Switzerland: Awareness of Health Risks of Wireless Technology?

Switzerland:  Awareness of Health Risks of Wireless Technology?
by Meris Michaels, 29 July 2016

Awareness of the health risks of wireless technology in French-speaking Switzerland ("Suisse Romande") is at best poor, worse - almost non-existent.  There are only a few doctors diagnosing and treating electrosensitivity, although physicians practicing holistic or integrative medicine may be doing so.  Such doctors are rare and cannot take on new patients. There seems to be an unhealthy collusion among doctors to ignore this issue, either out of ignorance, because wireless is everywhere in their offices and in hospitals and clinics, medical education does not include emerging environmental illnesses in its curriculum, and/or they are scared to go against the powerful telecoms industry which is a vital part of the Swiss economy.

We doubt that "Suisse Romande" has ever heard of the environmental medicine counselling structure for electrohypersensitive persons established by the Society of Doctors for the Environment.  One health insurance company promotes mobile phone subscriptions for families, including young children.  Confronted by an advocacy group for safer wireless, they replied by asking for the names of the group's committee members and saying, the group's description of risks was "alarmist".  A major department store sells babyphones for very young children.  The group drew attention to health risks and to the harmful exposure of factory workers in China producing these and received a defensive reply.  Others, who have written to the health and disability insurance authorities, have received unsatisfactory replies.  And yet, the health warnings are there on the sites of the federal government, the Cancer League, and in manuals for mobile phones, virtual reality headsets, smart watches, etc.

Electromagnetic Field Reduction Restores Health of Electrosensitive People

[Please note: We are not aware if this paper has been peer-reviewed, or included in a noted journal.]

Electromagnetic field reduction restores health of electro-sensitive people1
3 June 2016

Hugo Schooneveld, Joop van Bijnen, and Patrick van Zuilen
Electrohypersensitivity (EHS) Foundation, The Netherlands2

Full text available here.

Abstract 

Electromagnetically sensitized people may develop symptoms and health problems, when exposed to certain types of electromagnetic fields (EMF), known as electrical hypersensitivity (EHS). Over time, the effects may become stronger if such exposure continues. The Dutch EHS Foundation is committed to finding ways to understand these phenomena and to doing something about it. This study reports the results of a research questionnaire distributed among EHS people before and after that they had taken measures to reduce their exposure to EMF. Information requested included (1) the types of symptoms that people reported, and (2) the  effects of EMF reduction strategies on the disappearance of EHS symptoms and improvement of well-being.

EUROPAEM EMF Guideline 2016 for the Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of EMF-related Health Problems and Illnesses

The Guideline is back  with access to the full text and supplementary material.

EUROPAEM EMF Guideline 2016 for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of EMF-related health problems and illnesses
Citation Information: Reviews on Environmental Health. ISSN (Online) 2191-0308, ISSN (Print) 0048-7554, DOI: 10.1515/reveh-2016-0011, July 2016

Ahead of print (Jul 2016)

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Igor Belyaev12 / Amy Dean3 / Horst Eger4 / Gerhard Hubmann5 / Reinhold Jandrisovits6 / Markus Kern7 / Michael Kundi8 / Hanns Moshammer8 / Piero Lercher9 / Kurt Müller10 / Gerd Oberfeld11 / Peter Ohnsorge12 / Peter Pelzmann13 / Claus Scheingraber14 / Roby Thill15

Publication History:

Received:2016-03-16

Accepted:2016-05-29

Published Online:2016-07-25

This article offers supplementary material which is provided at the end of the article.

Abstract

The Hidden Marginalization of Persons With Environmental Sensitivities

"This paper constructs persons with environmental sensitivities as comprising a hidden, marginalized group in technological culture that is paying a large price for our industrialized lifestyle... This population is marginalized by health-care providers and shunted into mental health categories, as our current health paradigms are not adequate to frame and categorize health problems caused by our toxic industrial lifestyle..."

The Hidden Marginalization of Persons With Environmental Sensitivities
by Pamela Reed Gibson Department of Psychology, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia.
MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC. VOL. 8 NO. 2 JUNE 2016 ECOPSYCHOLOGY

Full text of paper

Abstract 

This paper constructs persons with environmental sensitivities as comprising a hidden, marginalized group in technological culture that is paying a large price for our industrialized lifestyle. Due to the polluted nature of most public venues, this population is robbed of a sense of ‘‘place’’ necessary to maintain personal relationships. This population is marginalized by health-care providers and shunted into mental health categories, as our current health paradigms are not adequate to frame and categorize health problems caused by our toxic industrial lifestyle. The problem is discussed within the context of the pressures of capitalism, and examples are given of persons with environmental illness receiving mental health diagnoses (an attempted colonization) when they attempt to access mainstream health-care providers who lack knowledge or expertise regarding toxic-induced illness.

