Saturday, March 17, 2012

Paper on Cell Phone/Reproductive Function Retracted


Paper on Cell Phone/Reproductive Function Retracted


Microwave News



The editor of the International Journal of
Andrology has announced the retraction of
a paper, which claimed to show that cell
phones can impair the reproductive
function of rabbits.

Score one for Germany's Alex Lerchl who
has taken on the role of policing the
EMR/RF literature for bad science and
misconduct.

Check out this story --our latest Short Take--
as well as another on a new paper from Yale
showing that mice exposed to cell phone radiation
in the womb develop behavioral disorders later
in life.

Go to:
http://www.microwavenews.com

Best,
Louis Slesin

__________________________________________________________
Louis Slesin, PhD
Editor, Microwave News
A Report on Non-Ionizing Radiation
Phone: +1 (212) 517-2800; Fax: +1 (212) 734-0316
E-mail: <mwn@pobox.com>
Internet: <http://www.microwavenews.com>
Mail:  155 East 77th Street, Suite 3D
New York, NY 10075, U.S.A.

After Fukushima, fish tales


After Fukushima, fish tales

 

 



An aerial view of debris floating in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Honshu in March after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck northern Japan: The garbage patch is estimated to be twice the size of Texas.
 

An aerial view of debris floating in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Honshu in March after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck northern Japan: The garbage patch is estimated to be twice the size of Texas.

Photograph by: U.S. Navy



































After the world’s worst nuclear accident in 25 years, authorities in Canada said people living here were safe and faced no health risks from the fallout from Fukushima.


They said most of the radiation from the crippled Japanese nuclear power plant would fall into the ocean, where it would be diluted and not pose any danger.


Dr. Dale Dewar wasn’t convinced. Dewar, a family physician in Wynyard, Sask., doesn’t eat a lot of seafood herself, but when her grandchildren come to visit, she carefully checks seafood labels.


She wants to make sure she isn’t serving them anything that might come from the western Pacific Ocean.


Dewar, the executive director of Physicians for Global Survival, a Canadian anti-nuclear group, says the Canadian government has downplayed the radiation risks from Fukushima and is doing little to monitor them.


“We suspect we’re going to see more cancers, decreased fetal viability, decreased fertility, increased metabolic defects – and we expect them to be generational,” she said.


And evidence has emerged that the impacts of the disaster on the Pacific Ocean are worse than expected.


Since a tsunami and earthquake destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant last March, radioactive cesium has consistently been found in 60 to 80 per cent of Japanese fishing catches each month tested by Japan’s Fisheries Agency.


In November, 65 per cent of the catches tested positive for cesium (a radioactive material created by nuclear reactors), according to a Gazette analysis of data on the fisheries agency’s website. Cesium is a long-lived radionuclide that persists in the environment and increases the risk of cancer, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, which says the most common form of radioactive cesium has a half-life of 30 years.


The Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which monitors food safety, says it is aware of the numbers but says the amounts of cesium detected are small.


“Approximately 60 per cent of fish have shown to have detectable levels of radionuclides,” it said in an emailed statement.
“The majority of exported fish to Canada are caught much farther from the coast of Japan, and the Japanese testing has shown that these fish have not been contaminated with high levels of radionuclides.”


But the Japanese data shows elevated levels of contamination in several seafood species that Japan has exported to Canada in recent years.


In November, 18 per cent of cod exceeded a new radiation ceiling for food to be implemented in Japan in April – along with 21 per cent of eel, 22 per cent of sole and 33 per cent of seaweed.


Overall, one in five of the 1,100 catches tested in November exceeded the new ceiling of 100 becquerels per kilogram. (Canada’s ceiling for radiation in food is much higher: 1,000 becquerels per kilo.)


“I would probably be hesitant to eat a lot of those fish,” said Nicholas Fisher, a marine sciences professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.


Fisher is researching how radiation from Fukushima is affecting the Pacific fishery. “There has been virtually zero monitoring and research on this,” he said, calling on other governments to do more radiation tests on the ocean’s marine life.


“Is it something we need to be terrified of? No. Is it something we need to monitor? Yes, particularly in coastal waters where concentrations are high.”



Contamination of fish in the Pacific Ocean could have wide-ranging consequences for millions.


The Pacific is home to the world’s largest fishery, which is in turn the main source of protein for about one billion people in Asia alone.
In October, a U.S. study – co-authored by oceanographer Ken Buesseler, a senior scientist at the non-profit Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Woods Hole, Mass., – reported Fukushima caused history’s biggest-ever release of radiation into the ocean – 10 to 100 times more than the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear catastrophe.


