"The Death Village"
Yediot Ahronot, [the most distributed Israei
newspaper], 14/3/2003
by Shosh Mula and Ofer Petersburg
Message from Iris Atzmon
[I translated the full long report, because I think it is
highly important report on the radiation effects on people,
(health, life quality, feelings) plants and vegetables (not
very reported fact but we eat food that is growing in radiated
farms!), and to electronic devices.
This is an opportunity to penetrante into
the depth of the lives of people who were exposed a chronic
exposure of a life time. Special Investigation of the newspaper,
dozens of unexplained cancer cases. (By the way, not the first
article about the same case, has been already in 3 newspapers.
The difference: This time there are more cancer and death
cases, and this time they dedicated many pages for that, in
the weekend paper. Not very usual thing in Israel !)]
In the entrance to Porat village in the Sharon [an area in
the center of Israel] there are chickens running looking for
wheat grain. A sleepy dog troubles them once in a while, and
returns to sleep in the corner. From the houses in the green
fields rises pleasant smell of dishes. Nothing in this harmony
implies what happens inside.
"It's like the death angle visited
here house after house, and left ruin and destruction",
says lawyer David Mena, who represents 40 of the village residents,
who got cancer misteriously, all of them in the last 15 years.
Most of them suffer from tumors in the head and leukemia.
25 residents, from elder to youth, died until now from the
disease. During the investigation, 20 more residents were
added to the list of the cancer patients, who were not included
in the first patient counting.
In Porat there are 91 farms. Half of them
were hurt from the disease. Porat residents hang the blame
on the transmittion station called "Hillel" of the
broadcast authority and Bezeq [the wired phones company of
Israel], which is only 1.5 km from the cooperative village.
They claim that during the 60's, 70's and 80's, when there
was not awareness in Israel and in the world to the non-ionizing
radiation subject, the village people and the farmers were
exposed to very high levels of radiation, which caused them
the illness.
The head of radiation and noise arm in
the environmental department, Dr. Stilian Galberg: "This
is true that there was no supervision on Hillel station untill
1992. The measurements were done only to verify that Bezeq
workers were not exopsed to radiation above the standard,
and there were no measurements in the villages [we are talking
about 4 villages near those antennes, also Zoran, another
village, has high cancer rate] until the environmental department
was established".
Bezeq and the broadcasting authority deny
responsibility to the radiation and its damages, and roll
this hot potato to one another. Porat residents will have
to go fighting in this battle alone. Porat village was established
in the 50's by immigrants from Tripoli, there are today 450
residents. In 1962 the station was established, for receiving
and transmitting radio broadcasts to the arab countries and
the east. The station is on 1000 dunam area. 4 villages are
close to the station: Porat(east), Ein Vered and Ein Sarid(south),
Zoran(north). all the 12 anetnnes are directed to Porat's
direction.Radiation Monitoring began only in the 90's. 2 transmitters
are on short waves, 2 medium waves.
The
tomatoes sang
Porat's farmers worked in the farms for years and didn't suspect
anything. Short time after the transmitters were there, strange
things started to happen, says Heim Hadad, chair village comettee,
who serves also as national flowers growers secretary:"Today
we make a living mainly from growing and marketing flowers
to other countries, but in the 60's 70's and 80's we were
only growing there tomatoes, oranges, vegetables. there were
strings to pumping water, and in the middle of work we suddenly
heard the tomatoes singing. We went crazy.'Where does this
come from?', and when we bent over, we saw that the string
which is made from metal play music. In fact all the support
pylons of the plants, including the watering hozes, were using
as transmitters and there was arab music playing from them.
At first it was scary, and then we got used to it".
Also to neighbours it happened. Hein Hasan:
"We were growing vegetables in the near field, and the
strings were dancing with east music". Baruch Aloni,
the former village comittee chairman: "we were getting
close to the fence, and head music from the iron. When we
were praying in the Synagogue, we heard songs from the colunms
songs in arabic, seriously, every colum playing". Daniel
Hasan: "My hothouse was singing, as if specially for
me. Just like I am talking to you from here. Arabic song.
