Industry funding skews EMF research results

Posted on October 13, 2019 by

A recent paper from Prof. David Carpenter, MD on extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (ELF EMF) from 50 to 60 Hz electricity shows that the source of funding plays a major role in study results.  Almost all industry-supported studies ‘fail to find any significant or even suggestive association’ between magnetic field exposure and childhood leukaemia.  Not surprisingly, ‘it is clear that almost all government or independent studies find either a statistically significant association between magnetic field exposure and childhood leukemia, or an elevated risk…’.

Carpenter states that ‘When one allows for bias reflected in source of funding, the evidence that magnetic fields increase risk of cancer is neither inconsistent nor inconclusive’ (SSMA emphasis).

The abstract adds that it is not just children who are at risk from exposure to magnetic fields, but also adults.  There is strong evidence for cancers in addition to leukaemia; particularly brain and breast cancer.

Highlights

  • In government-funded studies, magnetic field exposure causes childhood leukaemia.
  • In industry-funded studies, magnetic field exposure does not cause childhood leukaemia.
  • Magnetic field exposure increases risk of adult leukaemia, brain and breast cancer.
  • Steps should be taken to reduce human exposure to elevated magnetic fields.

Carpenter’s paper ‘Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields and cancer: How source of funding affects results’ can be accessed here.

ARPANSA’s position of ELF EMF

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) is described as being the Australian Government’s primary authority on radiation protection and nuclear safety.  So what might ARPANSA have to say about the link between exposure to magnetic fields and cancer?

According to ARPANSA’s webpage on electricity and health, ‘The scientific evidence does not establish that exposure to ELF EMF found around the home, the office or near powerlines and other electrical sources is a hazard to human health’.  This position appears to be yet another example of ARPANSA being blinded by industry.

Industry funding also impacts RF research study results

A research paper published in 2007, titled ‘Source of Funding and Results of Studies of Health Effects of Mobile Phone Use: Systematic Review of Experimental Studies‘, found that industry funding plays a similar role in radiofrequency EMF study results.  It concluded that ‘The interpretation of results from studies of health effects of radiofrequency radiation should take sponsorship into account’.

Further resources concerning industry influence on EMF science:

                       

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Event | 5G and EMFs – What We Need to Know

Posted on October 5, 2019 by

Stop Smart Meters Australia is delighted to have healthy home expert, Nicole Bijlsma, as our guest speaker for this event.

3 pm – 4.30 pm

Saturday 19th October

West Preston Baptist Church Hall

108 Cramer Street, Preston (Melbourne)

Google map
Stop 42 on Tram 11 (West Preston / Victoria Harbour Docklands)

 

Agenda

Please arrive 5 minutes before the starting time.

3.00 pm           5G and EMFs – What We Need to Know

3.45 pm           Question time

4.30 pm           Close

Nicole Bijlsma is a building biologist, bestselling author, PhD candidate and CEO of the Australian College of Environmental Studies, which she established in 1999 to educate people about the health hazards in the built environment.  Nicole is a former naturopath and acupuncturist, has lectured at tertiary institutions for 30 years, has published in peer reviewed journals, has written extensively for Body+Soul newspaper (Herald Sun), is regularly consulted by the media to discuss mould, electromagnetic fields (EMF) and toxic chemicals, and lectures in Australia and abroad about environmental health issues.  Nicole has been interviewed on every major television network (Sunrise, TODAY show, 7PM Project, Channel 7 news, The Circle etc.) and on numerous radio stations.

Note for SSMA members:  Our AGM will precede Nicole’s talk.  You should have already received details about this via mail or email.  If not, please contact SSMA.

Invite your family and friends

Non-SSMA members – entry by donation

This event is mobile phone-free
Please leave your phone in your car or turned off

 

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Britain’s £13.5bn smart meters FIASCO: Power firms’ costly digital roll-out is delayed by FOUR years as millions of devices are plagued by glitches

Posted on September 24, 2019 by

The rollout of smart meters has been delayed by four years, [British] ministers admitted last night.

In an embarrassing climbdown, they announced that families will now have until 2024 to install one of the devices.

The scheme has been so shambolic that only around half of homes will have a smart meter by the original 2020 deadline and the estimated cost has soared by £2.5 billion to £13.5 billion [AUD$24.8 billion].

Only two million of the 15 million properties with the devices have models that automatically allow customers to switch supplier.

Customers can refuse to have a smart meter, but firms face fines if they have not done enough to promote the devices. This has led to concerns that energy giants have resorted to ‘blackmail’.

Aggressive practices include limiting the best tariffs to those with smart meters. Households have complained of technical issues, with many saying their device had stopped working after switching supplier. Another common issue is broken display screens, which show customers their usage rates.

The Government initially said every household and business must have a smart meter by 2020. But it quietly backtracked on that pledge in the 2017 Queen’s Speech by saying the meters needed only to be ‘offered’ by that time.

The delay shows the Government has ‘finally recognised reality’, according to Gillian Guy of Citizens Advice. Mrs Guy added: ‘We’ve seen some energy companies use aggressive techniques to try to persuade people to have smart meters fitted as soon as possible to meet the existing timeline. We are pleased the Government is extending the deadline.’

‘It’s also apparent the cost of the rollout is escalating, and the public are picking up the tab through their energy bills.’

