Naples parents protest cell phone tower at elementary school

NORTH NAPLES, Fla - Controversy over cell phone towers at school. A group of parents at Naples Park Elementary are fighting to keep the tower off school property and away from their kids. 

"I was shocked," says parent Kimberly Dunn of learning a cell phone tower may go up at her son's school. 

Stephanie Lucarelli will have two kids at Naples Park next school year. Afraid of the health effects a cell phone tower could have on her children she started an online petition. 

"We feel we don't know enough about the radiation coming from a cell phone tower to know whether or not 10-20 years from now our kids are going to see any health effects from this," says Lucarelli. 

Currently the School District has three cell phone towers. One at Lely High School and two at Naples High School. Together the district receives more than $58,000 from the three towers. 

"There's no monetary amount you could give us to expose our children to the chance of getting some childhood illness," says Lucarelli. 

According to the FCC, "there is no reason to believe that such towers could constitute a potential health hazard to nearby residents or students. 

Still, Kimberly Dunn isn't taking any chances. For her, this fight is personal and one she plans to continue until her voice is heard. 

"Spreading the word, spreading the information. It's going to be tough during the summer because school is out, says Dunn. "I feel it's going to be an uphill battle, but the more we speak up. It's our children."

A district spokesperson says staff will meet with parents in the fall to receive additional input before deciding on how to proceed.

Source: http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2013-06-17/Naples-parents-protest-cell-phone-tower-at-elementary-school#.UcUzeBZQSoV

FCC seeks comments on wireless risks

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oversees the “safety guidelines” for public exposure to radio frequency (RF) radiation (wireless) from a myriad of common devices now in use in many homes and communities.  Industry routinely points to these guidelines as proof of safety, however they were only designed to protect from thermal harm, and only for thirty minutes of exposure.

A majority of wireless devices, (cordless phones, cell phones, cell towers, wi-fi routers, baby monitors, smart meters and more) constantly emit RF radiation, 24/7.

The FCC says it’s now taking another look at their guidelines, (See FCC proposal) These guidelines were created in 1996 and they have not been reassessed since then. They also state they “have confidence in the current exposure limits and notes that more recent international standards have a similar basis.”

Phillip Janquart of Courthouse News Service recently wrote an article on this issue and he recognized the BioInitiative 2012 Report, “with over 1800 new scientific studies, indicating current guidelines are inadequate to protect the public from physical harm, which warns that cell phone users, pregnant women and young children are at particular risk.”  He further noted the following:

“There is a consistent pattern of increased risk for glioma (a malignant brain tumor) and acoustic neuroma (a tumor near the ear) with use of mobile and cordless phones. Epidemiological evidence shows that radiofrequency should be classified as a human carcinogen,” Dr. Lennart Hardell, of Orebro University in Sweden.

New studies also purportedly link phone radiation to sperm damage, according to the BioInitiative report.

“Even a cell phone in the pocket or on a belt may harm sperm DNA, result in misshapen sperm, and impair fertility in men. Laptop computers with wireless Internet connections can damage DNA in sperm,” according to the BioInitiative report.

The report added there is “strong evidence” that EMFs can increase the risk for autism and alter brain development of fetuses.

“This has been linked to both animal and human studies to hyperactivity, learning and behavior problems,” according to the BioInitiative report.

Dr. David O. Carpenter, co-author of the BioInitiative report, said “there is now much more evidence of risks to health affecting billions of people world-wide. The status quo is not acceptable in light of the evidence for harm.”

* * * * *

The FCC does not want to impose an “undue burden on industry”, but is seeking comments on whether the limits should be “more restrictive, less restrictive or remain the same,” but purely as a matter of “good government.”

Obama pitches plan to bring broadband and WiFi to all schools

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — President Obama journeyed to a high-tech middle school  to announce plans to expand broadband and wireless Internet access to each of the nation’s schools and libraries.

Lamenting that the United States had fallen far behind rivals such as South Korea in connectivity, Obama said a new initiative called ConnectED would connect 99 percent of the nation’s students with high-speed Internet within five years.

“In a country where we expect free WiFi with our coffee, why shouldn’t we have it in our schools?” Obama said in a speech at Mooresville Middle School here. He added, “We can’t be stuck in the 19th century when we’re living in a 21st-century economy.”

Obama said he envisions digital learning in classrooms nationwide and hailed Mooresville Middle School — where every student here now has a laptop — as a national model.

Obama was decidedly upbeat as he escaped scandal-obsessed Washington for this suburb of Charlotte, the host city for his 2012 Democratic National Convention. He said he was encouraged to visit at the end of the school year because “everybody’s in a good mood.”

Addressing a few hundred people who had been waiting on their feet in a hot and steamy gymnasium for more than an hour, Obama volunteered some advice: “Bend your knees a little bit when you’re standing,” he said. “I’m just giving you a tip so you don’t faint, which happens all the time, and it’s really embarrassing.”

By the end of his remarks, though, two people appeared to have fainted and required medical attention.

Spotted among the crowd of students, educators and political supporters was actress Claire Danes, who has been shooting season three of the Showtime drama “Homeland” in Charlotte. Danes sat in the front row of a VIP section, and when Obama saw her on the rope line he kissed her on the cheek.

