Nevertheless, to date no mechanism of action has been identified between radiofrequencies and cells for non-thermal exposure levels. Likewise, the level of epidemiological proof concerning the excess risk of certain tumours remains very limited. In contrast, a significant number of studies do not report any particular effect. On the whole, the level of evidence is not sufficient to accept, as is, that the detrimental effects to health have been conclusively established. For Afsset, they constitute undeniable signals.

Faced with all the doubts regarding the possible dangers from this form of radiation AFSSET recommends the following:

Developing research to clear up the remaining doubts and remain on the look-out for new emerging signals.

Reducing exposure to the public – they quote there is potential to reduce exposure to radiofrequencies. This exposure is part of an environmental rationale, where as soon as exposure can be reduced, it must be contemplated.

It makes sense to reduce your personal exposure to radiofrequencies – in homes your mobile phones, cordless phones and WiFi are the biggest potential sources of radio frequency radiation. There are many ways to reduce your exposure by simply switching off your mobile phone and WiFi (when not in use) and by using a low radiation cordless phone such at the Orchid LR.

To read full AFSSET press release click the following link French angency 09_10_ED_Radiofrequences__CP_EV[1]

Whenever a new drug is developed there are extensive laboratory trials before the drug is even tested on humans. In the technology arena new products are launched with a tremendous amount of hype and publicity in double quick time. In some ways this reminds me cigarette advertising 50 years ago  – when the ad’s informed us that doctors recommend that we  smoke! – it’s now laughable when we look back. But today many academics and doctors are telling us about the possible dangers of pulsed microwave radiation. We should all take heed of this and minimise our exposure, in many cases this can be done without shutting ourselves away from the benefits of technology. 

Minimise cell phone use

Use a hands free or wired or airtube earpiece with your mobile
Switch off your WiFi router at night or when not needed
If you must use a cordless phone change to a low radiation Orchid cordless phone

These changes are easy to implement and can only have a positive effect. As I have said before, “I find if difficult to believe that pulsed microwave radiation is good for you!”.

The Daily Mail article mentioned above can be accessed from the following link http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1224827/As-new-evidence-links-mobile-phones-greater-risk-tumours-using-cost-child-life.html

Also see below the info boxed published with the article highlighting the steps needed to protect your family from these sorts of radiation emissions.

The findings
High electric fields were mainly from bedside lamps.

Magnetic fields over 0.1 microtesla were in 2.3% of homes; the fields from transformers inside the house, or powerlines outside.

Radiofrequency levels above 0.6 V/m were found in 7.1% of homes. 3.3 V/m came from DECT phones and 1.4% from mobile phone masts.

Precautionary advice
Make sure bedside lights are earthed. Use 3-core cable.

Magnetic fields of 0.1 microtesla are at our very precautionary level for bedrooms. There is nothing you can do about powerlines, but keeping transformers out of bedrooms will reduce this level further. Remember magnetic fields travel through walls, so be careful about the new place you move it to.

People have been found to be sensitive to radiofrequency EMFs of 0.5 V/m. Electrically sensitive people react at levels lower than this. 3.3 V/m and 1.4 V/m exceed levels at which people experience adverse health symptoms.

If you feel this situation applies to you, you could return to an ordinary landline telephone, or buy a low-emission cordless phone (such as the Orchid phone) if you feel a walk about phone is essential.

You might choose to screen your home against neighbours’ phones or outside masts.

Link to EMFields website www.emfields.org

A study at Örebro University in Sweden indicates that mobile phones and other cordless telephones have a biological effect on the brain. It is still too early to say if any health risks are involved, but medical researcher Fredrik Söderqvist recommends caution in the use of these phones, above all among children and adolescents. Few children who regularly use mobile phones use a headset often or always, even though the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority recommends this.
“Children may be more sensitive than adults to radiation from wireless phones,” says Fredrik Söderqvist, who is presenting his research findings in a new doctoral thesis at Örebro University.

 One the one hand, he examined the use of wireless telephones among children and adolescents, on the other hand, whether adolescents themselves perceive any health problems that might be related to this use.

 He then went on to study blood samples from adults, looking at two so-called biomarkers to see whether mobile wireless phone use has any biological effect on the brain. One of these studies focused on a protein that exists in the so-called blood-cerebrospinal-fluid barrier, which is part of the brain’s protection against outside influences. The study revealed an association between use of wireless telephony and increased content of the protein transthyretin in the blood.

 Self-perceived health problems
Fredrik Söderqvist stresses that the increase as such does not have to be a cause of concern, but since it indicates that the brain is in fact affected by microwaves from wireless telephones, there may be other – as yet unknown – effects that may impact our health.

