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Joy as 5G mast 'monstrosity' removed from Coventry road
United Kingdom Created: 13 Nov 2022
The Three mast was less than 4 metres from one person's home.

A 5G mast dubbed "a monstrosity" by Coventry residents has been removed after a phone company failed to get planning permission for it. Three were forced to take down their 15-metre pole at William Groubb Close in Binley after both Coventry council and a government inspector refused to grant it approval.

Residents of the street were outraged when the mast was built close to their homes without any warning in November last year. The 15-metre pole was put up less than 4m away from one house and on a small green in front of eight homes.

Following its arrival, resident Helena Clifford told CoventryLive: "It’s an eyesore, a monstrosity, and it's unlawful. Everybody is up in arms about it. I’m angry." Three submitted a retrospective application to the City Council that month, after the authority said their previous submission was not valid.

But the bid to keep the mast was met with strong opposition from locals. More than a hundred people signed a petition sponsored by ward councillor Christine Thomas against the "unsightly" mast.

And 31 people also wrote to the council urging them not to give it the green light, with one person even claiming it was affecting their mental health. After the council's decision to reject the mast, Three lodged an appeal with the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

But a planning inspector appointed by the government sided with the council and dismissed the appeal in September. Her report concluded that "in the circumstances of this case, national and local policy support for a high quality digital communications network does not outweigh the harm to the character and appearance of the area."

Three were ordered to remove the mast within two months. Photos showing the mast being taken down were posted to Facebook on Monday (31 October.)

A member of a community group for the area commented: "So glad it’s down! Well done for fighting it, neighbours." Another wrote: "See what happens when people work together! Things get done!"

A Coventry City Council Spokesperson said: "The 5G telecommunications mast was installed without the necessary permission in October 2021 and a retrospective planning permission was submitted, which was refused. An Enforcement Notice was served in January 2022, requiring the mast to be removed within two months.

"The telecommunications company appealed to the Secretary of State following the Enforcement Notice, so it was suspended until the outcome of the appeal was determined. On September 1, the City Council’s decision was upheld and so the Enforcement Notice came back into force, meaning the mast had to be removed no later than November 2022."

A Three spokesperson said: "5G rollout is vital for the residents and businesses of Coventry. We want to offer the local area a great network experience and a new site on William Groubb Close was installed to deliver improved service.

"Following the refusal of a retrospective planning application the mast has been removed and we are arranging for the removal of its cabinets."
Click here to view the source article.
Source: Coventry Telegraph, Ellie Brown, 04 Nov 2022

Legal win: Education Health Care Plan awarded UK child with ElectroHypersensitivity
United Kingdom Created: 26 Aug 2022
Parents have now won a 5 year legal battle against 2 local authorities to have their child
accommodated in school for EHS. They won in the Upper Tribunal, thus the ruling is also precedent
setting.

We believe this is the first case in the world where a government body is legally mandated
to make low EMF educational provisions to accommodate a child with EHS.

The family wishes to protect the anonymity of their child, however they (and their child) hope that
the ruling may begin to facilitate a better future for other children and adults with EHS:

The parents share, “Going through this process has opened our eyes to some shocking truths
regarding the ways in which families can be treated within the current system. We recognised that it
would not be easy to navigate such novel and politically charged territory, but the bar was elevated
to a higher degree than even we anticipated. Our daughter was put through misery that no child
should have to go through. Nonetheless, finally justice has been served and we hope that our
daughter can move forward with her education whilst also being allowed a healthy environment. We
are proud of how optimistic she has remained.

We are aware that currently other children with EHS
in the UK are unable to access school and some of them are profoundly isolated given that even
home schooling groups can be inaccessible to them due to prolific use of Wi-fi and mobile phones in
the community. Legal recognition that some children can be adversely affected by these exposures
in a serious and debilitating way, is the first step to making schools healthier for all pupils in our
digital age and allowing equal opportunities for those who are acutely affected”.

