• 22 OCT 12

    ICNIRP to the rescue: Downplaying the Italian court ruling on mobile phone use

    I was wondering how long before ICNIRP came out downplaying the recent Italian supreme court ruling finding a “causal link” between heavy mobile phone use and cancer. Now we have ICNIRP’s Paolo Vecchia (below) spinning out the court ruling, claiming that the Italians got it all wrong and what they need to do to improve the “quality” of their expert witnesses in legal proceedings. He recommends that this could be achieved by following the recommendations issued by professional associations such as EBEA and BEMS.

    The problem here is that both of these organizations are firmly tied to the ICNIRP in their approach to science

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    • 20 OCT 12

    More on Italian court ruling on mobile phone use and brain tumours

    And here is the The Sun newspaper article on the groundbreaking Italian court ruling (last message). I wonder how the denialist Cancer Council of NSW and their colleagues at the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) will try to spin this one.

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    • 20 OCT 12

    Italian court ruling links mobile phone use to brain tumour

    Contrary to the denials of many heath agencies in the U.S. and some other countries, the Italian courts have recognized a “causal” link between heavy mobile phone use and brain tumor risk.

    Interestingly, the Italian courts dismissed the research that was co-financed by the mobile phone industry including the WHO Interphone study. Instead, the courts relied on the epidemiologic research conducted by Lennart Hardell and his colleagues in Sweden which shows consistent evidence of increased brain tumor risk associated with mobile phone use.

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    • 19 OCT 12

    Productivity Commission critizes the Victorian smart meter rollout

    In today’s Herald Sun newspaper on page 19 it is reported under the headline Power to plummet by Matt Johnston, that the Productivity Commission has criticized the roll out of smart meters in Victoria. in its 772 page report on Australia’s electricity network. According to the Herald Sun, the report states:

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    • 18 OCT 12

    International Doctors´ Freiburg Appeal 2012

    Ten years ago, physicians of the Freiburg Appeal called on their colleagues, the public, and the politicians and health officials in charge because they were deeply concerned about the health of their fellow citizens. This Doctors´Appeal, in which they strongly warned about the dangers of wireless radiation, was translated into many languages and supported by more than 1000 physicians and more than 36,000 people worldwide.

    Over the past decade, the evidence of serious risks has been increasing and accumulating worldwide. As physicians, we observe a clear increase in health symptoms when radio-frequency exposure levels increase with regard to distance and time–especially in the case of heavy cell phone use, and in the vicinity of DECT cordless phones, Wi-Fi, and cell towers–including problems falling asleep and staying asleep, chronic fatigue, headaches, migraine, vertigo, tinnitus, unhealthy blood pressure levels and arrhythmias, concentration and memory problems, learning and behavioral disorders, a more frequent incidence of ADHD among children. And numerous studies of independent scientists have now confirmed many of these observations made by physicians.

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    • 15 OCT 12

    End the not-so-smart spin with real smart meter research

    To give an idea of what kind of research those promoting smart grid/meter technology spend their money on see the latest spin put out by the British Department of Energy and Climate Change. Titled, Quantitative Research into Public Awareness, Attitudes and Experience of Smart Meters, the report assessed consumer awareness of, attitude to, and understanding/experience of smart meters and in-home displays (IHDs). In answer to the widespread reports of adverse health effects in countries after the introduction of smart meters, the researchers simply claim that that the negative issues identified could probably be resolved by reassurance, and that consumers would still be willing to accept the technology. This conclusion suggests that concerns over possible health hazards from smart meters are probably a result of public misunderstandings and unfounded fears – in other words, ignorance.

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    • 13 OCT 12

    Dr Klinghardt on Smart Meters

    From Andrew Goldsworthy:

    This is an excellent and informative video on the dangers of electromagnetic fields, including microwaves and especially Smart Meters. Dr Klinghardt is an internationally famous expert on this topic and is one of the men that the powers that be want to shut up. If you watch it (it’s about three quarters of an hour long) you will see why. Already, microwave radiation is doing untold harm to us all on a massive scale. A few percent of the population can “feel” the radiation but laboratory tests show that many more are affected although they may not know it.

