Friday, April 29, 2016

Israel Wi-Fi Breakthroughs: TV Documentary, School Ban

Wed., Apr. 20, 2016

Israel Wi-Fi Breakthroughs: TV Documentary, School Ban

By 
Interview with Wi-Fi health advocatesWi-Fi health advocates were exultant today at news that an Israeli TV documentary titled “How We are Killing Ourselves—Wireless Radiation” won a high rating and Haifi ordered Wi-Fi removed from all schools.
The 30-minute documentary about the “epidemic of Electro-Sensitivity” (ES) aired at 9 p.m. April 12 and “received the highest rating of the day,” according to Dafna Tachover, an attorney with offices in Israel and New York.
She provided a link to the show to Wi-Fi health advocates in other countries noting that whilethe video is in Hebrew there are some interviews in English.
Tachover said the director planned to do 10 minutes on ES as part of a film about the diseases of the 21st century but after working with health advocates “understood the extent of the problem and the lie and how important it is to give an uncompromising warning to the public.” It was then decided to do 30 minutes mainly on ES and Wi-Fi in schools.

Said Tachover: “The host was a leading TV media person and his tone was uncompromising - no maybes, precautionary etc., the tone was - there is an epidemic out there. Wireless harms and it is time for us to wake up as it is late already. He started by saying that at least 800,000 people in Israel, i.e. 10% of the population already suffer from different levels of ES and twice aired parts of my interview in which I was saying that the rates are already higher and will continue to increase.”

Two government "experts" admitted on the show that the thermal safety standard is irrelevant which is not what they told the Supreme Court, wrote Tachover.

TV Show Created "Buzz"

“Most importantly,” she wrote, “the movie created a lot of buzz and sent a very alarming message that radiation harms are not potential but existing, and in an epidemic scale.”
Israelis participating in the show included Amir Borenstein, Yael Levin and her daughter Noa who told what it is like to be electro-sensitive. Parents who fight Wi-Fi in the school were also interviewed. Tachover was interviewed as an expert and activist and on the medical side were Prof. Richter and Dr. Yael Stein. The technical side was  presented by engineer Liran Raz of the U.S. Mentioned was Jenny Fry, the 15-year-old U.K. student who committed suicide because of Wi-Fi in her school.

Tachover said Haifa Mayor Yona Yahav announced the city, third largest in Israel, is immediately removing Wi-Fi from its schools, saying "When there is a doubt, when it comes to our children, there is no doubt.” 

Said Tachover: “Electro-Sensitivity is an epidemic and not three percent of the population. We are now in the double digits in terms of ES. The public must be told. Wi-Fi in schools is a disaster and as a person who spends two to four hours every day on the phone with people and children who got sick, with many contemplate committing suicide, I urge you all to be uncompromising. The truth, and all of it must be told. Continued good luck to us all and thanks to anyone out there who stands up to evil and stupidity.” 
Category: Healthcare PR

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http://www.odwyerpr.com/story/public/6751/2016-04-20/israel-wi-fi-breakthroughs-tv-documentary-school-ban.html

Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Greater cell phone use may lower heart rate variability in healthy individuals which could increase risk for various health conditions

Greater cell phone use may lower heart rate variability in healthy individuals which could increase risk for various health conditions


Joel's comments: This study found that among healthy individuals 24 - 39 years of age greater use of cell phones was associated with lower heart rate variability (HRV).

HRV is the variation in the time interval between heartbeats. A low HRV indicates dominance of the sympathetic response. This is the fight or flight side of the autonomic system which is activated when the body experiences stress or inflammation. Lower HRV is associated with various health conditions including anxiety, depression, PTSD, metabolic syndrome, and coronary heart disease. In contrast, a high HRV indicates dominance of the parasympathetic response, the side of the autonomic system that promotes relaxation, digestion, sleep, and recovery.
The authors conclude that more research is needed to determine the clinical consequences of the lower HRV among heavier cell phone users.

--

The effects of the duration of mobile phone use on heart rate variability parameters in healthy subjects


Ekici B, Tanındı A, Ekici G, Diker E. The effects of the duration of mobile phone use on heart rate variability parameters in healthy subjects.Anatol J Cardiol. 2016 Apr 7. doi: 10.14744/AnatolJCardiol.2016.6717. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to estimate the influence of the duration of mobile phone use on heart rate variability (HRV) in healthy individuals.

