World

RECENT ACTIONS/STATEMENTS BY INTERNATIONAL BODIES

2014 (August): DC Superior Court allows expert testimony re: cell phones causing brain tumors.

2014 (April): Israeli Supreme court issues conditional injunction against the use of Wi-Fi in schools

2013: France bans Wi-Fi in daycares; legislature states need to provide accessibility in public to those sensitive to microwave radiation

2013 (August): Israel restricts number of hours per day students can be exposed to Wi-Fi

2012 (June): The Swedish Parliament finds that inaccessibility=discrimination.  People with EHS/ES should be able to file lawsuits if they can’t get into a Wi-Fi’ed building if proposal is approved by the government

2011 (September):  A Spanish Court recognizes electro-hypersensitivity as a permanent disability and awards a college professor full pay for his condition.

2011 (May): The World Health Organization (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declares radiofrequency radiation a Class 2b carcinogen.

2011 (May): The Council of Europe concluded that immediate action was required to protect children from wireless devices and transmitters and called for clear labeling of wireless products, bans on cell phones and Wi-Fi networks in schools and classrooms, and public information campaigns.

2011 (April): The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reported that 50 minutes of cell phone use causes the brain to rapidly uptake glucose in an area linked with judgment and impulse control.

2011 (April): The US Supreme Court asked the US government to file a brief in ongoing cell phone litigation — a de facto invitation to the feds to answer what they knew when about the dangers of cell phones.

The Council of Europe concluded that immediate action was required to protect children from wireless devices and transmitters and called for  clear labeling of wireless products, bans on cell phones and Wi-Fi networks in schools and classrooms, and public information campaigns.

2011 (March): Israel puts a moratorium on 4G network citing public health concerns.

2010 (May): The WHO INTERPHONE report linked cell phone use with a doubling of gliomas (a type of malignant brain tumor).

2010 (April): The Presidential Cancer Panel named wireless technologies as “potential causes of cancer that demand further research and precaution” and cited the need to protect children “who are far more susceptible to damage from environmental carcinogens”.

2009 (April): The European Union calls for wireless transmitters to be kept away from schools, retirement homes, hospitals and religious institutions.

2007: European Environmental Agency, (EEA) calls for immediate action to reduce exposure to radiation from Wi-Fi, mobile phones and their masts, likening the problem to smoking and asbestos.

2001: Sweden recognizes electro-hypersensitivity as a functional impairment.

2001: The World Health Organization (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) categorized ELF (extra-low frequency) electromagnetic radiation as a 2B carcinogen.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ACTIONS ON WIRELESS
INFRASTRUCTURE AND DEVICES

Wi-Fi

  • France: OUT of France National Library, replaced with hard-wired systems
  • France: Paris- call for study on health effects
  • France: Herouville St. Clair, Normandy- no Wi-Fi in schools or government buildings
  • Germany: Office of Radiation Protection- urges all citizens “don’t put it in”; Frankfurt schools- no Wi-Fi
  • Austria: not allowed in Salzburg schools
  • Austria: Austria medical association- suggests ban in schools
  • Canada: Lakehead University-no Wi-Fi
  • Canada: Thorold- 1 year pilot project on city-wide Wi-Fi cancelled
  • UK Health Protection Agency: precaution about putting it in schools
  • UK Professional Association of Teachers: no wi-fi in schools
  • UK Association of Teachers and Lecturers: called for government investigation into bio and thermal effects of Wi-Fi
  • UK-Wales: Carmarthenshire- Wi-Fi out of schools
  • US – Progressive Librarians Guild: use precautionary principle
  • US – Sebastapol, CA: terminates contract for city-wide Wi-Fi (Wi-Max) citing precautionary principle
  • Malaysia – Penang: will consult with public and non-governmental organizations on possible health risks
  • Spain: Ecologists in Action, calls for stricter control over the levels of emission/absorption of Wi-Fi antennae and systems
  • Switzerland: Government offers state-of-the-art fiber optic system so students can learn in a microwave-free environment

