RECENT ACTIONS/STATEMENTS BY INTERNATIONAL BODIES

June 2011: The World Health Organization (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) acknowledged that using cell phones may be hazardous to your health.

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.

May 2011: 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.

April 2011: 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

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

April 2010: 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".

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

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 schoolls
  • 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
  • Israel: (September, 2010) moratorium on cell towers, total ban on towers on residences
  • California CPUC: (1993) advised against putting them on or around schools or hospitals
  • Los Angeles County Board of Examiners: no cell towers on school property or adjacent to them per resolution
  • Russia: not supposed to be near schools
  • Panama: tower companies must colocate equipment
  • EU: (2009) no transmitters near schools, hospitals, or old-age facilities recommended
  • International Association of Firefighters (IAFF): (2004) resolution opposing towers at firehouses
  • US: Federal court of appeals ordered FCC to examine potential adverse effects of towers on migrating birds (not on humans, however)

Smart Meters

  • 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 moratoriums
  • US - California: moratorium on smart meters in Marin County (passed in January, 2011), then Sonoma and Mendocino Counties, Fairfax, Capitola, Rio Dell, Watsonville.
    In Process: Counties: Humboldt, Lake, San Fran, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, Tehama; Towns: Arcata, Belvedere, Berkeley, Blue Lake, Bolinas, Camp Meeker, Clear Lake, Cotati, Ft. Bragg, Grover Beach, Lakeport, Mill Valley, Monterey, Monte Sereno, Morro Bay, Novato, Pacific Grove, Piedmont, Richmond, Ross, San Anselmo, San Rafael, Santa Cruz, Sausalito, Scott's Valley, Seaside, Sebastopol, Willits; Tribal Areas: Big Valley Rancheria/Tribal community of Pomo Indians

Cell Phones

  • U.S. - San Francisco: radiation disclosure @ pt. of sale
  • U.S. - University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center: memo to staff advising restricted us
  • U.S. - Philadelphia: resolution and pending legislative proposal
  • U.S.- Oregon and Maine: cell phone warning label legislation proposed
  • France: text only versions mandated, no marketing to young kids, phones off in elementary schools
  • Russia: advisory- not before 18
  • 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
  • Israel: limit kids' cell phone use
  • Finland: limit kids' cell phone use
  • Belgium - Belgian Cancer Foundation: limit use in car or train b/c signal is magnified in enclosed space