The school girl wanted to share her thoughts with other children who have EHS, “I am a 13 year old
girl with EHS. I have headaches, insomnia and other symptoms sometimes when exposed to WiFi or
other kinds of EMF (electromagnetic fields). These can become very severe. If you are reading this,
you may experience these symptoms yourself, you may recognise them and are perhaps starting to
think you may have this condition, or maybe you are doubtful it even exists. Maybe I would be too, if
I hadn’t felt the effects firsthand. EHS has dramatically affected my life, but maybe not in the ways
you might think. Of course there are places I can’t go, or things I don’t have, but I live a very
“normal” life in most ways. I can message my friends through email or Skype on a hardwired system
as long as I don’t spend too long and I can go to school now that I have one without Wi-fi and mobile
phones. Some people have more severe EHS and can’t do these things that most take for granted.
appreciate how much they suffer, but believe that even those people, can recover in a low EMF
environment. I can feel things and sense things most people can’t. This has protected my health, and
I like to think of it as a superpower. Of course sometimes, when I can’t sleep, or can’t go to school, it
doesn’t feel like that, but in my stronger states, I recognise that it is kind of amazing. I have
previously been unable to go to school, as the school I went to put in WiFi, but people fought for me,
comforted me, and welcomed me, despite how weird or crazy our situation may have been. These
people were my family, my friends, teachers and sometimes near strangers, and they didn’t just
fight for me, but for anyone and everyone with EHS. They are the people we need more of, those
with open minds and hearts. Thank you, to all of them. If you have EHS, and are struggling to stay in
good health, or can’t go to school, or work, don’t give up, because everything will get better. People
are becoming more aware of this condition, and even if right now it seems like nothing will ever
change, it already is”.

Read the entire press release here:
https://phiremedical.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Press-Release-EHCP-for-UK-child-with-EHS-2022-PHIRE.pdf
Click here to view the source article.
Source: PHIRE Medical, 19 Aug 2022

Victory: Judge upholds towns refusal of 5G small-cells
USA Created: 26 Aug 2022
Victory in Flower Hill, NY! Judge says village's denial of small cell applications was legal and reasonable.

In a landmark legal decision, Judge Frederic Block, Senior United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, found that the Village of Flower Hill, NY, was justified in denying the application of ExteNet (acting as an agent for Verizon Wireless) to place 18 small cell antennas in the Village.

The Judge quoted from the 1996 Telecommunications Act, citing the provision that "nothing in this chapter shall limit or affect the authority of a State or local government or instrumentality thereof over decisions regarding the placement, construction, and modification of persona wireless service facilities."

He noted that other courts have found the Act to be "in many important respects a model of ambiguity or indeed even self-contradiction." Nevertheless, he reasoned, a plain reading of the text supports the claim by the Village that it has acted legally.

Most importantly, the Judge ruled that the provisions of the 1996 Act do not necessarily apply to the new uses of wireless to provide broadband and other services. "Improved capacity and speed are desirable (and, no doubt, profitable) goals in the age of smartphones," he wrote, "but they are not protected by the Act."

This is a Hallelujah moment for all those working to limit the reckless deployment of wireless technology into our neighborhoods and homes.

A copy of the judge's decision can be found here:
https://casetext.com/case/extenet-sys-v-vill-of-flower-hill
Click here to view the source article.
Source: Americans for responsible Technology, 26 Aug. 2022

Dramatic results after school's mobile phone ban
Australia Created: 12 Aug 2022
There has been a dramatic decrease in behavioural issues, and a boost in physical activity among students at a Sydney high school after mobile phones were banned.

Each day students in years 7 to 10 at Davidson High School put their phone in a pouch that, once closed, cannot be opened without breaking the lock.

"Classrooms have effectively become phone free and this has allowed staff to focus on educating students," principal David Rule said in a school newsletter. "In eight weeks of the policy there has been a 90 per cent reduction in behavioural issues related to phones in the school."

The ban has also led to students communicating with each other more often and more physically activity during recess and lunch.

"Students are being more active in their breaks, with plenty of handball and basketball taking place," he said.

"In the library I am witnessing card games, board games and also groups of students sitting in circles talking to each other."

