Safe ICT NZ
Safe Information and Communications Technology for New Zealand
Read our cheat sheet on tech harm
The ten most important things to know:
1. Harms have been kept from us
For decades, in fact—before, and right at the beginning of cell phone creation when Nokia designer Robert C Kane got brain cancer from his exposure to the mobile phone, the serious risks to biology, have been known. A team of 31 scientists from 14 countries analyzed peer-reviewed studies before classifying radiofrequency electromagnetic fields from wireless cell phones as “possibly carcinogenic to humans” based on an increased risk for glioma, a type of brain cancer. But, keeping this information from us, minimalising it, and casting doubt, and discrediting those scientists who made these findings has been done to an astounding level.
2. One sole organisation is where we get our UNSAFE safety standards from
The organisations in New Zealand (and a large part of the world) that should be protecting us and informing us of risks, all rely on a single organisation the: International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) who in turn advises the World Health Organisation. They claim to be independent of Industry but the opposite is true;—they have been proven to have a HUGE conflict of interest and no expertise in human bioelectrics and in the electromagnetic effects on other ecology, or in oncology.
3. Our phones and Wi-Fi and BlueTooth devices use the same radiation as microwave ovens
ICNIRP standards continue to only protect us from cooking ourselves, like the food in a microwave oven which uses the same forms of radiation as our mobile and cordless phones and headphones, Bluetooth devices etc, but the electromagnetic radiation inside a microwave oven is simply at a higher power dose.
4. Radiation from cell phones and wireless technology harms us, both immediately and in the long term. It damages our DNA like X-rays do
76,400+ papers written on the biological effects of electromagnetic radiation exist. Important studies (using radiation below the standard that prevents us from cooking ourselves) show DNA damage extremely similar to that caused by X-rays and to DNA repair mechanisms. Yet we are exposing ourselves hourly and daily. Effects like cancer might take 40 years to show, but within five minutes of exposure, harmful effects on the body such as diabetes like an increase in blood sugar can be measured. In rats, very tiny amounts of non-ionizing radiation exposure causes the blood brain barrier to leak, with the neurotoxic proteins from the blood seeping in. Rat studies also show a gross abnormality of the heart muscle structure, and also gross abnormal enlargement of liver veins, after exposure for only 5 weeks to an average of 1800 MHz at a distance of 24 meters from a cell tower. (The unexposed rat group, who were on the same regime in terms of diet etc, had normal heart muscle and liver structure.)
5. Ecocide
The effects of our Wireless radiation are having a catastrophic effect on every living species. Insect numbers are plummeting in line with our wireless increase. Other species rely even more on the natural electromagnetic systems than we do. Birds, eels, rays, etc;—need to feel the natural electromagnetic field to navigate;—bees and other insects need to sense the subtle electromagnetic force of flowers to locate them at pollination. Every living organism is affected by wireless radiation.
6. Pre-eminent experts are trying to warn us about the use of wireless around pregnant women and children
Russian safety standards for the public are safer, with a 100 times lower exposure threshold than ICNIRP guidelines. This is because the organisation that sets the standards has preeminent experts on bio-electrics such as the late Prof. Yuri G. Grigoriev (who was an expert on all types of radiation, he was even helicoptered into Chernobyl to help citizens after the nuclear accident there). The Russian equivalent to the Ministry of Health, advises that children should not have cell phones until the age of eighteen. It also advises that pregnant women should not be near or use radiation devices because of the long-term and in-utero effects of radiation. An award-winning study done in Belarus shows exposure to rats during puberty harms the development of the very sexual reproduction cells that go on to become sperm and eggs. Animal studies show exposure during puberty have significant effects on the development of the reproductive organs, with mice becoming completely infertile within three generations. Rodent studies found exposures to RF radiation created effects such as hyperactivity, and memory issues in the rodents, that we label Autism and ADHD in children.
7. Your cell phone only meets safety requirements when kept at a certain distance from the head
The distance you need to keep your cell phone to keep within allowable radiation limits varies from cell phone to cell phone. It could be a centimetre, it could be 2.5 cm and the safety advice is hard to find on your phone and is sometimes even on a separate web page. Challenge yourself to find it. Note: the standards set for how much radiation we are allowed to adsorb are based on a fully grown thick-skulled male for a maximum of thirty minutes. Children's skulls are thinner so more radiation has been shown to penetrate their brains. Independent French researchers have found time and time again, that the radiation from phones is very often three times higher than the safety standards. Some phone's proximity sensors contain lasers that if damaged may cause hazardous exposure to the eyes and skin.
