Raise awareness of environmental health issues in order to better protect our children and future generations.

28 June 2012

Electrohypersensitive Persons Speak Out: Part III: Dafna Tachover (Radio Interview)

Catskill Mountains
Following is the interview, translated from Hebrew, of Dafna Tachover's experience of electrohypersensitivity which took place on Israel's no.1 rated radio show, “Osim Tyohoraim” on 18 June 2012.  Following the interview, dozens of people called the radio station.  Shocked by the outpouring of responses and acknowledging her duty as a journalist to expose this hidden condition, Yael Dan, the host of the radio program, has decided to start a national campaign in Israel about this issue.   “Many people called us to tell us that they also suffer from this condition and we are taking it upon ourselves to learn about the condition, to investigate it and to present the stories of these people as we should.”


Here is the full transcript of the interview. See also the article on Dafna's blog:  "Breakthrough for EHS in Israel".



Transcript of Interview of Yael Dan with Dafna Tachover:

Yael:   Apparently, more than a few people are suffering from sensitivity to electromagnetic radiation. While the number of people who suffer from it is uncertain, those who are suffering from it are forced to live in isolation, far away from antennas, cell phones, laptops or wireless Internet because they are all causing severe and intolerable symptoms. Attorney Dafna Tachover lives in an isolated house in the mountains of a natural reserve in northern NY, and we are waking her up in the middle of the night, but she would wake up at any time that we ask her because it is important to her that people become aware of the condition, and that society accommodates those people who suffer from it, allowing them to live. Smadar Shir presented her story in the weekend issue of Yediot Aharonot.

Electrohypersensitive Persons Speak Out: Part II: Dafna Tachover


After years of avid use of wireless technology and disregard for the adverse effects of uncontrolled radiofrequency/microwave radiation, Dafna Tachover, an attorney, started suffering from severe EHS symptoms when she acquired a new MacBook in July 2009. “My life had changed dramatically and now, the sole purpose of my life is to help people who suffer from EHS and to fight this criminal disregard to their existence, needs and rights.”  Dafna lives in an isolated house in a natural reserve in the Catskill Mountains north of New York City, far away from antennas and cell phones, laptops and Wi-Fi.  

The experience of her EHS appeared in the article, “Radiation Victim” written by senior reporter Smadar Shir with photographer Nadav Neuhaus, published in the weekend edition of Yediot Aharonot, a leading Israeli newspaper, on 15 June 2012.  Dafna was subsequently interviewed by Israel’s no.1 rated radio show, “Osim Tyohoraim” on 18 June 2012, after the newspaper article solicited an unprecedented response about EHS.  Following the interview, dozens of people called the radio station.  Shocked by the outpouring of responses and acknowledging her duty as a journalist to expose this hidden condition, Yael Dan, the host of the radio program, has decided to start a national campaign in Israel about this issue.   “Many people called us to tell us that they also suffer from this condition and we are taking it upon ourselves to learn about the condition, to investigate it and to present the stories of these people as we should.”

Dafna’s message to everyone who wishes to advance the EHS cause is “to be bold, stand up and speak up, empower yourselves and others. Most people know that there is something wrong with this technology and they listen. Many people have symptoms that they do not understand and will want to know. No one has the right to take away our rights; science and justice is on our side.”   Dafna has an excellent blog, "EHS Fights Back."

Following is the article about Dafna, "Radiation Victim".

13 June 2012

The Scandal of Quebec Academics' Initiative to Discredit Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields and the Physiological Suffering of Electrohypersensitive Persons


SMART METERS -
A serious public health threat
In order to convince the provincial, national and international populations to accept smart meters, an open letter has been addressed by 60 Quebec academics, almost all professors from McGill University and the Ecole Polytechnique, Montreal, to the Quebec population.  In the wake of the letter, a project will be set up to offer free radiofrequency measurements to people in their homes and, in collaboration with cardiologist Dr. David Langleben of the Montreal Jewish Hospital, invite those who call themselves hypersensitive to electromagnetic (EM) waves to undergo tests to determine “whether the discomfort they feel is of a psychosomatic nature or actually caused by the waves.”   

The funding behind this initiative comes from Lorne Trottier.  McGill University has received very large sums of money from Trottier who is the owner of Matrox, a large manufacturer of Wifi-enabled motherboards and graphic chips for mobile internet devices. Trottier has set up multiple websites, including emfandhealth.com which serve to suppress the science pointing to the adverse effects of electromagnetic radiation.  Emfandhealth is co-written by Michel Plante who is employed by cell phone companies and Hydro-Quebec, which foresees deployment of 3.8 million wireless smart meters across the province by 2017.