Students have been banned from using their mobile phone at Scotch Oakburn College for the past three years.

Principal of this independent school in Tasmania, Andy Muller, said prior to the ban students were distracted during class, and not interacting or communicating with their peers during recess and lunch.

The anti-social aspect of the addictive nature of phones and social media, was damaging the social fabric of the College and isolating our students.
- Scotch Oakburn College principal Andy Muller

"The anti-social aspect of the addictive nature of phones and social media, was damaging the social fabric of the College and isolating our students," he said.

"I did a lot of research to support the observations of our teachers, into how phones affected students' ability to embed their learning, and how they isolated people, rather than brought them together."

Mr Muller also has concerns about the "addictive nature of social media and mobile phone use" and its impact on the mental health of young people.

"It is my, the College's, responsibility to ensure that we are doing everything we can to provide a safe environment for our students," he said.

In Queensland, executive director of the Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office, Dr Pat Coughlan, said schools promote responsible use of all technologies, including mobile phones, for staff and students.

We see technology as a part of our world and believe that we play a part in teaching students how to use it responsibly.
- Toowoomba Catholic Schools Office executive director Dr Pat Coughlan

"We see technology as a part of our world and believe that we play a part in teaching students how to use it responsibly," he said.

"Each of our schools and colleges have determined through consultation with their communities, how 'bring your own devices' such as mobile phones are to be used during a school day. This partnership with parents is key."

Billabong High School, located at Culcairn near the NSW/Victorian border, implemented a mobile phone ban earlier this year.

Principal Julie Brown told The Daily Advertiser she had concerns about TikTok clips that "harass, embarrass or intimidate others".

Policies for student use of mobile phones at government schools differ across Australia. In NSW they're banned from primary school children, while the decision is left up to individual high school principals.

In Victoria, phones brought to any government school must be switched off and stored securely during the school day.

In Western Australia, phones are banned for primary school students, but they are allowed in high schools although it must be turned off and kept "out of sight until the end of school", the state's education department says.
Click here to view the source article.
Source: Canberra Times, Nadine Morton, 11 Aug 2022

5G base stations use a lot more energy than 4G base stations: MTN
USA Created: 28 Jul 2022
Carriers have been looking at energy efficiency for a few years now, but 5G will bring this to top of mind because it’s going to use more energy than 4G. Telcos spend on average 5% to 6% of their operating expenses, excluding depreciation and amortization, on energy costs, according to MTN Consulting. And this is expected to rise with the shift to 5G.

A typical 5G base station consumes up to twice or more the power of a 4G base station, writes MTN Consulting Chief Analyst Matt Walker in a new report entitled “Operators facing power cost crunch.” And energy costs can grow even more at higher frequencies, due to a need for more antennas and a denser layer of small cells. Edge compute facilities needed to support local processing and new internet of things (IoT) services will also add to overall network power usage.

Exact estimates differ by source, but MTN says the industry consensus is that 5G will double to triple energy consumption for mobile operators, once networks scale.

Warnings of more power consumption are coming from some Chinese operators that are leading the world in 5G deployments. In November 2019, China Mobile EVP Li Zhengmao said that its electricity costs were rising fast with 5G. China Mobile has tried using lower cost deployments of MIMO antennas, specifically 32T32R and sometimes 8T8R rather than 64T64R, according to MTN. However, Li says 5G base stations are carrying five times the traffic as when equipped with only 4G, pushing up power consumption. The carrier is seeking subsidies from the Chinese government to help with the increased energy usage.

According to Huawei data on RRU/BBU needs per site, the typical 5G site has power needs of over 11.5 kilowatts, up nearly 70% from a base station deploying a mix of 2G, 3G and 4G radios. 5G macro base stations may require several new, power-hungry components, including microwave or millimeter wave transceivers, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), faster data converters, high-power/low-noise amplifiers and integrated MIMO antennas.

The increased power demands of a 5G site can create several problems:

Insufficient AC power supply
Insufficient battery capacity: more backup battery capacity is needed, yet traditional lead-acid batteries have low energy density and their capacities are difficult to expand.
Unable to support high-power long-distance transmission: in 5G scenarios requiring high power supply to remote AAUs, the voltage drop required means that transmission distance is limited.