 ”We should all follow the recommendations of the Radiation Safety Authority when it comes to using headsets and avoiding mobile phone use when the coverage is poor.”

 Self-perceived health problems
The study also shows that users themselves experience health problems that may be caused by wireless telephones. Children and adolescents who regularly use wireless telephones more often reported various health symptoms and graded their well-being lower than those who do not use them regularly. According to Fredrik Söderqvist, it is not possible to draw any conclusions about what is cause and effect on the basis of this study, but he feels that it is urgent to examine this association more closely.

 ”The connection was strongest regarding headaches, asthmatic complaints, and impaired concentration. But more research is needed to exclude the effects of other factors and sources of error, even though it is difficult to see how this connection could be fully explained by such factors.”

 Impact may be felt in the future
Today nearly all children from the age of 7 have access to a wireless telephone, but usage takes off only around the age of 12, and more than 80 percent of all 19-year-olds use mobile phones regularly. At the same time, the study shows that fewer than twoone percent of the children and adolescents use a headset often or always.

 ”This is worrisome, since the possible health effects from long-term exposure to microwaves have not been clarified, especially among children and adolescents. The threshold values in place today protect us from warming, a so-called thermal effect. But if there are mechanisms that are independent of warming, it is not certain that today’s thresholds provide protection. And it may be that these are effects that will not be perceived until later on in the future,” says Fredrik Söerqvist.

See press release at http://idw-online.de/pages/de/news343653

Havas` 25-person study is Phase I of a 100-person study examining the heart`s reactivity to microwave radiation emitted by common DECT cordless phones. This is the first time such striking effects from microwave radiation being emitted by wireless phones has been documented scientifically in a double blind study and it is important information for health practitioners to know. Patients today experiencing electrohypersensitivity symptoms are commonly put on drugs for other conditions with similar symptoms, instead of being taught how to create an electromagnetically clean environment to eliminate symptoms.

Symptoms of electrohypersensitivity include headaches, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, heart irregularities and much more. Radiation emitted from DECT portable phones is the same microwave radiation as emitted by cell phones. Havas` new study has added to the growing interest in the health effects of cell phones, broadening the focus beyond cell phones` association with brain tumors to their effect on other systems, including the heart. Senate hearing were held in September 09′ on this emerging public health issue, organized by Sen. Arlen Specter and Chaired by Senator Tom Harkin and the subject is of growing concern among government leaders nationally.

In the image, note Subject B experienced an increase in heart rate on exposure to a nearby portable phone. The heart rate immediately returned to the baseline after the cordless phone was unplugged.

Havas` study on heart rate variability was blinded, which means that the volunteers did not know when the phone was on or off. Most of the volunteers did not respond to the exposure, but those who did respond experienced arrhythmia
(irregular beats of the heart) and/or tachycardia (rapid heart rate). These symptoms were often accompanied by feelings of anxiety.

Havas states, “While not everyone who is electrically sensitive responds in this manner, those who do will have difficulty being in environments where microwave radiation is present, which is virtually everywhere in our modern, wireless culture.” She adds, “Cordless phones and cell phones as well as wireless computers and wi-fi networks generate this form of microwave radiation.”

Additional symptoms of EHS include headaches, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, poor short-term memory, difficulty sleeping, skin problems, tinnitus, nausea, and dizziness. Many of these symptoms are subjective and difficult to measure.

Havas` study, to be presented at the conference in Golden, CO this Sunday, heralds the ability of health practitioners to determine if cardiac irregularities might be triggered by electromagnetic radiation before resorting to invasive or chemical symptom-suppressing cardiac therapeutics. She and co-investigator Jeff Marrongelle, DC of Schuylkill Haven, PA will also present the findings at the American Holistic Medical Association conference in Cleveland, OH this Friday, November 6th.

Dr. Havas`s is a world-renowned expert in electromagnetic fields. Her current research is concerned with the biological effects of electromagnetic pollution including radio frequency radiation, electromagnetic fields, dirty electricity and ground current. She is co-author, with Camilla Rees, of the new book, “Public Health SOS: The Shadow Side of the Wireless Revolution”.

Quite rightly parents are concerned about the possible exposure of pulsed microwave radiation being emitted from computer equipment in the school. The frequencies used for WiFi is very similar to that of mobile (cell) phones and the cordless phones used in most households.

Within the article is the following statement …. “Sir William Stewart, former chairman of the Health Protection Agency, has advised schools to precede with caution when installing wi-fi because no-one quite knows the effect this amount of radiation will have on our children.”

