Duce I, Thomas D, Sewell P, Tattersall J, de Pomerai D.
Transgenic nematodes as biomonitors of microwave-induced stress. Mutat
Res. 1998 Mar 13;399(1):55-64 de Pomerai D. Heat-shock proteins as biomarkers of pollution. Hum Exp Toxicol. 1996 Apr;15(4):279-85. Review. No abstract available.

Chronic elevation of hsps may be required for cancer - French PW, Penny R, Laurence JA, McKenzie DR. Mobile phones, heat shock proteins and cancer. Differentiation. 2001 Jun;67(4-5):93-7.

One study on bees found elevated phospholipids and reduced trehalase enzyme activity - lower glucose levels.

Kefuss J, M'Diaye K, Bounias M, Vanpoucke J, Ecochard J. Biochemical effects of high intensity constant magnetic fields on worker honey bees.Bioelectromagnetics. 1999;20(2):117-22.

If your guineas are getting amyloid build up then I would want to know whether their homocysteine was raised - this amino acid has often been linked to alzheimers/amyloid build up and low intake of folic acid, vit B6 and 12 etc.is often blamed for this. Stress is being mediated via metal ions such as copper.

White AR, Huang X, Jobling MF, Barrow CJ, Beyreuther K, Masters CL, Bush AI, Cappai R. Homocysteine potentiates copper- and amyloid beta peptide-mediated toxicity in primary neuronal cultures: possible risk factors in the Alzheimer's-type neurodegenerative pathways. J Neurochem. 2001 Mar;76(5):1509-20.

Interestingly Beta amyloid itself is likely to exert oxidative stress Huang X, Atwood CS, Hartshorn MA, Multhaup G, Goldstein LE, Scarpa RC, Cuajungco MP, Gray DN, Lim J, Moir RD, Tanzi RE, Bush AI. The A beta peptide of Alzheimer's disease directly produces hydrogen peroxide through metal ion reduction. Biochemistry. 1999 Jun 15;38(24):7609-16.

Metals ie zinc and copper would be central to the oxidative stress, and resistance to this stress (Suzuki K, Miura T, Takeuchi H Inhibitory effect of copper(II) on zinc(II)-induced aggregation of amyloid beta-peptide. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2001 Jul 27;285(4):991-6.

Huang X, Cuajungco MP, Atwood CS, Hartshorn MA, Tyndall JD, Hanson GR, Stokes KC, Leopold M, Multhaup G, Goldstein LE, Scarpa RC, Saunders AJ, Lim J, Moir RD, Glabe C, Bowden EF, Masters CL, Fairlie DP, Tanzi RE, Bush AI. Cu(II) potentiation of alzheimer abeta neurotoxicity Correlation with cell-free hydrogen peroxide production and metal reduction. J Biol Chem. 1999 Dec 24;274(52):37111-6.) but one has to ask how an emf could raise levels of these metals or make existing metals more dangerous ie could emf increase ionised fractions of the metals; could dietary absorption and metabolism be affected by emf; could protective proteins that bind these metals safely be affected?

I guess the amyloid is concentrating in the the glomeruli filtration system of the kidney because there is a build up of large molecule leucocyte material expressing amyloid. Presumably the fields exert their effects on white cells/stem cells and these cells are bearing the brunt of the oxidative stress. My hunch is that highish chronic emf exposure may be affecting the electron spins around metal atoms in the body, probably copper, causing these metals to lose electrons: they become free radicals with unpaired electrons that initiate the protein damage that you are seeing in your guineas. Copper wire of course conducts electrical currents by shuttling electrons from atom to atom and in the body some of copper's roles are similar and the interaction of the 2 fields may have something to do with it.

Henshaw has discovered this mechanism of emf damage (Henshaw DL, Ross AN, Fews AP, Preece AW. Enhanced deposition of radon daughter nuclei in the vicinity of power frequency electromagnetic fields. Int J Radiat Biol. 1996 Jan;69(1):25-38. ) which is based on the affinity that alpha particles from radon daughter nuclei have for electrical currents and that these 'toxic' particles concentrate around the sources of electricity - the analogies are bees around a honey pot and iron filings around a magnet. The particles are deposited on or inhaled by animals in the vicinity /downwind.

Here are a few more interesting papers that i've come across.
Best wishes
Nigel Purdey

Atwood CS, Moir RD, Huang X, Scarpa RC, Bacarra NM, Romano DM, Hartshorn MA, Tanzi RE, Bush AI. Dramatic aggregation of Alzheimer abeta by Cu(II) is induced by conditions representing physiological acidosis. J Biol Chem. 1998 May 22;273(21):12817-26.

Fews AP, Henshaw DL, Wilding RJ, Keitch PA. Corona ions from powerlines and increased exposure to pollutant aerosols. Int J Radiat Biol. 1999 Dec;75(12):1523-31.

Fews AP, Henshaw DL, Keitch PA, Close JJ, Wilding RJ. Increased exposure to pollutant aerosols under high voltage power lines. Int J Radiat Biol. 1999 Dec;75(12):1505-21

Purnell SJ, Allen JE, Oyedepo AC, Henshaw DL. Fetal dosimetry from natural alpha-particle emitters. Radiat Res. 1999 Dec;152(6 Suppl):S133-6.

de Pomerai D, Daniells C, David H, Allan J, Duce I, Mutwakil M, Thomas D, Sewell P, Tattersall J, Jones D, Candido P. Non-thermal heat-shock response to microwaves. Nature. 2000 May 25;405(6785):417-8. No abstract available.

Lebedeva NN, Sulimov AV, Sulimova OP, Korotkovskaya TI, Gailus T. Investigation of brain potentials in sleeping humans exposed to the electromagnetic field of mobile phones. Crit Rev Biomed Eng 2001;29(1):125-33.

Maier R.[Is CNS activity modified by pulsed electromagnetic fields]?
Biomed Tech (Berl). 2001 Jan-Feb;46(1-2):18-23. German

Informant: Joanne Mueller (excerpt from a email to Roy Beavers)


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