In addition to using more energy in the 5G RAN, carriers are also deploying edge computing resources to support such things as low-latency applications and IoT services. “Schneider Electric predicts that with 5G, the power distribution will require hundreds of thousands or even millions of micro data centers globally,” according to MTN. "Powering these sites will add to the telco utility bill and add a layer of complexity to network operations as edge power costs need to be minimized."

While the Chinese mobile operators may be a bit ahead of others in terms of 5G rollouts and lessons about energy efficiency, other operators are already thinking about utility bills, as well.

In March, AT&T COO John Stankey said that as part of an overall company effort to reduce costs, AT&T is looking at opportunities to take advantage of different architectures to lower energy costs.

“The bottom line is that, in an increasingly 5G world, telcos will face significant growth in their energy bills,” writes MTN Consulting. “To address this issue, telcos will need to take actions at the organizational, architectural and site levels.”
Click here to view the source article.
Source: Fierce Wireless, Linda Hardesty, 03 Apr 2020

Westgate residents appeal to government to quash plans for 5G mast near junior school
United Kingdom Created: 28 Jul 2022
Residents in Westgate have contacted the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, to ask him to revoke a decision which allows a 20ft 5G phone mast to be installed next to St Saviour’s junior school.

Nik Wells and his mum-in-law Del Bentley have taken the action as part of a campaign to stop the installation from going ahead.

The go-ahead was given last year to MBNL (EE UK LTD and EE UK LTD) to install the 20m high Monopole disguised as a Cypress Tree with 6 antenna apertures & 2 600mm dishes after Thanet council decided prior approval was not required.

But Nik and Del say the decision is not lawful because Thanet council wrongly stated that the site is not in the Westgate Conservation Area.

Nik said: “We challenged TDC on this and suggested that due process was not correctly followed and that the decision of “Prior Approval Not Required” is not lawful and should be revoked under section 97 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

“Thanet council rejected this and claim that it was an “administrative error” that does not affect their decision. We do not agree and have taken this to the Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, and requested for him to revoke the decision under section 100 of the 1990 Act. This request has been formally acknowledged and we await a decision.”

Residents have launched a petition against the phone mast installation which has been signed by some 630 people online and a further 150 on a paper petition.

In 2018 a similar application was made but due to Kent County Council planning policy at the time, including there being less than 25 years on lease of the cricket field site and due to the precautionary principle regarding safety of telephone masts near schools, KCC quashed the plans.

During lockdown the new application was submitted and the go-ahead given.

Nik said: “There was only one objection raised at the time, which is baffling but may be due to the lockdown and SARS-CoV-2 situation distracting people. I live approximately 100 metres from the planned installation and was totally unaware of it and certainly wasn’t consulted. One of my children attends the school whose playing field is on the site of the mast and until approximately 3 weeks ago, no communication to parents was received.”

Campaigners say they are being backed by councillors including Derek Crow-Brown and Bertie Braidwood and Nik says the headmaster at St Saviour’s, Nick Bonell, is also worried by the plans due to unknown health risks.

Planning documents say the mast, which will be on the Westgate Cricket club field, is 100 metres away from the nearest school but campaigners say the distance is closer to 14 metres.

The petition, which will be sent to Thanet council leader Ash Ashbee, says: “How safe is this for the children from St Saviours C of E Junior School (aged 7 to 11) to be playing alongside this new electromagnetic radiation technology?

“The playing fields are also used by the Westgate Cricket Club juniors each Sunday and during matches. Is it acceptable for them to also be bathed in this electromagnetic smog?”
The 5G application

Planning documents state 5G technology aims to greatly increase data speeds for uses such as near-instant downloads of HD films to connected cars, smart medical devices and smart cities.

The application for Westgate says: “This proposal is required to provide continued mobile coverage to the local area, as the existing MBNL (EE and Three) base station, which is situated at St Peters Church, Archdiocese of Southwark Canterbury Road, Westgate, is due for removal.

