Gertner Institute for Epidemiology &  Health Policy Research

Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer 52621, ISRAEL

Tel: 972-3-5303262; Fax: 972-3-5348360

Affiliated to the Tel-Aviv University, Sackler Faculty of Medicine November 18^th, 2010

The recommendations presented in  this position paper were formulated in accordance with the request of the Knesset (Israeli Parliament, D.T.) Interior and Environment Committee Chairman, MP. Dov Hanin, at a meeting of the committee on May 31^st, 2010. The Health Ministry’s representative, Prof. Siegal Sadetzki was responsible for the initiation and consolidation of these recommendations.

For the purpose of preparing  this position paper, the following meetings took place:

A meeting held on July 15^th, 2010,included  the following participatants:

Israeli Ministry of  Environmental Protection.

Prof. Gelberg Stelian – Head of the Department for the Prevention of Noise and Radiation.

Israeli Ministry of Education

Ms. Irit Livne – Health Inspector.

The Israel Electric Corporation Dr. David Elmakis – Director of the Department of Planning, Development and Technologies.

Dr. Bentzi Cohen – The Unit for Prevention of Casualties and Environmental Licensing, Department of Planning, Development and Technologies.

Mr. Zvi Segev – Director of the National Network

Mr. Eli Elisha – Manager of the Department for Network Planning and – Connecting Homes in the South

Israeli Ministry of Health

Prof. Siegal Sadetzki – Director of the Cancer & Radiation Epidemiology Unit, Gertner Institute for Epidemiology & Health Policy Research.

Dr. Omer Sagi, Resident, the Cancer & Radiation Epidemiology Unit, Gertner Institute for Epidemiology & Health Policy Research.

A meeting held on October 5^th, 2010 included the following participatants:

Israeli Ministry of Education

Dr. Shimon Shoshani – CEO

Ms. Irit Livne – Health Inspector.

Ms. Esther Betzalel – Director of Department of Buildings, Budget, Administration and Development

Dr. Ofer Rimon – Director of Department of Science and Technology

Israeli Ministry of Health

Prof. Siegal Sadetzki – Director of the Cancer & Radiation Epidemiology Unit, Gertnet Institute for Epidemiology & Health Policy Research.

Dr. Omer Sagi, Resident, the Cancer & Radiation Epidemiology Unit, Gertnet Institute for Epidemiology & Health Policy Research.The aim of these meetings was to summarize the various  exposures  to non-ionizing radiation  from  unnatural sources to which a student in the current education system is exposed , and to conduct a comprehensive discussion regarding the actions that should be taken in order to reduce these exposures and to ensure the health of the students.

This position paper was approved by all the participants mentioned above.

Background:

Radiation is an energy that is spread in space and does not require an intermediary material to pass through it. The terms used to characterize radiation include wavelength, frequency, magnetic field and electric field. The source of the radiation can be described as having power at certain frequency bands.

Non-ionizing radiation is electromagnetic radiation, in which its wavelengths are located in the spectrum above the ultraviolet range. These waves do not have sufficient energy to ionize atoms.

The sources of electromagnetic radiation can be divided into two main  sources:

1.    Natural sources- like cosmic radiation and Radon.

2.    Man-made sources – such as radio transmitters, power lines, transformer stations, microwaves, cell towers, etc.

In this document we will focus only on man made sources that emit electromagnetic radiation in a  school environment:

1.    Cell phones

2.    Wireless computer network systems, i.e., Wi-Fi, WLAN and laptops used by teachers and students.

3.    Electric power, i.e. (ELF – Extremely Low Frequency) from power lines, transformers, circuit breakers and other sources.

1.         Cell phones

Background:

Cell phones enable wireless communication by using electromagnetic radiation in the radio frequencies spectrum (RF). In light of the widespread use of this technology and the lack of concrete scientific knowledge as to its health effects, it was determined that there is a need to conduct more research and to examine the need to establish policies regarding sensible use of this technology.

Summary of the   studies published to date (including the international ‘Interphone Study’ that examined the impact of cell phones use on the development of malignant and benign brain tumors, tumors of the auditory nerve and the salivary gland) indicates, that there is  reason to suspect an increased  risk of developing these tumors as a result of cell phones use . It should be noted that the study populations did not include children and youth who are considered to be more susceptible to the adverse health effects of electromagnetic radiation. As a result, many international organizations have recommended adopting the ‘precautionary principle’.

The Israeli Health Ministry has also recommended adopting the precautionary principle in regard to   cell phone use, with   emphasis onchildren and youth, as stated on the.  the Ministry website:

http://www.health.gov.il/pages/default.asp?PageId=4408&catId=838&maincat=46

These recommendations join the international recommendations, in which  several bodies and authorities  attempt to  find a balance between the increasing use of cell phones amongst children and youth and the health safety considerations.  Accordingly, many official organizations have adopted specific recommendations  for the use of cell phones among children and youth.

In addition,  specific guidelines regarding the use of  electromagnetic radiation  in general, and cell phone use specifically  have been developed for educational institutions. The European Union decision INI/2008/2211 calls for youth to turn off their cellular devices in class. The European Union decision ENVI/6/65496 noted the importance of schools being ‘clean’ as much as possible from electromagnetic radiation including radiation from cell phones. In the United States in NYC, bringing cell phones into schools is banned and a similar bill was introduced in France. The European Union, England, Canada, the American FDA and San Francisco state in the US, decided that a campaign should be initiated to increase the awareness for safer and sensible use of cell phones with regard to the possible adverse health effects to children and youth.

The situation in educational institutions in Israel:

According to data from the Israeli Finance Ministry,, by the end of 2008 there were 9.1 million cell phones subscribers. A survey that was conducted for the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor in 2007 found that in 58.6% of households with children aged 12-15, at least one child had a cell phone, totaling 254,000 children in this age group with cell phones.

