News

Across the country and around the world, the media is reporting on EMF:

General News

Live 95.9 tells of a small prep school in Western Massachusetts that has banned smart phones among staff and students. Cell phones that do not connect to the internet, such as flip phones and light phones will be allowed.
Some rather alarming news for sea life from Cellular Phone Task Force about the proliferation of wireless technology under the sea as part of the rollout of “Smart Oceans” and the Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT). Pressenza discusses the impact this may have on whales.
Mother Jones reports on a “Game Changing” study that links cell phone radiation to cancer. Environmental Health Trust provides a wealth of additional information. Microwave News helps us to understand what to make of certain points of criticism on the study.
Popular Science tells us that Industry Insiders Don’t Use Their Products Like We Do. That Should Worry Us.
In the UK, Ian Phillips, who campaigned against cell phones after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, which he attributed to his prolonged use of a cell phone, dies at age 44, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Portland, Maine’s Portland Press Herald provides an overview of issues related to cell phone radiation.
Australia’s The Sydney Morning Herald interviews Devra Davis, who has been working tirelessly to raise awareness of the health effects of electromagnetic radiation emitted from cell phones.
NBC’s Today reports on how doctors and scientists are calling attention to the need to protect children’s health from cellphone radiation.
Author and educator Sherry Turkle makes a case for face-to-face in an era of digital conversation in The New York Times and on NPR.
Fox News 8 tells of a bookstore in Caspar, Wyoming with no Wifi. Instead, it encourages visitors to “Take a Break. Live like it’s 1993.” Caffe Ibis Gallery Deli, a cafe in Logan, Utah, embraces this emerging trend as well, eliminating free wifi, as reported by The Herald Journal.
A Canadian scientist sounds the alarm on wireless technology in Canada’s Oosoyoos Times.
Eight months after Berkley City Council’s unanimously passed its “Right to Know” ordinance requiring retailers to warn customers of possible radiation exposure when purchasing cell phones, a Judge lets Berkley post a portion of the original warning. (Less than a month after the original ordinance was passed, Berkley was sued, a move that was anticipated.) San Francisco’s SF Gate gets us up to date, while the LA Times reports on the lawsuit, and Mother Jones provides information about the original ordinance.
Mother Jones reports that 195 scientists from 39 countries have called on the United Nations, the World Health Organization (WHO), and national governments to develop stricter controls on electric and wireless devices that create electromagnetic fields (EMF). The full appeal may be viewed here.
In the Huffington Post, Paul Brodeur, author, science writer, and former staff writer at The New Yorker, takes The New York Times to task for its lack of ‘Sophisticated Evaluation of Serious Research.’ His article was in response to The New York Times recent dismissal of health concerns, raised by a staff writer at the New York Times and also by Arthur Firstenberg, an activist in Santa Fe, related to cell phone radiation. Mr. Brodeur has written a number of books, including “Currents of Death – Power Lines, Computer Terminals, and the Attempt to Cover Up Their Threat to Your Health,” and “The Zapping of America – Microwaves, Their Deadly Risk, and the Cover Up.” Also in the Huffington Post in an earlier article, Paul Brodeur points out “Conflicts of Interest in Coverage of a Health Issue.”
Convinced their teenage daughter’s significant cell phone use was the cause of her brain tumor and subsequent death, a family shares their story with the UK’s Daily Mail.
Taiwan has banned children under the age of 2 from using electronic devices such as iPads, according to the UK’s Daily Mail. Meanwhile, the UK’S The Telegraph reports that in Japan, the board of education for one prefecture is calling for “No Game Days” twice each month for schoolchildren and their parents.
The Weston A. Price’s Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts urges use of a precautionary approach in terms of exposure to wireless technology.
“An Exposé of the Smart Grid” is also provided in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming, and the Healing Arts.
Golf Digest flags a study showing that long term cell phone use is linked to brain cancer.
Dr. Mercola reports that heavy cell phone use can quadruple your risk of deadly brain cancer.
The FDA recommends avoiding fetal “keepsake” images. Also, Doppler ultrasound heartbeat monitors should only be used with a prescription from a physician. This will prevent uncontrolled exposure of the fetus and mother to potentially harmful electromagnetic radiation.
The Britishes provide some lighthearted humor, encouraging us all to spend less time looking at our phones.
Reuters’ US edition reports on a Swedish study: Swedes who talked on mobile or cordless phones for more than 25 years had triple the risk of a certain kind of brain cancer compared to those who used wireless phones for less than a year.
In the UK, the Daily Mail reports on a 72-year-old grandmother who spends over $6,000 to have her home painted with “anti-wifi” (shielding) paint. More information here.
Fox News reports on the potential hazards of wearable technology.
Devra Davis, PhD, President and Founder of the Environmental Health Trust, comments on the Public Health Impact of Wireless Radiation in The Huffington Post.
While the Herald Sun in Australia puts a face to the struggles of those whose health has been impacted by “smart meters,” New York’s Bloomberg sheds some light on the data-harvesting and consumer privacy issues that can occur with these meters.
Washington DC’s The Washington Times reports on landowner opposition in Northeast Missouri to a network of high-power transmission lines.
The United Kingdom’s The Telegraph and The Guardian report on a study of more than 2,200 students. In this study, it was found that four-in-10 pupils in secondary schools felt they could barely function without holding onto electronic gadgets.
In India Today, Bollywood star Juhi Chawla provides tips on ways to minimize risks from mobile radiation.
Lawrence Gust, a Building Biology Environmental Consultant and the Board President of the Building Biology Institute, is interviewed on WABC along with other EMF experts. Another Building Biology Environmental Consultant, Matt Waletzke, is featured in The New York Times.
Dr. Mercola reports Radiation from Cell Phones and WiFi Are Making People Sick — Are You at Risk?