“This telecommunications site currently provides network coverage to the surrounding area and the potential loss of this site from the network, will result in a loss of communications and data services locally and a wider disruption to the mobile network, if a replacement site, which replicates the lost coverage, cannot be identified and integrated into the network at the earliest opportunity.

“This operational base-station must be decommissioned in the near future, generating need for a replacement site to avoid a coverage gap in the mobile network.”

Fears have been raised that the electromagnetic radiation used by mobile phone technologies could lead to increased health risks, including developing certain types of cancer.

The World Health Organization says no adverse health effects have been established but has also classified all radio frequency radiation as “possibly carcinogenic”.

However, because 5G technology uses more transmitters than previous versions, these run at lower power levels meaning the level of radiation exposure is said to be lower than previous mast technology.
‘Valid and correct’

A Thanet council spokesperson said: “Within the published report on the application, the site is incorrectly identified as being adjacent to the Westgate Conservation area rather than within it. This would not have changed the determination for this application.

“The phone mast would still have been considered acceptable on the grounds it would not have affected the significance of the Westgate Conservation area and is considered acceptable in terms of its location and appearance.

“We are aware of the request to revoke this decision, however it is our view that this decision is still valid and correct.”
Click here to view the source article.
Source: Isle of Thanet News, Kathy Bailes, 27 Jul 2022

Health safety pledge over new 5G phone mast on Preston hospital roof
United Kingdom Created: 28 Jul 2022
Plans to upgrade the mobile phone mast on top of the Royal Preston Hospital to use 5G technology will not cause health problems for patients and staff, according to a report to the city council.

Contractors wanting to boost connectivity in the Fulwood area have assured Town Hall bosses that the new technology is totally safe and will have no impact on those in the buildings below.

Cellnex UK Ltd, which plans to remove some of the existing radio antennae and replace them with more sophisticated equipment, says 5G is the future for mobile communications and is not dangerous.

"Cellnex sites transmit nothing more than ordinary radio waves," says a report to the planning committee.

"Radio waves are electromagnetic fields and, unlike ionising radiation such as X-rays and gamma rays, can neither break chemical bonds nor cause ionisation in the human body."

Why does a mobile mast on the hospital roof need upgrading?

The equipment already on the rooftop at RPH supplies 3G and 4G networks. But Cellnex says the need for 5G in Fulwood is essential if the area is to enjoy the "immense benefit" of advanced connectivity which the new generation of technology provides.

"5G is judged by successive governments to be important to a modern economy and in attaining sustainability objectives," says the report.

"The apparatus proposed (on the RPH roof) will lead to significant improvements to a public service provided in the local area.

"In the UK mobile services now exceed fixed landlines in terms of customer numbers and usage.

"The public interest of the system is clear from the considerable benefits that will flow and it makes a significant and major contribution towards sustainable objectives."

Is there an alternative to a rooftop mast?

The alternative to upgrading the rooftop station at the hospital, says the company, would be to build more base stations around the area close to the hospital.

"In our opinion such a proposal would, in this instance, unnecessarily add to the clutter of the street scene and result in a greater visual impact.

How long have radio waves been in use all around us?

"There is significant UK Government support for the delivery of 5G, particularly as this new connectivity will be a step change from earlier generations of mobile connectivity and will be critical to economic growth and sustainable communities.

"In the UK, radio waves have been used by a whole range of public and commercial communication networks since the dawn of radio in 1922, when the BBC opened its first regular public broadcasting station (in the world) in London.

"Radio waves have underpinned the UK’s growth, prosperity and social inclusion. Radio waves have ensured the safety of our communities and supported national security.

"The UK’s public radio and television broadcasting networks have been transmitting non-ionising radio waves in the UK since the 1920s."

How has mobile phone technology improved?

Since the first mobile phone call was made in 1985 the technology has accelerated year on year to become an essential part of life around the globe.

The first 1G phones were analogue, 2G introduced digital communication, 3G brought in the first consumer-friendly mobile broadband internet experience and 4G has meant faster download speeds and quicker response times.

