Mobile Learning and Health Risks Slideshow by University of Tampere, Finland

Mobile Learning and Health Risks - Implications for Pedagogical and Educational Practices * Click on "MENU" at bottom left of screen to select "Full Screen" viewing

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Dr. George Carlo speaks on Wi-Fi Radiation in Schools

Dr. George Carlo, Ph.D, M.S., J.D, public health scientist and epidemiologist, is one of the world's leading experts on Electromagnetic Radiation. From 1993-1999, Dr. Carlo headed a $28.5 millions project, funded by the telecommunications industry, to study cellphone's health effects. He discovered that the risk of acoustic neuroma (a form of brain tumour) was 50 percent higher in long-term cellphone users, also that the amount of cellphone use and this tumor appeared to follow a dose-response curve. In recent years, Dr. Carlo has been alerting the public about the adverse health effects of cell phones and wireless radiation. He is especially concerned about the promotion of wireless technology targeted at children and youth.

This is a very informative interview of Dr. Carlo voicing why Wi-Fi is dangerous for young people and should not be used in a school setting. He also explains the "pulsed" nature of Wi-Fi routers and damages caused by "Information Carrying Radio Waves":

Part 1  (9 mins)

Part 2 (9 mins)

Part 3 (9 mins)

Illusion and Escape:  

The Cell Phone Disease Quagmire
A Summary of American Legal Actions Regarding Mobile Phones and Health Effects - by Dr. George L. Carlo

http://www.cutcat.com/item_images/Cell%20Phones%20Carlo.pdf

Israel's Position Paper on Electromagnetic Radiation in a School Environment - Nov 18, 2010

The recommendations presented in  this position paper were formulated in accordance with the request of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament, D.T.) Interior and Environment Committee Chairman, MP. Dov Hanin, at a meeting of the committee on May 31^st, 2010. The Health Ministry’s representative, Prof. Siegal Sadetzki was responsible for the initiation and consolidation of these recommendations:

"In April 2009, the European Parliament, by a majority of 559-22 (votes), adopted decision ENVI/6/65496, regarding potential adverse health effects associated with electromagnetic radiation (EMF). The decision declared that wireless technology (which includes cell phones, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cordless phones) emit electromagnetic radiation which may impose danger to human health. The decision states that it is important for schools to be as “clean” as possible from electromagnetic radiation."

"It should be remembered that the school population comprises children and youth, a group with unique characteristics:

• In general, for all carcinogens, including ionizing radiation, and for most cancer sites,  an inverse association exists between age at  time of exposure, and  the risk of becoming sick. Therefore, this population should be regarded as a sensitive population in comparison to the adult population.
• The student population is expected to live for many years, during which diseases with long latency periods may develop.
• The student population is obligated by law to attend school. Moreover, in most cases the students and their parents do not have a choice regarding which school and which classes the student will attend.

Method of Operation:

It is agreed by all, that the education system and the country are under a moral and legal obligation to protect the health of the students.

It is agreed that the precautionary principle should be adopted as it was adopted in the Non-Ionizing Radiation Act of 2006. The principles upon which the Health Ministry based its guidelines regarding cell phones and cordless phones should also be applied to wireless network systems.

These principles should be adopted in order to achieve a balance between the needs and the potential adverse health risks from exposure to Wi-Fi and WLAN in this special population in which the exposure is forced.

Since there are alternative ways to establish computer networks which are safer and do not require exposure to RF, such as the use of wired technology by connecting directly to a internet-allocated socket, there is no reason to use wireless technologies such as WLAN and Wi-Fi for computer networks in schools."

Full Text English version: http://www.disconnectbook.com/2011/03/07/position-paper-on-electromagnetic-radiation-in-a-school-environment/
Original Text in Hebrew: http://tinyurl.com/64ptqvj

Governments of other countries (Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, New Zealand, Russia, China, Israel and more) protect their citizens and children by much, much stricter safety standards against electromagnetic radiation. 

Our Canadian government does not.

In our schools, no preventive measure and nothing in place to monitor. How long do we have to wait to do something about this? Our school already has a hardwired network installed and functioning for years (with internet access in the computer lab as well as in each classroom). Why are we choosing to use a more risky technology (Wi-Fi) and not choosing the safer option for our children like these other governments do? As parents, we were consulted about food allergies in school, are required to sign consent forms for our children’s field trips to the skating rink, to the museum or even just a walk at the Dyke. However, we have been denied the opportunity to say NO when our children are irradiated involuntarily by microwave  in schools 6 hours every day. Furthermore, it is unbelievable that the number of wireless transmitters in our hallways has been increased even while we were raising our concern to the school district’s I.T. Department.

