French 'PhoneGate' -- Cellphone Users Say They Are Misled on Dangers

French 'PhoneGate' -- Cellphone Users Say They Are Misled on Dangers
by Jack O'Dwyer, odwyerpr.com, 

26 June 2017

Charges are flying in France that government safety tests on cellphone radiation failed to check where phones are mostly carried—in pants and shirt pockets. Nine of ten phones exceed safe levels in those places.

The French National Frequency Agency released the results this month as the result of a court order obtained by health advocates.

Dr. Marc Arazi, a medical doctor and radiation health activist, said “I am deeply concerned about what this means for our health and especially the health of our children. People have a right to know that when cellphones are tested in ways people commonly use them—such as in direct contact with the body—the radiation values exceed regulatory limits. This is a first victory for transparency in this industry scandal.”

Apple, Motorola, Samsung and Nokia were among the brands tested. When held close to the body, some phones emitted radiation three hundred percent as high as the manufacturers’ reported levels.

Arazi, Devra Davis, Ph.D., founder of the Environmental Health Trust, and other health advocates have coined the phrase “PhoneGate” and are comparing it to diesel emission tests that were conducted in laboratories rather than on the road.

PhoneGate, Explained

Although this site sells products to protect people from exposure to electromagnetic radiation, we are posting it because it is about Phonegate.

PhoneGate, Explained
shieldyourbody.com, 27 June 2017

Between 2012 and 2016, France’s National Frequency Agency (ANFR) tested 379 different models of cell phones for their radiation emissions. Earlier this month, compelled by a court order, ANFR released the data they had collected. The result is now being called ‘PhoneGate’ and is gaining an increasing amount of attention.

Why?

What the Report Found

The French government found that 89% of the tested phones exceeded their reported radiation emission levels— some by up to 300%. That means these phones emitted up to four times the radiation the manufacturers claimed.

The Environmental Health Trust has summarized the data thusly:

French government tests on hundreds of cell phones reveal that in 2015, 9 out of 10 phones exceed the manufacturer’s reported radiation test levels when re-tested in positions where the phone is in contact with the body. The government had refused to disclose these test results until the court order.

Screentime Colorado: An Expert Forum On Children, Screens, Privacy And Health: Lectures and Videos

Screentime Colorado: An Expert Forum On Children, Screens, Privacy And Health
Environmental Health Trust, June 2017

“Screen Time in Schools: Why Parents Should Care”

“Screen use and the electromagnetic radiation emitted from these devices have been associated with health risks such as myopia, retinal damage, sleeplessness, addiction and behavioral issues. Screen use at school also brings with it information sharing and privacy issues.”

Please go to the Screentime Colorado YouTube link where you can see all the lectures and videos with highlights for each lecture.

The Screen Time Colorado event was created as a platform to inform parents, educators, lawmakers and anyone else concerned with the wellbeing of children, about the need for best practice and safety guidelines for one-to-one devices being used by children in schools. Examples of these devices include Chrome-books, laptops, virtual reality headsets, and iPads. Screen use and the electromagnetic radiation emitted from these devices has been associated with myriad health risks including myopia, retinal damage, sleeplessness, addiction and behavioral issues to name a few. The use of screens in schools also brings with it information sharing and privacy issues associated with online curricula, online assessments, and student data collection. The Screen Time Colorado event showcased five national experts in these new field of public health and information sharing.

Radiation Exposure Warning for Pregnant Women and Babies

Keep mobile devices away from your baby's body

Radiation exposure warning for pregnant women and babies

familiesonline.co.uk, 4 April 2017

Experts warn of risks in the home from baby monitors and mobile phones

Although you can’t see it, electromagnetic radiation is all around your baby. Not everyone is aware that, for example, a cordless baby monitor emits radiation or that a cordless phone is effectively a mast in your own home acting as a transmitter.

Ever thought about the levels of radiation your baby is exposed to?

Wi-Fi Embrace by FCC's O’Rielly Alarms Health Advocates

Wi-Fi Embrace by FCC's O’Rielly Alarms Health Advocates
by Jack O'Dwyer, odwyerpr.com, 22 June 2017

Ecstatic remarks by FCC Commissioner Mike O’Rielly on the first “World Wi-Fi Day” June 20 have caused a bout of head shaking and alarm in the Wi-Fi health community.

O’Rielly pulled out all the stops in singing the praises of the observance, saying it “acknowledges the wonderful technology” that has been developed.

He sees a world literally bathed in wireless transmission of information.

“It’s more than likely than not that internet traffic will continue to shift to Wi-Fi for the foreseeable future and security enhancements will reverse threats of exposed consumer experiences,” he said.

“Moreover, ubiquitous Wi-Fi voice calling and a truly mesh network seem not far away. Wi-Fi incorporation into location technologies seems a guarantee especially for hard to reach areas such as building interiors,” he added.

Data Indicates Cell Phones Expose Consumers To Radiation Levels Higher Than Manufacturers Claim, Says The French Government

"Thank you, courageous and committed, Dr. Marc Arazi!  May you always be held safe from microwave and cell phone industry harms. You had the courage of heart and professional commitment to go where no one would go and, thank God, you prevailed in a court of common sense, and not like the courts, FCC and public utility commissions in the USA when it comes to vested-interest microwave technology pseudoscience! Wake up, USA!" 

