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EMFacts Blog

    • 19 AUG 13

    New youtube video from WiFi in Schools Australia

    Public notice from WiFi in Schools Australia:

    Published on Aug 17, 2013
    Our new video is now available on the website and also at this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJPTzaNkcUk

    This video follows the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency’s advice (ARPANSA Factsheet 14 – updated June 2013) on reducing wireless radiation – and explores the implications of children using wireless devices such as iPads, at home and at school.

    The video includes an explanation of SAR values, a real life test of iPads vs iPhones and ARPANSA’s practical advice on how to reduce exposure from mobile and other wireless devices.

    SNIP

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    • 17 AUG 13

    Ontario Teachers Union wants cell phones turned off in the classroom

    TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2013 /CNW/ – This afternoon the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario voted at its annual general meeting that student cell phones should be turned off and stored during school hours, unless a teacher gives permission.

    The vote was part of a series of motions requesting that radiation from cell phones and WiFi be recognized as a potential workplace hazard for teachers.

    “There is cause for concern for members’ health and safety, especially women,” said Sandra Wash, a teacher representing Peel District who spoke at the meeting.

    SNIP

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    • 10 AUG 13

    Toddlers Obsessed with iPads: Could It Hurt Their Development?

    Liana Vilanova can’t even sit up yet, but her father is already cheering his 2-month-old’s digital prowess, praising her for interacting with an iPad app. There are dozens of proud parents sharing their infants’ touch screen skills in videos posted on YouTube, ooh-ing and ahh-ing over their kids as they interacted with various apps. Babies are transfixed by iPads, so when the device shuts off or is taken away, YouTube videos show them going into full-fledged tantrum, screaming and crying for the device. Beth Brooks put an iPad in front of her 10-day-old baby, Alex, to see how he would react. “I guess I just didn’t think it was going to hurt, so why not give it a try,” she said. “And he seemed to like it.”
    SNIP

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    • 08 AUG 13

    Smart Meter Lawsuits website (launched and won)

    From Andre Fauteux, Editor
    La Maison du 21e siècle magazine

    For a complete listing of all known smart meter lawsuits, please email: smlawsuits@gmail.com with updates or info on new suits. Thank you so much to Stopsmartmeters.org and the Emf Safety Network

    Excerpt from the Smart Meter Lawsuits website:

    Links on how to file your own lawsuits or complaint:
    Medical Request not to have a Smart Meter

    Latest Updates:
    Another Hawaii case won! 7/26
    Engineer and Smart Meter Project Manager FIRED for his opinion that Smart Meters were not safe 7/21
    Court cases won in Portland, Maine and Hawaii!!! 7/16
    PG&E Execs caught spying! 7/16

    CASES WON!!!!

    HEALTH –Southern California Edison
    Plantiff claimed negative health effects after smart meter was installed (Legal Documents).
    \SUCCESS!!! The judge ordered the Utilities company pay for health damages or remove the meter! (Settlement Documents)

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    • 08 AUG 13

    In Victoria Australia SP AusNet (Singapore Power) attempts to increase elecricity rates to cover the cost of smart meters

    Electricity giant SP AusNet has appeal to increase charges to consumers to cover the cost of smart meters dismissed | Herald Sun

    AN electricity giant trying to slug Victorian customers tens of millions of dollars more for smart meters has had its legal bid for higher prices rebuffed. The Australian Competition Tribunal has dismissed distributor SP AusNet’s appeal to increase charges over the next two years to cover communications technology costs.

    The rejected $72.2 million cash grab follows criticism over the company’s choice of technology for the state’s controversial compulsory smart meter rollout.
    SNIP

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    • 07 AUG 13

    ‘Voodoo science’ will not solve the causality-problem of EHS

    From the blog “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” by Dariusz Leszczynski:

    Excerpt:

    HELSINKI, Finland, August 6, 2013 – Technological development of wireless communication has brought an unprecedented increase in human, animal and plant exposure to microwave radiation.

    Currently available biomedical research indicates that even at the low levels permitted by the safety standards, radiation exposures induce acute biological effects. The possible impact of the chronic exposures is not known beyond, at the most, the first 10-15 years. We do not have the faintest idea what will happen when exposures will last for a lifetime.

    This lack of biomedical knowledge about the possible impact of the exposures on health of people and on the well being of animals and plants is in striking contrast with the technological progress.

