California Senator Barbara Boxer quizzes the NRC on nuclear safety issues.
Boxer Shorts (Video clips, that is)
Senator Barbara Boxer of California, that is.
She’s our Senator and we’re really glad she’s paying attention to this issue. That’s why we’re posting the hearing excerpt videos below in the public interest.
Senator Boxer is chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. On Sept. 12, 2012, she chaired a meeting of her Committee with newly-appointed Chairman Allison M. Macfarlane and the full roster of Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) members. The topic: ‘NRC’s Implementation and Recommendations for Enhancing Nuclear Reactor Safety in the 21st Century.’
Now, if you think that the title suggests that the underlying assumption of the proceeding was that nuclear energy production will continue forever rather than be phased out, you’re probably right.
Newly-appointed NRC Chair Allison M. Macfarlane fields questions from California Senator Barbara Boxer's Committee.
Home Alone with the Fukushima Fallout
For the growing numbers of citizens around the world who recognize that the term ‘nuclear safety’ as a tragic oxymoron, discussions like this one can seem really discouraging.
These are the folks in charge of nuclear policy. They talk of ‘waste confidence’ (another oxymoron), funding a new generation of ‘small modular reactors’ and the importance of ‘keeping the trust of the people.’ But, no mention of ongoing Fukushima fallout, not only on the west coast, but throughout the hemisphere and around the planet.
No mention of detectible radioactive contamination in milk, fish, kelp, oranges, almonds and dried prunes from California, a main supplier of food to the world. See, for example “No Place to Hide – Fukushima Fallout Findings Widespread” by Michael Collins. Here’s a small sampling of what he reports:
* USEPA detect Los Angeles beta radiation spike in early July air
* Alpha and beta air radiation increases in Santa Monica air
* High radiation in rains across America and Canada
* Hot rains in southern Brazil indicate Fukushima fallout in Southern Hemisphere at high concentrations
* California navel oranges detected with extremely high levels of Cesium 134 and Cesium 137 bought at supermarket in Japan
* California almonds, dry prunes and pistachios test high for Cesium-134 and Cesium-137
* Grass-fed Missouri beef hot with Cs-137 in 2011 before disappearing in 2012 tests
* 2012 test of same beef shows presence of likely Fukushima-originated Cesium-134, Cerium-143, Neptunium-237, Antimony-124, Cobalt-60, Silver-110m, Actinium-228, Barium-140, Strontium-91 and other radionuclides
Nary a mention of this issue in the hearing. We’re home alone on this one folks. No adults in that room. Fortunately, citizens are stepping into the breach. One example is Kimberly Roberson’s book Silence Deafening – Fukushima Fallout … A Mother’s Response which lifted the lid on the issue, and her recently-formed Fukushima Fallout Awareness Network is widening the work not being done inside the beltway.
But, hey, by her lights the good Senator is doing what she can in the current ‘nuclear renaissance’/’all energy options are on the table’ state of delusion which apparently grips Washington. And she’s got her eye on the San Onofre imbroglio. She deserves our input and support.
For viewing efficiency, we’ve segmented the public video record of the meeting into topic areas so you can zero in on the issues that interest you – except, of course, Fukushima fallout. Scroll on down…
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Impact area for proposed Diablo sonic testing - Friends of the Earth
Videos of Diablo Sonic Testing Workship
Following, for your viewing convenience, are segments of the recent workshop on the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) proposed plans to conduct seismic testing off the Diablo Canyon Nuclear plant on the California coast. Recent news reports are also included.
PG&E claims the sonic testing is necessary to map the earthquake faults on which the plant is built.
Opponents of the project say the expensive tests – for which PG&E ratepayers would be charged – are not only unnecessary, since the faults are already adequately mapped, but would kill thousands of sea creatures like whales, dolphins, seals and fish in the testing area.
