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Monday, April 30, 2012

Vote YES to BCCPAC Wireless-Free School of Choice Resolution #17 at upcoming AGM on May 26, 2012

Vote  YES ! 

Dear Parents and Grandparents,

Please support Resolution #17 "Parent Choice Regarding Exposure to EMF Emissions" at the upcoming BCCPAC (BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils) Annual General Meeting on May 26, 2012. This resolution is not asking to remove Wi-Fi from all schools, but to provide wireless-free schools of choice. (Similar to French immersion, Montessori, or schools that emphasize a certain subject/sport, which are already available in BC.) It has taken hundreds of hours of work and debate in the BCCPAC Safety Committee to advance this resolution to the table. This is a much-needed opt-out solution for parents who want to follow the advice for precaution, as well as for children who have negative biological reaction to the pulsed microwave radiation emitted by Wi-Fi and wireless electronic devices in schools. These children are currently suffering physical symptoms while attending classes, or have to be withdrawn from schools because they are unable to take personal measures to avoid such exposure in campuses with Wi-Fi installed. http://www.bccpac.bc.ca/UserFiles/File/2012AGM-Spring/2012_Resolution_Book_Updated.pdf

Votes can be cast by all paid-up BCCPAC member PACs and DPACs, either by attending the AGM or by proxy votes. 

Voting Information & Proxy Rules:
Voting Instructions: 
Authorized Proxy Vote Form:
Spring Conference Registration & Program:

If you would like to support this resolution, please contact your PAC or DPAC to communicate your concern, and please share the info with other parents and grandparents.

Resolutions # 17 
Parent Choice Regarding Exposure to EMF Emissions 
from SRC Safety Wi-Fi Subcommittee

Submitted by: BCCPAC Board of Directors

Be it resolved that

BCCPAC calls on each Board of Education to have one public school at each education level (elementary, middle, secondary) that is free of Wi-Fi, cordless phones and cell phones. This school will only be equipped with wired computers and wired telephones for personal, educational and administrative purposes. This will not be required in cases where there is only one school available of that type in that district.

N.B. The above resolution was supported by some members of the Safety committee. Other members of the committee do not consider Wi-Fi a significant health risk and believe there is no need to exclude the use of Wi-Fi in any school until it is conclusively declared as being harmful by Health Canada and the World Health Organization. The committee is divided and consensus was not achievable. We refer this resolution to the membership for their consideration and decision.

Rationale:

In British Columbia, many school districts have installed Wi-Fi in recent years and other schools are now contemplating its use. At the same time, more children are using wireless technology, bringing their own cell phones and smart phones to schools.

In May, 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified "Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields" "emitted by wireless communication devices" as Type 2B Possible Carcinogen (possible cancer risk to humans). The WHO report concluded that "additional research is important"; and advised the public, particularly young adults and children, to "take pragmatic measures to reduce exposure". This classification also includes Wi-Fi emissions as so affirmed by IARC experts as follows:

“So the classification 2B, possibly carcinogenic, holds for all types of radiation within the radiofrequency part of the electromagnetic spectrum, including the radiation emitted by base-station antennas, radio/TV towers, radar, Wi-Fi, smart meters, etc." ”"This is what the Working Group discussed and decided last year. Of course, because the exposure levels for many of these other devices and exposure situations are so much lower than the exposure to someone who has a functioning cell phone against her/his ear, the risk will be considerably less (although the hazard still exists)."  http://www.iarc.fr/en/mediacentre/pr/2011/pdfs/pr208_E.pdf

Further information and clarifications from the WHO on this classification is here:

In October, 2011, Health Canada encouraged, “…parents to reduce children's RF (radiofrequency radiation) exposure from cell phones since children are typically more sensitive to a variety of environmental agents" and "there is currently a lack of scientific information regarding the potential health impacts of cell phones on children"; (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisoriesavis/_2011/2011_131-eng.php )

In January, 2012, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine published, "Chronic exposure to wireless radio frequency radiation is a preventable environmental hazard that is sufficiently well documented to warrant immediate preventative public health action... Children are placed at particular risk for altered brain development, and impaired learning and behaviour."

Some parents are concerned about the long-term health effects of wireless devices on children, given the long hours that children spend in schools and the fact that it is not feasible for children to take personal measures to avoid such exposure. These parents prefer to adopt the “Precautionary Principle“ by using proven wired technology solutions. In recent years some students in different school districts have reported adverse biological reactions such as headaches, dizziness, rapid heart rate, fatigue and impaired concentration when exposed to the radiofrequency emitted by Wi-Fi and wireless devices in the school environment. These students currently have no alternative to avoid such exposure while attending schools. The causal relationship of these claims is disputed by some scientists while other scientists are convinced that the symptoms experienced by these patients are valid, and that such exposure should be avoided.

Destination:
Ministry of Education
BC School Trustees Association (BCSTA)
BC Boards of Education


BC Chief Medical Officer Dr. Perry Kendall's Letter on Wi-Fi for Schools: Erroneous Representation of Radiation Data.