All the hothouse colums like an orchestra. I get near every
colum and hear in low volume, don't nead a radio".
What did the radiation do to the fields' yield? Rahamin Hajaj:
"We had citrus grove in the antennes area, and the oranges
would come out malformed. Big. Each one in a size of a grapefruit.
Around the tree were singing colunms. There were times when
I would put my ear on them and hear arabic radio. And it still
exists. 3 years ago I was working there. Until today I hear
ringing in the ears when I work there". Hadad: Anything
which had to grow in the winter, grew in summer and opposite.
The growings that were close to the antennes were ripe first.
There are plants that it's very significant when they grow
up. For example the wax flower. This is an australian bush
that was adopted here and we compete on it with the dutchs.
So everybody has it in February-March, and in the antennes
area it flourishes already in January. The growing time is
critical for marketing". The radiation thing distorted
our lives", adds Sami Harosh. "We live behind the
antennes. Our farm is the closest to there.
So electricity equipment was distorted
all the time. The air conditions were turned on and off by
themselves. Also the phones were distorted. The line was gone".
Daniel Hasan: One day the electricity system was distorted
in my house. The electricity man goes like:"your earthing
doesn't work. You have 4 watts without electricity, instead
of zero that should be". Rahamim Hajaj: "When we
were picking the phone up, there were all the time noises
and arabic broadcasts". Hadad: "Until today we have
reception problems, no reception of cellular phones.
Before the cables, during the antennes
period, the radio and tv were going crazy. The received only
arab broadcasts. We thought they were doing that on purpose".
The ghosts in the vilage attacked also guests. Baruch Aloni
tells: "There was a guy working on the milk truck, everytime
he came to the antennes area, the windscreen wipers were working
automatically. One day he got sick of it and he took out the
accumulator. The wind screen wipers kept working anyway"
The
computer went crazy
The weird complaints of Porat residents didn't get treatment
and attention of the authorities for years. But on their worst
nightmares they didn't imagine to themselves that the cause
of that was the antennes radiation, and of course they didn't
imagine that 30% of them would get cancer. The first time
that the authorities admitted that there was radiation emitted
from the station, was 8 years ago. The farmer Daniel Hasan
filed a compensation lawsuit of the radiation damage to his
watering system and won. Following that case, there was the
first time awareness and understanding about the issue among
the residents in Porat.
In a compromise agreement with the state,
in which Hasan was compensated, He was requested to keep silent
and not expose the admittion about the radiation effect. But
after his father had died from cancer, he understood that
the radiation can not only damage electronic devices and decided
to stop being silent. Now he is waiting that the lawyer will
invite him to be a witness in the first residents' lawsuit,
which is going to be filed in the next weeks to the court.
"I ordered an automatic watering computer
from the company "Motorola". Three days after I
came, and saw that all the chemical fertilizer which was supposed
to be enough for 2 months, was gone. I said to myself: "This
is not possible. Either someone stole my stuff or something
was broken there, because this is through watering system.
I filled again with fertilizer, two days after I came to the
field, and saw it was too wet. What turns out to be? Instead
of 2 cubes of water aday, the computer gave 20 cubes. "The
computer drove me nutz like this for a month. Did what it
felt like. I invited the company service man, he checked and
told me: 'I don't understand what's going on here' and left.
Two days after I invited him again. He dismantled the computer,
took it to the lab and gave me back: 'your computer is 100%
ok' But the problems didn't stop. So they brought me an expert
from Motorola. He checks and tells me' Listen, something like
this I have never seen in my life. I took it of the electricity,
and your computer gives electric pulses by itself'. He said'
it needs to be taken by pieces' he dismantled it and put in
the computer something that neutralized radiation. Only then
everything was ok'. Then I stared to file a lawsuit against
Motorola. That they did not see that the computer went crazy.
I got 12,000$. Motorola, then, sued Bezeq third side, because
of the radiation, and they settled with money.
