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EMFacts Blog

    • 23 AUG 14

    CBC: Smart meter overbilling complaints investigated by Hydro-Québec

    From Take Back Your Power

    Excerpt

    Hydro-Québec is looking into complaints that its new smart meters are overbilling homeowners, following a CBC investigation.

    The provincially owned power utility is in the process of installing close to 4 million next-generation meters across Quebec – a switch the utility had claimed would save it, and by proxy its customers, millions of dollars.

    Marc Magendie lives in a two-storey home in Laval. He says he’s extremely careful with his electricity consumption, so he was shocked when his hydro bills doubled after a new smart meter was installed. Magendie got his first surprise in January – when he received a bill for more than $1,000. He normally pays between $450 and $500 for that same time period.
    smart-meter-customer-overbilling-hydro-quebec Marc Magendie says he doesn’t know how he’ll afford his increasing hydro bills. “I’m running a very tight budget and that increase is breaking me.” (CBC) Marc Magendie says he doesn’t know how he’ll afford his increasing hydro bills. “I’m running a very tight budget and that increase is breaking me.” (CBC) Magendie responded by reducing his electricity consumption even further. “I’ve got a programmable thermostat … I don’t use my dishwasher, I only do laundry once a week when they’re full, I use a drying line.” But he says it hasn’t made a difference. Magendie’s bills have already cost him nearly $3,000 for this year. Normally, he says he pays an average of about $2,000 per year for electricity.
    SNIP

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    • 22 AUG 14

    Dariusz Leszczynski on CDC backdown

    From Dariusz Leszczynski:

    Excerpt

    The Anti-Precautionary Principle Lobby at Work… Again…
    Gallery
    Posted on August 21, 2014

    Year 2003

    Louis Slesin, editor of the Microwave News, reported that in the spring of 2003, then the WHO’s EMF Project leaders, Mike Repacholi and Leeka Kheifets announced “that “there is “sufficient evidence” to apply the precautionary principle to both power-frequency and high-frequency electromagnetic fields (EMFs)” (See link to MWN). Soon after, the announcement concerning precautionary approach was removed from the WHO EMF Project’s site. Someone was afraid of the Precautionary Principle and the precautionary approach.
    SNIP

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    • 22 AUG 14

    Microwave News update: CDC Calls for Caution on Cell Phones, Then Gets Cold Feet

    From Louis Slesin, Microwave News:

    Excerpt

    August 16, 2014
    Last updated
    August 20, 2014

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention –CDC– is the first U.S. health agency to call for precaution in the use of cell phones. (But not for long. As soon as word of the CDC’s new outlook spread, the precautionary advice was withdrawn. Our original story is below, followed by an August 20 addendum.) “Along with many organizations worldwide, we recommend caution in cell phone use,” the CDC stated on its Web site’s FAQ About Cell Phones and Your Health and followed up with a call for more research to answer the unresolved cancer question. The recommendation was posted on the CDC’s Web site on or before June 9. It passed mostly unnoticed until a few days ago when Joel Moskowitz, who writes a blog on Electromagnetic Radiation Safety, sent out a press release announcing the news.
    SNIP

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    • 19 AUG 14

    Leszczynski interview for DNA INDIA

    Recently I gave an interview for the Mumbai newspaper DNA INDIA (Daily News & Analysis INDIA). It was published today under the headline ‘Use of cell phones increases cancer risk’.

    My concluding comment of the interview is:

    “…The industry likes to call on scientists who will endorse their product and say that it is safe. Hence, Dr Repacholi visited India and spoke publicly about the safety of cell phones as well as cell towers. I disagree with Dr Repacholi. He says that we don’t have and we will not have in the future health problems due to cell phone and cell tower radiation. In my opinion the scientific evidence is still insufficient to say that cell phone radiation is harmless. We need both better research and, for the time being, implementation of the European Union’s Precautionary Principle until there is further clarity…”

    The full interview is available on-line Leszczynski in DNA INDIA

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    • 18 AUG 14

    Update to last posting: UK mobile phone company banned from erecting a mast because of health fears.