Clean Energy

Paleo Magazine discusses a little-known issue with solar power – “Dirty Electricity” and Harmonics. Sadly, the solution to the issue of “Dirty Electricity” is not as simple as plugging in a filter.

Norfolk Now reports on the adverse health effects that two wind turbines in Connecticut have had on those living close by.

East County Magazine shares a link through which Environmental Assay’s Sal LaDuca reports on “inordinately high electric field strengths and substantial Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)” at residences near wind turbines and a wind energy facility in California. In 2020, as noted in this update, an additional 60 turbines were approved, with tribal members petitioning for a revote, alleging that their rights had been violated. After much protest, approval was later reversed. The latest news on wind turbines can be found here.

Wireless in Schools

Significant attention is being paid to wireless radiation in schools:

In the US, Massachusetts’ mysouthborough.com reports on a lawsuit involving wifi and the hardship a 12 year old student has faced as a result of it at a junior day and boarding school. Boston Parents Paper provides an overview of issues related to wireless in schools, and outlines “10 elements of an electromagnetically clean and conscious school.” The Huffington Post provides 10 Reasons Why Handheld Devices Should be Banned for Children Under the Age of Twelve. Also in The Huffington Post, Dr. Devra Davis pens an open letter to President Obama, urging the cessation of the wireless rollout in schools.
Australia’s 7 News reports on Wi-Fi concerns as parents there call for precautions similar to those being taken across Europe where it is being banned in day care centers, nurseries, and more and more schools.
Canada’s Toronto City News reports on the dangers of wireless radiation, especially among children. To put Canada’s exposure levels into perspective, The Globe and Mail provides a comparison of Canada’s radiofrequency (RF) guidelines with other countries around the world.
France’s Le Monde reports on a law banning wi-fi in child care facilities and restricting wireless infrastructure. Going even further, UK’s Metro reports that France has now banned cell phones and tablets from schools serving children and teens between the ages of 3 and 15. High schools serving teens 15 and over may choose whether to follow the ban or not.
In New Zealand, a parent resigns from her position on a school’s board of trustees when the school board endorses the use of wireless technology, according to the Otago Daily Times. Also in New Zealand, aware of the dangers of RF, parents push for wired connections for their children, according to the Rotorua Daily Post.