This initiative is very similar to the national clinical study on hypersensitivity to electromagnetic fields (EMF) launched by the French Government in February 2012.  The 44-month « independent » study is evaluating the psychological and social aspects of suffering of electrosensitive persons.   Professor Dominique Belpomme, who is one of the leading researchers on electrohypersensitivity,  commented :  The “starting point of the study a priori is that there is no causal link between 'hypersensitivity to electromagnetic fields' as we observe it clinically, and electromagnetic fields;  in other words, it is affirmed that the patients are hypochondriacs and fall within the realm of psychiatry… The study has been ordered by the public authorities …with a view to demonstrating the harmlessness of electromagnetic fields with regard to health…” 

The persons who organize such initiatives are criminals.  These initiatives are irresponsible and serve only to disprove the link between EM fields and physiological health effects in order to allow the wireless industries, including those promoting smart meters such as Hydro-Quebec, to further enrich themselves with profits. This is blatant discrimination against electrohypersensitive persons who are already struggling with the severe handicap of their illness, a number of whom find it impossible to lead a normal professional and social life. 

09 June 2012

Killer Cell Phones: Why Honeybees Are Dying Worldwide


 “What would happen if honeybees became extinct? … Honeybees play a critical role in the world's food chain: they pollinate 75 percent of all the crops consumed by humans, many of which are also consumed by animals. Thus the extinction of honeybees would precipitate a global food crisis of almost unthinkable proportions… Human survival is dependent on the survival of honeybees.”

Justin Soutar, the author of “Killer Cell Phones: Why Honeybees Are Dying Worldwide” (published on opednews.com 4 October 2011 - following is a shortened version) discusses the suspected causes of the unprecedented global honeybee die-off:  pests, predators, disease, pesticide sprays, climate change, and mobile phones.  He concludes that mobile phones play an important role in the death of bees.

07 June 2012

The Dangers of iPads

The following news about the dangers of iPads provided by safeinschool.org was published recently by the  WEEP Initiative.  iPads are also being purchased for schools in Europe.  A private school in Geneva, Switzerland, is already using these in classrooms.

In addition to the videos listed below, view this one from March 2013, "iPad with WiFi Radiation..." which shows the measuring of WiFi radiation with the wireless router switched on.

“I would like to bring to your attention that Wi-Fi-enabled iPads (which are used in direct contact with chidren's bodies - hands, lap, abdomen etc.) represent a health hazard comparable to cellphones, to our younger generation.

"An average smartphone uses 35 times the bandwidth of a regular cellphone", "tablet uses up to 121 times the bandwidth." 
http://goo.gl/QHYpS

“In Canada, parents and schools are spending thousands and thousands of dollars purchasing iPads for use in homes and classrooms (even though they are 3 times the price of a netbook which can be wired). Toddlers are given iPads as toys and I was horrified to hear that a parent put an iPad next to a young child's pillow for bedtime stories and music. Parents need to be warned.

05 June 2012

Electrosensitivity (ES, EHS) Physiologically Explained by Professor Dominique Belpomme

The following article is a more detailed explanation by Professor Dominique Belpomme of the Electromagnetic Fields Intolerance Syndrome, or electrosensitivity.  Prof. Belpomme had delivered a presentation of this subject at the 8th National Congress on Electrosmog which took place in Berne, Switzerland, on 30 April 2011.  The article was published in the Canadian magazine, “Maison du 21ème siècle” on 13 January 2012 by André Fauteux and translated into English by Emilie Paniagua, Robin des Toits.

Wi-Fi, EMFs:  Electrosensitivity (ES, EHS) At Last Physiologically Explained 

In 2007, a number of library employees in Paris complained about headaches, nausea... right after massive installation of Wi-Fi emitters in their offices. This led to a fight between Paris city hall and worker unions (giving way to the setting up of a citizen conference on proliferation of EMFs in Paris).

At the French National Library BNF, and more recently in the Paris subway transport company RATP, the debate takes place in the same deleterious conditions between unions and corporations concerning questions about health implications at work relating to the proliferation of these new wireless technologies in businesses. Everyone now has access for the first time to an answer regarding intolerance to EMFs published in the Canadian newspaper  "La Maison du 21ème Siècle".


French researchers have just shown that electromagnetic fields (EMFs) notably modify blood and brain physiology in electrosensitive (ES) people, and that the impact on those biological markers rises and falls with intensity of the exposure. "We do know with certainty that electrohypersensitivity is not psychosomatic", oncologist Professor Dominique Belpomme tells us in a telephone interview. "EMFs do trigger major effects in the brain. The most important effect is the opening of the blood-brain barrier. This allows mercury, organochlorates and other toxics to pervade the brain, where they cause diverse ailments and neurodegenerative diseases." Prof. Belpomme records 20 new patients per week.

22 May 2012

Dr. Annie Sasco Silenced After London Conference on Childhood Cancer

On 26 April 2012, Dr. Annie Sasco, Director, Epidemiology for Cancer Prevention, INSERM (Institut national de la santé et de la recherché médical, France) delivered a presentation at the Childhood Cancer 2012 conference in London under the topic, “What positive steps can be taken to reduce the risks of childhood cancer”.  When she returned to France, she was informed that she could not continue her teaching work at Segalen Bordeaux II University.  This may have been related to the fact that Dr. Sasco, who has 3 degrees from Harvard University and worked at the International Agency for Research on Cancer for 22 years, spoke up in the conference very clearly about the reasons for cancer and conflict of interests.  The conference was watched livestream on the internet internationally. 


