News Archive

May 31, 2011

Warning: Your Cell Phone May Be Hazardous to Your Health.

In 1990, the city of La Quinta, CA, proudly opened the doors of its sparkling new middle school. Gayle Cohen, then a sixth-grade teacher, recalls the sense of excitement everyone felt: "We had been in temporary facilities for 2 years, and the change was exhilarating." But the glow soon dimmed... read the whole article here.

The marketing to cash strapped schools is strong right now and one wonders what motivates school districts to seek additional revenue to pay for new wireless digital technology when teachers are being laid off and many programs and services are being eliminated.

Your participation in this program would provide a public venue where questions about health can b e raised on behalf of children, youth and school personnel. Click here to read more.

Click here to register online now for this webinar which will be held on July 23, 4 pm eastern time

Chimayó’s citizens are proud of their history and unique natural setting with its special historical and cultural features. The tower degrades the beauty of the cerros that cradle the Chimayó valley to the east and the historical value of the nearby Plaza del Cerro, the only complete fortified colonial Spanish plaza still remaining in northern New Mexico. The Chimayó History Museum is housed in the Plaza. The Ortega Weaving Shop, where local weavers have sold their craft for generations, is even closer to the tower. And one views the structure as one approaches the sacred pilgrimage Santuario church, both from the western and southern routes. 

Chimayó residents and their representative organizations were not adequately consulted by the T-Mobile company when plans were afoot to construct this tower. Alarmed by the tower and plans for additional towers,  local citizens want the tower removed.

Photo of Members of the Chimayó Council on Wireless Technology

Letter to the Editor

Novemeber, 20, 2005
Sydney Morning Herald, Sydney, Australia: A study will begin in Australia this week to find out if mobile phones are damaging the health of children. Click here to read the article.

February 11, 2004
Citizens Group Challenges FCC Refusal to Investigate Health Effects of Broadband Transmissions. Washington, D.C., -- A group of scientists, engineers, and community leaders has asked the D.C. Court of Appeals to order the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to initiate scientific research into the health effects of wireless transmission of 3rd Generation (3G) digital signals from the increasing level of broadband technologies and other radiofrequency (RF) transmitters in residential communities and areas near schools and hospitals.
 
The EMR Network (EMR) petitioned the FCC 3 years ago to open an inquiry into current environmental impacts of RF radiation.  Last August the FCC denied the request, disclaiming any responsibility.  EMR filed its brief seeking to reverse this action late last week.
 
Under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 the FCC has sole jurisdiction to determine acceptable levels of RF radiation in populated areas.  Its present guidelines were developed almost 20 years ago.  Citing the increasing number of international studies finding biological effects from RF radiation, EMR asserts that the FCC is obligated to review its obsolete guidelines without further delay.
 
Whitney North Seymour, Jr. is providing legal counsel for this appeal pro bono. His legal career has included private practice, a term as federal prosecutor for New York, and public interest work with a particular interest in environmental law, having co-founded the Natural Resources Defense Council in 1969.

"EMR is requesting the Court to reverse the Commission's dismissal Order and require the FCC to issue a Notice of Inquiry about the need to revise its Rules concerning the environmental effects of RF radiation," states Janet Newton, President of The EMR Policy Institute, who assisted in preparing the appeal brief file last week.  "Given the explosion in the past decade of RF radiation-dependent technologies that are in continuous operation throughout our environment, the FCC must shoulder its statutory responsibility and take a NEPA-compliant "hard look" to protect the public interest in this evolving public health question, especially in light of the fact that other regulatory agencies - EPA and FDA - have been largely defunded in their fiduciary roles"

See appeal summary at: http://www.emrpolicy.org/litigation/case_law/docs/11feb04background.pdf

January 26, 2004
Local citizens demonstrated the power of community organization in Chimayo, New Mexico. Eleven Microwave Towers Beaten Out of Northern New Mexico

May 8, 2003
See the letter from The National League of Cities' Executive Director Donald Borut to Senator Patrick Leahy endorsing the "Local Control for Broadcast Towers Act" and the "Local Control For Cellular Towers Act."

April 18, 2003
March 2003 Fact Sheet entitled, "Studies on Radiofrequency Radiation Emitted by Cellular Phones," from the National Toxicology Program/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NTP/NIEHS). The NTP is in the design phase of a number of studies to be conducted on Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR); this fact sheet describes the status of NTP research efforts.