- Catherine Frompovich, author of this article.

Data Indicates Cell Phones Expose Consumers To Radiation Levels Higher Than Manufacturers Claim, Says The French Government

by Catherine J. Frompovich, Activistpost.com, 20 June 2017

The Environmental Health Trust published “Cell Phone Radiation Scandal: More Exposure Than Manufacturers Claim ‘PhoneGate’ In France, government data release reveals 9 out of 10 phones tested exceed regulatory limits” [1].

The French ANFR published online on June 1, 2017, a listing of cell phone data “details of make, model and test results for each cell phone that was tested, after months of legal action by French physician Dr. Marc Arazi.”

According to Environmental Health Trust,

Popular brands such as Apple, Motorola, Samsung and Nokia were among the cell phone models tested. When tested in contact with the body, some phones have test results as high as triple the manufacturer’s previously reported radiation levels. [1] [CJF emphasis]

New Health Concerns - and Cancer Link - Over Toxic Cabin Air Breathed by 3.5 Billion Passengers Each Year

Air on almost all commercial passenger planes is bled
through the engines to the cabin. 
Credit:  Freebird7977 - Fotolia

New health concerns - and cancer link - over toxic cabin air breathed by 3.5 billion passengers each year
by Hugh Morris, The Telegraph, 20 June 2017

Toxic cabin air breathed by passengers, pilots and cabin crew is linked to cancer, chronic fatigue and neurological problems, according to new research in a World Health Organisation (WHO) journal.

The Public Health Panorama report into so-called aerotoxic syndrome - the name given to the health effects of exposure to bleed air, used to pressurise aircraft cabins, that has been contaminated with chemicals such as engine oil - found a clear link between both short- and long-term symptoms and illnesses and toxic fume events.

It said that in 2015 more than 3.5 billion passengers and 500,000 pilots and cabin crew were exposed to low levels of engine oils in the air.

Mobile Waves Thicken Blood: Study

Representational image

Mobile waves thicken blood: Study
Deccan Chronicle, 20 June 2017

Overuse of electronic gadgets decreases volume flow of blood: Study

Hyderabad: The surface tension of human blood is found to increase due to the use of mobile phones for a long period of time, according to a study carried out by Nizam’s College in Hyderabad where it was found that the volume flow rate of blood decreased when exposed to mobile phone radiation.

Healthy adults have a surface blood parameter varying from 20 to 40 degrees C. With large-scale use of electrical appliances in different life applications, there are health drawbacks which are becoming a cause of concern. The study looked into the results of electromagnetic field effects emitted from mobile phones and their biophysical parameters on human blood.

Cell Phone Safety Guidance from the California Public Health Department

Cell Phone Safety Guidance from the California Public Health Department
Electromagnetic Radiation Safety, 19 June 2017

CDPH fact sheet with draft watermark

This page will be updated periodically with further developments.
See links at the bottom of this page for media coverage.

What prevents CDPH from adopting the cell phone guidance document?

Following my successful public records lawsuit against the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), reporters have posed two key questions:

(1) “Why did the State of California suppress the CDPH cell phone radiation safety guidance document (aka "fact sheet") from 2009 to 2015?”

(2) “Why won’t the State adopt the fact sheet now since the evidence is much stronger for cell phone radiation health risks?”

Comments Submitted by EMF Scientist Appeal to the FCC Regarding 5G Deployment

This is an extremely important document. Please share widely and use in communications and efforts to oppose “small cells”.

COMMENTS SUBMITTED BY EMF SCIENTIST APPEAL TO THE FCC REGARDING 5G DEPLOYMENT.
9 June 2017

To: Federal Communications Commission
Re: Comments in opposition to FCC Docket Numbers 17-79 and 15-180

Proposed FCC rulemakings, Docket #17-79, that would accelerate wireless broadband deployment by removing barriers to infrastructure investment; and, Docket #15-180 that would revise the historic preservation review process for wireless facility deployment, will result in an increase in chronic exposure conditions from nonionizing electromagnetic fields (EMF) emitted by wireless sources, classified by the World Health Organization as a Class 2B human carcinogen.

FCC is urging an accelerated deployment schedule for the 5th generation wireless infrastructure, to be installed pervasively throughout the United States. This is being done without public health review of the growing body of scientific evidence that includes reports of increasing rates of cancer and neurological diseases that may be caused by exposure to EMF from wireless sources.

Giving Your Child a Smartphone is Like Giving Them a Gram of Cocaine, Says Top Addiction Expert

Ofcom figures suggest more than four in ten parents of
12-15 year-olds find it hard to control their children's
screen time.  Getty Images

Giving your child a smartphone is like giving them a gram of cocaine, says top addiction expert
by Rachael Pells Education Correspondent,

independent.co.uk, 7 June 2017

Harley Street clinic director Mandy Saligari says many of her patients are 13-year-old girls who see sexting as 'normal'

Giving your child a smartphone is like “giving them a gram of cocaine”, a top addiction therapist has warned.