In her lecture, Dr. Sasco devoted at least 10 minutes to the risks of electromagnetic fields emitted by wireless technology, particularly cell phones.  Her lecture was delivered in session number 12 (see here for full program and access to all the lectures and discussions).  Her comments on conflict of interests in the panel discussion which followed are available at the end of the same session.  Following session 6, she commented on the study on aspartame causing cancer in animals by Dr. Morando Soffritti where she spoke up about the similarity between cancer findings in animals and humans. Following is my résumé of her presentation at the conference, in part verbatim and also based on her slides.  Thank you to Microwave Factor for this information.


We cannot allow industry and others to bully experts who admirably and courageously speak the truth!

18 May 2012

Statin Controversy - UPDATED 18 May 2012

We are hearing more and more from health experts about harmful side effects of medications – certain painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, statins.  This article is being re-issued for a second time because there is more and more evidence that, among other serious side effects, statin-type cholersterol-lowering drugs, are associated with increased risk for type 2 diabetes and memory problems.  Statins are one of the biggest swindles that pharmaceutical companies have created.  They are being used widely in secondary prevention and even their effectiveness in primary prevention is being questioned.

UPDATE (7 July 2012):  An article published on 25 June 2012 in the Archives of Internal Medicine concludes:  Statin therapy is an effective intervention in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular events in both sexes, meaning, those who have already had a heart attack, but there is no benefit on stroke and all-cause mortality in women.   Click here for full article.

UPDATE (18 May 2012):  On 16 May 2012, the Television Suisse Romande (RTS) showed a documentary on statins as part of its health program "36.9". Worldwide, pharmaceutical companies earn $30 billion per year from the sale of statins. AstraZeneca, producer of Crestor, is the 5th largest pharmaceutical company in the world, representing total net sales of $33 billion per year, 17% of which is earned from statins. Originally developed for a specific cholesterol problem, diagnosed family hypercholesterolemia, these drugs are prescribed to millions more persons in the world: 20% of Americans take statins and 10% of Swiss. Insurance companies in Switzerland are paying out some $160,000 million per year for statin prescriptions without questioning their effectiveness or serious side effects. 

17 May 2012

Scientific and Citizen Forum on Radioprotection: Official Press Release and Abstracts of Presentations

Following is the Press Release from IndependentWHO on the Scientific and Citizen Forum on Radioprotection which took place in Geneva, 12-13 May 2012.   Please see:

The “Scientific and Citizen Forum on Radioprotection: from Chernobyl to Fukushima”, organised by the collective ‘IndependentWHO – for the independence of the World Health Organisation(WHO), took place in Geneva on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th May.


Saturday 12th May was devoted to presentations by Dr Eisuke Matsui, Kolin Kobayashi, Aya Marumori, Wataru Iwata and Miwa Chiwaki (Japon); Dr Galina Bandajevskaia, Alexei Nesterenko and Vladimir Babenko (Belarus); Alexei Yablokov (Russia), Dr Youri Bandajevsyky (Belarus – now in Ukraine), Chris Busby (United Kingdom), Paul Lannoye (Belgium), Dr Michel Fernex (Switzerland) and Dr Sophie Fauconnier, Paul Jobin, Roland Desbordes and Michèle Rivasi (France).

Scientific and Citizen Forum on Radioprotection, Geneva, Switzerland, 12 May 2012: Personal Reflections

The Scientific and Citizen Forum on Radioprotection held in Geneva, Switzerland, 12 May 2012, and attended by over 200 persons, invites reflection.  The forum was organized by IndependentWHO, a group of individuals and associations supported by a broad coalition of NGOs whose major concern is that the World Health Organization (WHO), through its alliance with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), is unable to fulfill its constitutional mandate “to act as the directing and coordinating authority on international health work” and “to assist in developing an informed public opinion among all peoples on matters of health”, including in the area of radiation.  WHO has chosen to ignore the large body of research documenting the suffering of radiation victims from the fallout from nuclear weapons testing, the explosion of the reactors at Chernobyl and Fukushima and other accidents resulting from the use of depleted uranium weapons or “normal” emissions in water or air produced by the nuclear industry. (Résumés of the presentations and program are available here.)

The forum gathered together doctors, independent scientists, two members of the European Parliament (Paul Lannoye, member of the Commission on Health, Environment and Consumer Protection, and Michèle Rivasi, founder of the independent Committee for Research and Independent Information on Radioactivity, CRIIRAD, which is aiding the people of Fukushima), members of associations, and citizens, giving all an opportunity to share their knowledge and experience concerning the Chernobyl and Fukushima catastrophes.  The reasons for such a forum should never have existed.  There never should have been a Fukushima, Chernobyl, Hiroshima or Nagasaki.