Using a study sponsored by Wi-Fi Alliance (companies that manufacture and sell Wi-Fi products), medical authorities are assuring parents that Wi-Fi is not dangerous. This study has nothing to do with classroom exposure. The locations measured (coffee shops, train stations, hospitals etc.) were hand-picked by the Wi-Fi Alliance members. When they measured a laptop, they measured at least 1 meter away (at least 3.3 feet; did not specify the maximum distance). This does not take into account that children are using laptops, tablets and wireless hand-held devices in close/direct contact with their bodies, and accessing the internet simultaneously in the classroom. Every one of these devices has a client's card which is a live antenna. Actual measurement of the Wi-Fi radiation signals from these devices (see videos below) are magnitudes - up to 700,000 times - higher than what's reported by the industry study.
Read full post: http://www.safeinschool.org/2012/04/bc-chief-medical-officer-dr-perry.html

Wi-Fi and Cellphone Radiation Comparison
Here are 2 videos to illustrate the comparison between an iPad on Wi-Fi mode and an iPhone on talking mode:iPhone on Talking mode:
-Peaked at 19 μW/cm2 (microwatts/cm2)
-Continuous signal, but duration of use in talking mode likely shorter than internet browsing.
-Phone will be in direct contact with the ear and head (unless handsfree or headset are used).
-Wi-Fi was turned off on this phone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n097VN7KB_AiPad on Wi-Fi mode:
-Peaked at 70 μW/cm2; several times higher than iphone on talking mode
-Continual signals. Stop and spike every few seconds. 
-Duration of use for iPad is likely longer than talk-mode on cellphone.
-iPad will be in direct contact with the student's hands or/and lap/abdomen.
-Note that there is no Wi-Fi network available. The iPad is not even logged onto any Wi-Fi network and not downloading anything. The signals are simply from the Wi-Fi feature being turned on.
-The iPad is not on airplane mode but there is no SIM card in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVJI-0YogGo
-In this other video, the airplane mode is on and Wi-Fi is turned on. This one peaked at 39 microwatts/cm2.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0qU2ov2U1w



N.B. The measuring “probe” of the RF meter is actually inside the middle of the spherical casing, about 1-2 cm away from the interior of the shell (i.e. not "touching" the devices). In real life, the radiation level in direct contact with the devices (like what the children could be doing) would be even higher.

What do the above numbers mean?


Health Canada's exposure limit is at an extremely high level of 1000 μW/cm2, while studies have found at:
0.002 μW/cm2 - Sleep disturbance and fatigue. Altpeter et al. (1995, 1997, 2005)
0.168 μW/cm2 - Progressive decrease in number of newborns and irreversible infertility in
mice after 5 generations exposure. I.N. Magras and T.D. Zenos (1997)
0.32-16.43 μW/cm2 - Attention, memory and motor function of school children significantly affected in comparison to control groups. A.A. Kolodynski and V.V. Kolodynska (1996) 
2.5 μW/cm2 - Damage to blood-brain barrier. Salford et al., (1997)

China/Russia/Italy/Poland have exposure limits at 10 μW/cm2. Switzerland's general limit is 9.5 μW/cm2 and 4.25 for sensitive areas (children, elderly, medically-challenged). The Swiss doctors' group - Physicians for the Environment - recently issued a public statement calling for reduction of their limit by 10 times, i.e. to 0.95 μW/cm2. Luxembourg/Bulgaria at 2.4 μW/cm2. Salzburg Health Department in Austria recommends only 0.001 μW/cm2 for outdoor and 0.0001 for indoor exposure. This is 10 million times more stringent than our outdated Canadian Safety Code 6 of 1000 μW/cm2. http://goo.gl/4pzyE 

Minister of Education Promoting Smartphones, Tablets and Other Electronic Devices in the Classroom. 


March 22, 2012 - Switzerland: Physicians for the Environment (MfE)
Founded 25 years ago, 1,500 physicians in Switzerland.
“From the medical point of view, it is urgent to apply the precautionary principle for mobile telephony, wifi, power lines, etc.”
http://www.safeinschool.org/2012/04/switzerland-physicians-for-environment.html

Brain Tumours

Apr 24, 2012 - UK Office of National Statistics shows a 50 per cent increase in frontal and temporal lobe tumours between 1999 and 2009.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2134382/Risks-biggest-technological-experiment-history-species-Calls-research-links-using-mobile-phones-brain-cancer.html#ixzz1tShA4PPV Dec 15, 2011 - Brain Tumour Increase in Denmark by 40% between 2001-2010
http://newsvoice.se/2011/12/15/brain-tumour-increase-in-denmark-by-40-between-2001-2010/Apr 26, 2009 - Child Cancer Deaths Led by Brain Tumours
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/apr/26/brain-tumour-child-cancer-deaths