Cell Towers

  • Los Angeles County Board of Education:  no cell towers on school property or adjacent to them per resolution
  • US: school districts ordering cell tower construction away from schools (including but not limited to Palm Beach County, LA County and Hempstead, NY)
  • Russia: not supposed to be near schools
  • California CPUC: (1993) advised against putting them on or around schools or hospitals
  • American Bird Conservancy and Forest Conservation Council: (2003) Bought a lawsuit vs. the FCC because migratory birds were being disoriented by radiation and crashing into cell towers
  • US: (2008) Federal court of appeals ordered FCC to examine potential adverse effects of towers on migrating birds (not on humans, however)
  • Italy: (2010) Vatican Radio Transmitters were found to pose a cancer risk by a court-ordered report prepared by Italy’s most prestigious cancer research hospital
  • Panama: (2008) tower companies must co-locate equipment
  • Taiwan: (2008) removes cell towers from schools and residential areas
  • EU: (2009) no transmitters near schools, hospitals, or old-age facilities recommended
  • International Association of Firefighters (IAFF): (2004) resolution opposing towers at firehouses
  • Israel: (September, 2010) moratorium on cell towers, total ban on towers on residences
  • Israel: (2011) Moratorium on 4G network; (September, 2010) moratorium on cell towers, total ban on towers on residences

Smart Meters

  • US – California: moratorium on smart meters in Marin County, Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt, Lake, San Francisco, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Tehama and Ventura Counties; Cities of Arcata, Belvedere, Berkeley, Blue Lake, Bolinas, Buellton, Calabasas, Camp Meeker, Capitola, Carpinteria, Clearlake, Cotati, Fairfax (uses police power to prevent their installation), Ft. Bragg, Goleta, Grover Beach, Lakeport, Marina, Mill Valley, Monterey, Monte Sereno, Morro Bay, Mount Shasta, Novato, Ojai, Pacific Grove, Palo Alto,  Piedmont, Richmond, Rio Dell, Ross, San Anselmo, San Rafael, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Sausalito, Scott’s Valley, Seaside, Sebastopol (uses police power to prevent their installation), Simi Valley, Solvang, Thousand Oaks, Watsonville, Willits; Tribal Areas: Big Valley Rancheria/Tribal community of Pomo Indians (note, these moratoria have not necessarily been followed by the utilities servicing these jurisdictions)
  • US – California: California Public Utilities Commission enacts a Smart Meter Opt-Out for Ratepayers
  • US Florida: Indian River County- wireless smart meter moratorium
  • US – New Mexico: gas utility allows self read option (customers can opt-in for a no-microwave option)
  • US – Maine-Scarborough, Cape Elizabeth, Sanford, Bath: 3 month moratoria on wireless smart meters
  • US – Vermont – 2012 Bennington, Sandgate, Dorset and Manchester pass resolutions against smart meters. 
  • US – Vermont – 2012 Legislative Session enacts no-fee Smart Meter Opt Out for any ratepayer for any reason.
  • US – Maryland: interim ratepayer opt-out until Public Service Commission rules on issue
  • US–American Association of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) recommends wired technology (not wireless)
  • US-Nevada: opt-outs for smart meter granted by Public Utilities Commission for an initial installation dn monthly maintenance fee

Cell Phones

  • CELL PHONES: JURISDICTIONS/Institutions THAT WARN ABOUT OR RESTRICT THEM
    • U.S. – San Francisco: disclosure of radiofrequency radiation at point of sale with tips on how to  reduce cell phone use (under injunction)
    • U.S. – University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center: memo to staff advising restricted us
    • U.S. – Philadelphia: resolution and pending legislative proposal
    • U.S. – Pembroke Pines, Fl: precautionary warning on cell phone use
    • U.S. – Oregon and Maine: cell phone warning label legislation proposed
    • US.- FDA signed Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with industry; ensuing research conducted by industry found double strand DNA breaks, acoustic neuromas and cell micronucleation, but no public warning was issued.
    • France: text only versions mandated, no marketing to young kids, phones off in elementary schools
    • Russia: advisory- not before 18
    • Australia: limit use by children
    • Canada: limit use by children
    • Canada, Toronto: limit use by children and teens
    • UK: limit use by children under 16
    • India: limit for use under 16, ban on use of children and pregnant women in cell phone advertising
    • India – Karnatka, Madhya Pradesh States: cell phones are banned in schools
    • Israel: limit kids’ cell phone use, avoidance of cellular communication in enclosed places like elevators and trains; use of wired, not wireless, earpieces; and use of wired, not cordless phones at home.
    • Finland: limit kids’ cell phone use
    • Spain – Basque Parliament: calls for campaign against kids’ excessive use
    • Austria- Salzburg: health department bans DECT phones in schools
    • Austria-Medical Association: recommends against Wi-Fi in schools
    • Belgium – Belgian Cancer Foundation: limit use in car or train b/c signal is magnified in enclosed space
    • Germany: Interdisciplinary Society for Environmental Medicine (3000 physicians in Germany)recommends banning cell phones and cordless phones in preschools, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, events halls, public buildings and vehicles.
    • Korea and Japan, (a couple jurisdictions),Tajikistan: bans for educational purposes (radiation not necessarily sited as the reason