Now 5G will deliver ultra-fast reliable mobile connectivity and support even larger data requirements.
Click here to view the source article.
Source: Lancashire Post, Brian Ellis, 27 Jul 2022

5G and electromagnetic fields
USA Created: 28 Jul 2022
With more bandwidth, EMFs become stronger.

Recently, we tried to cut through the babble about 5G, look at actual data, and figure out how troublesome it really is for aviation. (See Pro Pilot, April 2022, p 8). Since then, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has doubled down on blaming its victims, ordering avionics makers to bring their “defective” radar altimeters up to a standard of signal discrimination required in no other country. However, that is not our topic here. This time, we will look at what electromagnetic fields (EMFs) may be doing – not to your equipment, but to you.

Why EMFs matters

Many hundreds of scientific studies have linked radio frequency EMFs to serious medical issues.

They include DNA damage, rare brain cancers, including glioma and acoustic neuroma, salivary tumors, heart disease, diabetes, sperm abnormalities, reduced volumes of the brain’s gray matter and damage to white matter, neuropsychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression, and even very early onset Alzheimer’s disease.

The list seems to grow almost daily. This may be significant to pilots. Nina Anderson, a retired corporate pilot who has built a second career as a respected consultant specializing in EMF issues, reports that jet cockpits are the most EMF-dense environments she has ever examined. Every flight instrument and radio contributes its share.

We should note that all findings of a link between EMFs and health are disputed. For every study showing that electromagnetic fields subvert biological systems, scientists funded by the telecommunications industry can provide one to refute it, plus an explanation of why the other research was methodologically flawed or otherwise invalid.

They do so routinely. Anderson has little sympathy for them. A similarity to the tobacco industry may have been mentioned. Nonetheless, since the 1990s, the great preponderance of independent evidence has shown that exposure to EMFs has medical consequences. A lot more supporting data has been added since then.

What has changed

Nature exposes all life to EMFs. Most forms are weak, and distributed over a wide range of frequencies. The sun’s ultraviolet light causes burns and skin cancers, and contributes to skin aging.

As far as we know, natural EMFs are otherwise harmless. Technology is different. The EMFs our artifacts create are stronger than most natural fields, and we marinate in them 24/7. Their frequencies are often well suited to couple with biological processes. They’re also polarized, where natural EMFs are not.

This can greatly amplify their biological effects. EMF sources abound in our homes and workplaces – even on the street. Wi-Fi, Bluetooth devices, computers, microwave ovens, “smart” electric meters, and the inverters that turn DC electricity from solar panels to 120V AC, all generate EMFs at varying frequencies and power.

A single fluorescent light can add high-frequency voltage spikes to electricity that arrived “clean.” Turn off all these devices, and we still would receive EMFs from our neighbors – especially in apartments – and when passing cellphone towers. In the years ahead, we will experience even more EMFs.

Devices connected to the “Internet of things” pass data and control signals back and forth wirelessly almost constantly. Estimates vary, but they could be 30 to 50 billion of them by 2025. In time, their “electrosmog” will fill the air as London’s pea-soup fogs did in the age of coal.

Why 5G matters

Cellphones are a particular concern because they broadcast next to our ears at frequencies that in recent generations can extend into the microwave range. And in all but the most rural areas, tower transmissions are with us always. Each new generation of phones carries more data faster than the last by transmitting at higher frequencies.

4G phones, for example, operate at 2.5 GHz microwave frequencies. 5G extends to 39 GHz. And generations up to 8G are already under development. The good news is that the electrical component of high-frequency EMFs penetrates barely 1 mm into the body.

The bad is that it couples to biological processes much more efficiently than phone transmissions used to, and nothing keeps their magnetic component at bay. There is more. Buildings block 5G signals, so many more transmitters are needed to serve an urban area. They also use beam forming to aim all their power in one direction rather than omnidirectionally, as previous cell technologies have done.

Standing in a 5G beam at a given distance subjects us to much more powerful electromagnetic radiation than 4G did – and, because there are more transmitters, we have more opportunity for exposure. Telecoms point out that no one has ever shown that 5G transmissions harm human health, and this is true.