Hasan's story didn't finish with the computer going crazy.
Four years ago his father died, Heim Hasan, who suffered from
malignant tumor in the head. "My father used to work
for 25 years in the antennes area, and until today we have
fields 200 meters from the antennes. There are hothouses on
them. My father was a very strong and healthy man. When he
died, we didn't make the link between his illness and the
fact that he used to work almost inside the antennes. But
after the continuity of the houses near us, where people got
sick, we started to believe strongly that this is the reason.
The
muderous line
Daniel Hasan'sfamily lives in an area who
won the name "the murderous line". It is 2 lines
of farms parallel to the antennes. Shiverly, every house there
was affected by cancer. The residents there are the first
to sue. "We live in farm 53", says Hasan. "My
neighbour on the right died from brain cancer and now her
grandchild is also sick with cancer. My neighbour on the left,
farm 51, also died from cancer. in farm 54, 2 brothers died.
there is no farm 55, in farm 66 near it, died another woman
who suffered the illness. All of these are only in the first
row on the line. Behind them, probably the death angle got
already crazy from the radiation and started to skip among
the houses".
In farm 52 Heim Zigdon, experienced 2 tragedies. First died
his mother, Samina Zigdon, from cancer, and after her his
baby got sick - developed malformations. In a conversation
with them, the couple Zigdon reveals that it is hard for them
to deal with the situation. "My parents live 1 km from
the antennes" he says. "We live 300 meters from
the antennas. Since the 60's my family worked in the fields.
My parents worked in radius of 30 meters from the antennes.
In April 99 my mother got cancer suddenly and died within
half a year. We didn't link it to the antennas then, but when
I see the many cases which are really exaggerated, it's imopossible
to shut up. You don't think about it at all, until it touches
you".
Shoshi Zigdon: "Heim and I lived in Tel Mond for 9 years,
and all my 4 children were born there. We came to Porat in
'96, and in January 99 the baby was born. In the beginning
everything went good. In the age of 1 year and 3 monthes,
suddenly came out a monstrous molar tooth, we didn't understand
where it came from. His left side of the face was distorted,
all the inter structure of the eye turned round, and he had
a terrible squint. He was scared to look on himself in the
shower, he turend his head away and would start crying. He
had blood tears, and I was scared myself. When I took him
to the doctor they told me I was imagining. We took him then
to the dentist, to take out the molar tooth. We were sent
to hospital, and an eye doctor sent him to C.T. All the C.T
picture was black like carbon. We went to "Shneider"
hospital and we were informed he had malignant tumor in the
eye chimney. This area cannot be operated, so we went to chemotherapy
for 2 years". The wall where he slept since he was born,
is directed to the antenna, that could be the reason. This
is a crime what goes on here. These antennas should be completely
out.
And how is the baby now? Zigdon bursts
into tears: "5000 shekels [1000$] we pay every month
for drugs for preventing his illness, and now they informed
us they found something new which sits in his stomach and
this is the fear I am in all my life. Last sunday I collapsed.
I cried for 3 hours. What, the disease again? Again to go
through this?"
Zigdon's neighbours from farm 51 lost the mother Jamila Hajaj
in October 95. The grandchild Honi, 35 years old: Within one
month the cancer killed her. We didn't digest she was sick,
and then she was dead. She was 68. All the years we had flower
market in front of the antennas.
Baruch Aloni lost 2 brothers. They live in the radiation line.
"In '79 my brother died from stomach cancer. 3 years
he got chemotherapy and radiations. We said - it's from god.
We didn't make a link to the antennas, until my other brother
got cancer. Last year he died, 53 years old. We have 80 dunam
near the antennes but they are not worked on anymore. We are
afraid to go near antennas"
Rahamim Hajaj from farm 46 lost 2 brothers and father. Now
it is found out that his mother also sick. "We live on
the second row of the murderous line. My older brother Yossi
was 11 when he got leukemia. He passed away some years after.
Also my brother Eliahu died from leukemia when he was 10.