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    • 07 OCT 12

    Consumers can opt-out of Hydro-Québec’s smart-meter program – at a price

    SO, Hydro-Quebec is to go ahead with its controversial smart meter roll-out and simply dismiss the health effects issue even though their pseodo-science can easily be shown to be false. See the previous message on this list

    The only good news here is that at least Hydro-Quebec has provided an opt-out option. Smart move on the part of Hydro-Quebec. They hope that by providing an opt-out, the opposition will vanish as these concerned people cough up the extra money in order to avoid a smart meter on their homes – and then shut up.

    However, at the very least, how will Hydro-Quebec handle the very real possibility of illness from thousands of consumers who will have a smart meter mounted close to their bedheads? (See slide 22 of Tom Wilson’s powerpoint in last message). In Victoria, Australia, this situation is now becoming a reality for many Victorians with a new shiny smart meter mounted externally on a bedroom wall.

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    • 02 OCT 12

    Excellent YouTube video and PowerPoint presentation on the smart grid and smart meters

    Electrical engineer and electro-magnetic pollution consultant Tom Wilson of GreenAndHealthyHomes.net, analyzes the architecture and human and environmental health risks of the so-called ‘smart grid’ in his presentation at the Wireless Safety Summit, Oct. 5, 2011, in Washington, D.C., sponsored by the Center for Safer Wireless.

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    • 28 SEP 12

    A Unified Theory of Weak Magnetic Field Action

    From Louis Slesin, editor of Microwave News:

    Paul Héroux of McGill University has some intriguing
    and compelling evidence showing that very weak
    magnetic fields can affect all living cells, especially
    cancer cells.

    But –surprise!– he’s having a devil of a
    time getting his ideas published in a journal.

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    • 27 SEP 12

    Allan H. Frey with a historical perspective on cell phone risks

    Published in The Scientist

    Opinion: Cell Phone Health Risk? Security concerns during the Cold War may have led to the generation of misinformation on the physiological effects of microwave radiation from mobile phones.
    By Allan H. Frey | September 25, 2012
    Excerpt:
    Recently, Congress tasked its investigative arm, the General Accountability Office (GAO), to consider the health risks of mobile phones and to report back to Congress. While a previous report published in May 2010 by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that there was no evidence of increased health risk resulting from exposure to the radiofrequency (microwave) energy emitted by cell phones, the World Health Organization reported the following year that cell phone radiation may be carcinogenic. Also in 2011, the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse published a paper in JAMA reporting that 50 minutes of cell phone use by people altered glucose metabolism in the part of the brain closest to where the cell phone antennas were located. This summer, the GAO completed the task and sent a report to Congress stating that the risks were unclear and deserved greater scrutiny from the government.

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    • 26 SEP 12

    Who should research reported smart meter health hazards in Australia?

    Recently I was contacted by a member of Stop Smart Meters Australia asking me for my opinion on advice they had received that health complaints should be directed to Andrew Wood, head of Bioelectromagnetics and Cellular Neuroscience at Swinburne University of Technology. On the surface of it, Wood’s Bioelectromagnetics group at Swinbourne are well qualified. They have the facilities and well qualified personnel to do research to determine the extent of the adverse health effects now being reported by a number of people in Victoria after a smart meter was installed on their homes, especially when in close proximity to sleeping areas. Looking beneath the surface, however, it gets very murky for there is more to consider than just good academic qualifications.

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    • 24 SEP 12

    Recommended viewing: Lawrence Lessig on cell phone spin

    From George Parker:

    Harvard Law Professor Lawrence Lessig discusses the cell phone industry’s political and media manipulation of the science:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dme1UH2h2mQ&feature=player_embedded

    Also see Reconnect by Kevin Kunze : http://kck.st/NojhHi

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    • 24 SEP 12

    Smart meter data shared far and wide

    The Age Newspaper, Australia
    September 23, 2012

    Vince Chadwick, Craig Butt, Henrietta Cook

    DETAILED information about electricity customers’ power usage, which gives insights into when a house is occupied, is being shared with third parties including mail houses, debt collectors, data processing analysts and government agencies. Customers with smart meters who sign up for Origin Energy’s online portal must consent to their data being shared with a string of third parties. The data is stored in Australia but shared with US company Tendril, which is described by Origin as a smart energy technology provider.