8. Your phone is possibly more dangerous to you than a cell tower
Exposure for 24 hours of the day from a cell tower within 50 metres of your home is a definite problem for your health. But Wi-Fi systems, cordless phones, BlueTooth systems, and mobiles will most likely expose you to more radiation than the tower because of their strength combined with proximity. When you start a call on a cell phone, the radiation produced by it, is higher in the beginning as it searches for the cell tower. If you move while using a cell phone, it needs to "handshake" with the next tower which again uses higher radiation. Keep it well away from your head until the call is answered and the radiation lowers. If you use one in a moving car or train, the radiation bounces around like a snooker ball within the equivalent of a Faraday cage. Use mobiles while standing still, outside of all metal boxes: elevators, trains, buses, and cars. Never use a phone in a car with a baby inside! Also, keep the phone away from your head until the call is answered. Better yet, save all your calls to make on a corded phone.
Keep away from cell phones while streaming or downloading. Also, exposure to very low radiation between a 1000th of a watt and 1/10 of that, opens the blood brain barrier, allowing neurotoxic proteins from your blood to get into your central nervous system. This exposure is what you would get around 150-200 metres away from a tower. This low level of exposure, you can also get from someone else's call, and when making a call, deep in the head.
While exposure in most circumstances is greatest from local and personal devices, 73% of the studies of cell tower proximity, find more negative health effects in populations living close to a cell tower versus 500 metres away from one (though very difficult to factor out of this personal device use).
9. Distance yourself from both radiation and electrical fields
Standards are based on allowing the absorption of radiation, do we even want to absorb any radiation at all? Keep your family, your pets, plants, and employees at a distance from the radiation. Store your cell phone in your bag, not in a pocket or bra, otherwise, keep it on flight mode with all Bluetooth and wireless functions off. If you look at the fine print on items like Apple watches it will tell you to keep it at a distance from the head, this is because the regulations for the head allow less absorbed radiation than at the wrist.
Keeping so-called "laptops" OFF your lap. Sleep as far from radiation sources, and electrical wiring, as possible. This includes your phone. If you have a smart meter in your house sleep as far away from it as possible. Keep your desk as far from smart meters and wireless routers as you can. If you look under our resources menu at the videos, you can see how being close to a smart meter destabilises the heart rhythms. Turn off the Wi-Fi on the router. Unfortunately, you will most likely have to do this using the internet, using the login and numbers for your router which can be found on the bottom of your router. If your bedroom is close to a cellular antenna, you are best to move.
Don't linger around machines either. The electrical fields from high voltage transmission lines, and transformers, as well as the machines we use both in the home and at work (photocopiers, drills, hair-dryers, induction cookers, etc) flow through our electrical bodies. The magnetic fields when an appliance is turned on, and the electrical field when an electrical appliance is turned off, are weak forms of energy, known as extremely low frequency or ELFs, but even these, may interfere with normal cell functions, for example, our lymphocytes (a major component of our immune system), are inhibited, when placed in strong, or prolonged, magnetic fields. Most household appliances such as coffee-makers and electric razors emit a 60-Hz field. Henry Lai and others show breakage of brain cell DNA strands in mouse studies, from a 60-Hz field and also an increase in "cell suicide" where a cell self-destructs because it cannot repair itself, this is worse with prolonged exposure. Lai says "...you shouldn't be overly alarmed ... do what you can to limit use, especially with appliances used very close to the body".
10. All wireless device use should be kept as low as reasonably achievable
This means cordless phones, wireless routers, wireless headphones, wireless hearing aids, wireless laptops, Bluetooth devices, wireless anything, should be avoided. Cabled phones and computers should be used instead. Routers need the wireless functions turned off. Headphones should be used with air tubes instead of wires to avoid directing ambient radiation to the head. If wireless devices cannot be avoided they should be turned off when not in use.
References:
1. Robert C Kane's book: Cell Phone Russian Roulette https://archive.org/details/cellular-telephone-russian-roulette-by-robert-c-kane/
Probable carcinogen: IARC report: https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr208_E.pdf
Safe ICT NZ's NZ regulations page: https://www.safeictnz.org/new-zealand-safety-standardsnew-pag
3. Microwaves explained: https://www.britannica.com/science/electromagnetic-radiation/Microwaves
4. Blood glucose: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2557071/
5. Ecocide: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36505009/
6. Yuri G Grigoriev's book: https://www.safeictnz.org/books
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18242044/
7. Video of French regarding phones not meeting safety standards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1B_H5Og0k-g
8. Health risk near towers: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20662418/
73% of studies find negative effects https://www.saferemr.com/2015/04/cell-tower-health-effects.html
Blood Brain Barrier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_WJ_aJPWIA
9. Magnetic fields: https://ehtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/CA-EMF-.pdf
10. Clear majority of studies showing effects: Summary of https://bioinitiative.org/updated-research-summaries/
Research papers discussing keeping exposure as low as possible: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6685799/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20662418/
If you would like to print a copy of this, feel free to do so using ctrl P (Holding down the control (ctrl) button on your keyboard and press P) to bring up print settings.