In the wake of the on-going Fukushima disaster at a nuclear plant built – like Diablo Canyon – on earthquake faults in a tsunami zone, the Nuclear Free California Movement is calling for the permanent shutdown of the state’s remaining nuclear reactors at both Diablo Canyon and San Onofre. The latter, which is also built on earthquake faults in a tsumami zone, is currently shut down after two new multi-million dollar steam generators both failed.
In the workshop, held Sept. 24, 2012 by the California Department of Fish and Game PG&E, state and federal agencies and a long line of citizens presented their views on the issue.
We have downloaded and re-posted the long public meeting in 6 segments for ease of viewing and to encourage wider public awareness of this important issue. The full meeting is viewable at: https://www.cal-span.org/cgi-bin/media.pl?folder=CFG
The issue is slated to go before the State Fish and Game Commission at its Sacramento
meeting, set for Oct. 3-4 and the Coastal Commission is slated to hear the matter at its October meetings, set for Oct. 10-12 in Oceanside.
Following the video clips are links to recent news coverage of the growing public awareness, outrage and opposition to PG&E’s latest wacko caper, and what you can do to get involved. Scroll on down…
The outrage over the State Lands Commission’s decision to allow seismic testing off the Central Coast, a project that will kill whales, dolphins, fish and marine life, is mushrooming throughout California.
The decision occurs at a time when humpback and blue whales have appeared in big numbers off the California coast to feed on krill. Tourists from around the planet have descended on Monterey Bay and the Central Coast to catch a glimpse of the iconic marine mammals from shore and on whale watching vessels.
Over 40 environmental activists, fishermen and tribal members from the Central Coast and North Coast converged on the Commission meeting in Sacramento on August 20 to oppose a plan that would effectively “erase” marine life in a state marine reserve created under the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative.
… Action Alert: Take action now to stop seismic testing!
Meanwhile, Joey Racano of the Ocean Outfall Group and Stop The Diablo Canyon Seismic Testing has issued an urgent action alert to stop the killing of whales and other marine life in a state marine reserve.
“The biggest obstacle the whales face is from a huge news blackout. The news writes about the whales and they write about seismic testing, but they do not report on both in the same stories,” said Racano.
Here are actions you can take, according to Racano:
1.) Visit the story in the Santa Barbara Independent at https://independent.com/…
…and post in the comments section. You will see my comment already there.
2.) Go to ‘Michaels’ art store in San Luis Obispo and get a few foam core poster boards and some markers. Make some signs. Get them ready for when the protests begin in September. The location is already chosen but not yet announced. That’s gonna be fun!
3.) This and every Tuesday morning at 9:00 AM, go to the Board of Supervisors meeting and sign up to speak during the Public Comment period (3 minutes each). The Supervisors may be brain dead, but the meeting goes out to televisions all over San Luis Obispo County! The Board of Supervisors meetings start at 9:00 a.m. in the County Government Center Board Chambers located at 1055 Monterey Street, Room D-170, San Luis Obispo.
4.) Be polite and respectful, and contact: State Senator Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo, Phone: (916) 651-4015, Fax: 916-445-8081, email: senator.blakeslee [at] senate.ca.gov
Tell him seismic testing puts us all in danger by allowing PG and E to delay removal of the Nuclear Plant that is sitting on earthquake faults, and the toll on marine life is unacceptable!
5.) As anyone can see, STDCST (StopTheDiabloCanyonSeismicTesting) is growing rapidly, so keep up the great work, activists! Continue posting on the comment section of all online media and videos, youtube, newspapers, and write letters to the San Luis Obispo Tribune! E mail the Trib at:letters [at] thetribunenews.com
Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant CC Records Project, www.californiacoastline.org
Plan Approved to Find Faults Near Diablo Canyon
Environmentalists Worry 3-D Seismic Tests Will Harm Marine Mammals
Thursday, August 23, 2012
By Nick Welsh
In a showdown that pit antinuclear activists against marine-mammal supporters, the California State Lands Commission approved PG&E’s plans to begin conducting high-energy 3-d offshore seismic tests to determine the extent to which the faults offshore from the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in Avila Beach connect. That information, in turn, will be used to determine more precisely the seismic threat posed by a new fault line — the Shoreline Fault — discovered in 2008 about 100 meters away from the nuclear plant and whether additional safeguards are need to prevent a Fukushima-type disaster in the event of an earthquake.