    Because of their usefulness and because of their profitability, wireless technologies are very rapidly expanding and exposures are reach more and more remote Earth locations. In a short time, there will be no place on Earth to “hide” from the omnipresent microwave exposures.

    SNIP

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    • 31 JUL 13

    Cell Phones Could Increase Cancer Risk Says Scientist

    Scientists have long been worried about the possible harmful effects of regular cellular phone use, but so far no study has managed to produce clear results. Currently, cell phones are classified as carcinogenic category 2b – potentially carcinogenic to humans – by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). A new Tel Aviv University study, though, may bring bad news. To further explore the relationship between cancer rates and cell phone use, Dr. Yaniv Hamzany of Tel Aviv University’s Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Department at the Rabin Medical Center, looked for clues in the saliva of cell phone users. Since the cell phone is placed close to the salivary gland when in use, he and his fellow researchers, including departmental colleagues Profs. Raphael Feinmesser, Thomas Shpitzer and Dr. Gideon Bahar and Prof. Rafi Nagler and Dr. Moshe Gavish of the Technion in Haifa, hypothesized that salivary content could reveal whether there was a connection to developing cancer.
    SNIP

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    • 30 JUL 13

    Avaaz community petition on Wi-Fi in schools

    From WiFi in Schools Australia

    “On July 18, 2013, the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the Israeli Government to investigate how many children in Israel already suffer from EHS. The Order was issued in response to a Petition to the Israeli Supreme Court to ban Wi-Fi in schools that was submitted in August, 2012. As wireless technologies (mobile phones, WiFi, cordless phones, etc) now bathe the entire planet with electromagnetic radiation, more people have become or are becoming electro-sensitive (ES) / electro hypersensitive (EHS) to electromagnetic radiation. With your help we can create a tipping point and bring about a change – we are calling on schools to take a precautionary approach.
    SNIP

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    • 30 JUL 13

    Another legal firm files cell phone radiation lawsuit

    Cell Phone Radiation Lawsuits: Bernstein Liebhard LLP Notes New Study Finding Cell Phone Radiation May Cause Brain Tissue Damage. The Firm is actively filing cell phone radiation lawsuits on behalf of individuals who allegedly suffered brain tumors from cell phones.

    New York, NY (PRWEB) March 27, 2013

    Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing clients in cell phone radiation lawsuits, notes that a new study has found that radiation from cell phones may cause damage to brain tissue.
    SNIP

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    • 28 JUL 13

    Long-term exposure to microwave radiation provokes cancer growth: evidences from radars and mobile communication systems.

    In this review we discuss alarming epidemiological and experimental data on possible carcinogenic effects of long term exposure to low intensity microwave (MW) radiation. Recently, a number of reports revealed that under certain conditions the irradiation by low intensity MW can substantially induce cancer progression in humans and in animal models. The carcinogenic effect of MW irradiation is typically manifested after long term (up to 10 years and more) exposure. Nevertheless, even a year of operation of a powerful base transmitting station for mobile communication reportedly resulted in a dramatic increase of cancer incidence among population living nearby.
    SNIP

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    • 27 JUL 13

    Surge in ‘digital dementia’ in Korea

    Doctors in South Korea are reporting a surge in “digital dementia” among young people who have become so reliant on electronic devices that they can no longer remember everyday details like their phone numbers.

    By Julian Ryall, Tokyo

    8:36AM BST 24 Jun 2013

    South Korea is one of the most digitally connected nations in the world and the problem of internet addiction among both adults and children was recognised as far back as the late 1990s. That is now developing into the early onset of digital dementia – a term coined in South Korea – meaning a deterioration in cognitive abilities that is more commonly seen in people who have suffered a head injury or psychiatric illness. “Over-use of smartphones and game devices hampers the balanced development of the brain,” Byun Gi-won, a doctor at the Balance Brain Centre in Seoul, told the JoongAng Daily newspaper. “Heavy users are likely to develop the left side of their brains, leaving the right side untapped or underdeveloped,” he said. The right side of the brain is linked with concentration and its failure to develop will affect attention and memory span, which could in as many as 15 per cent of cases lead to the early onset of dementia.

    SNIP

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    • 26 JUL 13

    Does Fisher Price’s latest gadget for the kiddies constitute a significant health hazard for children?