METHODS: One hundred forty-eight individuals without any established systemic disease and who had undergone 24-h ambulatory ECG monitoring were included in the case-control study. All the individuals had been using mobile phones for more than 10 years. Three-channel 24-h Holter monitoring was performed to derive the mean heart rate, standard deviation of normal NN intervals (SDNN), standard deviation of 5-min (m) mean NN intervals (SDANN), the proportion of NN50 divided by the total number of NNs (pNN50), the root mean square differences of successive NN intervals (RMSSD), high (HF)-, low (LF)-, very low (VLF)-frequency power, total power components, and the LF/HF ratio. Individuals were divided into four groups according to their duration of mobile phone use [no mobile phone use (Control group), <30 1="" 2="" 30-60="" and="" day="" min="" roup="">60 min/day (Group 3)].

RESULTS: All the groups had similar features with regard to demographic and clinical characteristics. No significant arrhythmias were observed in any of the groups. The LF/HF ratio was higher, whereas the SDNN, SDANN, RMSSD, and pNN50 values were lower in the study groups than in the control group (p<0 .05="" among="" and="" differences="" groups="" heart="" identified="" no="" p="" power="" rate="" respect="" significant="" to="" total="" values="" vlf="" were="" with="">0.05).

CONCLUSION: In this study, it was shown that the duration of mobile phone use may affect the autonomic balance in healthy subjects. The electromagnetic field created by mobile phone use may induce HRV changes in the long term.

Excerpts
... In total, 103 patients were excluded because they met the exclusion criteria (n=77) or did not fulfill the inclusion criteria (n=26). Finally, 148 subjects (85 women and 63 men) with no established systemic disease were included in the study. All the participants (except the controls) had been using MPs [mobile phones] for >10 years prior to the study. The durations of mobile phone use were determined retrospectively from the individuals’ telephone billing records. Daily durations of mobile phone use were calculated automatically by dividing the total duration of calls (total min within a month) into the number of telephone calls (total number within a month) ....

The median age of the study population was 30.0 (24.0–39.0) years, and 42.6% of the participants were male ...

In our study, we found a negative correlation between the HRV parameters and the duration of mobile phone use. According to these findings, long-term MP use may reduce the HRV parameters and increase the sympathetic activity. In mobile phone use, the GSM transmits and receives microwave radiation
at a frequency of ≈900 and 1.800 MHz, respectively, and these frequencies excite the rotations of water molecules and some organic molecules and have been associated with thermal and non-thermal effects on the human body (10–13). The emission of these microwaves has been associated with the development
of symptoms such as headaches, a sensation of burning skin, fatigue, hot ears, extreme irritation, an increase in carelessness, forgetfulness, a decrease in reflexes, a clicking sound in the ears, and an increase in arterial blood pressure (10). However, despite these well-known effects of MPs, their long-term effect
on cardiac electrical activity has not been extensively studied and, to the best of our knowledge, whether MPs alter autonomic regulation of the cardiovascular system has not yet been extensively analyzed.


Generally, as MPs are held close to the head, this might affect the autonomic nervous system by their close brain heart connection, which modulates the cardiac pacemaker and provides beat-to-beat regulation of the cardiovascular rhythm (16)....

The novelty our work was to study the effects of long-term exposure to MPs on the cardiac electrical activity rather than studying the effects of MPs while talking. There was a negative association between the time domain HRV parameters, such as SDNN and SDANN, and the duration of MP use in our study. RMSSD and pNN50, which are supposed to be markers of parasympathetic activity, were also decreased in subjects using a MP for a long time. Although most of the other studies in the literature have reported changes in HRV that were compatible with increased parasympathetic activity during talking on the phone, we found that overall the long-term effects on HRV were in favor of an increased sympathovagal balance. Increased sympathetic activity and decreased parasympathetic tone could be detrimental and could contribute to a higher risk of affecting the cardiac electrical activity. The clinical long-term consequences should be further investigated.

In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrate that a long-term duration of MP use may influence HRV and change the autonomic balance in favor of an increased sympathetic tone. An increase in the sympathetic tone concomitant with a decrease in the parasympathetic tone measured indirectly by analysis of HRV was observed in long-term MP users. EMF generated by the long-term use of MPs was the tentative explanation for the detrimental changes in HRV. Although in this study, no statistically significant difference was found between the groups, BMI differences can affect the results. So, this should also be taken into account in further studies. Large-scale prospective randomized clinical trials are needed to test the probable clinical consequences of HRV changes using different MP models.

