May 20th 11:30am PROTEST ‘Smart’ Meters at PG&E Executive Headquarters 77 Beale St. San Francisco
Contact: Joshua Hart, Director, Stop Smart Meters!
info@stopsmartmeters.org
California Revolt Grows as European Council Issues Landmark Warning on Wireless Tech
[Left: Utility Partners of America field tech Robert Jordan installs smart electric meters at an apartment complex on Del Valle Avenue in Glendale on Thursday, April 8, 2010. (Raul Roa/News-Press) ]
Council of Europe Report – The potential dangers of electromagnetic fields and
their effect on the environment PDF here.
Report 1
Committee on the Environment, Agriculture and Local and Regional Affairs
Summary
The potential health effects of the very low frequency of electromagnetic fields surrounding power lines and electrical devices are the subject of ongoing research and a significant amount of public debate. While electrical and electromagnetic fields in certain frequency bands have fully beneficial effects which are applied in medicine, other non-ionising frequencies, be they sourced from extremely low frequencies, power lines or certain high frequency waves used in the fields of radar, telecommunications and mobile telephony, appear to have more or less potentially harmful, non-thermal, biological effects on plants, insects and animals, as well as the human body when exposed to levels that are below the official threshold values.
One must respect the precautionary principle and revise the current threshold values; waiting for high levels of scientific and clinical proof can lead to very high health and economic costs, as was the case in the past with asbestos, leaded petrol and tobacco.
From International EMF Alliance
Alex Swinkels, Netherlands
Electromagnetic Fields from Mobile Phones: Health Effect on Children and Teenagers, RNCNIRP 2011
RESOLUTION OF RUSSIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON NONIONIZING RADIATION PROTECTION
Professor Yury GRIGORIEV, Professor Valentina NIKITINA, Dr Oleg GRIGORIEV May 14, 2011
Download PDF of the whole RESOLUTION
This Resolution was approved by members of the Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (RNCNIRP) at its Committee session on 3 March 2011. The Resolution evolved from scientific statements adopted by RNCNIRP in 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008 and 2009, taking into account contemporary views and actual scientific data. The Resolution represents a viewpoint of the professional scientific community and is meant for public dissemination, for the consumers of the mobile telecommunications services, as well as for the legislative and executive authorities who develop and implement health protection, environmental, communication, scientific and safety policies.
Resolution:
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS FROM MOBILE PHONES: HEALTH EFFECT ON CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS
The world-wide dissemination of mobile telecommunications has resulted in new sources of large-scale population exposure to radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields (EMF) since 2000. At present, mobile phones dominate among the mobile communication services used by the population. By the end of 2010, there were 219.3 million mobile phone SIM cards registered in Rus- sian network operators [1]. The mobile phone penetration rate (expressed as the num- ber of SIM cards registered per 100 people) has reached to about 150% in Russia, and exceeded 200% in the Moscow Region. According to ROSSTAT (Federal State Statis- tics Service of Russian Federation), there were about 15 million children and teenagers (ages from 5 to 19) living in Russia at the end of 2010 [2]. They all are presumed to be a target group for marketing for telecommunication service providers, mobile phone vendors and others. Prevention childhood and juvenile diseases from exposure to EMF sources is of paramount social and economic importance. It is one of the bases for public health policy for the nation in the near and long-term future. This problem has been already recognized by the international community: in May 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) will be organizing the Second International Conference: “Non-ionizing Radiation and Children’s Health” dedicated to health protection of children exposed to EMF sources of various frequency ranges. It is WHO’s opinion that a “child is more vulner- able to environmental factors” [3]. WHO considers that studies aimed at determining if there are risks to children’s health from exposure to EMF is a top priority.
Read the whole RESOLUTION in PDF.
Cindy Sage of Sage Associates comments:
This resolution parallels that of the Seletun Scientific Committee, adopted in November 2009, in Seletun, Norway and published in Reviews on Environmental Health, 2010. The Russian National Committee has been an early and active proponent of limiting the use of cell phones by children and by pregnant women, thanks largely to Prof. Yuri Grigoriev, the Chair of the Committee and Seletun author.
[ Mobile phones and wireless networks should be banned in school, a European body has ruled. Photo: REX FEATURES ]
Ban mobile phones and wireless networks in schools, say European leaders
Mobile phones and computers with wireless internet connections pose a risk to human health and should be banned from schools, a powerful European body has ruled.
National Journal article Cell Phone Safety Ignored in Washington
Phoning It In?
Some of the federal government’s own scientists say that it’s not doing enough to determine whether cell phones pose a health risk.
From Dr. Sandy Ross –
SmartMeter Update & Action:
In response to CPUC President Michael Peevey’s request that PG&E offer a SmartMeter opt-out option, PG&E is proposing to turn off the communications device in the SmartMeters (for a costly up front, monthly & exit fee). We are concerned that this may not offer relief to subscribers that are getting sick as a result of a SmartMeter being installed on their property because other components (such as the switching-mode power supply) may be causing health problems. Not to mention continuing the mesh network and banks of meters.
Formal protests to the opt-out proposal have been filed with CPUC. However, the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) is trying to limit the scope of the hearings by preventing health concerns from being included. Yet, this is one of the main reasons people are protesting SmartMeters.