Opposing PG&E at the State Lands Commission 10-hour hearing was a coalition of environmentalists concerned that the high-pressure sound guns PG&E will be blasting into the waters off its nuclear plant — 24 hours a day for 33 days — could prove damaging, if not fatal, to blue whales, fin whales, humpback whales, California sea otters, and harbor porpoises in the area. The Natural Resources Defense Council warned that the loud blasts could deafen the porpoises, which rely heavily upon their sense of hearing for their survival.
Enviro Groups Oppose Seismic Testing at Diablo Canyon
By Sara.Rubin
The nuclear power watchdog group that’s advocated for comprehensive seismic analysis at the Diablo Canyon power plant is now joining a chorus of environmental groups pushing for a delay in permits for seismic imaging.
San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace, along with the Sierra Club and COAST Alliance (Citizens Opposing Acoustic Seismic Testing), are urging the California Coastal Commission to deny permits to Pacific Gas & Electric for seismic testing.
Possible effects on wildlife include masking of natural sounds, behavioral disturbance, temporary or permanent hearing impairment, according to a Sept. 19 notice released by the Department of Commerce in response to PG&E’s proposal.
The area for testing, which is home to 36 reported marine mammal species, falls outside the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Hundreds of people turned out Saturday at Port San Luis to celebrate the recent sightings of humpback whales in San Luis Bay and signal their opposition to seismic studies planned offshore of Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
The studies would involve shooting high-decibel sounds into the ocean to map the undersea earthquake faults near the plant. Organizers of Saturday’s demonstration said the loud sounds could significantly harm the hearing of marine mammals such as whales and possibly even cause deaths.
Having the whales swim into Port San Luis two weeks ago to feed on fish — with the whales even poking their heads out of the ocean to the delight of onlookers — dramatically showed the presence of such mammals in local waters, said Joey Racano of Los Osos, who organized the demonstration. Having the whales show up “is a game changer,” he said.
Urge Commission to Reject Seismic Testing on the Central Coast.
SurfRider.org
In the fall/winter of 2012 (during the migration season of the gray whale), Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is planning to conduct seismic testing off the Central Coast in order to map fault lines near the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant. Surfrider opposes PG&E’s efforts and questions the overall value of the project—especially considering the testing will not provide new, concrete evidence, nor conclusively prove the power plant will be safe during an earthquake. Seismic testing can have devastating impacts on ocean ecosystems. Imagine a bomb exploding every 15 seconds, 24 hours a day, for weeks on end! Sound blasts can either harm or kill marine life.
Surfrider is also concerned about impacts to ocean users.
Plans to use an array of powerful air canons in an undersea seismic study near a Central California nuclear power plant have federal and state officials juggling concerns over marine life with public safety.
By JASON DEAREN Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO —
Plans to use an array of powerful air canons in an undersea seismic study near a Central California nuclear power plant have federal and state officials juggling concerns over marine life with public safety.
Pacific Gas & Electric Co. wants to use big air guns to emit strong sound waves into a large, near-shore area that includes parts of marine reserves to make three-dimensional maps of fault zones, some of which were discovered in 2008, near its Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant.
But a state study, mandated by AB1632, signed into law in 2006, found the project is likely to have “unavoidable adverse effects” on marine life and the environment. Biologists, environmental groups and fishermen have opposed using the high-energy air guns, saying the blasts have potential to harm endangered whales, California sea otters and other creatures frequenting these waters.
Folks on the whale watching boat Dos Osos out of Morro Bay get up close to a humpback. Seismic testing off Diablo Canyon is being opposed by a new group of citizen activists because it could harm whales. Photo by Neil Farrell
New Group Opposes Seismic Testing
By Neil Farrell – news slocity – Tolosa Press [PDF]
A new citizen activist group has formed to fight Pacific Gas
& Electric’s plans to conduct offshore seismic testing to survey
earthquake faults for the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.