The use of cell phones amongst children and youth is increasing. In addition to the health hazards associated with the use of cellular technology, its use also has social and behavioral implications within the school framework.

Unlike the electromagnetic radiation emitted from the electricity network, the exposure to electromagnetic radiation emitted from cell phones use is not imposed by the education system, as the use of cell phones in schools, is for the sole benefit of the individual!

Action Principle:

It was agreed by all, that the precautionary principle should be applied in the education arena as was recommended by the Health Ministry. Therefore, a balance should be achieved between the choice of the pupil and his parents to use cell phone and the possible health and social consequences of this use. This balance should be reached mainly by adopting proper habits of use.

It was agreed that technological solutions that would prevent cell phone reception in schools should not be used as a way to prevent cell phone use, for any such solution will cause higher exposure to radiation (a situation which is created in conditions of bad reception).

It should be noted that contrary to the operation of wireless networks or in exposure to electric networks, the main problem with the use of cell phones is to the user rather than to the other students who are present in the surrounding area.

Suggested methods of operation:

1.   A program providing age appropriate knowledge, with the goal of enabling the adoption of proper and sensible cell phone use habits should be established. i  The content of the program should  include, amongst other topics, understanding of the radiation emitted; the dangers associated with cell phone use; the precautionary principle; shortening the duration of each call; preference to SMS over a call; use of headphones; proper use while driving; night use and its effects on lack of sleep. The programs’ contents will be planned in collaboration with the Cancer & Radiation Epidemiology Unit in the Gertner Institute and the Ministry of Education.

2.   The program should be monitored by conducting a survey before and after  the intervention program is carried out, in order to test its effectiveness.

3.   Installation of public landline phones for students’ use in schools should be considered, in order to enable them to communicate with their parents instead of with cell phones.

4.   The possibility of establishing designated areas in which use of cell phones would be allowed, (as with smoking), should be considered. Hopefully establishing such areas would limit the use of cell phones and their environmental and social damage, and would provide balanced habits of use.

5.   It is important that these principles be applied, first and foremost, by the staffs  in the educational institutions. Accordingly, emphasis should be put on ensuring that teachers will comply and will use their cell phones only in the teachers’ room or in the areas designated for cell phone use.

6.   A recommendation should be made to the Israeli Ministry of Transportation to completely ban use of cell phones (including use by  headphones and  hands free phones systems) for young drivers, as was done in 21 states in the US. In this case, the danger of road accidents is not directly related to the electromagnetic radiation, but to the fact that the use of cell phones while driving diverts the attention of  drivers, with limited skill to begin with.

7.   A recommendation should be made to the Ministry of Transportation to completely ban the use of cell phones by public transportation drivers, including drivers of school buses, as was done in 17 states in the US. In this case as well,  the danger of road accidents is not directly related to  the electromagnetic radiation, but rather to the fact that cell phone use is a source of distraction when driving.

2.        The use of WLAN, Wi-Fi and Laptops by Teachers and Students

Background:

The International Telecommunication Union, a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN), has set  a goal of  providing access to knowledge through High Speed Information and Technology Communication Systems in all schools throughout the world..

Several methods can be used to achieve this goal. One of them uses routers and laptops which communicate via wireless networks (WLAN and Wi-FI). Wireless networks communicate using transmission and reception of radio frequencies (RF), which are a form of non-ionizing radiation.

In April 2009, the European Parliament, by a majority of 559-22, adopted decision ENVI/6/65496, regarding potential adverse health effects associated with electromagnetic radiation (EMF). The decision declared that wireless technology (which includes cell phones, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and cordless phones) emit electromagnetic radiation which may impose danger to human health. The decision states that it is important for schools to be as “clean” as possible from electromagnetic radiation.

The UK’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) started to examine the levels of radiation from the use of Internet wireless networks and laptops in schools. Final results of this examination have not yet been reported. From preliminary results it seems that 15 types of laptops common in the UK’s educational institutions are compliant with the existing standards. It should be noted that the standards themselves are being examined; however, no final conclusions have been reached.

Furthermore, most computer use in schools is done in set and predetermined places, i.e., desks.

Problems with the educational institutions in Israel:

Around the world, as well as in Israel, the use of laptops and Internet in schools is growing. Many schools are choosing to use wireless networks as the preferred Internet access system, and their use exposes students to electromagnetic radiation.

It should be remembered that the  school population comprises  children and youth, a group  with unique  characteristics:

• In general, for all carcinogens, including ionizing radiation, and for most cancer sites,  an inverse  association exists between  age at  time of exposure, and  the risk of becoming sick. Therefore, this population should be regarded as a sensitive population in comparison to the adult population.
• The student population is expected to live for many years, during which diseases with long latency periods  may develop.
• The student population is obligated by law to attend school. Moreover, in most cases the students and their parents do not have a choice regarding  which school and which classes the student will attend.

Method of Operation:

It is agreed by all, that the education system and the country are under a moral and legal obligation to protect the health of the students.

It is agreed that the precautionary principle should be adopted as it was adopted in the Non-Ionizing Radiation Act of 2006. The principles upon which the Health Ministry based its guidelines regarding cell phones and cordless phones should also be applied to wireless network systems.

These principles should be adopted in order to achieve a balance between the needs and the potential adverse health risks from exposure to Wi-Fi and WLAN in this special population in which the exposure is forced.

Since there are alternative ways to establish computer networks which are safer and do not require exposure to RF, such as the use of wired technology by connecting directly to a internet-allocated socket, there is no reason to use wireless technologies such as WLAN and Wi-Fi for computer networks in schools.

Suggested methods of operation:

The education system should be instructed, as a matter of principle, to give preference to existing technologies that are relatively safe and simple, such as the use of wired systems instead of using WLAN and WiFi.

