PART 3
Inadequate Regulation
Most experts assure the public that fears about EMR are groundless. Yet all of the research is done with funding from industry with strong vested interests in an outcome which will not disrupt their business. Industry-funded studies indicating little risk from EMR are used by regulatory authorities to justify lack of action to protect public health.
Health Canada does no independent research and relies on industry and the military for safety data on new technologies. Safety thresholds for exposures are set far higher than a precautionary approach would indicate. Canadian EMR guidelines, (Safety Code Six), are based on the inadequate "thermal model", concerning dosages which heat tissue - which occurs at exposure levels thousands of times higher than levels shown to promote illness. The Canadian government considers levels up to 1, 000 milligauss in the lower frequencies, to be safe, whereas an exposure limit of 2 milligauss for children was suggested in the 1995 draft report of the US National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement. In the higher frequencies, exposures levels of 1 mW/cm2 is considered safe by Health Canada which is 10 billion times greater than the natural background level. Non-thermal exposures, billions of times lower than those allowed by Safety Code Six and as low as 10 pW/cm2, have been shown to have negative biological effects. Industry Canada collaborates with industry to refute claims of adverse health effects from EMR, while collecting millions of dollars in licensing fees- 100 million dollars for cellular phones alone, in 1998.
Licensed electricians and inspectors are not taking adequate measures to ensure the safety of Canadians. Wiring and inspection procedures should require the use of gaussmeters to recognize and correct EMR risks from wiring errors.
And the media has yet to engage in serious investigative journalism about the health issues associated with increased levels of EMR exposure.
Take Responsibility!
Government and industry are not protecting our interests, so we must educate and protect ourselves.
Industry strives to sell the products that people want. The reality is that many people want to use electrical devices and wireless technology because of the great increase in convenience and other benefits offered. But people may make very different choices if they appreciate the extent of the EMR problem. Imagine the market for cellular phones disappearing due to lack of demand. A raised level of awareness is required for people to make informed and responsible decisions about their use of technologies involving EMR health impacts.
It is up to each of us to take practical steps to educate ourselves, raise the level of public awareness, and demand change from government and industry. The first step is to come out of denial and face the issue squarely. Our well being and that of future generations is at risk due to exposures to ever higher levels of EMR.
As Robert Becker has said: "With no understanding of the relationship of these fields to living organisms, we have produced a global environmental alteration that has profound implications for human health" (Cross Currents, p. 217).
References
1. Becker, Robert, The Body Electric, Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life, 1985.
2. Becker, Robert, Cross Currents, 1990.
3. Begich, Dr Nick and Manning Jeane, Angels Don't Play This HAARP, 1995.
4. Grant, Lucinda The Electrical Sensitivity Handbook, 1995.
5. Brodeur, Paul, The Great Power-Line Cover-Up, 1993.
6. Firstenberg, Arthur, Microwaving Our Planet, 1997.
7. Michrowski, DR Andrew et al, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Survey of EMF Levels in Canadian Housing, 1996.
8. Levitt, B. Blake Electromagnetic Fields - A Consumers Guide, 1995.
9. Pinsky, Mark A. The EMF Book - What You Should Know About Electromagnetic Fields 1995.
10. Prata, DR Stephen, EMF Handbook, 1993.
11. Riley, Carl, Tracing EMF’s, 1995
