A snapshot of living with Environmental Sensitivities in Australia in 2019

Posted on December 8, 2019 by

Dr Sharyn Martin’s latest report meticulously analyses data collected from people who have registered their environmental sensitivities with the Australian National Register for Environmental Sensitivities (ANRES).  Environmental Sensitivities (ES) describes a variety of reactions to chemicals, electromagnetic fields and other environmental factors.

ANRES’s goal is to create an independent national register that provides Australian prevalence data on environmental sensitivities, to assist in gaining recognition of ES as a disability and facilitate moving forward with issues such as access to medical and disability services.  Statistics are needed for reform, particularly at a political level, and provide an essential first step in gaining recognition of environmental sensitivities.

Section 1.0 of the report’s introduction states that:

“The results from the ANRES register shows that people with Environmental Sensitivities have a number of co-morbid diseases and have significant hardships and disabilities that occur in all aspects of their lives. These disabilities are, apart from ill health symptoms, an inability to earn an income, inability to find safe and affordable housing, inability to socialise and function in society particularly in public areas where chemicals and EMFs are prevalent.

For those with Environmental Sensitivity institutional denial and stigma have become a barrier to medical care, employment, education etc. This is a major ongoing and developing crisis for those with these conditions. These conditions lead to a reduced quality of life and often result in a loss of employment and consequent poverty, possible homelessness, isolation and exclusion from society.

The lack of consensus amongst the medical profession on the diagnostic criteria for these conditions means that many people do not have a diagnosis and so their condition/s are not included in health surveys or hospital records and therefore there is no evidence of their presence in the community. Environmental Sensitivities have far reaching implications if left undiagnosed and untreated. It not only affects the health of the individual, it also affects that person’s lifestyle, family situation, financial situation, ability to socialise, ability to support oneself or family, and their ability to access and utilise facilities such as hospitals, schools, libraries, shopping centres, health care facilities etc. Add to this is the millions of dollars in lost productivity to society.

Many people are suffering hardships and continue to be ignored because there is no evidence that they exist, and there are people in the community with symptoms of these conditions who are not diagnosed and do not know what is causing their chronic ill health and continue to be exposed to triggers and develop more sensitivity.

The Australian National Register for Environmental Sensitivities (ANRES) want to show the Australian Government, employees and Health Services that there are Australians from all around the country suffering from these conditions. We need Environmental Sensitivities to be recognised as a disability and facilitate moving forward with issues such as access to medical and disability services for people with Environmental Sensitivities.”

To access the 27-page report, go to https://anres.org/2019-anres-data-update/

If you would like to join ANRES, in order to register your sensitivities on the ANRES register and therefore contribute to this important project, go to https://anres.org/   Note that persons who register on this site are not individually identified.

Posted in Environmental Sensitivities | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Why aren’t more climate change activists fighting 5G?

Posted on December 2, 2019 by

While most climate change activists are focused on limiting emissions from the automotive, aviation and energy sectors, it’s the communications industry that is on track to generate more carbon emissions than all of the aforementioned sectors.

In 2016, it was reported that the world’s data centres used more than Britain’s total electricity consumption – 416.2 terawatt hours, significantly higher than the UK’s 300 terawatt hours. At three percent of the global electricity supply and accounting for about two percent of total greenhouse gas emissions, data centres have the same carbon footprint as the aviation industry.

Recent predictions state that the energy consumption of data centres is set to account for 3.2 percent of the total worldwide carbon emissions by 2025 and they could consume no less than a fifth of global electricity [SSMA emphasis]. By 2040, storing digital data is set to create 14 percent of the world’s emissions, around the same proportion as the US does today.

Current statistics show that only half of the world’s population is connected to the internet and therefore contributing to this data deluge. Despite this, IDC noted that the number of data centres worldwide has grown from 500,000 in 2012 to more than 8 million today. The amount of energy used by data centres continues to double every four years, meaning they have the fastest-growing carbon footprint of any area within the IT sector.

The launch of 5G, the new wave of IoT devices, and a thriving cryptocurrency scene will only compound the problem. As more devices become connected more data will need to be processed than ever before.

Abridged from Computerworld: Why data centres are the new frontier in the fight against climate change by Charlotte Trueman.

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Science and Wireless 2019 | Monday, 2nd December

Posted on November 12, 2019 by

The Australian Centre for Electromagnetic Bioeffects Research and Swinburne University of Technology are hosting this year’s Science and Wireless at Swinburne University, Melbourne.

The event is free, but registration is required.  Note that attendees with questions for the Public Forum have been asked to submit these in advance.

The event organisers write:

“Hear from world experts on the new 5th generation of mobile communication technology (5G), as well as the new ICNIRP guidelines on limiting electromagnetic fields.

This year’s event is divided into two parts:
Technical Lecture: ICNIRP GUIDELINES
Public Forum: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT 5G

Note that the technical nature of the presentation in ‘Part 1’ will make it more suitable for professionals working in the area, but anyone is welcome to attend. The ‘Part 2’ presentations have been tailored to those who do not have background knowledge in this area. In both cases, there will be plenty of time allocated to answer any questions that you may have.