The Citizens Opposing Acoustic Seismic Testing (C.O.A.S.T.) Alliance announced its formation last week in a press release. According to the group’s mission statement, “The C.O.A.S.T Alliance, a diverse coalition of individuals, associations and government and
non-government organizations is unified in the goal of ending any efforts to permit and undergo high-intensity acoustic seismic testing by PG&E in the regions surrounding the Diablo Canyon Power Plant on the Central Coast of California.”
…The issue is slated to go before the State Fish and Game Commission at its Sacramento
meeting, set for Oct. 3-4 and the Coastal Commission is slated to hear the matter at its October meetings, set for Oct. 10-12 in Oceanside. The COAST Alliance said it plans to have people at both meetings.
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Out-going Ohio Democrat Dennis Kucinich has authored a Cell Phone Right-to-Know Bill.
Have a Right to Know What Your Cell Phone is Doing to You? A California Court Says ‘No.’
According to the San Francisco Chronicle for September 10,
A federal appeals court blocked San Francisco on Monday from requiring cell phone dealers to tell customers the products may expose them to dangerous levels of radiation, saying the city can’t force retailers to pass along messages they dispute.
The ordinance, the first of its kind in the nation, had been scheduled to take effect last October, but has remained on hold during an industry challenge.
Cell Phone Right to Know Act
Just days before, on Aug. 6, 2012, Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a democrat from Ohio, had introduced a federal bill that would put warning labels on cell phones and create a national research program to study cell phone radiation levels.
H.R. 6358, named the Cell Phone Right to Know Act, would also require the Environmental Protection Agency to update the standards for specific absorption rate, or SAR, the amount of radio frequency energy absorbed by the body when using a cell phone.
Wireless & Public Safety – Dennis Kucinich
In this exclusive video, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich lays out his views on electro-magnetic health impacts at the Wireless Safety Summit, Oct. 5, 2011 in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Center for Safer Wireless.
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EON's new DVD release in cooperation with Center for Safer Wireless
Evidence of Harm – First DVD in a Coming EON Series Updated
This edition contains all 3 of the videos previewed below on a single DVD.
$25 including postage. Available via PayPal, or by check or money order from EON, POB 1047, Bolinas, CA 94924
This DVD contains a conversation and two presentations from the Wireless Safety Summit held late last year in Washington, D.C. sponsored by the Center for Safer Wireless. It was a gathering of experts and activists from around the country and had over 50 ‘virtual participants’ on the phone from the U.S. and Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Israel, and South Africa.
Martin Blank, Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University Medical Center. He presents a powerpoint lecture entitled ‘EMF and DNA’ sharing his groundbreaking research into the mechanisms involved in the biological effects of microwave radiation.
Devra Davis, Ph.D. is an epidemiologist and Executive Director of Environmental Health Trust. (EnvironmentalHealthTrust.org ) She is also the author of the tell-it-like-it-is book Disconnect: The Truth about Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family. In this dynamic presentation she presents the latest developments on cell phone radiation effects on children, infertility and other reproductive issues, and talks about corporate and government efforts to suppress research findings and discredit scientists who are trying to tell the truth about the health effects of electro-magnetic pollution.
BONUS – In a pre-conference conversation, Dr. Davis, Prof. Blank and activist Elizabeth Kelley talk about the urgency of breaking the telecom industry-imposed sound barrier about wireless technology risks.
Many cancers do not have scientifically established “mechanisms”
that explain exactly how they develop, not even from cigarettes, though the
evidence showing the connection between cigarette smoking and lung cancer
is finally accepted.
One of the frequently used assertions from the EMF/RF bio-effects denialist camp
is that there is no known mechanism for electro-magnetic radiation to effect the body
other than by thermal (heating) effects.
Dr. Martin Blank explains some mechanisms that give the lie to that assertion in this presentation.