The technology is so new that no one has had time to carry out the necessary studies. Yet, even for 4G, the data is compelling. As long ago as 2009, neurosurgeon Vini G Khurana at the Australian National University, and colleagues in Australia, Austria, and Sweden, reviewed long-term epidemiologic studies of cell phones and brain cancer.

They found that using a cell phone for 10 years or more doubled the risk of glioma and acoustic neuroma, but only on the side of the head where users held their phones. In Malta, researchers studied the incidence of glioblastoma multiforme, the rare brain cancer scientists have long suspected might be linked to the use of cell phones.

From 2008 through 2017, the number of people who had used cell phones for 10 years or more, when excess cancers are considered most likely to appear, was rising fast. Medical records showed an obvious trend. In 2008, there were only 0.73 cases per 100,000 population.

Ten years later, there were 4.49 per 100,000. Something might have caused this other than the growing use of cell phones, but no credible alternative has been suggested. Moreover, researchers at the Yale School of Public Health reported in 2020 on genetic variations that predispose people to develop thyroid cancer.

Heavy cell phone use more than doubled the risk of thyroid cancer in those with any of four such variations. Professional critics can find ways to trash any inconvenient research. For the rest of us, the picture should be clear.

The bottom line

EMFs can affect us in ways that are especially important in the air. Known effects that appear within the duration of an average flight include fatigue, irritability, an inability to concentrate, and mild cognitive impairment resulting in task saturation, mistaken priorities, complacency, and spatial disorientation. Between 1993 and 2013, US Air Force pilots were involved in 72 severe accidents attributed to spatial disorientation.

The incidents resulted in 101 deaths and 65 aircraft lost. The possibility that electromagnetic fields were to blame concerned the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) enough that in October 2020 it initiated a 2-year project called Impact of Cockpit Electro-Magnetics on Aircrew Neurology (ICEMAN).

ICEMAN appears to have been dormant for some 20 months, but in May DARPA issued a $371,000 grant to Spotlight Labs, specialists in human factors analytics in Haddonfield NJ, and Norwich University in Vermont. Engineers there will use 5 workstations to simulate EMF in the cockpit of an F-16 and identify any effects on experienced F-16 pilots.

ICEMAN has $1.5 million in total funding and is scheduled to last 3 years. A hint of what ICEMAN could find comes from the International Association of Fire Fighters. As early as 2004, the organization published a resolution stating that it did not want telecom infrastructure located near fire stations.

The issue came up when firefighters in Santa Barbara responding to emergencies could not remember such basic information as where they were going or how to administer CPR. The problem affected those operating from stations with cell towers nearby.

According to Dr Gunnar Heuser, now retired from the UCLA Medical Center Department of Medicine, brain scans showed changes in their gray and white matter.

Looking ahead

Regulators and advisory bodies have been remarkably unmoved by all this evidence. A few decades ago, the only known hazard of radio frequency (RF) signals was excessive heating: when powerful enough, RF can warm tissues like a microwave oven. Emissions were known to cause corneal damage in this way, and FCC regulations were designed to prevent that kind of injury.

They have remained unchanged since 1977. Independent researchers say that emissions are 10 to 100 times higher than they should be. The official positions of nearly all regulators and medical bodies match that of the telecom industry exactly. FCC, FDA, and even the National Cancer Institute declare, in FCC’s words, “At relatively low levels of exposure to RF radiation, ie, levels lower than those that would produce significant heating, the evidence for production of harmful biological effects is ambiguous and unproven.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) concurs. Yet, one government body does not. In 2019, the New Hampshire state legislature created a commission to study the environmental and health effects of evolving 5G technology. It reported in November 2020 that 5G signals unambiguously couple with biological processes in ways that cause health problems.

The commission also concluded that regulators and advisory bodies had been captured by the telecoms they were supposed to police. They had cause to believe it.

The picture is clearest at WHO

The guidelines most European governments rely on for EMF standards come from the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) – a private non-governmental organization based in Germany.