April 18, 2003
The New York City Department of Education is considering a proposal to rent space on public school properties as sites for wireless communications facilities, i.e., mobile phone antenna base stations. Glenn Encababian of the Bronx is spear-heading the effort to inform parents and elected official about this proposal and about the debate over possible health risks from exposure to radiofrequency radiation emitted by these antennas. For more information, send e-mail to: EMR Network

Elected officials and parents have sent letters to Chancellor Joseph Klein questioning the wisdom of this proposal. Letters have been sent by:

• Members of the United States Congress
• Members of the New York State Assembly
• Members of the New York City Council
• Members of local Borough Community Boards
• Members of Parents Associations

Note especially the February 6, 2003, Press Release from Ruben Diaz Jr., New York State Assemblyman for the 75th District in Bronx County. In this Release Mr. Diaz announces legislation he has drafted to be introduced in this session. The Legislation prohibits: "the placement, erection or construction of a wireless communication facility on school grounds or buildings."

April 9, 2003
"Wireless Worries": A new study provides fresh evidence that mobile phones may damage brain cells, especially in teens - Time Europe, Feb. 24, 2003 | Vol. 161, No. 8

"You're in the Picture": Mobile phones that send and receive images are the latest threat to privacy - Time Europe, Feb. 24, 2003 | Vol. 161, No. 8

March 14, 2003
Parents', students' and community opposition to placement of AT&T cell phone antennas on Sullivan Heights High School in Surrey, BC prevails. This account comes from Milt Bowling, coordinator of Canada's Electromagnetic Radiation Task Force and board member of The EMR Network. Milt participated in the public hearings.

February 20, 2003
Environmental Groups Sue FCC over Cell Phone Towers - The Forest Conservation Council (FCC), the American Bird Conservancy (ABC) and the Friends of the Earth (FoE) filed a lawsuit against the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.

The suit alleges that the FCC violated the National Environmental Policy Act, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act by allowing 5,820 cell phone towers to be constructed along the Gulf Coast of the U.S. from Tampa, Fla., to Port Isabel in Texas.

The groups say that tens of thousands of migratory birds have been killed by flying into the towers or their support wireless at night and when visibility is poor.

February 7, 2003
The Association for Comprehensive Neurotherapy discusses electrical sensitivity and the impact of wireless technology on the development and health of children's central nervous systems. This article first appeared in their journal Latitudes. See also the archived forum on Electromagnetic Radiation with featured guest Margaret Meade Glaser.

February 7, 2003
A bibliography from Professor Roger Santini, researcher at the NationaI Institute of Applied Science in Lyon, France: " PUBLICATIONS ABOUT THE HEALTH OF PEOPLE LIVING IN VICINITY OF CELLULAR PHONE BASE STATIONS." He has compiled this list to counter assertions that no studies exist on this subject., that base station antenna radiation is too weak to affect those living near them, or that studies on this subject are impossible to carry out.

February 7, 2003
Netherlands to Re-Examine Mobile Phone Health Risk
The Health Council of the Netherlands has released a new report recommending the establishment of a "center of expertise" on health effects of electromagnetic fields and also made recommendations for proposed research studies designed to address "important gaps in knowledge and which questions should be answered first to meet public disquiet." A copy of the executive summary is available in English.

These recommendations are a follow up to the January 2002 report by the Health Council of the Netherlands which issued a review of the current state of scientific knowledge on RF and health issues. In that report, the Council concluded that: "there is at present no reason for concern" and recommended further research be conducted. Source: Reuters

December 22, 2002
"Israeli Researchers Question Safety Of Cellphones: Your Head Serves As An 'Antenna'" By Judy Siege, The Jerusalem Post, December 20, 2002

Headaches, nausea, dizziness, short-term memory problems, fatigue, and other complaints resulting from cellular phone use are not due to low-level heating of the brain; instead, they're apparently caused by the head serving as an "antenna" and brain tissue as a radio receiver, according to two Jerusalem researchers. Zvi Weinberger, a physicist who heads the applied physics department at the Jerusalem College of Technology, and Dr. Elihu Richter, head of the occupational medicine unit at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health, suggested this in the latest issue of the journal Medical Hypotheses. Mobile phones, they explained, "broadcast specifically at frequencies at which the head serves as an antenna and brain tissue serves as a demodulating radio receiver." Thus, precaution must be taken in the use of cellphones, they wrote. They called for a "reexamination of the assumptions" underlying the US Federal Communications Commission statement that the typical radio frequency exposures to cellphones are safe.

"Out of great concern for the health of our fellow human beings do we - as established physicians of all fields, especially that of environmental medicine - turn to the medical establishment and those in public health and political domains, as well as to the public. . . ."

"Since the living environment and lifestyles of our patients are familiar to us, we can see - especially after carefully directed inquiry - a clear temporal and spatial correlation between the appearance of disease and exposure to pulsed high-frequency microwave radiation (HFMR), such as:

• Installation of mobile telephone sending station in the near vicinity …
• Intensive mobile telephone use
• Installation of digital cordless (DECT)telephone at home or in the neighborhood"

• Environmental Groups File Petition to Halt All Tower Construction along Gulf Coast
• The actual petition to the FCC was masterminded by the Forest Conservation Council with support from the American Bird Conservancy and Friends of the Earth.
  