3.        Sources of Electric Fields (ELF)

Background:

In 1999, the  National Institute of Health in the U.S. issued recommendations calling for reduction of the exposure to ELF by increasing the distance between the sources of radiation exposure and the exposed person, and minimizing the duration of time spent near the source of the exposure.

On the basis of scientific evidence  summarized in two meta-analyses  published in   2000 (Ahlbom et al, Greenland et al.) that included nine  and 12 studies respectively, the WHO’s research unit (the International Agency for the Research of Cancer (IARC)) defined ELF as a possible carcinogen (level B2). The study by Greenland found an odds ratio of 1.68 (OR-CI 95% 1.23-2.31) after adjusting for age and sex, for risk of leukemia among  children who were exposed to fields greater than 0.3 µT  in comparison to children exposed to fields lower than 0.1 µT. Following adjustment for age, sex, socioeconomic status and residency in East/West Germany, Ahlbom et al. observed an odds ratio of 2.00 (OR-CI 95% 1.27-3.13) for risk of leukemia among children who were exposed to fields equal to or greater than 0.3 µT, in comparison to children  exposed to fields lower than 0.1 µT.

The Problem in Educational Institutions in Israel:

Sources of exposure to ELF in educational institutions in Israel include electrical facilities such as : power lines, underground power lines, FILLERS, transmitters, electric boards (Circuit breaker panelboards) and circuit breakers, high power air-conditioning circuits, and places where there is leakage between the zero and the grounding.

The representative of the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection reported that his tests  found abnormal levels of exposure to ELF  in a small percentage of pre-school facilities  and schools. An example of such an unusually high exposure level was  in the ‘Hashmonaim’ school in Ramat-Gan in which 160 milligauss were measured in a sitting area. This measurement exceeds the limit of 4 milligauss in 8 hours, for an exposure time of 8 hours per day for a year, that is allowed by the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection, . It should be noted that MALRAZ (a non-profit organization in Israel that aims to promote issues of environmental health, D.T.), presented a report to the Knesset’s (Israeli parliament, D.T.) Committee on Environment and Health on December 12, 2009, which revealed that in 20% of the educational institutions surveyed,  the ELF levels in at least one class exceeded the levels recommended in the Ministry’s guidelines.

Method of operation:

It is agreed that the precautionary principle should be applied to reduce the levels of ELF to which students are exposed to the minimum possible, while achieving a balance between the level of risk and the social and economic cost of changing the infrastructure. Accordingly, different approaches should be applied to new infrastructures (in development or in planning stages) and to existing infrastructures.

Current and future treatment:

Representatives of the Israeli Electric Corp. stated that they consider the issue to be of great importance and that they are willing to invest resources to minimize ELF in educational institutions. The corp. has already taken care of some of the places in which problems were found and reported. The company has two key roles in this area: the first, as the body responsible for the infrastructure up to the electric meter in schools and pre-school facilities, and the second, as a professional organization that possesses knowledge and experience and is able to provide valuable input in establishing guidelines on the topic.

A representative of the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection reported that the Ministry is already conducting tests  in schools in order to locate fields that exceed the current guidelines. The Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection already examined the high power lines in all the schools, and fixed problems that were detected. A pilot program for examining  EMF levels was conducted inLod and Petach-Tikvah, and subsequently, instructions were issued to the municipalities on how to fix the problems that were detected. The Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection has the ability to   measure  the electromagnetic fields in all the schools and pre-schools in Israel. The representative also stated that the California Health Department has a similar program and information is available on: www.ehib.org/emf

Proposed methods of action:

1.   Installation and continuous maintenance of the electrical systems – in installing a new system or in maintaining an existing one in an educational institution or in its vicinity, the body responsible for the system (the electric company and/or the Building Department of the Israeli Ministry of Education) will ensure that the system is installed and maintained in such a way that   minimizes electromagnetic fields in the area,  utilizing the most advanced technology available.

2.   Raising awareness and professional knowledge – the electric company will prepare two briefs, one for the planning of new facilities in educational institutions (which willalso include reference  to renovations), and the second, for the continuous maintenance of facilities in educational institutions.

The purpose of the briefs is to increase awareness of the problem amongst professionals   and to provide concrete guidelines on how to plan, install and maintain electric systems in a way that would minimize the electromagnetic radiation.

The briefs will be submitted by October 1st, 2010 to the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection, Israeli Ministry of Education and the Cancer & Radiation Epidemiology Unit of the Gertner Institute for comments. The briefs will be attached to the position paper that will be submitted to the Knesset (Israeli Parliament, D.T.)

3.   Monitoring existing institutions

1.   The Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection will prepare a program to examine all the schools and pre-school facilities within one academic year.

2.   The Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection will continue  testing in schools and  pre-school facilities according to the existing guidelines and financing will be provided from the Ministry’s Budget. It is estimated that 5,000 schools and 10,000 pre-school facilities will be measured.

3.   The Israeli Ministry of Education will prepare a list of all the schools and pre-school facilities  and forward  it to the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Israeli Electric Corp..

4.   The Israeli Ministry of Education, through the directors of the Departments of Education  in the local municipalities and owners of private schools, will order the scanning of all the schools and pre-school facilities in which there are classrooms attached to the Circuit breaker panels or circuit breakers (regardless of whether the breaker is installed on the inside or outside the classroom). The scanning will be done in accordance with the reports of maintenance workers in the educational institutions. The list of the institutions will be forwarded to the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection in order to  give preference to these institutions for testing radiation levels. .

5.   The Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection will give priority for testing to  places that are known to have circuit breakers attached to the classrooms.

4.   Treatment of obstacles  that are discovered:

1.   Once a problem is discovered by the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection, it will be  reported to the Building Department of  the Israeli Ministry of Education. The report will include a description of the obstacles, immediate short-term solutions (including a detailed recommendation on the need to move the students away from the obstacle) and the ways through which the problem will be corrected. The Ministry of Education will act in accordance with the suggested immediate short-term solutions and will send a request to the owner of the educational institution or the Israeli Electric Corp. to implement the recommendations.