“It’s completely untrue to say this level of radiation is safe or harmless,” said Gordon Edwards, president of the Canadian Coalition for Nuclear Responsibility.


Edwards, who is also a math professor at Vanier College, said Fukushima has highlighted how lackadaisical Canadian authorities are about radiation risks – the result, he says, of the influence of Canada’s powerful nuclear industry.


“The reassurances have been completely irresponsible. To say there are no health concerns flies in the face of all scientific evidence,” said Edwards, who has advised the federal auditor-general’s office and Ontario government on nuclear-power issues.



Other Fukushima impacts have been unexpected, too. The first debris swept into the sea by the tsunami reportedly started to wash ashore on the west coast in mid-December, a year earlier than scientists and authorities predicted.


Residents of Vancouver Island, Alaska and the U.S. Pacific coast have said they’ve found large quantities of bottles, cans, lumber and floats.


The debris is part of 18 million tonnes of debris from Japan floating across the Pacific – taking up an area thought to be twice the size of Texas.


The impact of the debris on the Pacific is unclear. Much of it is expected to eventually join an already massive patch of existing garbage floating in the Pacific gyre.


The arrival of the debris on the west coast also appears to have caught Canadian authorities off guard.


“What debris are you talking about?” Health Canada spokesman Gary Holub asked when contacted for a comment this week.
“Debris from Japan is not expected on the west coast of Canada for another year.”


He asked a reporter to email him media stories about the debris. Later, Holub emailed a statement saying “there has been no official confirmation that the source of this debris is from the tsunami in Japan.”


He said, “It is ‘highly unlikely’ the debris will be radioactive and that Health Canada will await scientific data before deciding whether to test any of it.”


It’s also unclear how the debris will impact fish in the Pacific.



But there is a good chance Canadians have already eaten some of the types of fish most likely to be contaminated with cesium, based on the Japanese fisheries data.


Japan exported $76 million of food products to Canada in 2010, including $13 million of fish and crustaceans. No figures were available for 2011.


The Gazette analyzed the Japanese fisheries data for 22 seafood species that Japan has exported to Canada in recent years.


Some cesium was found in 16 of these 22 species in November, the last full month for which data was available.


Cesium was especially prevalent in certain of the species:


73 per cent of mackerel tested
91 per cent of the halibut
92 per cent of the sardines
93 per cent of the tuna and eel
94 per cent of the cod and anchovies
100 per cent of the carp, seaweed, shark and monkfish


Some of the fish were caught in Japanese coastal waters. Other catches were made hundreds of kilometres away in the open ocean.
There, the fish can also be caught by fishers from dozens of other nations that ply the waters of the Pacific.


Yet, Japan is the only country that appears to be systematically testing fish for radiation and publicly reporting the results.


CFIA is no longer doing any testing of its own. It did some radiation tests on food imports from areas of Japan around the stricken nuclear plant in the weeks after the Fukushima accident.


Only one of the 169 tested products showed any radiation. CFIA stopped doing the tests last June, saying they weren’t needed.
“The quantities of radioactive material reaching Canada are very small and within normal ranges,” CFIA spokesperson Lisa Gauthier said in an emailed statement.


“They do not pose any health risk to Canadians, the food we eat or the plants and animals in Canada.”


In August, CFIA also tested a dozen samples of fish caught in B.C. coastal and inland waters. None of those tests found any radiation.
CFIA said it has no plans to do any other radiation tests on fish in the Pacific or imports from other nations that fish in the ocean, including Japan.


CFIA now relies on Japanese authorities to screen Japanese food exported to Canada.


But Japan’s monitoring of food has come under a storm of criticism from the Japanese public after food contaminated with radiation was sold to consumers.


A Canadian seafood industry official was surprised when told CFIA doesn’t plan any more tests of Pacific fish.


“It is certainly our expectation that the CFIA will test again this year,” said Christina Burridge, executive director of the B.C. Seafood Alliance.


The alliance is an umbrella of Pacific seafood harvesting associations whose member firms generate about $700 million in yearly revenues.


Burridge said CFIA promised her group last spring it would test Pacific salmon and tuna returning to B.C. fishing grounds in 2012 and 2013 because of the possibility those fish could have migrated close to Japan.


“We all agreed that if there was any risk of contamination, it would be in 2012 and 2013,” she said.


She wouldn’t comment on the Japanese fisheries data, which she hadn’t seen previously. But she said of the data: “It would reinforce our expectation that the CFIA would test this year.


“We want to be able to assure our customers that our expectation that there will be no increase in detectable levels (of radiation) is true,” she said.


She said she based this expectation on “a general belief that contamination will be limited to the coastal waters off Japan.”