An IEEE working group made the decision to scrap a preliminary draft of the radio-frequency radiation standard at a meeting with federal regulators in Motorola Inc.'s laboratories at Plantation, Fla. The draft sparked controversy after news reports revealed it would significantly lower radiation exposure limits and eliminate the distinction between workers and consumers. See our original posting below and the EMR Network's press release.





December 27, 2001
"THE CHILD SCRAMBLER: What a mobile can do to a youngster's brain in two minutes." (Sunday Mirror, December 27, 2001)These are the first images that show the shocking effect that using a mobile phone has on a child's brain. Scientists have discovered that a call lasting just two minutes can alter the natural electrical activity of a child's brain for up to an hour afterwards. And they also found for the first time how radio waves from mobile phones penetrate deep into the brain and not just around the ear.



December 5, 2001
The mobile phone invasion is an unprecedented experiment, pitting market forces against the health of the population, particularly the young. Governments, cashing in on the licencing bonanza, wave through plans for a forest of phone masts. Emissions guidelines are drawn up to minimise costs. Here, The Ecologist looks at the issues, beginning with a damning report which, says David Edwards, points to evidence of a cover-up. It may be good to talk, but why isn't anyone listening?


Novemeber 28, 2001
A working draft originating from Subcommittee 4 (SC-4) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety (ICES), commonly known as SCC-28, proposes a significantly more lenient standard for exposures (see note below) of the general public to radiofrequency and microwave (RF/MW) radiation. The working draft proposes setting a single standard for all segments of the population and would eliminated the fivefold safety factor that presently is used to give children, the elderly and the infirm more protection than workers.

The EMR Network has received communication from Mr. Stanziola, who is employed as the manager, Standards Licensing and Contracts, IEEE Standards Activities, asserting that these draft standards are copyrighted intellectual property. The EMR Network believes that it is in the public interest to inform the public about this document and that it is "fair use" under copyright laws. The posting is not done for commercial purposes.

In a phone call from Dr. C.K. Chou, Co-Chair of IEEE's SC4 of SCC-28, the EMR Network has been informed that this draft revision should not be attributed to any IEEE committee or subcommittee. It is a working draft that is subject to change. There has not been any deliberation by any committee members on this proposal as yet. The meeting for those deliberations scheduled for Sept. 13-14, 2001, at the FCC in Washington, DC, was postponed due to the terrorist attacks. That meeting has been rescheduled for January 10-11, 2002.


October 11, 2001
"Research Reveals Cell Phone Hazards" - published in the on-line Industry Standard, By International Data Group Aug 07, 2001.


October 1, 2001
EMR Network Files Petition to FCC REQUESTING REEXAMINATION of RULES for RADIOFREQUENCY EXPOSURE


September 6, 2001
It's time to write to your members of Congress and request that they cosponsor the legislation proposed by Senator Leahy and Jeffords of Vermont, Congressman Sanders of Vermont and Congressman Tancredo of Colorado on radiofrequency/microwave (RF/MW) radiation health effects research, and strengthening local authority for siting of mobile phone and broadcast facilities. Go to Action Alert.


June 1, 2001
As you'll read, Ms. Devlyn knows whereof she speaks. She places Jim Jeffords' decision to become an independent in its correct historical and personal context. Peg Devlyn, author of "Independent Jeffords." This commentary was written for Vermont Public Radio and aired on 29 May 2001. Permission was granted to the EMR Network to distribute Ms. Devlyn's "Commentary" on June 1, 2001.


June 1, 2001
Go to our Regulations page to learn about the new STOA report done for the European Parliament.
THE PHYSIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF NON-IONIZING ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION - FINAL STUDY - LUXEMBOURG, MARCH 2001


May 9, 2001
The Niki Taylor tragedy amplifies the growing evidence that the Wireless Industry and FCC preemptions over local authority, all in the name of public safety and convenience, are costing Americans dearly. Citizens can no longer let these powerful interests hide behind the public safety shield as they continue to assault communities with wireless infrastructure. Perhaps the good that will come from this and other personal tragedies is the restoration of citizen and community rights to fully protect the health and safety of all and the restoration of the preeminence of state's rights and local authority as they seek to protect their citizens.


April 27, 2001
Go to our RFR & Schools to read a 5 April 2001 letter from Dr. George Carlo who directed the Wireless Technology Research (WTR) program, addressed to the Broward County (Florida) School Board outlining the health concerns surrounding children's use of wireless technology. Broward is currently studying whether to equip its schools with Wireless Local Access Networks (WLAN's) for its classroom computer systems. WLAN's radio frequency radiation emissions parallel those of digital cell phones. Broward's student population numbers approximately 250,000.