2.   The owners of the educational institution will handle the problem by using their electrician, or the municipality or the Israeli Electric Corp. electrician, depending on the location of the problem (‘before’ or ‘after’ the meter). The electrician will solve the problem, whether by examining and fixing the leakage between the zero to the grounding, changing the wiring of the circuit breakers or changing their location..

3.   The municipality or the owners of the educational institution will update the school’s principal and the Israeli Ministry of Education concerning the treatment of the problem .

4.   Once the problem is solved, a report will be provided by the Israeli Ministry of Education to the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection. .

5.   The Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection will consider repeating the measurements after the defect is corrected.

קרינת טלפונים ניידים גורמת לשינויים במוח של מבוגרים

מחקר חדש שיפורסם היום במגזין הרפואי האמריקאי המוביל JAMA מראה, שקרינת טלפונים סלולריים גורמת לשינויים במוח של מבוגרים, ומוכיח שיש צורך לנקוט זהירות בשימוש בהם.

הפניה למאמר:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/305/8/808.abstract

מומחים של הקרן לבריאות סביבתית מתריאים שפלאפונים גורמים לפעילות מוגברת במוח וכי העדר מגפה של גידולים במוח עד כה, לא מוכיחה שטלפונים ניידים וטכנולוגיה סלולארית אינם מסוכנים.

מדענים מומחים העובדים עם הקרן לבריאות סביבתית (Environmental Health Trust – EHT), ארגון מחקר והסברה שלא למטרות רווח, אומרים שמחקרים חדשים מראים שקרינה מטלפונים סלולריים גורמת לפעילות מוגברת של המוח, והם מחזקים את הצורך בתוכנית מחקר רצינית לגבי השפעות בריאותיות של טלפונים סלולריים ולשינוי בגישה לקביעת סטנדרטים בטיחותיים ושימת אזהרה על גבי הטלפונים סלולריים.

בגיליון שפורסם היום של הג’ורנל של איגוד הרפואה האמריקאי Journal of American Medical Association, אחד הג’ורנלים הרפואיים המובילים בעולם, מפורסם מאמר של קבוצה של חוקרים בראשם מנהלת המכון הלאומי לשימוש בסמים (National Institute of Drug Abuse), הפסיכיאטרית נורה וולקאו, מצאה כי 50 דקות של קרינה משימוש בפלאפון משפיעה משמעותית על תפקוד המוח ועל חילוף החומרים של הגלוקוז – הדלק העיקרי של המוח – באותם אזורים במוח שמקבלים את מרבית הקרינה מהטלפונים הסלולריים.

רונלד ב. הרברמן, יו”ר הדירקטוריון של EHT, ביולוג, חוקר סרטן ורופא, מדגיש, כי מחקר זה מספק רמז חשוב לגבי הדרכים שקרינת טלפונים ניידים יכולה לשנות את המוח ולמה זה ראוי לקחת צעדי מנע וזהירות בשימוש בטלפונים ניידים.

“מחקר מרתק זה מצביע על-כך שאפילו חשיפה קצרת טווח של תאי עצב לקרינה מטלפונים סלולריים יכולה להגביר את רמת הגלוקוז במוח”, אומר ד”ר הרברמן. “אנו יודעים שכמות מוגברת של גלוקוז מצביע על דלקת ושאר תהליכים זיהומיים ומוביל לייצור רדיקלים חופשיים שלהם פוטנציאל מסוכן, ןהם יכולים לשנות את הדרכים שתאים וגנים עובדים. ממצא חשוב זה יכול לעורר הרבה ביולוגים לבצע מחקרים מעמיקים כדי לקבוע את התוצאות וההשפעות של שינויים אלו בתאי העצב או תאי גוף אחרים באזור אליו מגיעה הקרינה. אנו צריכים לפתח הבנה טובה יותר כיצד קרינה של תקרי הרדיו יכולם לגרום לעליה בסיכון לגידולים סרטניים כמו גם שינוי בתיפקודי המוח”.

דבריו של ד”ר הרברמן הם חזרה על המלצה שפרסם כמנהל המכון לחקר הסרטן של אוניברסיטת פיטסבורג ב- 2008, הרברמן מציין שמחקר חדש זה מספק סיבות נוספות ללקיחת צעדים להקטין חשיפה ישירה למוח מקרינת טלפונים ניידים. “אנו צריכים לנקוט באמצעי זהירות פשוטים להוריד את חשיפת המוח לקרינה מטלפונים ניידים בזמן שמחקר על ההשפעות הביולוגיות של חשיפה לקרינת microwave (תדרי הקרינה של פלאפונים ואמצעים אלחוטיים אחרים)  מטלפונים ניידים מתבצע”, הוא אומר.

“המחקר האחרון של המכון לטכנולוגיה של קליפורניה ושל המכון הלאומי לשימוש בסמים, מאשררים ששימוש בטלפון נייד של רק 50 דקות משפיע על המוח” אומר לויד מורגן, יועץ מדעי בכיר של ה- EHT. “אף-על-פי-כן, סטנדרטים לגבי טלפונים ניידים מבוססים על ההנחה ששינויים כאלו מהקרינה של הטלפונים הניידים לא יכולים להתקיים. זה זמן לבדוק מחדש את הסטנדרטים ולקחת בחשבון את ההשפעות הן של הטווח הקצר והן של הטווח הרחוק שיכולה להיות לקרינת ה- microwave מטלפונים סלולריים על המוח והגוף”.

מורגן מסביר שגלוקוז במוח מצביע על ,’ריגוש’ במוח. “האזורים במוח שבהם נמצאה כמות מוגברת של גלוקוז כפי שנמצא במחקר שפורסם ב- JAMA, הם אזורים המעורבים בחשיבה, תחושה ותהליכי קבלת החלטות, כולל דיכוי של פעילות אנטי-חברתית.