He points out the tightly-coiled DNA strands (6 feet long!) act as ‘fractal antennas’
that act as receivers for various electro-magnetic frequencies.
This recent NYT article also talks about aspects of the DNA strand that researchers are
just now observing. Scientists have finally figured out that ‘junk DNA’ is actually critically important to us. What was once thought to be junk, is now known to be tiny switches that have a profound impact on the functioning of our bodies.
Here are the free, on-line versions of the videos:
EMF & DNA – Dr. Martin Blank
In this, the first of several upcoming posts from the Center for Wireless Safety’s “Wireless Safety Summit,” held in Washington, D.C. last year, Dr. Martin Blank of Columbia University Medical School talks about the effects of electro-magnetic frequencies from cellphones and other wireless devices like ‘smart meters’ on DNA and human health.
The Truth about Cell Phone Radiation – Dr. Devra Davis
In this, the second of upcoming posts from the Center for Wireless Safety’s “Wireless Safety Summit,” held October 5, 2011 in Washington, D.C., Dr. Devra Davis exposes industry efforts to suppress evidence of harm to human health from exposure to wireless radiation.
EVIDENCE of HARM – Wireless Health Impacts
In the lead-up to the Wireless Safety Summit, sponsored by the Center for Wireless Safety (CenterForWirelessSafety.org) held Oct. 5, 2011 in Washington, D.C., epidemiologist and author Dr. Devra Davis, Columbia University professor Dr. Martin Blank and Libby Kelley, Director of the Electromagnetic Safety Alliance gave a brief preview of the findings and issues that were to be covered in the Summit. This impromptu exchange was recorded while the organizers of the conference were setting up, so please forgive the ambient sounds.
Watch this space for forthcoming posts of the Summit presentations including:
Tom Wilson
Stephen Sinatra
Jim Turner
Denis Kucinich
Libby Kelley
Orlean Koehl
Janet Newton
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Darth Meter? - An example of a fire incident occurring around a hydro meter in Ontario. From a report done by the Office of the Fire Marshal Fire Investigation Services in Ontario
Itron
Another Bright Idea from Mr. O.?
As the U.S. election season unfolds in all its weirdness, it seems appropriate to mention an issue that has not so far surfaced on the campaign trail.
Depending on your point of view, the list of President Obama’s accomplishments – or crimes – includes the following: bailing out Wall Street and the auto industry; prosecuting more whistleblowers than all past presidents put together; setting a record for breaking up immigrant families through massive deportations; escalating drone strikes around the world, thus murdering hundreds of innocent civilians and their children; signing the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) sanctioning indefinite detention and criminalizing dissent; and asserting the authority to execute American citizens (and their kids) anywhere in the world without charge or trial.
Then there’s another item that should be added to the list – providing stimulus funds to help jumpstart the wireless Darth Meter rollout.
‘Smart Grid’ as Moon Shot
In his recent national bestseller “Confidence Men: Washington, Wall Street and the Education of a President,” Ron Suskind describes then-candidate Obama chairing meetings of his economic planning team in the months leading up to the 2008 election.
“’What about smart grids?’ he asked at one meeting.
“The conversation then turned to an extended discussion with Carol Browner, Obama’s top adviser on energy and the environment, about the limitations of eminent domain. A smart grid would need to be implemented district by district, which, as part of the stimulus, was entirely unfeasible.
“Obama, frustrated, refused to let the topic go. ‘We need more moon shot,’ he said” (pp154-5)
And, by February 17, 2009, the unfeasible had apparently become feasible. On that day by-then-President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). Designed as a Keynesian stimulus package, the $831 billion law covered many sectors, including: infrastructure, education, health care, transportation, communication, homeland security, law enforcement and energy. Included was $11 billion to fund a fully interoperable smart grid for the U.S. electric power system.
Of course, as we’ve noted before, the ‘smart grid’ concept did not originate with the Obama administration, but from the elite Davos-based World Economic Forum, and is being promoted by the world’s largest consulting firm, Accenture.