Obama’s broadband plan is among several executive actions he has taken in recent months that are designed to help stimulate the economy. Mooresville is the third stop on Obama’s “Middle Class Jobs & Opportunity Tour,” which he launched last month with visits to Austin and Baltimore.

Obama called on the Federal Communications Commission to use its existing E-Rate program, which is funded through a surcharge on telephone bills, to help advance the broadband goal. He also instructed other parts of the federal government to redirect resources toward classroom technology and teacher training.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-pitches-plan-to-bring-broadband-and-wifi-to-all-schools/2013/06/06/d0c8779e-cebb-11e2-8845-d970ccb04497_story.html

The negative health effects of Tetra

Tetra appears to have the same negative health effects as other radio frequency radiations like mobile phones and wi-fi.  Below are a number of accounts from police officers who use Tetra on a daily basis and speak candidly about their experiences.

"I am a serving officer using Sepura Airwave. In January 07 I got an infection in my mouth which then became an ulcer. The ulcer would not clear and a biopsy showed oral cancer. I have undergone an operation and had it removed. The site is adjacent to where the aerial of the radio sits when I am wearing it. None of my consultants or doctors has discounted Airwave as a possible cause of my cancer."PM, Lancs

"[A friend of mine] has had a visit from a police officer, as the house next door had been kicked in. He made her face burn with his TETRA handset, and had to switch it off. A nurse who was visiting at the time witnessed this and spoke to me on the phone to tell me what she had seen. [My friend] has asked for the police report about this. She was a radar operator who took ill while staying at the last house at the runway at Leuchers [Scottish RAF base] and nearly died.When she goes near a TETRA mast her blood pressure goes up to over 220 from a normal reading. She has a medical implant. Just think of the effect on someone with a pacemaker in the same situation."CG, Fife

"I have been using police TETRA radio system for several years. I have suffered burning hot ears (the ear that I have my radio earpiece in) and hotness to that side of my face. I have also suffered headaches and dizziness and fatigue, usually after a long shift using my radio. I am very concerned, but I have to pay the bills. I fear we are heading to an epidemic of health problem related to TETRA."Dominic, Bristol

"I am a Health & Safety rep. for my Police Force and we are apparently seeing a significant rise in the number of our officers suffering from various forms of cancer. I am obviously concerned about this and would like to know what current information you may have on this subject (maybe contact from other officers?)"H&S rep., Sussex

"I am a Police officer of 22 years with Derbyshire Constabulary. We were one of the first forces to be supplied with the new TETRA Airwave communications system. Shortly after the system was implimented (everything changed to Tetra at once, all analogue communications from UHF/VHF), myself and a CONSIDERABLE number of colleagues, suffered, and continue to suffer, adverse affects, namely headaches, depression, and ringing (pulsing) in the ear.Unfortunately, the health risks are no stranger to the average bobby on the street, we are just not encouraged to talk about it. On a closing note, you may be interested to look at Police Officer Attendance records, and sicknesses since Tetra was implemented in various constabularies."ANON Detective Constable, Derbyshire Constabulary

"Unfortunately, the health risks are no stranger to the average bobby on the street, we are just not encouraged to talk about it. On a closing note, you may be interested to look at Police Officer Attendance records, and sicknesses since Tetra was implemented in various constabularies."ANON Detective Constable, Derbyshire Constabulary

"I am a Crime Scene Examiner for Lancashire Police - who as you will know were the first to use Tetra. We are concerned about the health risks since implementation but getting anything done about it is extremely difficult. We believe we are even more vulnerable to the effects as we use our own vehicles and not police vehicles - no hands-free or external aerial. There are [...] of us based in [...] and (all but one) of us are suffering from symptoms ranging from headaches/toothache/neuralgia to high blood pressure, and even a cancerous tumour in the throat. It is the tumour which has finally been the last straw and today we have refused to use them in our vehicles and at scenes (we use metallic fingerprint powders). We are a group of people who love our job and we are not ‘trouble-makers’ - but we are genuine in our belief that these radios are killing us."Anon, Lancashire

Special thanks to tetrawatch.net for the quotes used in this article. 

Cell phone radiation - Can we protect ourselves?

There are 5 billion mobile phones in the world. Many people, especially the young, use mobile phones without taking into account the alleged potential health risks involved. But since last May the International Agency for Research on Cancer has been giving clear warnings about a possible causal relationship between mobile phone use and a malignant type of brain cancer: the glioma.

WiFi in Schools is Safe. True or False?

Dr. Magda Havas simplifies the engineering behind Electro Magnetic Fields and dispels the myths of safety that have been misleadingly created by our Governments and Technology experts.

Dr. Havas is an associate professor of Environmental & Resource Studies at Trent University where she teaches and does research on the biological effects of environmental contaminants. Her research deals with the health effects of non-ionizing electromagnetic energy at the extremely low frequency range associated with electricity (60 Hertz) and at the radio frequency range commonly associated with wireless telecommunication. Dr. Havas is particularly interested in monitoring exposure of the population in urban centres to radio frequency radiation and power-frequency fields. She is the author of numerous works on the subject. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, completed Post-Doctoral research at Cornell University, and taught at the University of Toronto before going to Trent University in Peterborough, Canada.

Source: http://www.emftransformation.com/