    NOTE: The last posting of a Daily Mail article is in fact very old news but the date was left off the Daily Mail site – giving the impression it was a current news item which it is not. So, it is of historical interest only.

    Don

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    • 18 AUG 14

    UK mobile phone company banned from erecting a mast because of health fears.

    From The Daily Mail, Sunday, Aug 17th 2014

    War on the phone masts

    by NILUFER ATIK, Daily Mail

    A mobile phone company has been banned from erecting a mast because of health fears. The decision is the first of its kind by Government planning inspectors. They rejected an application by Orange to erect a 30ft mast in a residential area because of the ‘serious harm’ it could cause to those living nearby. The landmark move is expected to have major implications for hundreds of similar cases nationwide. Community groups and safety campaigners have repeatedly expressed fears about the masts – which send and receive mobile phone signals -because of the possible radiation dangers. There are fears of a link between microwave radiation from masts and conditions ranging from cancer to blood clots in the brain. Orange wanted to erect the mast in Harrow, North-West London. The council refused the application last May after residents expressed their concerns.
    SNIP

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    • 17 AUG 14

    Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg wants you to pay him to stalk you.

    From the SumofUs.org:

    In a breathtakingly creepy invasion of privacy, Facebook is forcing all smartphone users to install a new messaging app. The Android version of the app — and to a lesser extent the iPhone version as well — allows Facebook to access your phone camera and record audio, call and send messages without your permission, identify details about you and all your contacts, and send that info on to third parties.

    If you want to carry on sending and receiving messages through Facebook on your mobile phone you now have no choice but to install Facebook Messenger — and give the company access to a wealth of personal data stored on your phone.

    SNIP

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    • 17 AUG 14

    Microwave News on the CDC’s call for caution on cell phones

    From Louis Slesin, Editor of Microwave News:

    Excerpt

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention –CDC– has become the first U.S. health agency to call for precaution in the use of cell phones. “Along with many organizations worldwide, we recommend caution in cell phone use,” the CDC states on its Web site’s FAQ About Cell Phones and Your Health. It follows up with a call for more research to answer the unresolved cancer question. The recommendation was posted on the CDC’s Web site on or before, June 9. It passed mostly unnoticed until a few days ago when Joel Moskowitz, who writes a blog on Electromagnetic Radiation Safety, sent out a press release announcing the news. “I am pleased to see that the CDC, the lead public health action agency in the United States, is reassuming its leadership role by warning the public about this health risk,” he said in an interview with Microwave News. Moskowitz is the director of the Center for Family and Community Health at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health.

    SNIP

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    • 17 AUG 14

    Carcinogenicity of Cell Phone Radiation: 2B or not 2B…

    From the blog of Dariusz Leszczynski, Between a Rock and A Hard Place:

    Excerpt:

    August 14, 2014

    In May/June 2011, 30 experts (I was one of them) invited by the WHO International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), gathered in Lyon to discuss the scientific studies on radio-frequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) and cancer.

    After intense deliberations, to the great surprise of the world-at-large, experts decided to classify RF-EMF emitted by e.g. cell phones, cell towers and wi-fi networks, as a possible human carcinogen – in IARC scale “2B carcinogen”.

    IARC has somewhat complicated but detailed set of rules that guide classification of carcinogenicity. The rules are in place to prevent “out of the blue sky” classifications. Protocols need to be followed and requirements fulfilled before carcinogen is classified.

    Once the evidence from human studies is determined to be limited, and the same limited evidence is assigned to the evidence from experimental animal studies, classification of RF was automatically set as 2B possible carcinogen (for details see Preamble of IARC Monograph 102).

    There are three possible scenarios that could change classification from 2B possible carcinogen to a higher group of carcinogenicity.
    SNIP

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    • 15 AUG 14

    Links to Swedish EHS websites in English

    In response to a recent email message where I mentioned it was unfortunate that the new Swedish FEB website was not in English, I received a message from Agneta Jonsson listing a number of Swedish web sites using the Google English translator. See this message on my website for those links.

    Don

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    • 14 AUG 14

    Children Face the Highest Health Risk From Cell Phones

    From Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D.