Time spent messaging friends on Snapchat and Instagram can be just as dangerously addictive for teenagers as drugs and alcohol, and should be treated as such, school leaders and teachers were told at an education conference in London.

Put Down the Phone! Camera Flashes on Selfies May Cause Epileptic Seizures

Put down the phone! Camera flashes on selfies may cause epileptic seizures, study claims
A teenage girl had seizure-like spikes in her brain activity after taking a selfie

by Cheyenne Roundtree for Dailymail.com,

14 June 2017

(Photo):  A Canadian teenage girl (file photo) had seizure-like spikes in her brain activity after taking a selfie. Doctors called the phenomenon 'selfie-epilepsy' and said it may cause seizures for people who have photosensitivity epilepsy

• A teenage girl had seizure-like spikes in her brain activity after taking a selfie
• Doctors determined she had a photosensitivity response to these photos
• They called the phenomenon 'selfie-epilepsy' and said it may cause seizures
• In the past, experts claimed selfies can cause wrinkles and self-image issues

The Looming Health Risks of 5G Technology

The Looming Health Risks of 5G Technology
cellphonecancer.com, Frasier, Frasier & Hickman LLP

In early March, the passage of the Mobile Now Act suggests that the United States government, including both the Senate and Federal Communications Commission, plans to expand 5G mobile broadband throughout the country. While many parties are focused on the potential advantages that 5G speed will provide for technology and communications, there are many experts who already beginning to predict that the implementation of 5G technology throughout the country will pose greater health risks than wireless technology already does.

New York University Study

In 2015, analysts at New York University argued in a report for revised safety metrics based on body temperature opposed to standard power density. 5G networks, however, will be built around standard power density, which threatens both individual health and the environment. Because future devices using 5G will operate on a spectrum with different qualities than today’s wireless broadband, researchers behind the study also express the dire need for the Federal Communications Commission to review and adjust its policies accordingly. One of the rules that researchers articulated must be updated is that the current Federal Communications Commission standards do not specify limits above 100 GHz, which wireless networks will inevitably use as technology continues to improve.

Massey University Study

United Kingdom: Jenny Fry Memorial Lectures: "The Hidden Cost of Convenience", 11 June 2017, Lewes

Cell Phone Radiation Scandal: Cell Phones Result in More Exposure Than Manufacturers Claim

Children handed cell phones as toys.

Cell Phone Radiation Scandal: Cell Phones Result in More Exposure Than Manufacturers Claim
Environmental Health Trust (ehtrust.org),

posted on Marc Arazi's blog 3 June 2017

“Phone Gate” French Government Data: 9 out of 10 phones tested exceed regulatory limits

(Washington, DC) Under court order, the National Frequency Agency (ANFR) of France has just disclosed that most cell phones exceed government radiation limits when tested the way they are used, next to the body. Manufacturers are not required to test phones in shirt or pants pockets. French government tests on hundreds of cell phones reveal that in 2015, 9 out of 10 phones exceed the manufacturer’s reported radiation test levels when re-tested in positions where the phone is in contact with the body. The government had refused to disclose these test results until the court order.

On June 1, 2017, ANFR posted the details of the make, model and test results for each phone that was tested, after months of legal action by French physician Dr. Marc Arazi. Arazi’s request for the information was initially denied. Popular brands such as Apple, Motorola, Samsung and Nokia were among the cell phone models tested. When tested in contact with the body, some phones have test results as high as triple the manufacturer’s previously reported radiation levels.

“As a physician, I am deeply concerned about what this means for our health and especially the health of our children. People have a right to know that when cell phones are tested in ways people commonly use phones – such as in direct contact with their body – the values exceed current regulatory limits. This is a first victory for transparency in this industry scandal,” commented Arazi.

Mobile Phones in the Delivery Room

Excellent article from German-speaking Switzerland.

Mobile phones in the delivery room
by Carmen Roshard, Redaktorin Zurich,
tagesanzeiger.ch, 1st June 2017

The overburdening use of the smartphone at the time of birth gets increasingly stressful. Experts warn about the consequences for the development of newborns.

The woman is in labor, the child is coming soon, in the baby's room everything is ready for the reception of the new baby. Also the smartphone. When it starts, one thinks one is part of a documentary film, the expectant father filming from all sides, standing in the way, so that the midwife can hardly do her work.  When the child is born, the mother's mobile phone will soon be activated. For half of the new mothers, says an experienced midwife, the smartphone comes into play after only ten to fifteen minutes.

The phenomenon is widespread to an increasing extent in every birth department. Experts are worried, also at the women's clinic of the Triemlispital. "We encounter the problem every day and gave the team a reason to discuss it," says Gabriella Stocker, deputy head physician of the women's clinic. "Parents often take a photo of the child after birth, before they even look at it," she says. The first contact with the child is thereby disturbed. In  mothers' wards, the mothers are also more likely to look at the hand-held display instead of the newborn child. That is why a lunch break was introduced at the mother's child station in the women's ward of the hospital. No visits, no medically or urgently necessary measures to disturb the mother-child relationship. A media-free window should also be established and recommended. "We're trying to sensitize women," says Stocker.