ריצ’רד א. שטיין,  MD., PhD, יועץ מדעי ל- EHT שותף לדאגה של מורגן. הוא אומר “שבעזרת שימוש בסורקי PET כדי לבחון את הגלוקוז וחילוף החומרים במוחם של מתנדבים בריאים, צוות החוקרים הגיע קרוב ככל האפשר ליצירת תמונה של חילוף החומרים ופעילות המוח בזמן אמת, בתגובה לקרינה לא מייננת. התוצאות של המחקר מאשררות ומחזקות דוחות קודמים שהתבססו על מחקרים ושמצאו שקרינת microwave משנה מסלולי תקשורת תאיים ( Cellular Signaling Pathways ) ופעילות המוח”.

“כיוון שגלוקוז הוא מקור האנרגיה היחיד של המוח תחת תנאי תזונה נורמליים, יש צורך אבסולוטי בגלוקוז בעת שידור סינפטי במערכת העצבים, תוצאות המחקר הנוכחי הן בעלות חשיבות רבה ביותר” , אומר ד”ר שטיין. כמובן, אנו לא יודעים האם השינויים בחילוף החומררים של הגלוקוז מייצגים את ההפרעה הראשונית, או האם הם קורים כתהליך משני, כתגובה להפרעה אחרת – כגון הפעלה של מסלולי הלם-חום- תגובה לקרינה לא מייננת שדווחה על-ידי מספר קבוצות מחקר. אבל דבר אחד בטוח, המחקר הנוכחי חושף באופן ברור שינויים ב-pathways שהוא הכרחי לאנרגית חילוף החומרים במוח ולתשדורות סינופטיות, ושהוא מחובר באופן הדוק עם מסלולים שממלאים תפקידים חיוניים במערכות ביולוגיות. המחקר של וולקאו הוא תרומה חשובה לבריאות הציבור”.

מחקר קודם בראשותו של פרופ’ דריוז לזסינצקי ( Dariusz Leszczybski) מהמכון הפינלנדי לקרינה ובטיחות גרעינית (Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority), שפורסם ב- 2008 ב- BMC Genomics, מערב מחקר בבני-אדם בו ביופסיות עור מנוקבות נלקחו מהזרוע של 10 מתנדבים שנחשפו לשעה אחת של קרינה מטלפון נייד. המחקר חשף שרמת הexpression של 8 פרוטאינים השתנתה עם החשיפה לקרינה וכי 2 פרוטאינים השתנו בכל המתנדבים, כשההסבר המוצע הוא שהשינויים ביטוי החלבונים (protein expression ) כנראה התרחשו כתוצאה מהחשיפה לתדרי הרדיו (הקרינה של הטלפונים הניידים).

המאמר שפורסם ב- Nature Neuroscience בחודש שעבר, בידי נוירוביולוג מהמכון לטכנולוגיה של קליפורניה (California Institute of Technology), מראה ששדות חשמליים חלשים משתנים משפיעים על המוח בחשיבה, מנוחה ושינה.

ד”ר דברה דיוויס, הנשיאה והמייסדת של ה- EHT, אומרת שמחקר חדש זה, בשילוב עם מחקרים שנעשו על-ידי הנרי ליי, אלן פריי ואחרים במהלך שלושת העשורים האחרונים ואשר תועדו בספרה החדש Disconnect: the Truth About Cell Phones Radiation, What the industry Has Done to hide It, and How to Protect Your Family (נתק: האמת מאחרוי טלפונים ניידים, מה התעשיה עשתה להסתיר זאת וכיצד להגן על משפחתך), מחזקים את הצורך בשינוי הגישה למסוכנותם של טלפונים ניידים.

“סטנדרטים הבטיחות הקיימים לגבי טלפונים ניידים מניחים כי לא יכולות להיות השפעות ביולוגיות לקרינת microwave מטלפונים ניידים ללא שינוי בטמפרטורה” אומרת ד”ר דיוויס. “למעשה, מחקר זה שמפורסם ב- JAMA עןשה שימוש בטלפונים ניידים עם SAR (שיעור הספיגה בעור ) של פחות מ- 1 וואט לק”ג ל-50 דקןת, ומצא עליה משמעותית בגלוקוז במוח – הסוכר שמספק את מקור האנרגיה העיקרי של המוח”.

“המחקר בשילוב עם מחקרים אחרים מראה שיש סיבות נוספות לדאגה מהשפעת הקרינה מלבד הדאגה לגידולים סרטניים” דר” דיוויס מוסיפה. גידולים הינם רק קצה הקרחון, ולפני שהם מופיעים מתרחשים בגוף במשך שנים תהליכים ביולוגיים שלהם משמעות ורלוונטיות רפואית משמעותית, ומחקר זה מאשר ששינויים ביולוגים משמעותיים מתרחשים כבר אחרי חשיפה קצרה כמו זו שמתרחשת מדי יום על-ידי חשיפה ל-5 ביליון הטלפונים הניידים שבעולם כיום”.

“האם אפקט הגירוי של קרינת הטלפונים הניידים להעלאת האנרגיה במוח יכול להסביר את ההתמכרות הגדלה והולכת של רבים מאיתנו לטלפון הנייד?” שואלת דיוויס. “זוהי אחת משאלות המחקר הרבות שצריכות להחקר”.

EHT פועלת עם מומחים וממשלות במספר ערים ומדינות בארה”ב ובפינלנד, צרפת ישראל ומדינות אחרות מסביב לעולם, כדי לעודד תוכנית למחקר משמעותי ובלתי תלוי לגבי ההשפעות הבריאותיות של קרינה מטלפונים ניידים וכדי לקבוע תקנים בטיחות שמאמצים את עקרון הזהירות המונעת.

