EHS now recognised by the World Health Organisation 
Electrohypersensitivity (EHS) is now recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) and is defined as:
“. . . a phenomenon where individuals experience adverse health effects while using or being in the vicinity of devices emanating electric, magnetic, or electromagnetic fields (EMFs). . .Whatever its cause, EHS is a real and sometimes a debilitating problem for the affected persons, while the level of EMF in their neighbourhood is no greater than is encountered in normal living environments. Their exposures are generally several orders of magnitude under the limits in internationally accepted standards.”
Even in the above WHO statement it is possible to see evidence of the conflict of interest between technological advances and the inherent financial clout of those companies investing in this technology compared with the obligation of the WHO to flag health issues. What is a "normal" living environment with regard to EM pollution given that levels are ever changing and increasing? Again, "internationally accepted standards" vary hugely from country to country and the UK is very much more lax on what it regards as an acceptable level in comparison to other countries (see "Exposure Tables" page for values). Given that there are no safe levels established for 24/7/365 exposure to EM pollution it is impossible to say that anybody is unaffected. It inevitably takes a shorter or longer time for clinical medical problems to manifest in some individuals than the "average" but as yet we do not have the data to even debate whether it is acceptable to be continually exposed to EM pollution that might cause serious health issues such as cancers after 30 years (or less or more) exposure in a high proportion of the population. Is that a risk we should be forced to accept with decisions being taken by those who are only being given information by those who profit by the proliferation of EM Pollution?
EHS is a more recognized medical disorder in Sweden, a country that has taken a stricter stance on exposure guidelines than the UK, based on scientific evidence. EHS is classified as a disability in Sweden and health care facilities with low exposure to electromagnetic fields and radio frequency radiation are available for sensitive individuals. These people are unable to live in our modern ("normal"?!) society with its electrical and electronic appliances and with the increasing exposure to radio frequency radiation. Another 35% of the population has mild to moderate symptoms represented by an impaired immune system and by chronic illness. In 2006 a study from Sweden was published that looked at EHS trends worldwide over the past 15 years and used this data to extrapolate future trends regarding EHS in the general population. The data predicted that 50% of the population will be electrically hypersensitive by the year 2017. While this is only an extrapolation based on past data up to 2004, this is an even more alarming statistic since the growth in technology since 2004 has continued to increase at an even more rapid rate. This prediction does not take into account the switchover to Digital TV (which will be nearly global by 2012-2014), the increase in Wi-Fi, Wi-MAX (described as ‘Wi-Fi on steroids’), Cell Towers / Masts, and the introduction of Smart Meters into some metropolitan areas in the U.S. and Europe.
Symptoms of EHS include:
- cognitive dysfunction (memory, concentration, problem-solving);
- balance, dizziness & vertigo;
- facial flushing, skin rash;
- chest pressure, rapid heart rate;
- depression, anxiety, irritability, frustration, temper;
- fatigue, poor sleep;
- body aches, headaches;
- ringing in the ear (tinnitus)
- and are consistent with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia.
If you suffer with any or all of the above symptoms you could be experiencing EHS. It is unlikely your GP will diagnose the cause and will most likely prescribe you some medicines to suppress the effects. If you take precautions to help your body deal with the EM pollution the symptoms will very likely disappear.
The Irish Doctors’ Environmental Association (IDEA) in their position paper on electromagnetic radiation recognizes that an increasing number of people are complaining with symptoms of EHS in Ireland. They request the Irish government to review research and management/treatments internationally; to establish a database for EHS; and to establish the strictest safety regulations for masts and transmitters.
Environmental sensitivity attributed to electromagnetic exposure has recently been identified in a Canadian Human Rights Commission report. In this document both radio wave sickness (associated with radar workers) and electromagnetic hypersensitivities (associated with ground current, low frequency electromagnetic fields, telecommunications, and radio frequencies on power lines) are identified as environmental sensitivities.
Child Safety Measures in other countries
The Vancouver, British Columbia School Board passed a resolution in January 2005 as follows:
Be it resolved that:
- no further installations of cellular antenna be permitted on any school building or school grounds regularly used by students, and
- Incompatible Land Uses Near Schools be amended to included any installation of cellular antenna within 305 m (1000 ft) of a school as an incompatible use and that VSB be so notified of any potential installation.