This sounds like common sense to us!

BBC Article 21 October 2009

AFP reported that Afsset reviewed more than 1,000 studies focusing on mobile phones, cordless phones, WiFi, microwave ovens and other gadgets that operate at frequencies between 9kHz and 300gHz. Most of the studies did not show any problems, however some of the studies did point to other health problems, including cell damage, reduced male fertility and a lower flow of blood to the brain.

Given the sometimes conflicting studies the agency recommended additional research to fully determine the potential health problems and in the meantime advised the public to exercise caution. “If environmental exposure can be reduced, it should be,” the agency said in a statement. It referred to a principle it called ALARA — “As Low As Reasonably Achievable.”.

The article also quotes comments from Andrew Goldsworthy, a retired Lecturer in Biology at the Imperial College London who says, “Cell phone signals have to be “modulated” if they are to carry information such as speech and the various control signals needed to make the system work. Most digital modulation systems involve sharp changes in signal strength. These occur over a wide range of frequencies, some of which are biologically active. Furthermore, they occur at radiation levels many orders of magnitude lower than those specified by guidelines. These guidelines are therefore set far too high to protect us from modulated radiation.”

Signals are usually thought of as dangerous only when they provide heat. Now there is evidence that signals which do not produce heat, including cell phone signals, can cause calcium leakage in brain cells. “This in turn can produce all sorts of unwanted biological effects, ranging from electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) to a loss of fertility and an increased risk of getting cancer,” says Goldsworthy.

People who suffer from electrosensitivity have much higher natural rates of calcium leakage. “Since their leakage rates are already high, even small amounts of electromagnetic radiation that would not affect non-sensitive individuals can trigger their symptoms,” says Goldsworthy.

Symptoms of electrosensitivity include unusual feelings of heat, touch, pressure, crawling sensations, pins and needles, dizziness, nausea, and pain.

Goldsworthy asserts, “EHS may become a major problem for us all. Although only a few percent of the population are at present electrosensitive, the condition can be brought on in hitherto healthy people by repeated or prolonged exposure to the radiation. However, it sometimes takes many years to develop so, even if you are currently one of the lucky ones who are not affected, there is no guarantee that it will stay that way.”

The frequencies used in mobile phones and cordless phones is very similar.

The conclusions of the article quote some countries precautionary approach’s to the issue.

• Some Parisian libraries have suspended wireless connections following findings from a worldwide study called The BioInitiative Report, which claims current radiation limits need to be urgently reviewed. The French government is to also ban mobile phones in primary schools to reduce risk to children.
• A local education authority in Frankfurt has banned wireless networks in schools, as they ‘did not wish to conduct a large-scale human experiment’.
• In May this year, a Court of Appeal in Versailles ordered Bouygues Telecom to dismantle a phone mast on grounds of uncertainty to public health.
• Sweden recognises electromagnetic sensitivity as a medical condition.
• The European Parliament is calling for tighter restrictions and more research on safety standards from wireless technologies. Britain is pumping £3.1m into a decade-long study investigating the links between brain cancer and mobile phone use.

Read the article

AVUA Insurance Report

I saw a report this week which confirmed that pulsed microwave radiation (used in cellphones, cordless phones and WiFi) has an effect on the brain, immune system, and proteins. The Austrian Social Insurance for Occupational Risk (AUVA) commissioned Vienna Medical University to research the effects of cell phone radiation. The study results reinforced the need for governments to review exposure guidelines, as at present they are only based only on thermal effects.

The Significance of the AUVA Report
The launch and widespread use of cell and cordless phones has introduced a new type of exposure. Never before did large groups of the population hold an RF transmitter against their head. Issues about health risks have made the headlines because the evaluation of current scientific data leave many questions unanswered. To this day, the conclusions of risk assessments concerning the effects after low-level exposures to RF/EMF radiation (possible nonthermal effects) are, at times, rather contradictory.

The research project ATHEM, therefore, has been aimed at studying the burning issue interactions between RF/EMF and biology. The significance of the experimental investigations also lies in the fact that the demonstrated effects, which do not necessarily have disease relevance (e.g. EEG changes), should not even have occurred according to the strictly thermal interaction mechanism that would have been covered by current exposure guidelines. For more information on the report  ’click here’.

It has been stated for years that this form of microwave radiation effects the central nervous system, immune system and has a impact on protein syntheses – We have all be led to believe that only effect of holding these transmitters to our heads is the harmless feeling of a ‘warm ear’. But more and more information is slowly percolating to the surface. We should be taking heed of this information by moderating the use of this technology until we have conclusive proof one way or another.