בעוד המחקרים נערכים, EHT מעודד צעדי זהירות פשוטים להקטין את קרינת הmicrowave למוח ולגוף, כגון אלו אשר הומלצו על-ידי ראש ה- EHT הרברמן ב- 2008 וכעת מאומצים על-ידי מספר מדינות ומומחים מסביב לעולם. יש להשתמש בטלפונים ניידים רק באמצעות אוזניות או ברמקול ויש להימנע מלשים אותם על הגוף וילדים צריכים להיזהר אף יותר שלא להיות חשופים ישירות לקרינה.

בהתבסס על הכמות הגדלה והולכת של ממצאים ממעבדות ומחקרים אפידמולוגיים, שניים מראשי מחקר האינטרפון של ה- WHO (ארגון הבריאות העולמי), ‘עברו צד’ לאחרונה, והן כעת קוראות לקחת צעדי מניעה נרחבים. הן מתבססות על הכמות הגדלה והולכת של ממצאים ביולוגים שלקרינת ה- microwave מטלפונים ניידים יש השפעה וכי מחקרים אפידימולוגים מצאו עליה בסיכון לסרטן במוח לאחר עשורים של שימוש אינטנסיבי. פרופ’ אליזבת קרדיס ומיכל סדסקי גם הן טוענות שזה נכון להוריד את החשיפה על-ידי צעדים פשוטים, כולל שימוש ברמקול או באוזניות, להוריד משך השיחות ולהקטין את השימוש של ילדים באופן כללי.

“ישנם כיום יותר מ-4 ביליון אנשים, כולל ילדים, המשתמשים בטלפונים ניידים” הן כותבות. “אפילו סיכון קטן ברמת הפרט יכול להביא לכמות משמעותית של גידולים סרטניים ולהפוך לבעיה רצינית לבריאות הציבור. צעדים פשוטים ובעלי עלות נמוכה כגון שימוש ב-SMS, שימוש באוזניות או ברמקול יכולים להוריד באופן משמעותי את החשיפה למוח מטלפונים ניידים. לכן, עד אשר תהיינה תשובות מדעיות חד משמעיות, מומלץ לאמץ צעדי מנע וזהירות, בייחוד בקרב צעירים”.

כתבה שפורסמה לאחרונה בג’ורנל המדעי BioElectromagnetics ושקיבלה תהודה רבה טענה בגלל שכיוון שבארה”ב ובאנגליה עדיין אין מגפה של גידולים במוח (מ 1998-2007) למרות שטלפונים ניידים בשימוש 10 שנים, ניתן להסיק, שטלפונים ניידים הם בטוחים ואים צורך בצעדי זהירות.

לגבי הכתבה, אלן פריי, מומחה ידוע בתחום של ביואלקרומגנטיקה, הסביר מדוע טענה זו היא מוטעית:

“בספרות המדעית כבר מקובל שבאופן כללי סרטן לא נראה עד כ 10-30 שנה לאחר החשיפה לגורם. בנוסף, הספרות הביולוגית לגבי תדרי הרדיו מראה שסרטן לא נראה עד לפחות 10 שנים לאחר החשיפה, ממצא שהוא עקבי עם שאר הספרות הרפואית. בביקורתו את המאמר, פריי מדגיש כי “המחברים של המאמר ניתחו מידע סטטיסטי לגבי הסרטן לפני שמרבית האוכלוסיה שנבדקה עדיין לא היה לה טלפון נייד. כמו-כן, מאלו שהיה להם טלפון נייד, למרביתם לא היה אותו יותר מ-5 שנים! לכן, המחברים ידעו, או היו צריכים לדעת שאם טלפונים ניידים מגבירים את הסיכוי לגידולים סרטניים, שהמחקר שלהם לא היה מראה זאת. אף-על-פי-כן הם ערכו את המחקר והסיקו במאמר שלהם שהמקר שלהם מראה שאין צורך ל”התערבות להוריד את החשיפה לתדרי הרדיו מטלפונים ניידים שבשימוש כיום””.

“להסיק שטלפונים ניידים הם בטוחים זה לקרוא לא נכון את המדע הקיים ולהטעות את הציבור”, טוענת ד”ר דיוויס.

הפניה למאמר:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/305/8/808.abstract

לאינפורמציה נוספת,ניתן לבקר באתרים www.ehtrust.org, www.powerwatch.org, www.bioinitiative.org.

הפניה ל- BMC Genomics Study

Karinen A, Heinävaara S, Nylund R, Leszczynski D. Mobile phone radiation might alter protein expression in human skin. BMC Genomics 9, 2008, 77 www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/9/77

רקע על הקרן לבריאות סביבתית (Enviromental Health Trust)

מטרת הקרן EHT ליידע אנשים, אנשי מקצוע מתחום הבריאות וקהילות לגבי הסיכונים לבריאות הציבור ושינויי מדיניות להוריד את הסיכונים מגורמים סביבתיים בהם ניתן לשלוט. פרויקטים קיימים כוללים: קמפיינים מקומיים ולאומיים לאסור עישון ואסבסט, עבודה עם רופאים ברחבי העולם וקבוצות הפועלות לבטיחות הציבור להזהיר לגבי הסיכונים בשימוש לא ראוי בקרינה למטרות אבחון וטלפונים ניידים, מחקר לגבי הגורמים שמאחורי העליה האדירה בכמות גידולים סיביים (Fibroid Tumors ), סרטן השד ודלקת רירית הרחם בקרב נשים ממוצא אפריקני-אמריקאי וכן בבניית חוסן בריאותי מגורמים סביבתיים בוואיומינג ופנסילבניה כדי להתמודד עם ההשפעות הסביבתיות של פיתוח בתחומי האנרגיה והרדון. EHT הוקמה במטרה לשפר הבריאות ולמנוע מחלות. תוך שימוש בעניין הציבורי בספריה הפופולריים של ד”ר דברה לי דיוויס, ביניהם When Smoke Ran like Water ו-The Secret History of the War on Cancer ושל סרטים דוקיומנטריים, האתר של ה- EHT שם לו למטרה להיות המקור אליו פונים כדי לקבל מידע ברור המבוסס על מדע למניעת מחלות שמקורן גורמים סביבתיים. האתר יספק פורטל עבור הציבור הרחב, ילדים ואנשי מקצוע מתחום הבריאות.