Part 1: Technical Lecture – ICNIRP Guidelines
From 4:10 pm a technical lecture will focus on the ‘New ICNIRP Guidelines for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields (100 kHz to 300 GHz)’ presented by Rodney Croft (ICNIRP Radiofrequency Guidelines Chair; ACEBR, University of Wollongong), followed by a discussion.
WHEN: Monday 2nd December 2019, 4:10 – 5:15pm (registration from 3:45)
WHERE: Lecture Theatre BA201 (ground floor), Business & Arts Building, Swinburne University of Technology, John St, Hawthorn VIC 3122

Part 2: Public Forum – Everything You Need to Know About 5G
From 6 pm the public forum ‘Everything You Need to Know About 5G’ will cover: What is 5G? / What research has been done on 5G? / Will 5G lead to higher exposures? / Is 5G harmful? / What do we know about mobile phones and cancer? / Can I be allergic or sensitive to mobile phone radiation? / Do national and international safety guidelines cover 5G? / What are the benefits of 5G?
WHEN: Monday 2nd December 2019, 6:00 – 8:00pm (welcome and registration from 5:30pm)
WHERE: Lecture Theatre BA201 (ground floor), Business & Arts Building, Swinburne University of Technology, John St, Hawthorn VIC 3122

Questions at the Public Forum: There will be lots of time for questions at the Public Forum, but please note that questions will need to be submitted in advance to enable us to cover as many issues as possible. Further information about this is provided in the registration process.

How to Register: Depending on whether you’d like to attend one or both events, please go to one of the following links to register:

Part 1: Technical Lecture – ICNIRP Guidelines

Part 2: Public Forum – Everything You Need to Know About 5G

For both parts

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at acebr-info@uow.edu.au

We look forward to seeing you in Melbourne!

Kind regards

ACEBR & Swinburne University”

Science and Wireless Program 
Swinburne Campus Map 

 

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Danish legal opinion concludes 5G contravenes human and environmental laws

Posted on November 4, 2019 by

Attorney-at-law Christian Jensen, of Bonnor Lawyers in Denmark, examined potential health damages and risks of 5G in relation to human rights and environmental conventions.

The legal opinion is centred around results that have positively documented actual damages or risks to humans, animals and plants.  Jensen points out that this research is “inherently of much greater significance than examinations which have been incapable of identifying a damage or risk thereof, since the latter group does not in itself exclude the possibility that there exist real damage or risks”.

He explains that “If it has on one occasion defensibly been scientifically proven that there is a damaging effect or risk of damage, then the fact that ten other defensible trials did not show such an effect or risk is irrelevant.  It is then merely up to the scientific community to clarify why the ten defensible trials did not show what is scientifically proven, in order to better understand why and how the damages occur or could occur”.

In his final remarks, on page 64 of the 75-page document, Jensen states that:

“It is the conclusion of this legal opinion that establishing and activating a 5G-network, as it is currently described,  would  be  in  contravention  of  current  human  and  environmental  laws enshrined in the European Convention on Human Rights, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, EU regulations, and the Bern- and Bonn-conventions.  

The reason is the very significant body of scientific documentation available, showing that radiofrequent electromagnetic radiation is harmful and dangerous to the health of humans (particularly children), animals and plants.  

This also applies when the radiation remains within the limits recommended by ICNIRP and currently used in Denmark as well as broadly within the EU.”

The legal opinion was provided at the request of the Danish Institute for Public Health, the Council for Health-Safe Telecommunications, the EHS-association and the Danish Health Association May Day.

This opinion is also relevant to Australia.  Australia is a signatory to both the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Bonn convention (also known as the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals).  European Union directives don’t apply in Australia; however, decisions made by the European Court of Human Rights, which has responsibility for monitoring compliance with the rights and freedoms set out by the European Convention on Human Rights, influence the development of human rights law in Australia.

Access the Danish legal opinion document here.  

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Event | EMR & Law, Melbourne, 26 October 2019

Posted on October 20, 2019 by

Hear world renowned Barrister Ray Broomhall speak about his process applied successfully to halt 4G/5G mobile phone towers.

Ray specialises in extremely complex matters and has repute for his lateral thinking and for finding solutions outside the square. He is in high demand throughout the world for his work on electromagnetic radiation issues and is considered to be one of the leading advocates in this field.

Electrosensitivity Australia and Stop Smart Meters Australia are thrilled to announce that Karen Knowles (known to many from Young Talent Time) will join the EMR & LAW event as a guest speaker alongside Ray Broomhall.  Karen is incredibly talented in many areas, including law.  Karen consults to a select group of businesses on legal and intellectual property strategy.  The combination of 35 years’ experience in the music and entertainment industries, extensive business management, legal experience in contract and intellectual property law at a top tier international law firm, experience as in-house legal counsel for several entities and experience in IT start ups liaising with technical, strategic and business development partners, all combine to offer a unique capability.

Saturday, 26 October, 2019

2pm – 5pm

West Preston Baptist Church Hall

108 Cramer Street, Preston

Tickets · $22.19 on Eventbrite

Posted in 4G, 5G | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

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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