    Children Face the Highest Health Risk From Cell Phones
    Roxanne Nelson, Medscape Medical News, August 13, 2014

    The potential harm from microwave radiation (MWR) emitted by wireless devices, particularly for children and unborn babies, is the highlight of a new review.

    Although the data are conflicting, associations between MWR and cancer have been observed.

    The review, by L. Lloyd Morgan, senior science fellow at Environmental Health Trust, and colleagues, was published online July 15 in the Journal of Microscopy and Ultrastructure.

    The authors reviewed the current literature showing that children face a higher health risk than adults. They evaluated peer-reviewed cell phone exposure epidemiology from 2009 to 2014, along with cell phone dosimetry data, government documents, manufacturers’ manuals, and similar publications.

    Children and unborn babies face the highest risk for neurologic and biologic damage that results from MWR emitted by wireless devices, according to Morgan and colleagues.

    The rate of absorption is higher in children than adults because their brain tissues are more absorbent, their skulls are thinner, and their relative size is smaller. The fetus is particularly vulnerable because MWR exposure can result in degeneration of the protective myelin sheath that surrounds brain neurons, they report.

    SNIP

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    • 14 AUG 14

    Major breakthrough in cellphone industry product liability lawsuit in USA

    From Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D.:

    Joel’s comments: This superior court ruling enables the discovery phase of the trial to begin. Perhaps, we will soon learn whether the wireless industry has been covering up knowledge of the health risks of mobile phone use.

    The insurance industry has refused to provide product liability insurance on cell phones primarily due to this concern as they fear that cell phone litigation may turn out like tobacco or asbestos litigation did with huge punitive awards.

    My most recent press release, “FCC: 98 Scientific Experts Demand Stronger Regulation of Cellphone Radiation” makes the case that the scientific community has known for many years about the health risks of mobile phone radiation. The wireless industry, however, has confused government officials and the public by co-opting scientists to support the industry’s disinformation campaign to buy time.
    SNIP

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    • 11 AUG 14

    Hi-tech fears for young students

    LINDA SMITH, Mercury, August 09, 2014 12:00AM

    TASMANIAN children are spending so much time playing with smartphones and tablet computers that they are turning up to school with serious eye problems, an early childhood educator says. Kindergarten teacher Judi Rhodes has worked in Tasmanian schools for more than 30 years and said an increasing number of school-aged children were showing up to class without basic life skills and with health problems related to technology overuse. Studies have shown that too much screen time is detrimental to the mental and physical wellbeing of young children and Mrs Rhodes said this was obvious in classrooms.
    SNIP

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    • 10 AUG 14

    14 page summary of The Procrustean Approach now online

    For those who have not had the time to plow through my 286 page thesis, retired academic Ian Murray has done so and he has kindly written a 14 pager summary of the work.

    The summary is now available on my web site:

    http://www.emfacts.com/download/The_Procrastian_Approach_summary.pdf

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    • 09 AUG 14

    SkyVision Solutions introduces a New “Smart” Meter Wireless Radiation Comparison Chart …

    From Skyvision Solutions

    Excerpt:

    Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation Power Density Levels for Smart Meters, Various Biological Effects, and Exposure Guidelines
    Introducing a New “Smart” Meter Wireless Radiation Comparison Chart …

    There are growing concerns that radiofrequency (RF) emissions from wireless utility “smart” meters cause serious adverse health impacts. Unfortunately, no human health impact studies were conducted prior to the deployment of RF emitting smart grid technologies, which include the smart meters themselves as well as the associated gatekeepers and routers that are part of the overall mesh communications network for each utility’s smart grid system.

    In the absence of health impact studies conducted prior to smart meter deployment by utility companies, equipment manufacturers, or health agencies, there have been myriads of anecdotal reports of adverse effects caused by smart meter emissions. In addition, there have been at least limited studies (as listed below) subsequent to smart meter deployments indicating ill-effects:

    SNIP

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    • 09 AUG 14

    500 million citizens are relying on SCENIHR: Is Science Being Hidden from the Public?