ליצירת קשר (באנגלית)

Environmental Health Trust

environmentalhealthtrust@gmail.com

בעברית

דפנה טחובר, dtachover@gmail.com,  0732 69 63 61

WASHINGTON, DC – February 22, 2011 – Expert scientists working with Environmental Health Trust (EHT), a nonprofit research and educational group, say that new studies showing that cell phone radiation excites the brain strengthen the need for a major research program on cell phones and health, revamping approaches to setting standards, and putting warnings on cell phones.

Writing in today’s issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, a team of researchers led by the director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse, psychiatrist Nora D.Volkow, found that just 50 minutes of cell phone radiation significantly affected brain function and metabolism of glucose—the brain’s main fuel—in those parts of the brain that received the most cell phone radiation.

Ronald B. Herberman, M.D., chair of EHT’s Board and a renowned cancer biologist and physician, indicated that this work offers an important clue about the ways that cell phone radiation can alter the brain and also shows why it is appropriate to take special precautions with cell phones today.

“This stunning report indicates that even short-term exposure to nerve cells from cell phones can increase glucose in the brain,” said Dr. Herberman.  “We know that increased glucose also occurs with infections and other inflammatory processes, and leads to the production of potentially damaging reactive oxygen radicals that can alter the ways that cells and genes work.  This important finding should stimulate many biologists to perform in-depth studies to determine the consequences of such changes in nerve cells or other bodily cells in the region of the radiation.  We need to develop a better understanding of how radiofrequency radiation might contribute to increased risk for brain tumors as well as other alterations in brain functions.”

Echoing advice he had issued as director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute in 2008, Herberman noted that this new report provides additional reasons for taking steps to reduce direct exposure to the brain from cell phone radiation.  “We need to take simple precautions to reduce brain exposures to cell phone radiation, while research on the biological impact of exposure to microwave radiation from cell phones is carried out in the meantime,” he said.

“The latest research from the California Institute of Technology and the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) confirms that just 50 minutes of cell phone radiation affects the brain,” says Lloyd Morgan, Senior Science Advisor to EHT.  “Yet standards for phones today rest on the assumption that such effects cannot possibly occur.  It is time to revise the standards, and to take into account both the short- and long-term effects that microwave radiation from cell phones can have on the brain and body.”

Morgan explained that glucose in the brain indicates excitability.  “The areas of the brain that had increased glucose in the JAMA study are involved in thinking, sensing and decision making, including repression of antisocial behavior.”

Sharing Morgan’s concerns, EHT scientific advisor Richard A. Stein, M.D., Ph.D., said, “By using radio-labeled PET scans to examine glucose and energy metabolism in the brain of healthy adult volunteers, the NIDA team got as close as one can get to visualize brain metabolism and brain activity in real time, in response to non-ionizing radiation.  Their results validate and reinforce previous reports that used other experimental approaches, and have found that microwave radiation altered cellular signaling pathways and brain activity.

“As glucose is the sole energy source in the brain under normal dietary conditions, and there is an absolute requirement for glucose during synaptic transmission in the nervous system, the results of the current study emerge as even more significant,” Dr. Stein said.  “Of course, we do not know whether the changes in glucose metabolism represent the primary perturbation, or whether they occur secondarily, as a response to some other disturbance—such as the activation of heat shock pathways, which was reported to occur by several independent groups in response to non-ionizing radiation.  But one thing is certain—the current study clearly reveals changes in a pathway that is essential for brain energy metabolism and synaptic transmission, and is intimately interconnected with other pathways that fulfill fundamental roles in biological systems.  The Volkow study is an important contribution to public health.”

Previous work from Prof. Dariusz Leszczynski’s group at the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, published in 2008 in BMC Genomics, involved a human study where punch skin biopsies were taken from the forearm of 10 human volunteers who were  exposed for 1 hour of cell phone radiation.  Study has revealed that the expression level of 8 proteins was changed upon exposure, and 2 proteins were changed in all volunteers, suggesting that  protein expression changes might occur in response to RF exposure.

Writing in the journal Nature Neuroscience last month, neurobiologists at the California Institute of Technology showed that very weak varying electric fields affect the thinking, resting or sleeping brain.

Dr. Devra Lee Davis, president and founder of Environmental Health Trust, says that this new work, combined with studies carried out by Henry Lai, Allan Frey and others in the past three decades and documented in her new book, Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family (Dutton, 2010), reinforces the need for revamping our current approach to cell phone safety.

“Cell phone standards assume that no biological impact of microwave radiation from cell phones can occur without a detectable change in temperature,” said Dr. Davis.  “In fact, this JAMA study used phones with a SAR of less than 1 W/kg for 50 minutes and found significant increases in brain glucose—the sugar that provides the brain’s main source of energy.

“The current study shows, along with other studies, that there are additional concerns related to cell phone use, besides tumors,” adds Dr. Davis.  “Tumors are just the tip of the iceberg, but their development is preceded by years of other biological perturbations that have profound medical relevance—and this study confirms that significant biological changes occur after relatively brief exposures such as those that take place daily with the world’s five billion cell phones.

“Could the stimulating impact of cell phone radiation to boost brain energy explain some of the growing addiction many of us feel for our phones?”  Davis asks.  “That is one of the many research questions that should be addressed.”