The county of Palm Beach, Florida, the City of Los Angeles, California, and the country of New Zealand have all prohibited cell phone base stations and antennas near schools due to safety concerns. The decision not to place cell antennas near schools is based on the likelihood that children are more susceptible to this form of radiation.
Doctors stand up to be counted over Health Concerns
In 2002 more than 3000 Doctors worldwide signed the Freiburger Appeal. These doctors observed an increased incidence of disorders including headaches, chronic exhaustion, agitation, sleeplessness, tinnitus, susceptibility to infection, nervous and connective tissue pains among their patients that they associate with increased exposure to high frequency microwave radiation from mobile phone base stations and mobile phones (both cell phones and cordless phones).
Below are direct quotes from this document:
Our therapeutic efforts to restore health are becoming increasingly less effective: the unimpeded and continuous penetration of radiation into living and working areas, particularly bedrooms, an essential place for relaxation, regeneration and healing, causes uninterrupted stress and prevents the patient's thorough recovery.
In the face of this disquieting development, we feel obliged to inform the public of our
observations . . .
What we experience in the daily reality of our medical practice is anything but hypothetical! We see the rising number of chronically sick patients also as the result of an irresponsible "safety limits policy", which fails to take the protection of the public from the short- and long-term effects of mobile telephone radiation as its criterium for action. Instead, it submits to the dictates of a technology already long recognized as dangerous. For us, this is the beginning of a very serious development through which the health of many people is being threatened.
We will no longer be made to wait upon further unreal research results - which in our experience are often influenced by the communications industry, while evidential studies go on being ignored. We find it to be of urgent necessity that we act now!
Above all, we are, as doctors, the advocates for our patients. In the interest of all those concerned, whose basic right to life and freedom from bodily harm is currently being put at stake, we appeal to those in the spheres of politics and public health.
Adrenal Insufficiency
Among the various conditions with a possible EM pollution aetiology is functional Adrenal Insufficiency (not Addison’s Disease). According to Dr. Robert O. Becker, it is well known that exposure to any unnatural electromagnetic field produces a stress response. If the stress response becomes prolonged, the Adrenal Glands become exhausted and the competence of the immune system decreases to below normal levels .
Many practitioners today talking about functional Adrenal Insufficiency and Chronic Inflammation from prolonged increased cortisol and its nearly ubiquitous presence cite poor diet, busy high-pressured lifestyles, and victim / powerless beliefs about health/life as the main culprits. It would therefore seem logical that correcting these issues should be sufficient to resolve the problem. But what is now being found more and more frequently is that many people who have changed their diet, take supplements, exercise, optimize their schedule, and improved their attitudes are still dealing with their symptoms and are continuing to show abnormal adrenal / stress patterns. This has led many practitioners to looking for a ‘bigger hammer’ to affect change for their patients. Amid this struggle for both patient and practitioner, there is an underlying stressor of EMF exposure that unless addressed will make full recovery elusive even with the best therapeutic protocols. To further make this point, many children are now showing the same abnormal stress patterns (i.e. cortisol rhythm) as adults.
While poor diet, nutritional deficiencies, vaccinations, antibiotics and the like are frequently blamed as stressors, the degree to which children suffer from ADD/ADHD, Autism, Allergies, and frequent infections cannot be due to these factors alone. The missing piece to the Adrenal Dysfunction puzzle (along with many other conditions) may well turn out to be over-exposure to EM pollution.
Biological Clock Disruption
Non-ionising radio frequencies can affect chemical function in the body; for example, Ritz and co-workers (Nature, Vol. 429, 13th May 2004) showed that they affect the normal functioning of cryptochrome. Humans use cryptochrome in our own biological clocks, and this may be responsible for the poor sleep patterns often reported in people living near mobile phone masts. They suffer fatigue during the day and interrupted sleep at night, just as if their biological clocks had ceased to function normally. This sort of disruption is like a permanent jet-lag and is associated with a damaged immune system (which works best at night), and increases the risk of getting cancer and other diseases. The increased risk of cancer, including breast and colorectal cancers, is well established in people whose rhythms have been disrupted by shift working and is now becoming increasingly reported as cancer clusters around mobile phone masts and radio and television transmitters.
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