POCKET RADIATION ; Report shows need for safety limits, based on biology, reality of wireless devices [Charleston Gazette, The (WV)]

In the United States, we assume that any device on the market today has been extensively safety tested and is safe. This is not true of wireless devices.

Even before the recent 2012 BioInitiative Report (bioinitiative.org) called radiofrequency radiation carcinogenic - including the microwave radiation from wireless devices - Lloyd's of London and other insurance companies found the technology so risky that they refused to insure companies selling it. In signing most cell phone contracts, the cell phone user signs away his right to hold the company liable for health problems, except in jurisdictions where those clauses are invalid.

By refusing liability, insurers and cell phone companies are implicitly acknowledging that the technology is inherently risky.

The FCC safety limits for wireless devices are only meant to protect a 6-foot, 185-pound male from tissue heating (cooking) during a six-minute occupational-type exposure. These safety limits are so outdated as to be meaningless for protecting even that large male's health during the chronic daily exposures we all now experience.

The biological effects of radiation from wireless devices have now been studied in enough detail that the 2012 BioInitiative Report, written by experts from around the world, conclusively states that radiation from wireless devices is carcinogenic.

Furthermore, they conclude that there is good evidence that wireless devices can cause sperm damage and fetal damage - leading to hyperactivity and learning and behavior problems. There is also biochemical evidence linking exposure to radiation from wireless devices after birth to ADD/ADHD. Additionally, there is evidence of links to autism. Consequently, the authors of the 2012 BioInitiative Report warn:

"Common sense measures to limit both ELF-EMF and RFR in the fetus and newborn infant (sensitive populations) are needed, especially with respect to avoidable exposures like baby monitors in the crib and baby isolettes (incubators) in hospitals that can be modified; and where education of the pregnant mother with respect to laptop computers, mobile phones and other sources of ELF-EMF and RFR are easily instituted. Wireless laptops and other wireless devices should be strongly discouraged in schools for children of all ages."

Exposure to radiofrequency radiation causes degradation of DNA, damages the blood brain barrier, and changes glucose metabolism in the brain. Even a single two-hour exposure can have long-lasting effects.

Numerous studies show neurological effects, even neurological damage. Exposure to radiofrequency radiation may be linked to various neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and multiple sclerosis.

Reports going back 40 years, such as the literature review authored by Christopher Dodge of the Naval Observatory, discuss a link between exposure to radiofrequency radiation and a wide variety of neurological, cardiac, and endocrine disorders, including cardiovascular changes and diabetes. Furthermore, they found that most people developed initial symptoms of overexposure - radiofrequency sickness - within three to five years of becoming regularly exposed (e.g. headaches, sleep disturbance, fatigue, cardiac irregularities).

In short, there is ample evidence that radiation from wireless devices can have widespread negative biological effects.

On Sept. 1, India dropped its maximum transmission limits to one- tenth of its previous limits, already lower than U.S. permissible limits, and placed a moratorium on installation of antennas within one kilometer of each other. India continues work on a more final rule. Switzerland, France, Germany, Russia, Israel and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe are all warning against unnecessary exposure to wireless signals and recommend preferential use of wired technology. The Israeli Minister of Health is calling for a ban on WiFi in schools. France has already done so. Switzerland provides a free fiber optic connection to schools provided that they do not use wireless technology within the school. Most of these countries already have more restrictive safety limits than the United States.

Why have we not acted? Do we not care for our health and our children's health above all else?

The 2012 BioInitiative makes it clear that it is time for safety limits for exposure to radiation from wireless devices to be modernized and based on protecting the entire population (including pregnant women, children, and the elderly) from biological harm. A 2012 bill, HR 6358, national legislation which would have done just that, languished and died in Congress last session, in spite of support from the Academy of Pediatrics. It needs to be reintroduced. See electricalpollution.com for more details.