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    • 23 SEP 12

    Day Of Action Called Against ‘Smart’ Meters And Grid (USA)

    Contact: Joshua Hart, Spokesperson National Campaign to Stop Smart Meters josh@stopsmartmeters.org NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION CALLED AGAINST ‘SMART’ METERS AND GRID http://stopsmartmeters.org/ Recent Fires in Illinois, Pennsylvania Add Urgency to Calls for Moratorium WASHINGTON D.C. — Citing thousands of instances of ‘smart’ meter fires, health problems, and violations of privacy laws, the National Campaign to

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    • 20 SEP 12

    A must read: Sal La Duca on smart meters

    From Sal La Duca and André Fauteux:

    Commentary from Sal La Duca, Indoor Environmental Consultant (1) to (2)

    (1) Environmental Assay Inc., Assessment and Remediation Consulting, www.emfrelief.com
    (2) Publisher/Editor, La Maison du 21e siècle magazine, www.21esiecle.qc.ca

    Questions on smart meters
    April 1, 201

    What do you recommend people do to reduce their exposure to smart meter emissions?

    You ask such complex questions, but (I suspect) require simple answers. Smart Meters are a subset of AMR (Automated Meter Reading) which has been around for decades. It is not the habit of those installing such meters to change them when newer technology becomes available, if the payback period for the previous meter installation has not been fulfilled (that would be throwing money out the window, and is frowned upon). So there remain in place a variety of permutations of Smart Meters. Some are accessible by a telephone land-line and modem. May sound antiquated, but they still work, so they remain in place. Some are accessible by data they impress (at various frequencies) onto the 240V supply to residences or otherwise for business, which data is then aggregated in power substations, and then sent to the ultimate destination by other means. Some are accessible by wireless communication only when polled. Some are accessible by wireless communication by schedule. Some have modified schedules to meet the business need. So the question that begs to be asked is: reduce the exposure from what kind of meter?

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    • 18 SEP 12

    The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP): Corporate interests to usurp national sovereignty

    From Avaaz.org:

    *The deal, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), is a pact that the United States is negotiating with 8 other countries including Australia, Malaysia and Vietnam. Labelled as a “free trade” agreement, much of it is written to protect investors from government regulation, even if that regulation is passed in the public interest. You can read more about it here: https://en.avaaz.org/760/tpp-secret-talks-free-trade-agreement

    Excerpt:

    Right now, behind closed doors, bureaucrats backed by corporate interests are putting together a new free trade agreement that would slap regulations on everything from our internet to land usage to health and environmental regulations.

    The specifics of the deal, called the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), are largely unknown thanks to the veil of secrecy surrounding the negotiations. But details on what is being called the biggest free trade pact since the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) are leaking – and a people-powered movement is stepping up to challenge it.

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    • 16 SEP 12

    Not so reassuring news from Sweden

    In contrast to the “reassuring” news in the previous post, more recent research coming out of Sweden is not so reassuring. 10 years of cellphone use resulted in an average 290% increased risk of brain tumor development. Interestingly, the tumor development was found on the side of the head in which the cellphone was most used.

    From Martin Weatherall:

    Pathophysiology. 2012 Aug 28. [Epub ahead of print]
    On the association between glioma, wireless phones, heredity and ionising radiation.

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    • 16 SEP 12

    Bruce Armstrong says the science on mobile phones is “reassuring” for young people. Really????

    The following article from The Conversation was sent to me today by a concerned reader. It was written in May 2012 by Bruce Armstrong, professor of Public Health at the University of Sydney and who is associated with the Cancer Council NSW. (See previous post on CCNSW). He also headed the Australian part of the

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    • 14 SEP 12

    Self-contradicting Norwegian report

    From the blog “Between A Rock And A Hard Place by Dariusz Leszczynski: Posted on September 14, 2012 On Wednesday, September 12, 2012, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health published a report: “Low-level radiofrequency electromagnetic fields “” an assessment of health risks and evaluation of regulatory practice” (full report; English summary). The 204-pages long report

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