Open letter to OPALCO board members regarding 5G

— from Julienne Battalia —

The following letter was read aloud to OPALCO Board members at their recent meeting.

Dear OPALCO BOARD Members,

Many years have passed since the first contentious discussions about the idea of a 4G WiFi canopy over the entire San Juan Archipelago, when several hundreds Lopez residents, 10% of the population signed a petition stating that they were opposed to OPALCO’S wireless broadband plan because of concerns about electromagnetic radiation and public health safety.

Presently there are over 28 LTE cell towers emitting harmful electric and magnetic field (EMF) rays 24/7 over most of the Islands. But just as OPALCO has proceeded moving forward with its hybrid/broadband agenda, so has the scientific community moved forward, continuing to find a high level of certainty that mechanisms of cumulative and eventually irreversible pathophysiological harm are caused by low level, long and short term, NON-THERMAL microwave frequency EMF exposures.

The report [you now have in your hands] by Dr. Martin L. Pall, PHD, Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences at Washington State University explains the scientific evidence for eight distinct types of great harm caused by electromagnetic radiation exposures and the mechanism that causes them.

• Attack our nervous systems including our brains leading to widespread neurological/neuropsychiatric effects and possibly many other effects. This nervous system attack is of great concern.
• Attack our endocrine (that is hormonal) systems. In this context, the main things that make us functionally different from single celled creatures are our nervous system and our endocrine systems – even a simple planaria worm needs both of these. Thus the consequences of the disruption of these two regulatory systems is immense, such that it is a travesty to ignore these findings.
• Produce oxidative stress and free radical damage, which have central roles in essentially all chronic diseases.
• Attack the DNA of our cells, producing single strand and double strand breaks in cellular DNA and oxidized bases in our cellular DNA. These in turn produce cancer and also mutations in germ line cells which produce mutations in future generations.
• Produce elevated levels of apoptosis (programmed cell death), events especially important in causing both neurodegenerative diseases and infertility.
• Lower male and female fertility, lower sex hormones, lower libido and increased levels of spontaneous abortion and, as already stated, attack the DNA in sperm cells.
• Produce excessive intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i and excessive calcium signaling.
• Attack the cells of our bodies to cause cancer. Such attacks are thought to act via 15 different mechanisms during cancer causation.

This particular report is significant in that, although there are over 2500 peer reviewed studies  finding biological effects from NON-THERMAL exposures to EMF,  the  mechanisms for how this is possible  was unknown.  In fact findings that NON-THERMAL exposures were causing biological effects ran completely counter to the standard scientific paradigm that assumes if no THERMAL radiation is emitting, then no biological effects should be able to take place. Yet study after study continues to show biological effects from NON-THERMAL exposures.

By reviewing and analyzing thousands of peer reviewed studies, Dr. Paul has been able to isolate and identify the mechanisms by which NON-THERMAL electromagnetic radiation effects biology.

The evidence that EMF radiation can cause harm to humans is slowly making its way into legislation around the world and the country, with precautionary measures and warnings.

• In 2011 the WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION placed EMF radiation exposure on the list Class 2B carcinogens, and is presently considering moving EMF radiation to class 2A carcinogen classification.
• Also in 2011 the PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE issued Resolution 1815 calling for  all European governments to “take all reasonable measures” to reduce exposure to electromagnetic fields “particularly the exposure to children and young people who seem to be most at risk from head tumors.”  To Implement “information campaigns about the risk of biological effects on the environment and human health, especially targeting children and young people of reproductive age. To  “Reconsider the scientific basis for the present standards on exposure to electromagnetic fields set by the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection, which have serious limitations, and apply the ALARA principles, covering both thermal effects and the non-thermic effects of electromagnetic radiation particularly in schools and classrooms, and give preference to wired Internet connections, and strictly regulate the use of mobile phones by schoolchildren on school premises.
• SWITZERLAND, ITALY, FRANCE, AUSTRIA, LUXUMBOURG, BULGARIA, POLAND, HUNGARY, ISRAEL, RUSSIA and CHINA have re-set electromagnetic radiation exposure limits 100 to 10,000 times less than the United States. These countries all recognize that there can be non-thermal biological effects from wireless radiation.
• In 2013 FRANCE banned Wi-Fi  from nursery schools, and Wifi must be be turned off in elementary schools when not in use. The French National Library along with other libraries in Paris, and a number of universities have removed all Wi-Fi networks and have installed wired internet connection. As of September 2018 cell phones are banned in primary and middle schools and not only in classrooms but at breaks, lunch times, and between lessons “as a matter of public health.”
• In BELGIUM, wireless internet is banned from spaces that cater to children between ages 0 and three: preschools and daycare centers  and Geneva have blocked the erection of 5G mobile antennae, motivated by uncertainty on the potential health effects of the new technology.          
• In 2014 SPAIN voted to urge the  removal of Wi-Fi in schools  and to apply the precautionary principle in relation to exposure limits to electromagnetic fields. The Parliament voted to adopt a resolution which calls to implement the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe resolution 1815 of 2011, which recommends to “review the scientific basis for the standards of exposure to electromagnetic fields” and “set thresholds for levels of preventive long-term exposure in all indoor areas not exceeding 0.6 volts per meter.”
• In ITALY 2015, the State Parliament of South Tyrol, mandated that the state government  “replace existing wireless networks whenever possible with networks that emit less radiation at schools, preschools, hospitals, nursing homes, and other public facilities, and to establish a working group  mandated to assess these new technologies and exposure levels with regard to wireless communication technologies, mobile Internet access, and public health. The working group shall clarify which technologies emit less radiation and provide sustainable technology options,  and implement an education and awareness campaign that informs about possible health risks, especially regarding the unborn, infants, children, and adolescents, ” and  develop guidelines for a safer use of cell phones, smartphones, laptops, iPads and Wi-Fi.
• ISRAEL has issued guidelines limiting WiFi and cell phone use in schools. Wi-Fi is banned in Preschool through 2nd grade and a hard-wired direct cable connection is required if the teacher has a computer in the classroom.
• In INDIA  the Supreme Court upheld a decision by a lower court  to remove all cell towers from the vicinity of schools, hospitals, and playgrounds because EMF radiation is “hazardous to life.”  
• Health CANADA in 2015  introduced into the House Of Commons, “An Act Respecting the Prevention of Potential Health Risks From Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Radiation” that would require manufacturers of all wireless devices to place specific health warning labels clearly on  packaging, or face daily penalties/fines and/or imprisonment. Health Canada has also released guidelines warning men not to place cell phones in pants pocket, as it reduces sperm motility.
• In 2017 the CALIFORNIA Department of Public Health released guidelines advising cell phone users to keep phones away from their bodies, use speaker phone as much as possible, and to limit cell phone use. These guidelines advise Californians that scientific studies have linked electromagnetic radiation from long-term cell phone use and other wireless devices to an increased risk of brain cancer and other health problems.
• In NEW YORK state the Suffolk County Legislature passed legislation to require all county buildings to post notices that wireless routers are in use, such as “Notice: Wireless technology in use.” The resolution, sponsored by William Spencer (a physician), warns that every wireless device emits radio frequency radiation or microwave radiation and may be harmful to health.
• MARYLAND’S Green Belt City Council voted unanimously in 2014 to alert citizens about the fine print warnings and possible health risks of cell phones and wireless devices, and to send the FCC Chairman a letter urging the adoption of “radiation standards that will protect human health and safety.” They also voted to oppose cell towers on all school grounds.