Apart from the long-term health risks of DNA break, cell mutation, damage to the blood-brain barrier, thyroid and heart etc, some of the short-term effects of microwave radiation, as indicated in scientific studies, include lack of concentration, short-term memory loss and non-specific weakening of the immune system (drop in counts of platelets and white blood cells). The last one means getting sick more easily. Does any of the above sound like the ideal setting for children's learning environment? Also, the problem is, is anybody even checking the health effects? Do we have any unexposed control group to compare with? And simply, WHY, should we insist on this risk rather than using hardwired network? Aren't our computers hardwired for electrical supply anyway?

The latest Oscar-winning documentary, Inside Job, gives a very thorough report of the events leading to the Wall Street, Iceland and global economic collapse in 2008. There were numerous signs and warnings before the final crisis hit. Yet the government officials didn't do anything to stop it, the experts - financial analysts and credit rating bodies - didn't do anything to stop it. The Ivy League professors not only didn't say anything which could have alerted the public, they published opinions that were complete contrary to truth. The final crisis, as it turned out, has been catastrophic. And who suffered? The government officials were still in office, if not promoted; the professors still earn high paychecks from  directorships in the industry. The Wall Street executives walked away with hundreds of million $ of bonus without any of them being indicted to date.  The result of that crisis was the loss of a lot of money by many who could not afford it.

For us, however, it could be our health and the future of our next generation.

Electromagnetic Induction by Wi-Fi causes Human Tissue to Polarize at Twice the Frequency

The following is a letter written by Mr. Curtis Bennett to the BC Premier's Office, concerning a significant error in Health Canada's Safety Code 6, which qualifies that Wi-Fi should not be allowed in schools. 

Mr. Bennett is president of Thermographix Consulting Corporation. His company investigates temperature at molecular levels for many professions. He is an educator at medical academia across North America where doctors and nurses receive education credits for licensing. Mr. Bennett testified as expert witness at the Canadian Parliament's Standing Committee on Health in 2010. He was also a first response consultant on vulnerability after 9/11.

"Health Canada isn't reporting there was a significant oversight reported (error or omission) in safety standards. That oversight is the peer reviewed science showing electromagnetic induction from the emfs is happening. That creates electrical problems with vulnerable, dynamic biology with its own electrical frequencies and causes tissue to polarize at twice the frequency.

By not reporting the error or omission, Health Canada disadvantages the province including corporations or administrations working with different aspects of wireless technology. B.C. School Districts for one are looking for the laws to administer their districts. The reported error or omission in Health Canada's Safety Code 6 qualifies that Wi Fi isn't allowed in schools and administrators, teachers as well as parents aren't being informed of that.

Radiation Protection Services of The BC Centre of Disease Control's reporting on Wi Fi Safety is seriously flawed as a result of the error or omission in safety standards. You can't exclude the frequency conflict between Wi Fi and people.

The dangers of emfs including the error in safety standards were lectured in medical education for education credits health professionals need for licensing in January, 2011. That makes the information medical education accepted for lecture."

Please click the image to read the full text of the letter:

The World Health Organization

These two documentaries, by CBC TV The National, explain the politics behind the science:

Cell Phones and Insurance Companies (September, 2010)

Cell Phone Radiation (September 2010)

WHO (World Health Organization), FCC (Federal Communications Commission) and Health Canada base their standard of Microwave radiation on the guideline set up by ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation).

The following is a detailed analysis of the WHO/ICNIRP 's EMF standard by Dr. Neil Cherry: http://www.scribd.com/doc/3718366/Cherry-1 It is a very thorough MUST-READ document for anyone seeking to understand WHO's position on EMF,"originally written when the New Zealand Ministries of Health and Environment proposed to adopt the ICNIRP Guideline as the Public Health Standard for Cell Site exposures."
The late Dr. Neil Cherry was New Zealand's leading scientist. He held the position of Associate Professor of Environmental Health at Lincoln University, and had a professional scientific background in Physics, Biophysics, Meteorology, Agricultural and Human Biometeorology, Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Environmental Epidemiology. He was awarded the Royal Honour of Officer of New Zealand Order of Merit (O.N.Z.M.) for his services to Science, Education and Community. http://www.neilcherry.com/profile.php

In the Official WHO literature, the adverse health effects of Microwave and other Electromagnetic Fields are consistently downplayed. Even though there are official documents from individual countries presenting the urgent need for change in safety standards to protect the public (especially the vulnerable population including children), such requests are not reflected in the final public announcements. 

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING SEVERE WARNING presented by the Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection to WHO, and compare it with the WHO fact sheet on cellphones which states, "Key Facts: To date, no adverse health effects have been established for mobile phone use."