Though Darth Meter enthusiasts claim that ARRA ‘mandates’ the deployment of wireless automatic metering devices (AMI), our colleague Kikulani at Burbank Action has extensively documented that neither ARRA, nor the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA), nor the Energy Policy Act of 2005, nor any Executive Order makes either wireless meters OR the ‘time-of-use pricing’ – which is their stated goal – ‘mandatory.’ She reports that even President Obama himself has stated that they should be voluntary.
Nevertheless, the march of folly rollout of wireless Darth Meters continues. A Consumers’ Digest report last year [ Why Smart Meters Might Be a Dumb Idea by William J. Kelly ] opined that
“Despite…objections, it’s clear that smart meters ultimately won’t be stopped.”
The Digest went on to report that, as of a year ago last January,
“Department of Energy says utilities have installed about 18 million smart meters in states across the nation, including California, Colorado, Illinois, Maryland and Texas. Meanwhile, federal economic-stimulus money that totals $3.4 billion and was granted by DOE is supporting the installation of 40 million additional smart meters by scores of electric companies in 40 states, federal territories and federal districts in the next few years. By 2015, an estimated 65 million smart meters will have been installed. These will cover 52 percent of household electricity customers, according to Edison Electric Institute, which is a research group that is funded by electric companies.”
But that was then, and in the nearly 2 years since the Digest’s premature prediction that the rollout ‘won’t be stopped,’ ratepayer/citizen pushback against the wireless meter rollout has spread across the states and around the world – and is proving effective.
Claims that smart meters will enable consumers to dramatically cut their energy use, particularly during periods of peak demand have not been born out by subsequent studies, while reports of serious health effects, safety risks and cyber-security threats multiply.
Cities and counties are passing moratoria and demanding to opt-out of the rollout as communities. In California, the Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has been forced to order all utilities within its jurisdiction to allow individual customers to opt-out, albeit for a fee. In a continuing proceeding (in which EON is a party) the Commission is being forced to consider the questions of ‘community-wide opt-out, what constitutes a ‘community;’ and who should pay the costs of this colossal technocratic blunder. In Michigan, DTE Energy will offer an opt-out mechanism for its customers who do not want to be equipped with a wireless so-called ‘advanced electric meter.’
As the Darth MeterTM farce continues to unfold, and the cloud of wireless gizmo pollution thickens, informed resistance IS proving fertile. Please scroll down for a look at recent stories.
‘Unusual’ number of fires, smart meters linked
Ontario fire marshall says faulty base plates could be the cause, similar to Mission blaze
By SCOTT SIMPSON, Vancouver Sun August 7, 2012
Smart meter installations are the suspected cause of an “unusual” number of fires similar to a recent electrical fire at a home in Mission, according to a recent investigation by the Ontario fire marshal’s office.
BC Hydro is in the process of a $1-billion installation of the meters, which use wireless technology to transmit information about electricity consumption to power utilities, following the lead of provinces and states including Ontario and California.
There’s no evidence to suggest that the meters themselves are overheating and catching fire, but it appears from an Ontario fire marshal’s report, dated June 15, 2012, that the base plates, or four-pronged sockets that meters plug into, can become compromised and start to burn if they’re old or suffer rough handling during installation.
SF cell phone safety law in appeals court battle
The battle over San Francisco’s controversial cell phone safety law is playing out right now in federal appeals…
Carolyn Tyler
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — A legal battle that’s being closely watched around the nation took another step forward at the Court of Appeals in San Francisco Thursday.
At issue is the city’s law forcing cell phone retailers to warn customers about potential health risks. It’s on hold while the two sides fight it out.
San Francisco passed what’s called the “Right to Know” law two years ago, making it the only city in the nation to require customer warnings for cell phones. But the industry has sued, saying the groundbreaking measure violates retailers’ First Amendment rights by forcing them to provide messages they oppose.