Australia: Celebrity Chef Pete Evans Says ABC Journalist Suspended for Claiming Wi-Fi Causes Brain Tumors Was Right

Celebrity chef Pete Evans has defended
ABC journalist Dr. Maryanne Demasi who
was suspended over her report on the ill
health effects of Wi-Fi.

Celebrity chef Pete Evans says ABC journalist suspended for claiming Wi-Fi causes brain tumours was RIGHT - as he reveals he turns the internet off every night

by Cindy Tran for Daily Mail Australia, 14 July 2016

- Celebrity chef Pete Evans defends ABC journalist Dr Maryanne Demasi
- The journalist was suspended over controversial 'Wi-Fried' episode
- Episode was found to be in breach of the ABC's impartiality standards
- 'Wi-Fried' aired views from scientists that said Wi-Fi caused health issues
- The My Kitchen Rules judge has agreed with the controversial Wi-Fi claim
- The Paleo chef said he protects his family by switching off Wi-Fi at night

Celebrity chef Pete Evans has defended an ABC journalist who was suspended after claiming in an episode of a science program that Wi-Fi causes brain tumours.

Catalyst host Dr Maryanne Demasi's 'Wi-Fried' episode was found to have breached accuracy and impartiality standards after it went to air in February.

However, the My Kitchen Rules judge has claimed she was 'only telling the truth', and revealed he protects his family from electromagnetic fields at home by switching the internet off at night as he believed Wi-Fi could lead to health issues.

Increased Incidence of Thyroid Cancer in the Nordic Countries with Main Focus on Swedish Data

"We postulate that the whole increase cannot be attributed to better diagnostic procedures. Increasing exposure to ionizing radiation, e.g. medical computed tomography (CT) scans, and to RF-EMF (non-ionizing radiation) should be further studied." 

Increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in the Nordic countries with main focus on Swedish data

Mobile phone antenna placements in regard to the
thyroid gland

BMC Cancer201616:426
DOI: 10.1186/s12885-016-2429-4
Published 7 July 2016

Michael CarlbergEmail author,
Lena Hedendahl,
Mikko Ahonen,
Tarmo Koppel and
Lennart Hardell

© The Author(s). 2016

Open Peer Review reports

Abstract

Background

Radiofrequency radiation in the frequency range 30 kHz–300 GHz was evaluated to be Group 2B, i.e. ‘possibly’ carcinogenic to humans, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at WHO in May 2011. Among the evaluated devices were mobile and cordless phones, since they emit radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF). In addition to the brain, another organ, the thyroid gland, also receives high exposure. The incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing in many countries, especially the papillary type that is the most radiosensitive type.

Effect of Radiofrequency Radiation from Wi-Fi Devices on Mercury Release from Amalgam Restorations

"Conclusion:  Exposure of patients with amalgam restorations to radiofrequency radiation emitted from conventional Wi-Fi devices can increase mercury release from amalgam restorations."

Effect of radiofrequency radiation from Wi-Fi devices on mercury release from amalgam restorations
Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering
Paknahad, M., Mortazavi, S.M.J., Shahidi, S. et al. J Environ Health Sci Engineer (2016) 14: 12. doi:10.1186/s40201-016-0253-z

Maryam Paknahad,
S. M. J. Mortazavi,
Shoaleh Shahidi,
Ghazal Mortazavi,
Masoud Haghani

Open AccessResearch article
First Online: 13 July 2016

Abstract

Background

Dental amalgam is composed of approximately 50% elemental mercury. Despite concerns over the toxicity of mercury, amalgam is still the most widely used restorative material. Wi-Fi is a rapidly using local area wireless computer networking technology. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that evaluates the effect of exposure to Wi-Fi signals on mercury release from amalgam restorations.

Americans Are Buying Gene-Edited Food That's Not Labeled GMO

"... corn injected with outside DNA is classified a genetically modified organism, but canola that can tolerate herbicide because scientists removed a gene is not."

Americans Are Buying Gene-Edited Food That's Not Labeled GMO
by Craig Giammona and Jack Kaskey, bloomberg.com, 

14 July 2016

- USDA passes on oversight of cooking oil new to store shelves
- Monsanto, DuPont, Dow developing crops with the new technology

Products made possible through gene-editing have landed on grocery shelves. Whether they’ll stay there is up to shoppers wary of technological tinkering.

Food companies are now required to label GMOs in Vermont, and debate is raging over a federal standard. But so far, regulators at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have taken a pass on overseeing gene-edited crops. They say cutting DNA from a plant is not the same as adding genes from another organism. So corn injected with outside DNA is classified a genetically modified organism, but canola that can tolerate herbicide because scientists removed a gene is not.