But despite this belief and the importance of the Pacific fishery, few studies exist on how Fukushima affected marine life.


One of those studies found that fish and crustaceans caught in the vicinity of Fukushima in late March had 10,000 times more than so-called safe levels of radiation. The study, published last May in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, also said macroalgae had 19,000 times the safe level.


Those levels were measured before the Japanese utility that runs the crippled nuclear plant dumped 11,000 tonnes of radioactive water into the Pacific in April and additional leaks that have released hundreds of tonnes more.
But since that early study, little research has been published on the topic.


“People want to know what’s happening with the cesium and how much is in the fish, but we don’t know. It’s frustrating,” said oceanographer Buesseler.


“It’s disconcerting how big of an event Fukushima was and how little data are out there. No one has taken responsibility for studying this in a single agency (in the U.S.), even though we also have reactors on the coast and other events could happen,” he said.
SUNY’s Fisher agrees: “In the U.S., it’s very difficult to acquire funding to do that work. A lot of people are very frustrated. Funding agencies are already spread incredibly thin, and they were not prepared for this,” he said.


After governments refused to provide funds, Buesseler, Fisher and other scientists secured funds from a private foundation for a research voyage in the Pacific to gather radiation data on fish, plankton and water.


Fisher can’t discuss his findings because they aren’t published yet. He expects to send them for publication in coming weeks.
Buesseler has already reported some results from the 15-day cruise last May and June.


He co-authored the study in October that said cesium levels in the Pacific had gone up an astonishing 45 million times above pre-accident levels. The levels then declined rapidly for a while, but after that, they unexpectedly levelled off.


In July, cesium levels stopped declining and remained stuck at 10,000 times above pre-accident levels.


It meant the ocean wasn’t diluting the radiation as expected. If it had been, cesium levels would have kept falling. The finding suggested radiation was still being released into the ocean long after the accident in March, Buesseler said in an interview.


“It implies the groundwater is contaminated or the facility is still leaking radiation.”



The Japanese fisheries data seems to support this conclusion. Far from declining, contamination levels in some species were flat or even rose last fall, including species that Japan exports to Canada like skipjack tuna, cod, sole and eel.


In November, the average Japanese catch had 111 becquerels of cesium per kilogram – above the new radiation ceiling of 100 becquerels per kilo that Japan has announced it will implement for food this spring.


The November level declined from a peak level of 373 becquerels per kilo last April. But it was an increase from the October average of 78 becquerels per kilo.


Such persistently elevated levels of radiation warrant more monitoring and research, Fisher said. “It’s not something we can easily dismiss.”


Continuing radiation leaks from Fukushima could be to blame, he said. Another culprit, he said, may be a phenomenon called biomagnification – the tendency for radiation concentrations to increase in species that are farther up the food chain.


About 2.7 per cent of the fish catches also exceeded Japan’s existing ceiling for food of 500 becquerels per kilo. That was also up from one per cent in October.


In November, 0.8 per cent of Japanese catches exceeded Canada’s ceiling of 1,000 becquerels per kilo, up from 0.2 per cent in October.


But food with radiation below these limits can still pose health risks, Edwards believes. “There is no safe level of radiation. They should be making every effort to monitor food.”






Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/After+Fukushima+fish+tales/5994237/story.html#ixzz1pPuRMro3

Longbridge mobile phone mast protesters pledge to continue campaign


Longbridge mobile phone mast protesters pledge to continue campaign





Protesters at Longbridge Methodist Church are opposing the installation of a mobile phone mast
Protesters at Longbridge Methodist Church are opposing the installation of a mobile phone mast
MEMBERS of a nursery and church group have slammed a decision by Birmingham planners to allow a mobile telephone mast to be built on their doorstep.
Parents, neighbours and the congregation of Longbridge Methodist Church, Bristol Road South, gathered around 400 signatures opposing the 12 metre Vodafone mast just yards from the church’s front door.
But two weeks ago Birmingham City Council planning committee took the decision to allow the mast which could now be erected at any time.
Opponents to the scheme gathered at the church on Monday to voice their disapproval and have vowed to continue fighting the application.
Reverend Mary Shannahan from the church said the view of local people seemed to have been ignored in the planning process.
She said: “This is a community church, we have hundreds of people coming through the doors every week.
“Over 400 people signed the petition and out voices are not being heard - they’ve taken the decsion to ignore the concerns of the local people.
“We want them to ensure the safety of the young people and those who use the church facilities.”
Brian Kite, secretary of the Jelly Babies Nursery, which is run at the church, said: “From our point of view we have 50 children coming here walking past the mast.
“It hasn’t been proven completely the isn’t any harm in connection with them.
“There are three schools within half a mile of it so pupils will be walking twice a day past it so we are concerned about the children.
“We’re very dismayed and annoyed.”
Coun Andy Cartwright (Lab, Longbridge) said he was not against phone masts but said a better place should have been found.
He said: “We all have mobile phones but they should think about where they put them and outside a place of worship is disgusting.
“The people here have voices and they should be listened to.”
A spokesman for Birmingham City Council said the decision had been taken following correct planning procedures.
He said: “All planning decisions are taken by considering al material considerations and set against relevant planning legislation.




