Federal Appeals Court Hearing on San Francisco Labeling Law This Week
Washington D.C. (August 6, 2012) — Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) has introduced H.R. 6358, the Cell Phone Right to Know Act, a bill to grant a consumer’s right-to-know by providing for warning labels on cell phones. It would also create a new national research program to study cell phones and health and require the Environmental Protection Agency to update the outdated Specific Absorption Rate (SAR). A federal appeals court in San Francisco is expected to consider a local right-to-know ordinance this week.
“Consumers have a right to know the radiation levels of cell phones and whether they are buying the phone with the lowest – or the highest – level of exposure to cell phone radiation. They also deserve to have up-to-date exposure standards that are put together by health professionals without conflicts of interest,” said Kucinich.
From Louis Slesin Editor, Microwave News:
An interesting development:
According to the an item in today’s Times of India, India is adopting the same SAR limit for cell phones as that of the FCC: 1.6 W/Kg averaged over 1g of tissue. India is also reducing its current RF exposure standards by a factor of ten.
NEW DELHI: India is all set to clamp down on excessive radiation emanating from cellphone handsets and towers. According to the new radiation norms coming into effect from September 1, the radio frequency (RF) exposure limits are to be lowered to 1/10th of the existing level.
It will also become mandatory for the specific absorption level (SAR) — the rate at which RF energy is absorbed by the body — to be embossed and displayed on the mobile handset by the manufacturer. SAR level for mobile handsets will also be restricted to 1.6 watt/kg, averaged over a mass of 1 gram of human tissue. Mobile handsets manufactured and sold in India or imported will now be checked for SAR limit compliance.
BC Hydro plans to install 1.8 million smart meters across B.C. by the end of 2012
Questions are being raised about the safety of smart meters after fire crews were called to a home in Coquitlam over problems with the box — the second such incident in weeks.
The latest incident happened at about 3 a.m. PT on Sunday morning. There was only minor damage to the home, said Coquitlam fire Chief Scott MacKenzie.
He declined to comment further as the case has now been handed over to BC Hydro for a full investigation.
Technicians had installed a smart meter at the residence — an older home — about a month ago, said a BC Hydro official.
The incident comes after a Mission woman’s house burnt down on June 15, just one day after a smart meter was installed there.
A report by the Mission Fire Department said the fire originated at the base plate which the smart meter was plugged into.
BC Hydro says the base is part of the house, so any damage or fault with the equipment is the responsibility of the homeowner.
A “cell phone right to know” bill was just introduced in the Congress, and the City and County of San Francisco will defend its “cell phone right to know” ordinance against a CTIA lawsuit in a federal appeals court.
A “cell phone right to know” bill was just introduced in the Congress, and on Thursday, the City and County of San Francisco will defend its “cell phone right to know” ordinance against a CTIA lawsuit in the 9th District Court of Appeals.*
Although the text for the newly proposed federal legislation is not yet available from the Library of Congress,** a press release appears below. I plan to analyze the bill when the text becomes available.
Two years ago, I published an op-ed in the San Francisco Chronicle about cell phones that called for community health education, government-funded research independent of industry to avoid conflicts of interest, and more protective regulatory standards and warning labels. See below for a link to my op-ed and additional concerns I have raised more recently.
The federal legislation appears to address a major concern I raised on June 15 (link below). Namely, that an FCC review of the current inadequate cell phone radiation standards would rubber stamp the 16-year old standards. The proposed legislation would require a different agency with the appropriate expertise to conduct the review — the Environmental Protection Agency.
The only major cell phone radiation health effects research our Federal government currently funds is a study of the effects of 2G (GSM and CDMA) on mice and rats by the National Toxicology Program. The preliminary results from this study should be available by 2014. However, 2G technology will likely be obsolete in the US by the end of 2016.*** To date, little research has been conducted on the health effects of 3G, and some research suggests that this carrier technology damages DNA at much lower exposure levels than 2G. No research that I am aware of has been conducted on 4G.