    Fisher Price has launched a new gadget called a Laugh & Learn case for small children that allows the toddlers to “safety” play with iPhones and iPods but an unintended consequence will be a significant increase in the children’s exposure to microwave energy. Is it really wise for Fisher Price to continue to market this device? read on……

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    • 25 JUL 13

    British Columbia Utilities Commission report rejects any health risks from smart meter emissions – but gives an opt-out provision

    The British Columbia Utilities Commission’s panel hearings on the introduction of advanced metering infrastructure (smart grid and meters) have concluded with the Commission’s expert panel publishing its findings in a 213 page report. I have copied below the main conclusions (in my opinion). The only ‘good’ thing is that the commission has mandated an opt out provision so that people who do not want a smart meter can opt for a smart meter that has the wireless capability disabled. However I think this is only because the Commission is hoping that by this move the vocal public opposition to the smart grid will disappear with the opposition quietly opting out with a supposedly silenced smart meter. Then FortBC can get on rolling out their smart grid all over the province with no opposition. Then at a later date all those people with silenced smart meters, and who will be getting excessive electricity bills as a result, will give in and accept an active smart meter. As for the reported health hazards the Commission is its wisdom has rejected it entirely by claiming that the ICNIRP based Safety Code 6 provides protection from thermal effects, non-thermal effects and incorporates an adequate degree of precaution.
    SNIP

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    • 25 JUL 13

    A Rising Addiction Among Youths: Smartphones

    Wall Street Journal, Jul 23, 2013
    SEOUL–Lee Yun-soo has some regrets that she replaced her faded old clamshell phone with a smartphone six months ago. The smartphone-penetration rate among children and teenagers in South Korea tripled last year, and the government says roughly one in five students is addicted to the devices. The WSJ’s Alastair Gale talks with Jake Lee about the problem. The South Korean high-school student enjoys tweeting funny photos, messaging friends and playing online games. But she said her smartphone is increasingly disrupting her life at school and home. “I hate doing it but I can’t help it,” she said as she fiddled with the palm-size gadget. Ms. Lee is among the roughly 1 in 5 students in South Korea who the government said is addicted to smartphone use. This addiction is defined as spending more than seven hours a day using the phone and experiencing symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia and depression when cut off from the device.
    SNIP

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    • 24 JUL 13

    Merchant Law Group LLP is pursuing litigation concerning cellular phone use and brain tumours in Canada.

    Excerpt from Merchant Law Group’s circulated flyer asking for participants in a class action:

    Cell Phone Radiation Litigation

    Merchant Law Group LLP is pursuing litigation concerning cellular phone use and brain tumours in Canada.

    If you wish to receive updates about this action, particularly if you have used a cell phone and have been diagnosed with a brain tumour, please join the contact list by completing the form below. Please note that joining our contact list for the Cell Phone Litigation creates no financial obligation for you and your information will be kept confidential.

    Merchant Law Group LLP has 12 offices across Canada, with lawyers practising law in six provinces. Merchant Law Group and Tony Merchant Q.C. are well known for pursuing class action lawsuits in Canada including litigation regarding Complete Contact Lens Solution,Winners/HomeSense, Various Cellular Phone Fees, BCE Dividends, GM Gasket Manifolds, Hip Implants, Lead Paint in Toys (and similar consumer products), Maple Leaf, Celebrex/Bextra, Vioxx, Sony, Residential Schools, Zonolite and various other cases. Tony Merchant is known to be one of Canada’s most active litigators with more than 600 reported cases in leading Caselaw Journals, having argued thousands of cases before the Canadian and American Courts, in Trial and Administrative Courts, and the Courts of Appeal of various American and Canadian jurisdictions, the Federal Court of Canada, and the Supreme Court of Canada. Tony Merchant, Q.C., has a long history in pursuing public policy cases and is a former Member of the Legislative Assembly (M.L.A.)

    IF YOU WISH TO JOIN THIS CLASS ACTION OR TO SIMPLY GET MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE COMPLETE THE BELOW FORM

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    • 23 JUL 13

    The Israeli Supreme Court Ordered the Israeli Government to Investigate the Number of Children Currently Suffering From EHS.

    On July 18, 2013, the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the Israeli Government to investigate how many children in Israel already suffer from EHS.

    The Order was issued in response to a Petition to the Israeli Supreme Court to ban Wi-Fi in schools that was submitted in August, 2012. The Government must submit the result of its investigation to the court by November 16, 2013. The Israeli Supreme Court’s decision seems to indicate that the Court does not trust the government’s statements as:

    (1) Not only did the court order the Gov. to check how many children are already sick with EHS, thereby accepting the existence of EHS and its correlation to radiation, but it also demanded that the Gov. specify in its statement the exact measures it took in order to conduct the inquiry.