March 28, 2001
"Regina Says 'No' to Cellular Tower" by Sara Langenberg Iowa City Press-Citizen
The Regina School Board voted 9-6 Tuesday night to drop consideration of erecting a cellular antenna platform near the high school's football field.


March 28, 2001
Now Available - The Electric Wilderness, by Andrew Marino and Joel Ray. San Francisco Press, 1986; 120 pages; preface by Dr. Robert O. Becker; bibliography and index. ISBN 0-911302-55-7.

Written like a novel, The Electric Wilderness recounts the opening battle in the 25-year war over EMF effects. Told from the point of view of biophysicist Andrew Marino, the major scientific witness in a four-year New York State hearing on a 765-KV power line (1974-78), the book is a David-and-Goliath tale that provides important insights into the politics of science in the U.S. B. Blake Levitt, author of Electromagnetic Fields: A Consumer's Guide, calls the book "a classic of its genre."

The book can be obtained by sending a check or money order, with return address, to: Electric Wilderness, 96 Besemer Road, Ithaca NY 14850. The price is $20.00, all inclusive.

Independent film maker, Len Aitken, now has made 2 documentary films available on our tower fight in the CARE area. Lookout Mountain is a more recent production done after the broadcasters petitioned the FCC to preempt Jefferson County's zoning denial of the supertower. It includes more interviews with researchers and broadcasters and an admission by the Lake Cedar Group broadcasters that they spent at least two million dollars on the supertower zoning battle. Broadcast Blues is a documentary following a citizen effort to expose the dangers of electromagnetic radiation and prevent an HDTV tower from being built in their neighborhood. Both are produced and directed by Len Aitken-Emmy Award filmmaker. Both are available for $29.95 @ from his company. For further information, please check out the Len Aitken Web site.

Read our EMR Network position letter. Contact the National Trust for Historic Preservation and your own state's governmental and private historic preservation offices. Let them know they must consider the public health questions of RF/MW radiation health effects before siting antennas in or on historic sites. This issue is time sensitive and needs your immediate action.

Click here to find the contact information for all historic preservation offices. The needed information is found under "community resources."

Neuroreport - A world-renowned sleep laboratory at the University of Zurich has found that exposing volunteers to digital mobile phone radiation (GSM) for 30 minutes while awake significantly alters their EEG activity after they fall asleep, compared to unexposed controls. These results complement an earlier study at the same lab in which subjects were exposed while sleeping.

The Swiss researchers conclude: "The changes of brain function induced by pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic fields outlast the exposure period." In an accompanying commentary, Dr. Michael Petrides notes that, "The currently available literature suggests that some aspects of cognitive function and some direct measures of brain physiology may be affected by exposure to electromagnetic fields of the type emitted by cellular telephones. *This research is available as a PDF file on our "Research" page.

October 3, 2000
Supreme Court won't hear suit over disruptive tower
The Associated Press MONTPELIER
The U.S. Supreme Court is staying out of a long-running feud in Charlotte over a radio tower whose signal interferes with common household appliances in nearby homes.

The court refused Monday to hear a case in which Charlotte residents argued that local zoning regulations should supercede the Federal Communications Commission's authority over a 199-foot tower that transmits signals for WIZN-FM, Verizon cellular telephones and local emergency services. Vermont's congressional delegation vowed Monday to try to fix the problem in Congress.

"We are disappointed in the Supreme Court's unwillingness to hear the arguments that would have been presented by the citizens of Vermont on the critical issue of local control over the siting of telecommunications towers," said a statement issued jointly by Sens. James Jeffords and Patrick Leahy and Rep. Bernie Sanders.

The Charlotte Zoning Board of Adjustment issued a permit in 1987 for WIZN to build the tower on Pease Mountain. But the board said the radio station would have to address any problems that might arise if its signal interfered at nearby homes.

Soon after the tower was completed, residents began complaining that they could hear the signal through their appliances, including telephones and other electronic devices.

The town zoning administrator ruled in 1996 that the tower users were violating the zoning permit because of the interference. That ruling was appealed to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, which agreed that the permit was being violated. But the board said the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and other federal law gave jurisdiction to the FCC and the town was powerless. Local homeowners turned to the courts and U.S. District Court Judge William Sessions agreed with the radio station that only the FCC had authority. The U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals agreed. "We conclude that allowing local zoning authorities to condition construction and use permits on any requirement to eliminate or remedy ... interference 'stands as an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and objectives of Congress,"' the appeals court said, quoting an earlier court ruling. By its refusal to hear the case Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed with the appeals court.