Electrosmog and Autoimmune Disease

Electrosmog and autoimmune disease 
Immunol Res DOI 10.1007/s12026-016-8825-7
First online:  13 July 2016

Trevor G. Marshall1 • Trudy J. Rumann Heil2 The Author(s) 2016.

This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com

Abstract 

Studies in mice have shown that environmental electromagnetic waves tend to suppress the murine immune system with a potency similar to NSAIDs, yet the nature of any Electrosmog effects upon humans remains controversial. Previously, we reported how the human Vitamin-D receptor (VDR) and its ligand, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin-D (1,25-D), are associated with many chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. We have shown how olmesartan, a drug marketed for mild hypertension, acts as a high-affinity partial agonist for the VDR, and that it seems to reverse disease activity resulting from VDR dysfunction. We here report that structural instability of the activated VDR becomes apparent when observing hydrogen bond behavior with molecular dynamics, revealing that the VDR pathway exhibits a susceptibility to Electrosmog. Further, we note that characteristic modes of instability lie in the microwave frequency range, which is currently populated by cellphone and WiFi communication signals, and that the susceptibility is ligand dependent. A case series of 64 patient-reported outcomes subsequent to use of a silver-threaded cap designed to protect the brain and brain stem from microwave Electrosmog resulted in 90 % reporting ‘‘definite’’ or ‘‘strong’’ changes in their disease symptoms. This is much higher than the 3–5 % rate reported for electromagnetic hypersensitivity in a healthy population and suggests that effective control of environmental Electrosmog immunomodulation may soon become necessary for successful therapy of autoimmune disease.

Full text:
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12026-016-8825-7

PDF copy: 

http://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs12026-016-8825-7.pdf

New Device Detects Disease Before You Have It

Scientist holds biosensor chip.

"This biochip would be easy to implant, swift to respond, and inexpensive. The chip is comprised of a DNA probe which sits on a graphene field effect transistor. The probe is a double strand of DNA genetically engineered to contain a sequence of coding for a specific SNP. The chip captures DNA or RNA molecules that have a certain kind of mutation. When these molecules bind to the probe, it sends an electrical signal."

New Device Detects Disease before You Even Have it
by Philip Perry, bigthink.com, 22 June 2016

Generally speaking, the farther along a serious illness is, the harder it is to cure or even manage. Many types of cancer such as colon, prostate, and breast cancer for instance, among the deadliest, give few if any symptoms before it’s too late. The earlier in its pathogenesis or development, the easier it is to manage and treat. Now, scientists have the means to detect serious illnesses before they begin.

Cell Phones Linked to Weaker Bones

"Although small, the new study raises the possibility that long-term exposure to electromagnetic radiation from cell phones could adversely affect bone mineralization. Larger follow-up studies will be needed to confirm or disprove this hypothesis, according to Dr Sravi. He suggests that studies may be warranted in women, who have higher rates of osteoporosis; and children, who would have longer expected lifetime exposure to cell phones."

Common thing weakening your bones
by Bel Marra Health, 4 May 2016

(A summary of the study from Argentina follows this article.)

Everywhere you look, someone is carrying around a cell phone – many people see these devices as extensions of themselves. Whether in your purse, in your hands, or in your pocket, a cell phone is always within arm’s reach in case a text message, an email, or a phone call comes in. It doesn’t really matter how old you are, cell phones span across generations.

In addition to the previous studies reporting that cell phones may be hazardous to our health, a recent small study found new evidence – this time, with regards to our bone health.

Cell phones linked to weaker bones

Does Long-Term Exposure to 4G LTE Cell Phone Radiation Impair Cell Phone Users' Health?

Does long-term exposure to 4G LTE cell phone radiation impair cell phone users' health?
Electromagnetic Radiation Safety, May 2016

(Abstract and excerpts follow this summary)

Following is a summary of the second study published on the effects of 4th generation LTE cell phone radiation on the brain activity of cell phone users by the China Academy of Telecommunication Research of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The original study showed that 30 minutes of exposure to LTE phone radiation affected brain activity in the left superior temporal gyrus, left middle temporal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, right medial frontal gyrus and right paracentral lobule. The current study found that a 30-minute exposure to LTE radiation modulated the EEG in the alpha and beta bands at the frontal region of the near and remote sides, and at the temporal region on the near side.

By the end of 2013, 100 million cell phones in the U.S. operated on LTE. This number worldwide is expected to exceed 1 billion by the end of this year. Yet the one major study cell phone study being conducted in the U.S. examines the effects of 2nd generation cell phone technology.

Why don't the U.S. and other major nations conduct biological and health effects research on the latest cell phone and wireless technologies?

Australia ABC Suspends Presenter Over 'W-Fi Is Dangerous' Claims: New Managing Director is Ex-Google Exec

Scaremongering?  Catalyst?  Surely not.

