by Kevin Connor, Toronto Sun, 5 Nov. 2023
More than a dozen teachers at a North York high school refused to go to work last week over concerns their school is close to a cellphone tower that may emit radiation.
(Photo): The TDSB is reviewing cellphone tower radiation concerns at William Lyon Mackenzie C.I. in North York after a group of teachers refused to go to work last week.© Provided by Toronto Sun
The teachers have the support from health groups.
“When 18 educators take job action because of workplace safety, they are also standing up for our students, who are more vulnerable,” Shelley Wright, director of Canadian Educators for Safe Technology, said in a statement.
“Teachers may recognize the cause when they themselves develop symptoms with exposure to ‘wireless’ radiation; however, unwell children might not grasp the situation nor communicate about how they feel,” she said. “Falling behind in early learning due to ill health and absences can unfortunately ripple throughout a student’s education.”
“Illness, impairment and serious injuries induced or exacerbated by exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RFR) can have lifelong impacts,” Wright added.
The Toronto District School Board has reportedly made arrangements for a third-party consultant to review the teachers’ concerns and make any necessary recommendations.
The TDSB has said the 18 staff members returned to work after being assured the matter was being investigated.
Barbara Payne, president of Electromagnetic Pollution Illnesses Canada Foundation, said: “Imagine the beneficial ripple effect on individual, workplace and environmental well-being if each school modernized its curriculum and policies to include the why-to, how-to and kindnesses of our core message ‘Practice safe tech & e-hygiene. A conscious choice.’”
Canadian Educators for Safe Technology claims RFR generated to carry data for wireless communications is highly pulsed and bioactive, and affects living tissues.
A problem at workplaces and elsewhere is that RFR causes these effects at exposure levels far lower than Canada’s maximum limits, they claim.
“Health Canada’s Safety Code 6 (SC6) prevents what it calls ‘established’ effects, including shocks and overheating like in a microwave oven,” Prevent Cancer Now scientist Meg Sears said. “SC6 does not protect against genetic damage, inflammation or interference with signalling such as nerve function.”
“Thus, RFR can affect all major organ systems – nerves and brain; heart and circulatory system; and hormone systems. It damages sperm, eyes and any tissue that is repeatedly exposed. Additionally, RFR can cause cancer. The international classification is expected to shift from ‘possible’ carcinogen to ‘probable’ or ‘known’ human carcinogen when the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) updates its hazard assessment,” Sears explained.
Frank Clegg, former president of Microsoft Canada, and now CEO of Canadians for Safe Technology, has been working since 2012 for parliamentarians and regulators to improve laws and regulations.
“Human and environmental health are suffering as a result of RFR used for telecommunications,” Clegg said. “Instead, we can use safer, more resilient, faster, higher bandwidth wireline connectivity, such as fibre optics, to provide data and communication services for schools, communities and businesses.”
“Best practices call for intentional prevention and reduction of radiation exposures. We’re not waiting for the technology – we’re waiting for the vision, imagination and leadership,” he added.
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/tdsb-reviewing-cell-tower-radiation-concerns-at-north-york-high-school/ar-AA1jntUk
See also article from Environmental Health Trust:
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