My father had cancer in the bowel and colon, now my mother,
73, has skin tumor. How do you explain that? I think we were
naive and we were fooled. I remember from young age that we
played (with the brothers) near the fence and heard music
from the pylons. Until today I have very troubling ringings
in the ears. We are simple people, so they fooled us. Only
when the sophisticated people from Zoran came and made noise,
they lowered the radiation level. But what about what we absorbs
all the years? Why didn't anybody explain us? In spite of
the fears, he continues to work near the antennas. "I
don't have choice, I have to make a living, and the council
says they lowered the radiation level. So I put a sock hat
and gloves, work as fast as I can and come back home".
Also Samina Hasan from farm 66 near Hajaj family died. Her
son Heim Hasan: "Our field was near the antennas, and
my mother grew vegetables there until she died, 10 years ago.
She was a healthy woman, mother of 9, 5 of them live in the
village. Within half a year since the brain cancer was revealed,
she died, 58 years old. Like all, we didn't link it to the
radiation but after so many cases in the murderous line and
in the village we understood that.
How is the feeling to live today in a place
like this? The farms are abandoned today because of the fear
to get near the antennas. We in the familty don't want to
get near there, because of the fear. I myself work in another
village, 7-8 km from there, just not to be near the antennas.
In the near house, lives D"N the only
one who doesn't want to expose his name. "I live here
from 1967, married and a father of 7. They came and stuck
the antennas in front of us. We were naive. Nobody thought
to resist. What did we know about it anyway? We were new immigrants
and we accepted everything we were told. Who thought on dangers?
One day I felt punctures in the neck. They made biopsy and
they found a tumor. Lymphoma. They gave me radiations which
hurt my health. The doctor who treated me in told me it maybe
had to do with the antennas, and then I saw that also my friends
were hurt. "I feel live-dead. I look like 70 years old.
Nobody gives my real age. Every half a year I come to the
hospital, and this is every time to fear again: How long will
they say is left me to live".
What
do the experts say?
The list of sick and dead in Porat gets
longer and longer. We have 40 interviews with patients or
relatives of the dead, for the lawsuit. During making the
article 20 more were added. Most cases are leukemia and brain
cancer. Other residents complained on high rate of brain bleedings,
also constant pains in the ears weaker/stronger- depends on
the broadcasts from the station. The proof of link to the
station or not, will be clear in the court.
Dr Eliahu Richter, head of the environmental
medicine unit in the hebrew university, Jerusalem: "The
proof burden is on the people who create the radiation exposure
to prove that it was not dangerous, and not on the residents
themselves. This is in view of the fact that radiation near
radio towers is able to cause high rates of brain cancer and
leukemia".
Dr Richter was invited by the residents
to check Porat. "We have to remember that in small villages
with homogenic population it is hard to estimate statistics,
because there are always exceedings up or down. But it doesn't
say that there is not a problem in the village. As far as
I know the exposure levels here were very very high, and this
is defenetly a cause for concern".
What has to be done to reduce the risks
until the court decides? There is no need to wait to analysis
of results to reduce exposure level. There is professional
literature which indicates that the electromagnetic radiation
from radio towers indicates on higher rate of certain tumors
in those areas. Mainly head and blood. Because this is the
situation in Porat, it can indicate on a dangerous situation
here.
Do you think there is a basis for a lawsuit
here? I am checking and it will take time, but there is certainly
a basis for lawsuits on the basis of precautionary principle.
There is no need to wait until bodies counting and see if
there is or isn't a problem.
Dr Benny Melnik, the chair of the of the israeli association
for occupational sanitation and lecturer on matters of safey
occupational and environmental health in Tel Aviv university,
checked for the lawyer the effects of the radiation from the
station on Porat residents: "In my professional opinion,
due to the high exopsure levels to EMF radiation the link
to the cancer frequency among Porat residents should be recognized
in different ages, different parts of the body, mainly head,
among them babies and young men who got leukemia". Melnik
enclosed to his report different researches, which indicate
on the link between high levels of radiation and cancer development,
neurological problems and other problems from the radiation.