    (2) Another indication that the Court found the statement of the Gov. unreliable can be found in the fact that the Supreme Court ordered that the Gov.’s reply on November 16, MUST be supported with a sworn affidavit; Meaning that every fact mentioned, data collected or statement made in the Gov.’s answer must be supported by an Affidavit, attesting to the truthfulness of the claim.

    SNIP

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    • 18 JUL 13

    Power switch may mean smart meter cost unless ‘metering competition’ is delayed (Herald Sun)

    Power switch may mean smart meter cost unless ‘metering competition’ is delayed | Herald Sun
    Posted on July 18, 2013 by Stop Smart Meters Australia

    VICTORIAN households and small businesses risk being charged up to $140 for a new smart meter if they switch retailers. Rules allowing only distributors, rather than retailers, from installing or replacing meters are due to expire at the end of the year, exposing customers to potential extra costs. The State Government fears consumers could face higher costs and safety risks unless the introduction of “metering competition” is delayed, documents reveal. It has requested an Australian Energy Market Commission rule change to prevent Victorians from being disadvantaged. Its submission states, among other reasons, that this would avoid “the risk that consumers may be required to replace their meter with a change of electricity retailer and face charges associated”, or the risk of higher electricity prices due to switching carriers.
    SNIP

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    • 15 JUL 13

    British Columbia backs down on wireless smart meters

    Customers will be able to pay extra for meters without wireless technology, says minister
    CBC News

    The B.C. government won’t force people to get a wireless BC Hydro smart meter if they don’t want one, but they are likely going to pay an extra fee for the opting out of the system. Energy Minister Bill Bennett says the details are still being ironed out, but it is clear someone will have to pay the extra cost and it won’t be those who have agreed to have the wireless meters installed. “The 96 per cent of B.C. ratepayers who have taken the smart meters should not pay the additional expense of the four per cent who don’t want one,” said Bennett. The details are still being ironed out but the extra costs would likely have to cover having the wireless component removed and employing meter readers to the non-wireless devices. According to the government there are about 60,000 household that have yet to have smart meters installed.
    The $1 billion plan to install 1.8 million smart meters across B.C. has met with opposition for several reasons, including the cost of the program, concerns about privacy and hacking of the systems, and possible health effects of the wireless technology.

    SNIP

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    • 13 JUL 13

    A victory for the vets would destroy the current ionizing radiation risk model and open the floodgates for more claims

    (NaturalNews) A pensions case has become the site of a vicious battleground between the Anglo-American establishment and a British scientist in a row over accepted safe levels of radiation exposure.

    It began in 2011 when a group of 16 veterans of UK nuclear bomb tests in Australia and Christmas Island applied for pensions on the grounds that their illnesses (and those of their children and grandchildren) were most likely caused by particulate uranium inhalation.

    In a tale with more twists than a John Grisham novel, the veterans have had their appeals quashed after being forced to change their firm of solicitors and their expert witness – international radiation authority and Scientific Secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk, Dr. Chris Busby, who has a track record of winning five similar cases in a row.

    The veterans, originally represented by Rosenblatts Solicitors, had commissioned Dr. Busby to provide evidence. But Rosenblatts suddenly pulled out of the case in December 2012 after funding provided by the Royal British Legion dried up. Washington-based Hogan Lovells International – a firm with a history of representing government and pharmaceutical companies, quickly filled the gap.

    SNIP

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    • 10 JUL 13

    Re-sent: Biological Effects from RF Radiation at Low-Intensity Exposure and the Implications for Smart Meters and Smart Appliances

    From Stop Smart Meters Australia:

    Posted on July 8, 2013 by Stop Smart Meters Australia

    Excerpt

    Physicist Ronald M. Powell (Ph.D., Harvard University, 1975), in layman’s terms, explains the implications of the BioInitiative 2012 Report for Smart Meters and Smart Appliances. He compares the low RF power density levels at which biological effects have been reported occur against the calculated RF power density levels that Smart Meters and Smart Appliances can produce using RF Colour Charts. A Single Smart Appliance inside a Home Can Produce RF Power Density Levels Shown to Cause Biological Effects. When these Smart Appliances are installed in a home, they will significantly increase the radiation levels in that home for several reasons:

    SNIP

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