Read More http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top-stories/2012/03/12/longbridge-mobile-phone-mast-protesters-pledge-to-continue-campaign-97319-30515752/#ixzz1pPsQujS2
“There is a legal process in place for anyone who wants to object to appeal against a decision taken by the planning committee.”

Disconnect Film T-Shirt

Fetal Exposure to Cellphone Radiation Tied to ADHD-Like Symptoms in Mice

Fetal Exposure to Cellphone Radiation Tied to ADHD-Like Symptoms in Mice

Behaviors seemed to rise with added exposure, but experts stress that rodent findings are preliminary

March 15, 2012 RSS Feed Print
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, March 15 (HealthDay News) -- In experiments involving mice, fetal exposure to cellphone radiation appeared linked to symptoms in offspring that resemble attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in human children, Yale researchers report.
Moreover, these problems with attention, hyperactivity and memory continued when the mice became adults and were worse the longer they were exposed to cellphone radiation in the womb, the researchers said.
"The hypothesis was that the developing brain might be more susceptible to these types of insults," said senior researcher Dr. Hugh Taylor, a professor and chief of the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility in the department of obstetrics, gynecology & reproductive sciences.
"We found they seem to have behavioral changes like ADHD. I don't want to sensationalize this -- mice don't have ADHD -- but they had problems with memory, impulsiveness and hyperactivity," he explained.
There have been studies in humans that correlate the amount of time pregnant women spend on a cellphone with their children's ADHD, Taylor added.
"But, these studies were largely dismissed because there are many other things that correlate with cellphone use," he said. "This study is the first one that shows that there is a cause-and effect-relationship," at least in rodents, he said.
However, while studies involving animals can be useful, experts note that they frequently fail to produce similar results in humans.
The findings cannot therefore be directly extrapolated to women, but they do indicate that cellphone exposure during pregnancy may have effects, Taylor said. "We need to start thinking about how much is safe in humans and limit that exposure," he said.
"I think we need to be careful about radio-frequency exposures in pregnant women," he said. "The radiation may have consequences for the developing brain."
The report was published in the March 15 issue of Scientific Reports.
During 19 days of pregnancy, Taylor's team exposed mice to radiation from a turned on -- but muted and silenced -- cellphone placed above the cage.
In another group, mice were kept under the same conditions but with a deactivated phone.
The researcher measured electrical activity in the brains of adult mice that were exposed to radiation as fetuses. In addition, they conducted psychological and behavioral tests.
They found the mice exposed to radiation tended to be more hyperactive and had increased anxiety and reduced memory.
The explanation for this finding isn't clear, Taylor said. It might be due to heating of the developing brain cells or electrical changes in these cells, he theorized.
Taylor noted that you don't have to be talking on the cell phone to be exposed to radio-frequency radiation: "There is always radiation transmitted as long as the cellphone is on," he said.
Speaking for the cellphone industry, John Walls, a spokesman for the CTIA-The Wireless Association, said that "the peer-reviewed scientific evidence has overwhelmingly indicated that wireless devices, within the limits established by the FCC, do not pose a public health risk or cause any adverse health effects."
However, some doctors believe that more study might be warranted.
Dr. Francene Gallousis, a perinatologist at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Pisco, N.Y., said that "I think there is something to all this, but I don't know exactly what it is or how concerned we should be right now."
"It can't be ignored -- it needs to be looked into," she added.
Gallousis did suggest that to be safe, women should limit their exposure to cellphone radiation. She advised them to try to limit the time talking on the cellphone and to not leave it on if it doesn't have to be.
Dr. Nagy Elsayyad, an assistant professor in the department of radiation oncology at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, has looked at cellphone radiation and the risk for cancer. He also believes that it's still too early to tell if the effects seen in mice translate to humans.
"These finding are interesting, but very preliminary," he said. "This is hypothesis-generating research, so it's too early to jump to any conclusions, but it's worth putting research money into."

More information
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/03/15/fetal-exposure-to-cellphone-radiation-tied-to-adhd-like-symptoms-in-mice