[The next one below is from Susan Foster, who comments, ‘It would demand an increase in allowable power within phones and emanating from towers. The directive was reported in May 2012.
When did Chairman Genachowski suggest revisiting safety standards but in the same statement he said he did not think there were any relevant health concerns with existing standards? Is this presidential order the motivation? If so, you know what we can expect from the FCC.]
IDG News Service – U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered all major government agencies to make two key services available on mobile phones within a year, in an effort to embrace a growing trend toward Web surfing on mobile devices.
Obama, in a directive issued Wednesday, also ordered federal agencies to create websites to report on their mobile progress. The websites are due within 90 days.
Innovators in the private sector and the government have used the Internet and powerful computers to improve customer service, but “it is time for the federal government to do more,” Obama said in the memo. “For far too long, the American people have been forced to navigate a labyrinth of information across different government programs in order to find the services they need.”
Many government services are not optimized for smartphones or tablets, and other services aren’t available at all on those devices, Obama wrote.
“Americans deserve a government that works for them anytime, anywhere, and on any device,” Obama said in a statement. “By making important services accessible from your phone and sharing government data with entrepreneurs, we are giving hard-working families and businesses tools that will help them succeed.”
If You See This Google Warning, Act Fast: Big Brother is Watching
By Dr. Mercola
Big Brother is watching. No kidding. And the warning is coming from none other than Google, which says government spies may be spying on you. Some believe the Google announcement may be related to the recent discovery of the data-mining virus named “Flame.” In a June 3 New York Times article, Andrew Kramer and Nicole Perlroth write1:
“When Eugene Kaspersky, the founder of Europe’s largest antivirus company, discovered the Flame virus that is afflicting computers in Iran and the Middle East, he recognized it as a technologically sophisticated virus that only a government could create.
He also recognized that the virus, which he compares to the Stuxnet virus built by programmers employed by the United States and Israel, adds weight to his warnings of the grave dangers posed by governments that manufacture and release viruses on the internet.
“Cyberweapons are the most dangerous innovation of this century,” he told a gathering of technology company executives… While the United States and Israel are using the weapons to slow the nuclear bomb-making abilities of Iran, they could also be used to disrupt power grids and financial systems or even wreak havoc with military defenses.”
Story at-a-glance
• A massive data-mining virus named “Flame” has been detected in computers in the Middle East, particularly in Iran. It’s the first virus found with the added ability to spread wirelessly by attaching itself to Bluetooth-enabled devices. Once there, it can trace and steal information stored on those devices. The program also contains a “microbe” command that can activate any microphone within the device and record audio files
• The NSA is building a massive spy center in Bluffdale, Utah, which will intercept, decipher, analyze, and store vast amounts of the world’s communications—both foreign and domestic
• As of the first week of June, Google will warn you when it picks up activity on your computer account that looks suspiciously like state-sponsored monitoring of your computer activities
• To re-secure your account, Google recommends creating a unique password that includes a mix of capital letter, lowercase letters, punctuation marks and numbers; enable 2-step verification; and update your browser, operating system, plugins, and document editors
The airport x-ray machines are not safe. And for over a year, TSA has been defying a court order.
A few months ago we told you about the dangers of airport full—body scanners—that they emit low levels of ionizing radiation and can cause cancer. The x-rays skim the entire surface of your skin instead of being directed to a localized area of your body, which means that radiation levels could be 10 to 20 times higher than the manufacturer’s calculations. The cancer threat has the European Union so concerned that it has put a moratorium on the machines.
Europe Bans Airport X-Ray Scanners. Should the U.S. Follow Suit?
As millions of American travelers take to the airways this Thanksgiving, they will increasingly face the new generation of full-body scanners at airport security — including the kind that Europe just banned for reasons of “health and safety.”
In its new airport security policy, the European Commission announced on Nov. 14 that it would ban the controversial “backscatter” X-ray machines, which emit ionized radiation, from all airports in the European Union’s 27 member nations “in order not to risk jeopardizing citizens’ health and safety.”
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