--

Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director
Center for Family and Community Health
School of Public Health
University of California, Berkeley

Electromagnetic Radiation Safety

Website:               http://www.saferemr.com
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Exposure to an Extremely-Low-Frequency Magnetic Field Stimulates Adrenal Steroidogenesis via Inhibition of Phosphodiesterase Activity in a Mouse Adrenal Cell Line


Exposure to an Extremely-Low-Frequency Magnetic Field Stimulates Adrenal Steroidogenesis via Inhibition of Phosphodiesterase Activity in a Mouse Adrenal Cell Line


Kitaoka K, Kawata S, Yoshida T, Kadoriku F, Kitamura M. Exposure to an Extremely-Low-Frequency Magnetic Field Stimulates Adrenal Steroidogenesis via Inhibition of Phosphodiesterase Activity in a Mouse Adrenal Cell Line. PLoS One. 2016 Apr 21;11(4):e0154167. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154167. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MFs) are generated by power lines and household electrical devices. In the last several decades, some evidence has shown an association between ELF-MF exposure and depression and/or anxiety in epidemiological and animal studies. The mechanism underlying ELF-MF-induced depression is considered to involve adrenal steroidogenesis, which is triggered by ELF-MF exposure. However, how ELF-MFs stimulate adrenal steroidogenesis is controversial. In the current study, we investigated the effect of ELF-MF exposure on the mouse adrenal cortex-derived Y-1 cell line and the human adrenal cortex-derived H295R cell line to clarify whether the ELF-MF stimulates adrenal steroidogenesis directly. ELF-MF exposure was found to significantly stimulate adrenal steroidogenesis (p < 0.01-0.05) and the expression of adrenal steroid synthetic enzymes (p < 0.05) in Y-1 cells, but the effect was weak in H295R cells. Y-1 cells exposed to an ELF-MF showed significant decreases in phosphodiesterase activity (p < 0.05) and intracellular Ca2+ concentration (p < 0.01) and significant increases in intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) concentration (p < 0.001-0.05) and cAMP response element-binding protein phosphorylation (p < 0.05). The increase in cAMP was not inhibited by treatment with NF449, an inhibitor of the Gs alpha subunit of G protein. Our results suggest that ELF-MF exposure stimulates adrenal steroidogenesis via an increase in intracellular cAMP caused by the inhibition of phosphodiesterase activity in Y-1 cells. The same mechanism may trigger the increase in adrenal steroid secretion in mice observed in our previous study.

http://1.usa.gov/1qMBFiv

Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Thirty-minutes' exposure to smartphone call triggers neutrophil activation in vitro


Thirty-minutes' exposure to smartphone call triggers neutrophil activation in vitro


Lippi G, Danese E, Brocco G, Benati M, Salvagno GL, Montagnana M, Franchini M. Thirty-minutes' exposure to smartphone call triggers neutrophil activation in vitro. Clin Chem Lab Med. 2016 Feb 12.  doi: 10.1515/cclm-2015-1242. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Despite accumulating evidence about the negative health effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones, no information is available on the potential impact of radiofrequency (RF) waves on polymorphonuclear leukocytes biology.

METHODS: Two sequential whole blood tubes were collected from 16 ostensibly healthy volunteers. After placing the former tube of each subject in a plastic rack, 1 cm from a commercial smartphone (carrier frequency, 900 MHz), a call was placed on the smartphone and a communication lasting 30 min was manually activated. The latter blood tube of each volunteer was placed in another plastic rack, for an identical period of time, avoiding close contact with sources of RF waves. A complete blood count was then assessed in all whole blood samples, using Advia 2120.

RESULTS: The 30-min exposure of blood to RF waves did not induce significant variations of total and differential leukocyte counts. A significant decrease was however observed for many neutrophils parameters, with median percentage variation of -3.9% for the lobularity index (LI), -29.8% for the myeloperoxidase index (MPXI), -0.6% for the neutrophil cluster mean x (NEUTx) and -0.7% for the neutrophil cluster mean y (NEUTy), respectively. The percentage of blood samples with reduced values after exposure to RF waves was 81% for LI, 88% for NEUTx and 100% for both MPXI and NEUTy.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that exposure to smartphone RF waves triggers activation of neutrophils in vitro, as mirrored by the significant variations observed in many activation parameters in Advia 2120.

http://1.usa.gov/1N92OXn