He says it can explain the high frequency of brain bleedings
in the village.
The village runs two lawsuits - the health
deterioration, and the reduction in property value because
of the fear of radiation. That was the original reason they
called the lawyer David Mena. David: "I feel like in
the movie of Julia Roberts "Erin Brokoviz". A village
representative came to me with the claim that the village
wants to build commercial center on the 800 dunam in the area
of the station. But no contractor wants to invest in the project
because of the antennas. Half a duman in Zoran costs 100,000$
and here also in 10,000$ nobody wants to buy. The 800 dunam,
worth 35 million dollars cannot be used because nobody wants
to own the land. Mena got into his car and came to the vilage.
"I met with the residents in a council room and we started
talking. And then I hear that - that one got cancer, and his
neighbour also, and the neighbour of the neighbour and so
on, and I had darkness in my eyes. You hear about a case or
two a year, but not in such scary amount. I started checking,
and I saw it was the same disease, and the tumors almost in
the same places. And there are 12 antennas in the background.
"2.5 years my office has been working like detectives.
We checked also the other villages, here it is really abnormal.
My heart ached to see they were not aware of this situation.
Good simple people. The authorities fooled them all the years.
They were absorbing high uncontroled radiation since the 60's,
and only in the 90's because of Zoran making noise, they measuerd
and lowered the radiation level.
Mena decided to sue Bezeq and the broadcast
authority after he failed in arriving to a settlement with
them on the economic and health damage. The CEO of the broadcast
authority at the time, Ran Galinka responded him that "The
broadcast authority is not the right factor to direct the
claims to. It doesn't own the transmitters and they are not
maintained by it, but by Bezeq. The radiation level is monitored
by Bezeq under direction of the environment department supervision.
Bezeq rejected all the claims of the village
people by lawyer Hillel Ish-Shalom, and claimed that the village
tries to receive in an inappropriate way money they do not
deserve by directing false blames. The company says they activate
the station by the broadcast requires and by law, and the
other authorities are responsible for the activity of the
station.
The court will have to decide, "but
until them", says lawyer Mena, "We hope that no
more cancer cases will be exposed, or we will have to say
good bye forever to more patients".
The
11 list:
1. Yossef Hasan, 58 years old, leukemia, started 1999,
died 1999
2. Samina Zigdon, 75 years old, brain cancer, started
4/99, died 12/99 on the murderous line.
3. Moshe Zigdon, 4 years old head (eyes chimney) started
4/99 on the line.
4. Sarah Hajaj, 43 years old, liver cancer since 7/99
died 1/2000 on the line
5. Heim Hasan age 71, lungs and liver since 1/99, died
12/1999 on the line.
6. Behor Hajaj, age 56, brain cancer, since 11/99 died
2001.
7. Halifa Gueta, age 67, leukemia, since 8/99 died 7/2000
on the line
8. Refael Hajaj, age 29, brain cancer, since 2/99 died
6/2000.
9. Hana Hasan, age 68, brain cancer, since 11/99, died
4/2002 on the line.
10. H"R, age 28, brain cancer, since 2002.
11. Zohara Hajaj, age 73, skin cancer, since 2002, on
the line. |
Manager of the national cancer rergistration in the health
department, Dr Michael Bar Hana, says that according to the
statistics, in Israel there are 3 cancer cases per 1000 people.
In Porat it's double from the israeli average. 11 people a
year. Further more, 8 at the 11 of the same year, got exactly
the same cancer that are linked to EMR. 7 of them - on the
murderous line. The extreme line includes 8 farms. Almost
in each one of them one of the family members got sick between
the years 1999-2002.
Dr Yehudit Shaham, head of the occupational
cancer in the national institute for occupational and environmental
health: "It is accepted by the world institute that EMF
are suspected carcinogens. Because we are not talking about
conclusive evidence, and they are controversials, the EMF
are defined in Israel as suspected and not certain and also
then it is attributed to leukemia in children and not to brain
cancer. by the data of research, there is high frequency for
brain cancer According the data that is known to me, there
is no proof until today for significant causal relationship
between brain cancer and EMR exposure. Anyway, there is a
need to do epidimiological research in the specific population
to know if there is or isn't a link.