Your help is needed to be sure health problems are considered:
If you are a person who has experienced symptoms from a SmartMeter — or are a health practitioner with patients who have suffered — please send a short email or letter, as drafted below, to ALJ DeBerry, with a copy to Health & Habitat, Inc. (healthhab@igc.org, 76 Lee Street, Mill Valley, CA 94941). Details are not necessary at this point, as we are just trying to show the level of interest in including HEALTH in the protest proceedings, and make these communications part of the public record. Do please circulate this. With much appreciation, Sandy Ross 415-383-6130
SAMPLE LETTER
The Honorable Administrative Law Judge Bruce DeBerry (bruce.deberry@cpuc.ca.gov)
California Public Utilities Commission
Division of Administrative Law Judges
505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 2106
San Francisco, CA 94102-3214
Re: A.11-03-014
Dear Judge DeBerry:
I suffer from health problems as a result of the PG&E SmartMeter installed on my property, and am concerned that disconnecting the radio transmitter in the SmartMeter, as proposed by PG&E in this proceeding, may not solve my problems. I understand that the Switching-Mode Power Supply and other internal parts of the SmartMeter operate 24/7 even though the transmitter may be disconnected. As a result, it may be necessary to install a conventional analog meter in place of the SmartMeter in order to relieve my symptoms.
Please take judicial notice of this letter, and make it part of the record in this proceeding. Thank you.
Sincerely,
[ Please send copies of any letters sent to the CPUC also to us at info@EON3.net . We’re also a party in the protest at the CPUC to this dreadful opt out plan that’s really a cop-out by PG&E. Thanks, Mary Beth Brangan ]
AT&T has asked the FCC for permission to rip out all this county’s telephone land lines
From EMR Policy Instituite:
KEEP PHONES GREEN, SAFE and WIRED
Submit your REPLY to the FCC to preserve landline telephone service.
Many of you were not able to file Comment by the preliminary deadline in April 2011 about the proposal FCC 11-13 that could eliminate copper-wired land line phone infrastructure.
You can still submit your comment as a REPLY. Plan on filing it electronically by Sunday May 22, 2011 to avoid high traffic on the FCC website on the deadline date of Monday May 23, 2011. Find out how here.
From SmartGridNews.com
What if Smart Meters DO cause health issues? What then?
It’s time to break up AT&T, Verizon, Comcast Time Warner and the rest of the telecoms AlterNet
Today’s telecoms provide overpriced and inferior service, and are systematically overcharging the hapless American consumer.
To join the fight to break up the telecom giants, check out the Web site Break Up the Communications Trusts!
US ELECTROMAGNETIC WEAPONS AND HUMAN RIGHTS – Project Censored
Residents fight smart meters – Glendale News Press
And finally,
More on the Russian resolution as a result of review of short and long term effects of mobile phone use for children
Please find below EMFacts post on this resolution.
Here are some excerpts from that report from Angela Flynn of the Wireless Radiation Alert Network
WRAN
In April 2008, the RNCNIRP reviewed the short-term and long-term effects of mobile phone use for children.
The results of clinical studies have shown that chronic exposure to RF EMF may lead to borderline psychosomatic disorders.
In 2010, a number of papers published in Russian and foreign peer-reviewed journals showed a response to RF EMF exposure from the immune system.
Statistical data published in 2009 and 2010 by ROSSTAT and UNICEF show that, since 2000 there has been a steady growth in the incidence of childhood diseases identified by RNCNIRP as “possible diseases” from mobile phone use.
Of particular concern is the morbidity increase among young people aged 15 to 19 years (it is very likely that most of them are mobile phone users for a long period of time).
Compared to 2009, the number of CNS disorders among 15 to 17 year-old has grown by 85%, the number of individuals with epilepsy or epileptic syndrome has grown by 36%, the number of “mental retardation” cases has grown by 11%, and the number of blood disorders and immune status disorders has grown by 82%. In group of children aged less than 14 years there was a 64% growth in the number of blood disorders and immune status disorders, and 58% growth in nervous disorders. The number of patients aged 15 to 17 years old having consultations and treatment due to CNS disorders has grown by 72%.
possible blood-brain barrier disturbances, cerebral bio-electric activity disturbances and structural disturbances of brain neurons from EMF exposure.
Human brain and the nervous system tissues directly perceive EMF and react irrespective of its intensity, and in certain cases it depends on EMF modulation. This feature distinguishes EMF from all other environmental factors and complicates human health risk assessment for EMF exposure.
The Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) used for declaration of a mobile phone safety, equal to 2 W/kg averaged over ten grams of brain tissue, in the opinion of the RNCNIRP, cannot be viewed as sufficiently scientifically grounded in this case, and its use does not guarantee protection of childhood and juvenile health.
1. It is required that the information that a mobile phone is a source of RF EMF is clearly shown on the phone’s body (or any other telecommunication device).
2. It is required that the “User’s Guide” contains information that a mobile phone (personal wireless communication tool using electromagnetic communication method, etc.) is a source of harmful RF EMF exposure. Usage of a mobile phone by children and adolescents under 18 years old is not recommended by the Sanitary Rule SanPiN 2.1.8/2.2.4.1190-03, and mobile phone use requires implementation of precautionary measures in order to prevent health risks. Mobile phone use by pregnant women is not recommended in order to prevent risk for a fetus.
CELL TOWERS AND WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS – LIVING WITH RADIOFREQUENCY RADIATION
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