EHT is working with experts and governments in a number of U.S. cities and states, and in Finland, France, Israel and other countries around the world, to encourage a major independent research program on cell phones and simple precautionary policies in the meantime.

While that research is being carried out, EHT encourages simple precautions to reduce microwave radiation to the brain and body, such as those recommended by EHT chair Herberman in 2008 and now endorsed by a number of governments and experts around the world.  Phones should be used with headsets or speakerphones and not kept directly on the body, and children should take special care not to have direct exposures.

Based on the growing evidence from laboratories and epidemiologic studies, two leaders of the WHO Interphone study on cell phones have recently broken ranks and are now calling for such precautions to be taken broadly.  They note the growing biological evidence that microwave radiation from phones has impacts and that epidemiologic studies find increased risks of brain cancer after a decade of heavy use.

Professors Elisabeth Cardis and Siegal Sadetzki have urged that it is prudent to reduce exposure by simple means at this time, ranging from using speakerphones and headsets to reducing call time and children’s use of phones generally.

“There are now more than 4 billion people, including children, using mobile phones,” they write. “Even a small risk at the individual level could eventually result in a considerable number of tumours and become an important public-health issue.  Simple and low-cost measures, such as the use of text messages, hands-free kits and/or the loudspeaker mode of the phone could substantially reduce exposure to the brain from mobile phones.  Therefore, until definitive scientific answers are available, the adoption of such precautions, particularly among young people, is advisable.”

A recent widely publicized piece in the journal BioElectromagnetics concluded that because the U.S. and U.K. do not currently have a brain tumor epidemic (from 1998–2007) and cell phones have been in use for a decade, therefore cell phones are safe and there is no need for precaution.

Regarding this study, Allan Frey, a well-known expert in the field of bioelectromagnetics, noted the fallacy of the argument:

“It is well established in the scientific literature that generally a cancer is not seen until 10 to 30 years after the exposure to an agent.  In addition, the radio frequency-biological literature shows that cancer is not seen until at least 10 years after the exposure, which is consistent with the rest of the scientific literature.”

In criticizing this study, Frey points out, “The authors analyzed data on brain tumors gathered before most of their study population owned a cell phone.  Also, most of their population did not have a cell phone for more than five years.  Thus, the authors knew or should have known, that if cell phones induced or promoted brain cancer, that their study would not have shown it.  Yet they did the study and concluded in their paper that their study showed that there was no need for ‘…interventions to reduce radio frequency exposure from mobile phones’ that are used today.”

“To conclude that cell phones are safe misreads the science and misleads the people,” Dr. Davis advised.

For more information, please visit www.ehtrust.org, www.powerwatch.org, and http://www.bioinitiative.org/

Reference to BMC Genomics study:

Karinen A, Heinävaara S, Nylund R, Leszczynski D. Mobile phone radiation might alter protein expression in human skin. BMC Genomics 9, 2008, 77 (www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/9/77)

About Environmental Health Trust

Environmental Health Trust (EHT) educates individuals, health professionals and communities about controllable environmental health risks and policy changes needed to reduce those risks. Current multi-media projects include: local and national campaigns to ban smoking and asbestos; working with international physician and worker safety groups to warn about the risks of inappropriate use of diagnostic radiation and cell phones, exploring what factors lie behind puzzlingly high rates of fibroid tumors, breast cancer and endometriosis in young African American women, and building environmental wellness programs in Wyoming and Pennsylvania to address the environmental impacts of energy development, the built environment and radon. EHT was created with the goal of promoting health and preventing disease one person, one community and one nation at a time. Capitalizing on growing public interest in Dr. Devra Lee Davis’s popular books, When Smoke Ran Like Water, a National Book Award Finalist, and The Secret History of the War on Cancer, and recent documentary films, the foundation’s website will become the go to place for clear, science-based information to prevent environmentally based disease and promote health, and will have portals for the general public, children, and health professionals.

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the shirt pocket with a connection to the ear for hands-free operation. We have

considered an anatomic model of the chest and a planar phantom recommended

by US FCC to compare the peak 1 and 10 g SARs for four typical cellular

telephones, two each at 835 and 1900 MHz. An agreement within

±10% is obtained between calculated and experimental 1 and 10 g SARs for various

separations (2–8 mm) from the planar phantom used to represent different

thicknesses of the clothing both for the antenna away from or turned back

towards the body. Because of the closer placement of the antennas relative to

the body, the peak 1 and 10 g SARs are considerably higher (by a factor of

2–7) for pocket-mounted telephones as compared to the SARs obtained using

a 6 mm thick plastic ear head model—a procedure presently accepted both in

the US and Europe. This implies that a telephone tested for SAR compliance

against the model of the head may be severely out of compliance if it were

placed in the shirt pocket.

Read full article

Letter to the Editor (PDF 44KB)

Commentary on Re-Analysis of Risk of Glioma Using the Interphone Protocol (36KB)

“Despite what the mobile phone lobby continues to tell us, all those studies have one thing in common. The issue of whether mobile phone use increases the risk of brain cancers remains open. The link between phones and cancer may turn out to be like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, in the case of which our original fears did not come to fruition, or it may turn out to be like the link between tobacco and lung cancer. The truth is that we simply do not know. Further independent research over a longer period is needed. At this point I must issue a statistics health warning. Matt Parker has implored me to make it clear that we will never reach the point of saying, “Mobile phones do not cause cancer”; there will merely be more and more studies showing that there is no reason to believe that they do not.”

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But what does all that talk-time do to your health? Or carrying a phone next to your body for 18 hours a day?

The scientific jury is still out on whether those powerful micro-waves may be causing long-term damage. Thousands of studies have already been published on the subject, especially into the links between brain cancer and radiation. Yet the vast majority have proved inconclusive. Only last year, the World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer said further work was crucial into the long-term “heavy” use of mobile phones.

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