Brian Tumours in the Interphone Studies:
  • For acoustic neuroma (Swedish Interphone), a 3.9-fold risk of acoustic neuroma was found for 10 or more years of cellphone use on the same side of the head where the cellphone was held (OR=3.9, 95% CI: 1.6 to 9.5). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15475713
  • For parotid gland tumors (Israeli Interphone), a 1.5-fold risk of parotid gland tumors was found for >266.3 cumulative hours of use (above the median) on the same side the head where the cellphone was held (OR=1.49, 95% CI: 1.05 to 2.13). http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/167/4/457.long
  • For glioma within the volume of brain where the tumor was located (Japanese Interphone), a 5.8-fold risk of glioma was found for >10 maxSAR-hours2 of exposure (OR=5.84, 95% CI: 0.96-35.60, p=0.051). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2410122/


New Studies Show Laptops and Cellphones Adversely Affect Children and Fetuses


USA - Yale University (2012)
Fetal Radiofrequency Radiation Exposure From 800-1900 Mhz-Rated Cellular Telephones Affects Neurodevelopment and Behavior in Mice
“Here we demonstrate that fetal exposure to 800–1900 Mhz-rated radiofrequency radiation from cellular telephones leads to behavioral and neurophysiological alterations that persist into adulthood...The significant trend between the groups treated for 0, 9, 15, and 24 hours/day demonstrates that the effects are directly proportional to usage time... ”

ITALY (2012)
Dept of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Reproduction Medicine, University of Siena.
ASL 7 (Local Health Agency), Prevention Dept Physical Agents Laboratory, Siena.
CNR (Italian Research Council), Institute of Applied Physics (IFAC), Florence, Italy.
Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields From Laptop Use of “Laptop” Computers

Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields From Laptop Use of “Laptop” Computers

“In the LTCs analyzed, EMF values (range 1.8–6 μT) are within International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation (NIR) Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines, but are considerably higher than the values recommended by 2 recent guidelines for computer monitors magnetic field emissions, MPR II (Swedish Board for Technical Accreditation)
and TCO (Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees), and those considered risky for tumor development... the power supply induces strong intracorporal electric current densities in the fetus and in the adult subject, which are respectively 182–263% and 71–483% higher than ICNIRP 98 basic restriction recommended to prevent adverse health effects.”

RUSSIA (2011)
Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection 
Psychophysiological Indicators for Child Users of Mobile Communication. Message 1: Present State of the Problem
Message 2: Results of Four-year Monitoring

"It has been shown that the children’s organism is more sensitive to this kind of exposure than the adult one. We have identified the following major trends of the psychophysiological indicators for child users of mobile communication: an increased number of phonemic perception disorders, abatement of efficiency, reduced indicators for the arbitrary and semantic memory, and increased fatigue. A steady decline of the parameters from high values to bottom standards has been found."

GREECE (2012)
University of Athens
Brain proteome response following whole body exposure of mice to mobile phone or wireless DECT base radiation (* Note DECT cordless phone bases emits the SAME 2.4 GHz frequency as Wi-Fi routers and devices)
"The observed protein expression changes may be related to brain plasticity alterations, indicative of oxidative stress in the nervous system or involved in apoptosis and might potentially explain human health hazards reported so far, such as headaches, sleep disturbance, fatigue, memory deficits, and brain tumor long-term induction under similar exposure conditions."
Summary: http://electromagnetichealth.org/electromagnetic-health-blog/mice-proteome/



TURKEY (2012)
Departments of Pediatrics, Abant Izzet Baysal University School of Medicine, Turkey.
Immunohistopathologic Demonstration Of Deleterious Effects on Growing Rat Testes of Radiofrequency Waves Emitted from Conventional Wi-Fi Devices.
“OBJECTIVE: To investigate effects on rat testes of radiofrequency radiation emitted from indoor Wi-Fi Internet access devices using 802.11.g wireless standards.
RESULTS: We observed significant increases in serum 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine levels and 8-hydroxyguanosine staining in the testes of the experimental group indicating DNA damage due to exposure (p < 0.05). We also found decreased levels of catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity in the experimental group, which may have been due to radiofrequency effects on enzyme activity (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: These findings raise questions about the safety of radiofrequency exposure from Wi-Fi Internet access devices for growing organisms of reproductive age, with a potential effect on both fertility and the integrity of germ cells.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22465825



Wireless Radiation Damages Fertility
http://www.safeinschool.org/2011/11/wi-fi-decreases-human-sperm-motility.html#uds-search-resultsInfertility near doubled since 1992 for couples with women aging 18-44:
http://www.globalnews.ca/pages/story.aspx?id=6442582741

Read more scientific studies on the health effects of electromagnetic radiation: SafeinSchool.Org/p/scientific-studies.html 
EMRabc.ca
Wiredchild.org

European Parliaments
The Council of Europe is comprised of 47 countries and the European Parliament (EU) represents 27 countries. These two separate institutionsof European leaders have examined the issue thoroughly and come to the same conclusion regarding the need to protect citizens from electromagnetic radiation, particularly, "pregnant women, newborn babies and children." http://www.safeinschool.org/2011/05/europes-may-2011-report-calls-for-ban.html