    The European Commission in collaboration with the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC) under the auspices of the EU Council Greek Presidency organised a major workshop in Athens on EMF electromagnetic fields and health effects with a focus on public awareness, conciliating scientific findings and uncertainties in policy making. The event took place on 27th & 28 March 2014 at Cotsen Hall, Athens, Greece and included presenters from various parties from the European Commission, WHO, public authorities, industry, operators, environmental and consumer associations and academia. The goal of the conference was to reach a common approach for the future in order to respond to public concerns about electromagnetic fields, to enhance information dissemination and discuss new studies and scientific evidence in relation to EMF, and to identify knowledge gaps needed for sound policy making. In this context, the new SCENIHR draft opinion on EMF and potential health effects was presented.
    SNIP
    “As of March 28, 2014 representatives of the telecom industry, government officials, and WHO scientists absolutely, irrefutably have the latest science from Hardell and know that Hardell himself is calling for RF to be classified a Group 1 carcinogen. The clock has now started ticking on liability. No more excuses. SCENIHR, The industry, the EU Commission, and WHO are now fully informed.”
    SNIP

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    • 07 AUG 14

    Telstra and Optus Force Customers to Upgrade Phones or Miss out on new 4G Networks

    Get ready for an upgrade if you want to access 4G.

    AUSTRALIA’S two biggest telcos will force customers to upgrade their phones and tablets to use new 4G networks as the network additions do not support most smartphones, including Apple iPhones and flagship smartphones from Sony and Nokia.
    Vodafone criticised new 4G networks from Telstra and Optus today while announcing its own 4G extension that it promises will cover “95 per cent of Australia’s metropolitan population” by the end of the year.
    SNIP

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    • 05 AUG 14

    FCC: 98 Scientific Experts Demand Stronger Regulation of Cellphone Radiation

    From Joel Moskowitz:

    Press Release

    Of the more than 950 submissions to the FCC regarding its outmoded, 18-year-old cell phone radiation regulations, almost all call for stronger regulation. Most cite research that finds cell phone radiation harmful to humans.

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D., PRLog (Press Release)- Aug. 4, 2014 – BERKELEY, Calif. — In response to the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) request for input regarding its radiofrequency radiation regulations adopted in 1996, more than 950 individuals and organizations submitted thousands of testimonials, research papers and scientific publications. Almost all of these submissions supported the need for stronger cell phone radiation regulations.

    The submissions included four resolutions signed by scientific experts who have published research on wireless radiation and health in scientific journals. These resolutions call on governments to issue stronger regulations on wireless radiation, especially cell phone radiation … (Part III: Why We Need Stronger Cell Phone Radiation Regulations–98 Scientific Experts Who Signed Resolutions”).
    SNIP

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    • 04 AUG 14

    Dariusz Leszczynski’s open letter to BEMS and EBEA

    From Dariusz Leszczynski

    Excerpt

    I become a member of the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS) in 2001 and attended for the first time the Annual Meeting of BEMS in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Since then, I attended all annual meetings of BEMS.

    As seen from my CV, I was the two-term (six years) member of the Board of Directors, and I was Co-Chair of TPC for the BioEM 2009 in Switzerland and BEMS 2010 in South Korea. I was also Associate Editor of BEM Journal. Finally, I served in different capacities in a variety of BEMS committees. I cared, and I care of what will happen with this Society. I, as under 20% of BEMS members (47 out of 275), responded to the recent 5-questions inquiry. I am in a minority of BEMS members who are genuinely interested in the fate of BioEM, BEMS and even EBEA.

    SNIP

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    • 03 AUG 14

    Smart Meters Increase the Risk of Fires

    From SkyVision Solutions

    Excerpt

    Fire after Fire after Fire … The Saskatchewan Smart Meter Fiasco

    The recent events in Saskatchewan, Canada have refocused attention on one of the many risks associated with “smart” utility meters, i.e., the increased risk of fires.

    As reported this past Thursday, July 31, the Saskatchewan government has ordered SaskPower to remove all 105,000 smart meters that have been installed across the province following several fires linked to the devices.
    SNIP

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