Is the frequency of 7 of 11 patients in
4 years-all of them in the line in front of the antennas,
and most of them sick with brain tumor - seems possible to
you? I cannot exclude this kind of chance.
Bezeq:
We were only filling directions
Bezeq's spokesman, Yotam Yakir: "Bezeq only acts by directions
of the relevant government offices, and does not decide the
allowed radiation level. In March last year the transmitter
stopped for some weeks by the command of Bezeq CEO, Ilan Biran,
and after intervention of the prime minister and new directions
from the environment department Bezeq activated the station
partly. Lately, after the issue has been raised in the Knesset,
there were measurements, and the radiation levels were tower
significantly from the standard. Since the station activation
in the 60's, all Bezeq actions were done by the directions
it received by the authorities. The facts are that also in
the first years of the station, and actually since then and
always, the antenna was transmitting simply because of technical
limits in power that was not even close to the allowed levels
in the international standard.
Head of environment department, Stilian
Galberg:"The Hillel transmitter was the strongest transmitter
in the country until 3 years ago, of the 8-9 antennes sites
of Bezeq and the broadcast authority. This transmitter was
so strong, that it was supposed to broadcast to Iran. Since
1999 the radiation was reduced from 60 V to 8.7 V/m.
And all that was absorbed by the nearby
residents? This transmitter does not transmit since a year
ago. From the standards institute: "8 months ago there
was a check in the station because of Zoran's noise, and there
was exceeding of the americam standard. Following that was
disscussion in the Knesset [Israeli Parliament] and after
that was a cooporated test of Sorek radiation research center
and the environment department. At that test there were no
exceedings, but in Bezeq they knew ahead that we were coming
to check."
Controversion: Does the radiation cause cancer?
International experts are diveded in the question - is high
power of electromagnetic radiation dangerous and causes cancer.
The WHO determined that there is no conclusive evidence that
exposure to radiation of million hertz that is emitted from
antennas like those of Porat, is dangerous. This position
is accepted by the israeli environment department, who denied
warnings of the cellular phones. But more and more researchers
claim that the international standard is not reliable, and
determine that there is cancer danger to people exposed to
this radiation. Research indicate that even radiation as low
as 500 times from the standard causes rise of 2-4.5 in cancer
illness.
The American Institute for Envitonmental
Health Sciences claims that exposure to EMF raises the cancer
frequency, especially leukemia and head. One of the famous
researches is the one of Sir Richard Doll, who found cancer
illness rates in mice that were exposed to high EMR. He summerized
that this subject has still to be investigated in depth.
Broadcast Authority: We will act according to the findings
broadcasts spokeswoman, Shlomit Golan: "If there will
be lawsuits against the broadcast authority, that is an indirect
side in this kind of lawsuits, it will talk in the court room.
Anyway the direct lawsuit is not against the broadcast authority
but Bezeq, who owns the site and makes the programms. The
broadcast authority acts by the governmet directions and there
is no will to hurt the life quality of the people. The authority
will act by the findings like the radiation level was lowered
following the battle of Zoran.
Golan said that "Closing the Zoran
transmitter affected very much on the lack of reception in
arab countries, and that is why the broadcast authority is
looking for alternative site, which will act with no damage
to residents".
Brain
Tumour Rates Rising in Europe, U.S.
2003-03-12 by Rosella Lorenzi
FLORENCE, Italy (Reuters Health) - The
number of brain tumour cases in the US and Europe has increased
by up to 40% in the past 20 years, according to data to be
released at a medical conference this week.
The incidence rate for brain tumours is
increasing among people of all ages, but males between 20
and 40 years old are the most affected, according to Dr. Alba
Brandes, an oncologist at the Azienda-Ospedale in Padua.
