Peer-reviewed study after study continue to come out pointing to the fact that our favorite gadgets (cell phones, tablets, and Wi-Fi in general) should raise a bigger alarm than they have. And so, in order to protect children in schools, some countries around the world have set severe limits with regards to the use of WiFi and cell phones.
Now, we aren’t doing this in the U.S. because it takes planning and purpose. It also means businesses and legislators have to care more about people than the bottom line. But they don’t. As the European Commission put it so well:
“Waiting for high levels of scientific and clinical proof before taking action to prevent well-known risks can lead to very high health and economic costs, as was the case with asbestos, leaded petrol and tobacco.”1
But, countries all over the world are. Countries like France, who passed a law in 2015 banning WiFi use at all nursery schools. But in addition to that, the law requires that “Wi-Fi must be turned off in all elementary schools when it’s not in use. A wired connection, if possible, is preferred.” 2 And they don’t stop there:
- All cell phone advertisements in France have to recommend that people use headsets in order to reduce radiation exposure to the brain.
- And cell phone advertisements directed at young children are totally banned.
- The French National Library in Paris, along with several universities, have completely removed all Wi-Fi networks, and it’s also banned in many municipal buildings.
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Other countries are making hard-line decisions about Wifi, too, including Belgium, Spain, Israel, Australia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, India, Finland, Cyprus, and others.
Others like Namibia. Their atomic energy review clearly states that what currently passes as “safety standards” doesn’t actually protect citizens from long-term health effects nor do the guidelines governing their use guarantee adequate protection against the effects of long-term exposure.
We agree.
The science behind the decision
“Above you’ll see an image from a study published by Dr. Om Gandhi, from the University of Utah in 1996 (IEEE Publication). Here’s another one of his publications a few years after that also cite the above picture. On the far left, you will see how cell phone radiation, at that time, affected the brain of a 5-year-old child, in the middle is the brain of a 10-year-old, and on the far right is the brain of an adult. A child’s brain absorbs several times as much as that of an adult.”3
When we use cell phones and wireless technology, we are exposed to a type of microwave radiation known as radiofrequency radiation or RF-EMF. And research has shown a number of adverse biological effects from this radiation including “reproductive dysfunction, single and double-stranded DNA breaks creation of reactive oxygen species, immune dysfunction, stress protein synthesis in the brain, altered brain development, sleep and memory disturbances, and increased brain tumors and more.”4
Given that these effects can be seen at levels hundreds of times lower than the currently internationally set limits, it’s time we start using more caution. According to the Environmental Health Trust, enough research has been done to prove that these devices aren’t safe at even low levels.
- Experimental research shows chronic exposure to wireless reduces brain cells and causes brain cell death in the memory and learning centers of the brain.
- Cell phone radiation has been shown to alter brain activity in humans; NIH research from 2011 that found just 50 minutes of a wireless transmitting device (cell phone) next to the brain increases glucose in the part of the brain most exposed.
- Preliminary 3G and 4G research has shown that non-thermal levels of this radiation alter the brain’s electrical activity.
- Research has also shown damage to fertility and reproduction, cognition and impaired memory, the pineal, adrenal and thyroid glands. Recorded behavioral issues, hearing loss, headaches, sleep issues, oxidative stress, and a reduction of melatonin as well as heart function.
- And a 2015 experimental study found that 2.4 GHz (Wi-Fi radiation) can alter expression of some of the miRNAs, and the study’s authors concluded that “long-term exposure of 2.4 GHz RF may lead to adverse effects such as neurodegenerative diseases originated from the alteration of some miRNA expression and more studies should be devoted to the effects of RF radiation on miRNA expression levels.”
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It’s not just humans
Negative effects are also being seen in the growth and development of plants and trees, and EMFs have been shown to alter the behavior of bees and birds.
“As the Environmental Health Trust points out (one of the best resources of information on this subject), studies on wireless EMF frequencies have found physiological and morphological changes, increased micronuclei formation, altered growth as well as adverse cell characteristics such as thinner cell walls and smaller mitochondria. What’s interesting is that they point out how electromagnetic exposure creates biochemical changes. Research shows that plants perceive and respond to electromagnetic fields and are a good model to study the biological effects of exposure.”6
Why is the U.S. not dealing with this issue?
The short answer is this, “…we live in a corporatocracy, not a democracy, and when it comes to the products and services that surround all aspects of human life, they are controlled by the very few and very powerful. Year after year it becomes increasingly evident that our health is not really their priority nor their concern, and they will lie, deceit, and cheat in order to accomplish whatever their goals are. But the more we become aware of it, the more problems we cause, and the more awareness we create, the more action is taken against us which is why so many countries are now implementing strict rules and bans.” 7
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Much of the available research is industry research, and it “conflicts greatly” with a lot of other research. Industry corruption continues to keep these facts in the dark so that companies and their shareholders can amass wealth and power. And honestly, it’s not much different than what the tobacco industry did as the definitive science on tobacco safety was emerging.
Don’t wait for legislation to protect you. Take action now to protect yourself and your family.
