Rachel Tseng
Mobile phone manufacturers and telecommunication companies generally allay the fears of consumers by telling them that the electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation from mobile phones falls within the safety limits set by the US government. However, Dr W. Ross Adey, an outstanding doctor who has investigated EMF radiation over the past 30 years, does not think so. He points out that a flaw in the US standards is that it relies entirely on thermal effects on the body’s cells. Many research reports indicate that EMF radiation causes bodily harm even before thermal effects are felt. Furthermore, the safety limits set by England, Japan, Germany, and Russia are even more stringent than those set by the US. The safety limit set by the World Health Organization is five times more stringent than that set in the US.
I sometimes shudder when I see parents allowing their children to play with or listen to mobile phones. This is because research has shown that EMF radiation has a bigger effect on living beings that are smaller built. If we use the mobile phone, there is greater impact on the smaller organs within the body (e.g., the ovary); the impact on children is five times that on adults. Nowadays, I even try to avoid people on the streets who are using mobile phones. This is because the harmful radiation of mobile phones extends within a radius of 100 yards. Of course, in a congested country like Taiwan, there is no question of being able to avoid the mobile phone.
The future looks even more bleak. To provide seamless service to customers, telecommunication companies have plans to set up 150,000 new mobile phone base stations and antennas before the year 2000. A New York Times report has called these antennas the Devil’s Antenna because they are ubiquitously appearing everywhere and there is no place to hide. Every year, telecommunication companies pay several thousands of dollars to the owners of these buildings where the base stations are installed. However, the occupants of these buildings become the most direct victims. The New York Times report also describes how these stations are cleverly camouflaged to hide their original appearances—as church spires or even as trees! This serves to allay people’s aesthetic and health concerns. However, my concern is that this makes the base stations so much more difficult to avoid since they are so well concealed.
This is indeed the tragedy of the modern times. Humans are not the only victims. Biologists and environmentalists are gradually realizing that electromagnetic radiation have ill effects on animals as well.
In her article “No place to hide”, Alice Beougher mentioned the following: She discovered that not long after a base station was installed within 200 meters of her backyard, wild rabbits, moles, wild deer, ducks, and many birds
(that were in abundance just several months ago) disappeared from the backyard. A group of brown foxes that were nesting near her house became weak, their fur dropped, and they either left or died. The dog that she reared fell ill, and was put to sleep four years later when it developed a very high fever that would not go away and all its fur fell off.
A pigeon-racing group complained that after the installation of a nearby base station, the incidence of lost pigeons significantly increased. In a 200 miles, 1500 out of 1800 pigeons did not return. In another 350 miles race, 1000 out of 1200 pigeons disappeared during the race. Observers noted that, nowadays, pigeons require more time to return to their original dwelling place. Many wild bird species have also disappeared from their natural habitats. Wild geese that used to fly in systematic patterns now flew haphazardly.
According to Jim Cox, a biologist in the Florida Freshwater committee, the installation of a base station can lead to the deaths of 2500 birds within a year. There are at least six telecommunication companies competing in the US, and each needs to install base stations within four to five kilometres of each other. This suggests that within the US, millions of birds may be sacrificed each year. Soon, the poor birds will have no other places to fly to.
The US poultry industry has also experienced large number of inexplicable animal deaths. Some animals die before they reach the age for slaughtering, leading to huge losses for the proprietors. Even the fresh carcasses of these animals have a putrid smell and cannot be sold. Farms across the country report news of high death rates among cows. A farmer, who decided to close his business, took X-rays of his cows just before they died. What was strange was that the cow, which had gone without food, had a stomach full of food! It seems that many inexplicable details have been covered up, and environmental groups suspect that these are related to electromagnetic radiation.
Plants can also be harmed by electromagnetic radiation. A report by Dahlbergs indicate that the leaves of fruit trees that are located near base stations look as if they had been burned. These trees slowly die during summer, and their fruits premature drop in July. Trees that are directly facing these base stations are most severely affected.
There are so many innocent victims around, but the cause is the work of smart humans who crave for convenience at all expenses.
After reading so much information on the harmful effects of EMF radiation, I began to wonder how we could arouse people’s attention to this problem? After enjoying so much convenience, how do we pluck up our determination and say “no” to the mobile phone? Can businesses act with conscience, and not require their employees to carry mobile phones with them? This is a global environmental pollution problem, and one that involves the health of the individual, the family, and all sentient beings. We are all live in the same earth. Without a strong tide of reaction against the proliferation of mobile phones, our current and next generations will be harmed. You have a responsibility and call of duty to stop this pollution.
References:
www.lessemf.com
Warning:
The electricity around you may be hazardous to your health – How to protect yourself from electromagnetic fields. Simon & Shuster, 1998.
Extracted from Lapis Lazuli Light Magazine 2002 May Issue
Translated by Lapis Lazuli Light Singapore