These 5 Cities has passed Action on 5G:

• Petaluma, California, no 5Gn small cell shall be within 500 feet of any residence.
• Fairfax and Mill Valley California, small cells prohibited in residential zones
• San Diego County, no small cells located within 1,000 feet of schools, child care centers, hospitals, or churches.
• Mason, Ohio, No small cells in residential areas or within 100 feet of residential property
• Burlington, Massachusetts, annual recertification fees for small cells so that new standards can be easily implemented.
• Baton Rouge, Florida Small cell deployment halted.

In Switzerland, Swiss canton has temporarily frozen permits to install new 5G transmitters. The resolution calls for a ban on 5G transmitter installation until the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) has finished its study into the effects of the 5G technology on public health.

And finally, in this coming year the United States National Toxicology Program (NTP) will embark on a new phase of its long-running RF project. Last year, the NTP concluded that RF radiation causes cancer; now it will begin a systematic search for mechanisms to explain how and why EMF is causing DNA Breaks, oxidative stress, and altering gene expression. Oxidative stress “is shorthand for the sequence of events that follows an increase in the number of free radicals —biologically active molecules that can damage DNA. Alternatively, RF radiation may hinder the cell’s ability to repair DNA breaks, which occur naturally and not infrequently.”

I offer this information to you, members of the OPALCO Board, in the hopes that you might educate yourselves about this very important public health issue in which you are now deeply involved by promoting increased wireless technology usage via RockIsland’s LTE /broadband technology.

I ask you to please consider the evidence before you and find a way to roll out WIRED fiber optic cable to every home in San Juan County. County wide WIRED Fiber Optic Broadband is possible in our County.

I urge you to eliminate any plans to upgrade to a 5G network.

In the meantime, I ask you to mandate that ROCKISLAND TECHNOLOGIES create a campaign to educate co-op members about the health risks of using wireless technology and educate them on ways they can protect themselves and their families. There are ways for people to use wireless devices in a safer manner and to greatly reduce and limit exposures.

I urge you to educate co-op members about turning their WiFi modems off at night, and how to replace their modems and routers with ones that have low EMF output, on/off switches, and timers. These do exist. Or maybe even offer to give every member a router that has these setting options. WiFi routers unnecessarily emit radiation 24 hours a day and have an amplitude of over 200 feet, even when not in use. (Not to mention the electric usage) JRS® Eco-WiFi firmware produces these routers. (www.jrseco.com).

I urge you, Board Members, to be part of the solution by educating co-op member on how to safely use cell phones, now that more and more members are letting go of their landlines due to the extra cost of maintaining this after getting connected to RockIsland’s system.

“Saying that RF radiation from wireless communication cannot do any harm because it is non ionising —meaning the individual photon energy is not large enough —- is the same as saying that a tsunami cannot cause any harm because the individual water molecules don’t have enough energy.”

Leendert Vriens, PhD – Physicist, who worked for 30 years at Philips Natlab , the world renowned physics research laboratory.

To stick our heads in the sand and deny there is a problem here would be a moral travesty and an abuse to all members of the OPALCO Co-op.

Together we can be part of the movement toward safer technology, and lead other communities in this direction by educating and protecting members of OPALCO from the harmful biological effects of electromagnetic radiation.

Link to Petition:http://chng.it/R2z5btdg4J