Cell Towers

Throughout the U.S., communities continue to oppose cell towers. Sometimes this opposition is met with success, such as that reported in The Washington Post and Connecticut’s New Haven Register. A number of towns in Connecticut, specifically Guilford, Darien, Westport, and Waterbury, also rallied in opposition to proposed cell towers. Also, in Pennsylvania, The Morning Call looks behind the scenes with Lower Nazareth County representatives expressing liability concerns if they revoke a cell tower permit at the request of residents. Meanwhile, residents in Pittsfield, Massachusetts have asked public health officials to investigate health complaints the began to occur after a cell tower was installed in their neighborhood.
Folks in other countries are also concerned about cell towers, as the Guardian reports in the UK, and the Times of India discusses here and here.
Concerns such as these have led to a number of lawsuits: In the UK, a battle that began nearly a decade ago comes to a close, with the BBC reporting on the dismantling of a cell tower on a cul-de-sac. Meanwhile, in Australia, iTnews tells of two action groups fighting a cell tower armed with baseline blood test results, taken prior to the tower’s installation.

5G

In Scientific American scientists express concern that 5G could create enough electrical noise on radio spectrums to reduce weather forecasting skills and distort computer models needed to predict the progress of climate change.

In Texas, KRIS 6 News reports on residents’ concerns after a 5G small cell antenna is activated.

In Yahoo! Finance, US airlines warn C-Band 5G could cause ‘catastrophic disruption’.

PC Magazine discusses the roll out of 5G and provides an overview. A little less cheery overview can be found here. The UK’s Daily Mail reports that a public health expert is calling the roll out a ‘massive health experiment.’

CBS New York reports that some families worry about the health effects of these “mini cell towers.” Their fears are not unfounded, as Paul Heroux, Professor of Electromagnetic Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, McGill University explains in La Maison.

John Dvorak, formerly of PC Magazine, announces 5G Got Me Fired, alluding to an article on the subject that he had written the previous month, which has been preserved here.

Electrohypersensitivity (EHS)

In Notre Dame Magazine, writer Alison Main tells of her fall from society when she is struck with electrohypersensitivity (EHS).
People can experience varying levels of electrohypersensitivity (EHS), with some being disabled, and others able to manage by making simple lifestyle changes. The UK’s Daily Mail along with the US’s Slate and Time, illustrate just how disruptive this affliction can be, while CBS Chicago. tells of a woman in Chicago who manages by making changes to her home environment. Other EHS sufferers in the US and Australia dream of creating EMF refuges, as reported by CBS Denver and Australia’s Sydney Morning Herald. Dr. Mercola has covered this topic as well. Meanwhile, a short video out of France, Technophobe, provides a humorous look at this not-so-humorous condition. The piece perfectly illustrates the isolation and lack of understanding that those experiencing this condition face.
Colorado’s High Country News shows us how EHS and chemical sensitivity can go hand in hand.
New York Daily News reports on new housing in Switzerland for those suffering from Multiple Chemical Sensitivities and electrohypersensitivity. More information here.
In Canada, the Salmon Arm Observer reports on a family that takes refuge from Wifi due to health concerns, while here in the US, blogger Alison Main shares her personal journey.
The Washingtonian discusses the tensions between the newcomers to Green Bank, West Virginia – those suffering from EHS – and the “locals.” Green Bank has become a haven for those with EHS. The New York Times shares some of the benefits teens can experience as a result of not having access to Wifi in Green Bank.

Smart Meters

In Fairfield, Iowa, as told by Business Insider, a group of concerned citizens make significant inroads in preventing a full-fledged rollout of Smart Meters.