Brandes is chairman of the 2nd International
Conference on Neuro-Oncology being held Friday and Saturday
in Padua.
"The latest epidemiological studies
indicate that white collar workers -- intellectuals and professionals
-- are among the most affected," he told Reuters Health.
"The reason is still unknown, though environmental causes
such as cellular phones, computers and exposure to electromagnetic
fields cannot be ruled out," he said.
At the conference, scientists will discuss
new treatment options that are moving from laboratories into
the clinic and a more rigorous approach to conducting clinical
trials in neuro-oncology, Brandes said.
Message from Janet Newton, President
The EMR Network
Open
mail 2: EMF/BBB again
Professor,
In supplements of our previous exchanges,
I have 2 remarks:
First for studie of Pr Finnie that you
quote in the FAQ and consider as negative: Pr Finnie suggest
the albumine leakage is not important but in fact there is
for example 65 leakages for 100 animals at 0.25 W/kg (whole
body) against 26% in sham exposed (or 43 % of animals against
26 %). They don't make statistical studies because they suggest
it's not important. They suggest, but maybe, our brain don't
agree ?
And in second, for your remark about thermal
effect of the majority of the studies I noted that for Schirmacher
et al temperature control was a very important attention and
controled with infrared and note "insignifiant change".
For Salford or Frey studies I don't think
it's necessary to ask them, the exposition was very weak (and
animals did'nt touch the antenna).
For Comobio's studies, Pr Aubineau said
that temperature elevation is not real at 2 W/kg and don't
exceed some hundreth of degree in the brain !
I hope that these some remarks will be
of use to a better understanding of these phenomena.
Greetings
Dr Richard GAUTIER
Hello:
Neighbors in North Berkeley, California,
are battling to stop the installation of base-station antennas
on the roof of a two-story building in their neighborhood.
The following e-mail was sent to the Mayor of Berkeley, Mr.
Tom Bates, and the City Council, media, etc.
Re:
Appeal of Use Permit #02-10000053 (base-station antennas on
1600 Shattuck Avenue)
Appellants: Shahram Shahruz, Frances
Strassman, Simone Gaddini
To: Mayor Tom Bates and Council Members
Margaret Breland, Miriam Hawley, Linda Maio,
Betty Olds, Maudelle Shirek, Dona Spring,
Kriss Worthington, Gordon Wozniak
CC: City Clerk Sherry Kelly and neighbors,
friends, media, etc
Dear Mayor Tom Bates and Council Members:
We are getting close to our deadline of
March 24th to submit documents supporting our appeal. We will
file a set of addenda with the City Clerk next week.
In the past few months, we have learned
a lot about base-station antennas. Also, we have learned some
about the City politics.
In the process of gathering information,
we read tens of papers, reports, and books on the subject
of base-station antennas, cell phones, bio- electromagnetism,
etc. Also, while getting our petition forms signed, we met
many sympathetic neighbors of and visitors to North Berkeley
who support our cause. With little time and resources available,
we have been able to get 700+ signatures from neighbors and
supporters.
At the global level, we found many groups
of people around the world who
battle the proliferation of base-station antennas. Some of
these groups have web-sites. To mention one out of many, we
cite:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EMR-EMF/
Therefore, the residents of North Berkeley
are not an isolated group of people who are trying to keep
base-station antennas out of their back-yard.
The good news is that people around the
world do succeed to stop these antennas. One success story
came recently from British Columbia, Canada. Please see:
http://members.aol.com/gotemf3/sullivan/photos.htm
And yet another discovery we made is that
wireless providers get their permits approved mostly because
neighbors are not vigilant enough. A simple inspection of
applications of wireless providers shows that they often breach
the FCC laws. As for our case, we have revealed many facts
in our appeal. Please note that we have no arguments related
to health issues in our appeal.
We would like to ask you to pay a close
attention to our appeal and the set of addenda to be filed
next week. We ask for a fair treatment of our appeal.
Best regards,
Shahram Shahruz, PhD, Research Scientist
March 14, 2003
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