In practice, it is tightly bound to both WHO and the telecom industry. ICNIRP was founded in 1992. Its first chairman was Australian biophysicist Michael Repacholi. He had no background in EMF research, and he immediately adopted the idea that only heating injury matters.

Four years later, he became founding chairman of the WHO EMF Project and established the same policy there. Despite what might seem a conflict of interest, he held both offices simultaneously. His chosen successor at WHO was Emilie van Deventer, an electrical engineer from the University of Toronto praised by the university magazine for her “invaluable” service to the telecom industry. It brought in donations and lucrative research contracts.

She received research funding from the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada, Communications & Information Technology Ontario, and Nortel, then Canada’s largest telecommunications company. Deventer took office in 2008 and remains head of the EMF Project today.

The EMF Project is WHO’s sole authority on electromagnetic radiation. It established the organization’s current policy in a 2016 monograph. The 6-member core group in charge of writing it had only 1 independent member. The rest belonged to ICNIRP and many to other industry groups as well. Their rejection of non-thermal risks from EMF remains unchanged. Similar – although less obvious – influences can be found at most regulatory bodies concerned with EMF.

In the US, of course, we also have congressmen to run interference for donors’ companies. Their interest in tightening regulations is, at best, inconspicuous. In all, anyone concerned about the possible health risks of EMFs will have to protect themselves. How that can be accomplished in the cockpit is not obvious. If you are interested in more information about EMFs, it can be found at the Scientific Alliance for Education (safehelpsyou.org).
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Source: Professional Pilot, Owen Davies, 27 Jul 2022

Support Prof. Olle Johansson's research
Sweden Created: 28 Jul 2022
Professor Olle Johansson is a world-leading authority in the field of EMF radiation and health effects. Among many achievements he coined the term ”screen dermatitis” which later on was developed into the functional impairment electrohypersensitivity which recognition mainly is due to his work. He has also been a guest professor as well as adjunct professor in basic and clinical neuroscience at the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm.

Johansson’s ongoing research will further improve our understanding of how and why electromagnetic fields are harming humans, other animals, plants and bacteria.

Please go to the link below to donate to Prof. Johansson's important research:
https://research.radiation.dk/
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Source: Mast-Victims.org, H. Eiriksson, 28 Jul 2022

Thousands of Bristol residents sign petition opposing new phone masts
United Kingdom Created: 6 Jul 2022
Controversial plans by two mobile phone giants to build a 24-metre mast at a South Bristol park will be debated at full council on Tuesday (July 5).

A petition by campaigners against the proposed siting in the middle of Redcatch Park in Knowle by EE and Hutchison 3G has passed the 3,500-name threshold to trigger a formal discussion at the Bristol City Council meeting.

Mobile phone network company MNBL has applied to the local authority to install the mast and a compound of supporting equipment at the green space.

The firm, acting for networks EE and Three, says it needs the mast to boost signals in the area because the previous one was removed from the roof of a nearby pub.

But the plans have sparked a huge backlash from residents, with more than 4,300 people signing a petition opposing the idea.

Although the council owns the park, there is a limit to what it can do to resist temporary masts because mobile phone firms have emergency powers to bypass the need for planning consent, and the authority could be taken to court if it refuses permission.

But at a full council meeting in March, where the petition was originally presented, Bristol mayor Marvin Rees indicated that the authority would try to fight the plans.

He told campaigners: “I share your frustration over this.

“We don’t think the use of emergency powers is appropriate and our lawyers are pushing back on this.

“I have to be careful what I say here because I can’t get caught into a situation where I prejudice a decision and then leave us more vulnerable than we should be.”

A spokesperson for MNBL previously said the temporary site at the park would provide coverage following the loss of its permanent site at The Friendship Inn pub, which was bought by developers.

At Tuesday’s meeting, petition organiser Sian Ellis-Thomas has up to five minutes to address the 70 city councillors and the mayor, followed by a further 15 minutes of debate in the chamber.

It will then be referred to Mr Rees or cabinet with the views of full council.
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Source: ITV, 04 Jul 2022

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