Abridged from the Daily Mail.

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Smart meter fires and electrical problems

Posted on September 17, 2019 by

California-based investigative writer, Nina Beety, recently released a 50-page overview on electrical hazards associated with digital utility meters.  Her extensively referenced document points out the many ways that smart meters can malfunction – sometimes with catastrophic consequences.  Meters have exploded and have caused fires and they have likely contributed to the severity of other fires.  Some of the fires have resulted in the deaths of people and their pets.

The inanity of placing a device which is packed with circuit boards outdoors, and exposed to the elements, is highlighted.  The electronics can overheat.  The meters are light and don’t dissipate heat as well as electromechanical meters.  Moisture can be the trigger which causes smart meter fires.

Small electronic parts can’t handle high intensity voltage surges.  Remotely turning on and turning off power can cause meters to combust.  The switch-mode power supply creates high frequency transients.

High frequency wireless radiation from mesh-networked smart meters causes molecules to change polarity 1.8 billion times per second.  The polarity change may be even higher for 3G smart meters.  This causes vibration at a molecular level to building materials, metal and in the body.  Near-field exposure can also cause metal fatigue and rapid non-oxidative corrosion due to electron-stripping.

To top this off, the location of the meter itself presents challenges because fires often start outside the house, at the meter box, and can’t be detected by smoke alarms.  Nevada fire chief Tom Garrison is reported as saying of a smart meter blaze “It can burn a long time and enter the attic or the walls.  The occupants inside may not even be aware the house is on fire.”  And even if fire crews have arrived on the scene, another obstacle presents itself: authorised personnel may be needed to disconnect the electricity at the pole if the meter fire makes it impossible to access the fuse box switch.

Studies have also shown that trees near radiofrequency-emitters can show significant stress.  Trees produce terpenes when they are stressed or injured.  These volatile oils create a more flammable environment.  The infrastructure required for smart meters (towers and, in the case of mesh networks, access points), along with the meters themselves, may be helping to create a perfect storm in our hot, dry summers.

Water and gas smart meters also aren’t safe from the threat of fires and explosions. The lithium batteries which power them are very flammable to water, as well as overheating, which can cause them to explode.

As Nina Beety concludes, “The most preventable fire hazard in every community may be smart/digital utility meters”.

Access “Overview: Fire and Electrical Hazards from ‘Smart’, Wireless, PLC, and Digital Utility Meters” here.

 

Previous posts that SSMA has done on smart meter fire issues include:

Where there’s smoke …there’s a ‘smart’ meter

Kansas City smart meter fires

Can smart meters cause house fires?

More smart meter fires

Energy supplier denies blame for house fire – The Age

Boy saves family from house fire – Neoskosmos

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Petition | Recognise microwave & electrical illness as a functional impairment in Australia

Posted on September 5, 2019 by

Radiation Refuge Foundation Ltd, a charitable organisation which acts as a support organisation for people affected by electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS), started this petition to the Australian Human Rights Commission and Department of Health.

The petition calls for:
• A national inquiry into human rights issues surrounding the rapid increase in the population’s exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
• The inquiry to be used as a basis for informing policy.
• The Department of Health to assume responsibility to develop and promote policies which assist people with these illnesses and disabilities to participate in the workforce.
• Medical personnel to be trained to treat these illnesses, but still recognising that the underlying cause remains the environment.
• The transition to wireless to be reduced as much as possible and wired communications encouraged. Copper landlines be saved.
• A low EMF zone to be created for people affected by EHS.

To read the petition in full and sign, go here.                   

 

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Electromagnetic radiation overload!

Posted on August 25, 2019 by

To add to the electromagnetic radiation continuously pulsed by smart meters 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, thousands of 5G mobile phone bases are being installed outside Australian homes without residents’ approval.

Policymakers worldwide are taking action due to the growing awareness of the health impact of 4G/5G densification.  Yet in Australia, the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) insists that 5G is safe!

Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) chief executive Teresa Corbin has been reported as saying that residents should have the right to reject the equipment.  She said “There’s going to be a lot of these base stations and if one’s installed within a few feet of someone’s window, it shouldn’t just happen automatically”.

 

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New research shows that over a quarter of Australians are concerned about the health risks of 5G technology

Posted on August 21, 2019 by

Roy Morgan, Australia’s largest independent research company, interviewed a cross-section of 626 Australians aged 18+ in late June 2019.  Respondents were asked “Have you heard of 5G technology for mobile phone and internet services?” and those that were aware were then told “4G is the current technology used for mobile phone and mobile internet services. 5G technology is the next upgrade” and asked whether they agreed or disagreed with a series of attitude statements.

Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan, says the survey shows that “while over 9-in-10 Australians are aware of 5G technology only around a quarter of Australians aware of 5G (28.7%) are ready to switch mobile phone or internet providers to get 5G today”.

She also pointed out that issues raised by Australians include potential health concerns, with 26.1% agreeing with the statement that “I’m concerned about the health risks of 5G technology”.  Another 20.6% of respondents are concerned about data security and agreed with the statement that “I worry that changing to 5G will increase the risk to my data security”.

To view Roy Morgan’s full press release, go to:
 Australians need convincing on the benefits of 5G technology

To download the report as a PDF, go here.

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