Decision of Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection
"CHILDREN AND MOBILE PHONES:
THE HEALTH OF THE FOLLOWING GENERATIONS IS IN DANGER"
Moscow, Russia 

14 April 2008

For the first time in history, we face a situation when most children and teenagers in the world are continuously exposed to the potentially adverse influence of the electromagnetic fields (EMF) from mobile phones. Electromagnetic field is an important biotropic factor, affecting not just a human health in general, but also the processes of the higher nervous activity, including behavior and thinking. Radiation directly affects human brain when people use mobile phones.

Despite the recommendations, listed in the Sanitary Rules of the Ministry of Health, which insist that persons under 18 years should not use mobile phones (SanPiN 2.1.8/2.2.4.1190-03 point 6.9), children and teenagers became the target group for the marketing the mobile communications.

The current safety standards for exposure to microwaves from the mobile phones have been developed for the adults and don’t consider the characteristic features of the children’s organism. The WHO considers the protection of the children’s health from possible negative influence of the EMF of the mobile phones as a highest priority task. This problem has also been confirmed by the Scientific Committee of the European Commission, by national authorities of the European and Asian countries, by participants of the International scientific conferences on biological effects of the EMF.
 

Potential risk for the children’s health is very high:

•  the absorption of the electromagnetic energy in a child’s head is considerably higher than that in the head of an adult (children’s brain has higher conductivity, smaller size, thin skull bones, smaller distance from the antenna etc.);

• children’s organism has more sensitivity to the EMF, than the adult’s;

• children’s brain has higher sensitivity to the accumulation of the adverse effects under conditions of chronic exposure to the EMF;

• EMF affects the formation of the process of the higher nervous activity;

• today’s children will spend essentially longer time using mobile phones, than today’s adults will.

According to the opinion of the Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, the following health hazards are likely to be faced by the children mobile phone users in the nearest future: disruption of memory, decline of attention, diminishing learning and cognitive abilities, increased irritability, sleep problems, increase in sensitivity to the stress, increased epileptic readiness.

Expected (possible) remote health risks: brain tumors, tumors of acoustical and vestibular nerves (in the age of 25-30 years), Alzheimer’s disease, “got dementia”, depressive syndrome, and the other types of degeneration of the nervous structures of the brain (in the age of 50 to 60).

The members of the Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection emphasize ultimate urgency to defend children’s health from the influence of the EMF of the mobile communication systems. We appeal to the government authorities, to the entire society to pay closest attention to this coming threat and to take adequate measures in order to prevent negative consequences to the future generation’s health.
 

The children using mobile communication are not able to realize that they subject their brain to the EMF radiation and their health – to the risk. We believe that this risk is not much lower than the risk to the children’s health from tobacco or alcohol. It is our professional obligation not to let damage the children’s health by inactivity.

Full text: Pg.3-4 at 

http://www.who.int/peh-emf/project/mapnatreps/RUSSIA%20report%202008.pdf

WHO Fact Sheet on Cell Phones and Health:

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs193/en/

As mentioned in another article on CHINA, Russia and other communist countries are very aware of the harm of microwave radiation, because low-level microwave was a heavily deployed "invisible" weapon against embassy staff between US/UK and the communist nations during the Cold War, causing widespread cancers and mental illnesses among emabassy personnel.

The following study was published in the Journal of the Australasian College of Nutritional & Environmental Medicine - April 2006:

Conflict of Interest & Bias in Health Advisory Committees: A case study of the WHO’s Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Task Group  
by Don Maisch 

Full text: http://www.emfacts.com/papers/who_conflict.pdf

"It is acknowledged that in an ever increasingly globalized world the reliance on international organisations to set standards to protect public health is an irrefutable fact of modern life. It is also a fact that international organizations charged with this task need to be “eternally vigilant” to ensure that their organisations are not co-opted by vested interests groups – as exampled by Big Tobacco and WHO.

However when it comes to non-ionizing radiation issues (in this case for power frequency health risk assessment) the evidence is clear that Michael Repacholi has used his standing in both WHO and ICNIRP to stack the WHO’s Environmental Health Criteria Task Group for power frequency exposures with representatives of the power industry in contravention of WHO policy. This can only be to the detriment of the group’s ability to evaluate the scientific literature in an unbiased way. This action can only be construed as being aimed at ensuring that industry involvement in determining the WHO Environmental Health Criteria will bias ICNIRP’s risk assessment for power frequency exposure limits for years to come. This will conveniently provide economic protection for the industry against the need to spend enormous sums of money on upgrading distribution systems as well as risks of litigation. Such a blatant disregard for the fundamental principles of credible science, as well as WHO’s mission on protecting world health, speaks of a desperation to bury independent science at all costs, even if that cost is the integrity of WHO."