"Under budget attack, and with a new managing director (ex-Google exec Michelle Guthrie) already wielding a funding knife, the review could well put the entire Catalyst program under a cloud."

Australia's ABC suspends presenter over 'Wi-Fi is dangerous' claims
by Richard Chirgwin, theregister.co.uk, 

5 July 2016

Catalyst's Dr Maryanne Demasi off air, programme under review

Australian public broadcaster ABC has suspended the presenter behind its unscientific “Wi-Fried”Catalyst programme that aired earlier this year.

Presenter Dr Maryanne Demasi of the popular science program swallowed wholesale the claims of scare-mongers like Devra Davis and Canadian opponent of Wi-Fi in schools, Frank Clegg.

Watch “Wi-fried” and Implement the Precautionary Principle

Watch “Wi-fried” and implement the precautionary principle*
by erikpeper, peperperspective.com,

5 July 2016

[You may still view “Wi-Fried”.]

The exponential increase in environmental exposure to electromagnetic radiation (microwaves) from wireless devices and Wi-Fi (e.g., routers, smartphones, tablets and any device that uses wireless connections) will probably cause harm. From an evolutionary perspective, this is the first time in human history that we are continuously bombarded by massive increases in microwave radiation–a totally new experience for our body. It is not be surprising that wireless radiation could increase the risk of cancer (Davis, 2010; Knudson, 2016). Why wait 30 plus years until the definitive studies have been completed. Use the precautionary principle and assume that microwave radiation is harmful until proven otherwise.

How the U.S. Tests Cellphones for Safety

Belt Clip? How the U.S. Tests Cellphones for Safety
by Ryan Knutson, The Wall Street Journal, 6 July 2016

Study results support push for tougher standards to protect humans from potential health effects

(Photo:) Last month, the National Toxicology Program released partial results from a study on rodents that found an association between radio-frequency radiation and cancer. This has stirred debate about whether the cellphones are tested adequately to protect human health. 

Photo:  Michael Nagle for the Wall Street Journal

Four decades ago, an inspector at the Hartford Police Department raised questions about the safety of one of Motorola’s walkie-talkies. Quirino Balzano, then a newly hired engineer at a Motorola lab in Florida, was asked to prove the devices were safe.

Walkie-talkies, similar to their cellphone successors, emit radio-frequency radiation, which in nominal amounts isn’t known to affect people. The only agreed upon effect of such energy is it can heat human tissue at high levels. The test Dr. Balzano devised was to place the walkie-talkie near a human skull filled with mostly sugar water and measure the temperature of the liquid. That general concept eventually evolved into the industry’s primary method for testing the radiation emissions from cellphones.

Today, every cellphone model sold in the U.S. is tested to ensure it doesn’t exceed energy absorption levels set by the Federal Communications Commission.

But a recent U.S. government study challenges the notion that heating is the only potential health effect, renewing a debate about whether the modern version of Dr. Balzano’s test adequately protects human health.

Glyphosate Sprayed on GMO Crops Linked to Lake Erie’s Toxic Algae Bloom

A look of the growing bloom of harmful algae in
Lake Erie from space.

Glyphosate Sprayed on GMO Crops Linked to Lake Erie’s Toxic Algae Bloom

by Lorraine Chow, EcoWatch, 5 July 2016

Glyphosate, the controversial main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup and other herbicides, is being connected to Lake Erie’s troubling algae blooms, which has fouled drinking water and suffocated and killed marine life in recent years.

Phosphorus—attributed to farm runoff carried by the Maumee River—has long been identifiedas a leading culprit feeding the excessive blooms in the western Lake Erie basin. Now, according to a new study from chemistry professor Christopher Spiese, a significant correlation has been established between the increased use of glyphosate to the percentage of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in the runoff.

Case Report: Exacerbation of Demyelinating Syndrome After Exposure to Wireless Modem with Public Hotspot

Case Report:  Exacerbation of demyelinating syndrome after exposure to wireless modem with public hotspot
Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine

DOI:10.3109/15368378.2015.1107839

Olle Johanssona & Mary Redmayneb*

Published online: 29 Jun 2016

Abstract

In August 2003, 48-year-old JS of Colorado, USA, a fitness therapist and sports nutritionist, contracted neuroinvasive West Nile virus which left her with disabilities due to spinal axonal damage.In August 2014, she suddenly developed symptoms very much like her acute West Nile infection 11 years ago, including focal seizures, ataxia, vertigo and headaches. Her blood count looked normal so there was no obvious infection. What struck her as odd was that when she left her apartment for any length of time, the symptoms stopped. She found out that a new type of wireless modem, enabled for both personal use and functioning as a public hotspot designed to reach up to 100 m, had been installed in the flat under hers.Her neighbor replaced the modem with a router without the hotspot feature. After that, the seizures stopped immediately, and the other symptoms faded gradually, after which she was fine and again could sleep well.