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Dear MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith- Time to Protect Students Not Promote Pollution

Dear Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Jack Smith, I am writing to you on an important issue regarding our children’s hea...

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

First US Public School District Limits Wi-Fi Radiation Exposure to Students and Staff



Ashland, Massachusetts Public Schools have implemented Wi-Fi Device "Best Practices" which include turning the Wi-Fi off when not in use and keeping devices on a table.



Ashland, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 09/28/2015 --Based on its own review of the matter, the Ashland Public School District is reducing wireless radiation exposures to children by instituting district wide “best practices for mobile devices”. Spurred by parent Cecelia Doucette’s concerns about the lack of safety data on Wi-Fi and children, the district investigated the issue and developed a policy to substantially reduce wireless exposures to students and staff.  Doucette not only brought the issue to the district’s attention, but then also worked with state legislatures who introduced two bills concerning electromagnetic radiation this session. 

The Environmental Health Trust (EHT) submitted written testimony on MA Senate Bill 1222 after expert scientists presented information on wireless health risks at a briefing at the Massachusetts State House in June 2015.


Watch Cecelia Doucette speak about her efforts to legislators in this video.



Since wireless devices are constantly emitting radiation even when the user is not using the Internet, the instruction to "turn it off when not in use " stops the Wi-Fi antennas from continuously emitting radiation and is one simple way to reduce the radiation dose and exposure time for children and staff.  

Instructions for “Best Practices” are posted in every classroom and include:

  • Turn off the device when not in use
  • Turn Wi-Fi on only when needed
  • Always place the mobile device on a solid surface
  • Viewing distance should be a minimum of 12 inches from the screen
  • Specific product information guides are available through the IT department
  • We ask that staff members regularly remind and instruct students in using best practices in regards to mobile devices

Ashland's Best Practice of “keeping the device on a table” and no closer than a 12 inch viewing distance is critically important.  Laptops and tablets have fine print warnings buried in their manuals specifically stating that the laptop should be at least 8 inches away from the user so that the user is not exposed to radiation levels that exceed as-tested FCC levels. If a device is used on a lap, as is common practice, the student could receive radiation levels far exceeding FCC limits. FCC limits are set to prevent the radiation from heating the brain and body but are not set to avoid chronic impacts on the developing nervous system or reproductive organs.



Suffolk County in New York voted to label wireless routers in all public buildings including schools. The US United Federation of Teachers Union now hosts a webpage on how to reduce exposures to protect pregnant women, other staff members and students. 

The Environmental Health Trust maintains a regularly updated database of these worldwide precautionary policies on wireless related to children and schools.

Read the Full Release Online at http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/first-us-public-school-district-limits-wi-fi-radiation-exposure-to-students-and-staff-628735.htm

Saturday, September 26, 2015

Microsoft Canada President is Concerned About the Health Risks From Wi-Fi in Schools

Frank Clegg, former Microsoft Canada President is now a leading advocate for safe technology in schools. 

"We support the use of technology in our children’s schools and agree there is tremendous value in providing access to the internet. We feel this can be accomplished more safely without the unnecessary constant bombardment of microwave radiation."

Listen to him discuss the health risks of wireless and the issue of Wi-Fi in School.


Mr. Clegg retired from Microsoft Canada and now leads Canadians for Safe Technology. They are supporting a new safe technology in schools initiative
Check out his website HERE. 



Read his recent article in Vitality Magazine HERE. 

INVISIBLE THREAT
The Link Between Wireless Radiation and a Host of Serious Illnesses
by Frank Clegg


Check out his WiFi in School Action ToolKit HERE. 





See the Press Conference in Canadian Parliament on the new Bill for warning labels on wireless devices. Terrence Young MP explains why he has introduced a Private Members Bill C-648 which calls for better labeling on wireless device packaging.



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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

World Health Organization Expert States that Wireless Radiation Should be Moved to A Higher Carcinogenic Risk Catagory.

Dr. Anthony Miller is testifying about the health risks of wireless. 
Inform yourself with this short and sweet video. 




Dr. Anthony Miller clearly states in this testimony to Toronto that RF Wireless could seriously increase cancer risk. 

An expert cancer researcher, he was former Assistant Executive Director (Epidemiology), National Cancer Institute of Canada, Director, National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group, Toronto; Director, Epidemiology Unit, National Cancer Institute of Canada; Director, M.Sc./Ph.D. Programme in Epidemiology, Graduate Dept. of Community Health, University of Toronto; Chairman, Department of Preventive Medicine and Biostatistics, University of Toronto. 

Read the publication he co-authored calling for RF Wireless Radiation to be at an increased risk classification HERE

See his excellent lecture at Women's College Hospital HERE about the WHO classification process. 

"I recommend you hardwire the internet connections at your school" Letter from Martin Blank, PhD on Wireless Installations in Schools


A parent read this letter at the recent Sept 21, 2015 MCPS Board of Education Meeting. 



Martin Blank, PhD

Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics Columbia University
New York, NY 10032





July 25, 2014

Mr. Thomas McKean, President, Board of Trustees 
Mr. James Shay, President-Elect, Board of Trustees Fay School
48 Main Street
Southborough, MA 01772

To the Board of Trustees,

It has been brought to my attention that school children have become symptomatic at your school after installation of WiFi. I am writing to express my concern and to encourage you to review the independent science on this matter.

I can say with conviction, in light of the science, and in particular in light of the cellular and DNA science, which has been my focus at Columbia University for several decades, putting radiating antennas in schools (and in close proximity to developing children) is an uninformed choice. Assurances that the antennas are within ‘FCC guidelines’ is meaningless today, given that it is now widely understood that the methodology used to assess exposure levels only accounts for one type of risk from antennas, the thermal effect from the power, not the other known risks, such as non-thermal frequencies, pulsing, signal characteristics, etc. They fail also to consider multiple simultaneous exposures from a variety of sources in the environment, and cumulative exposures over a lifetime. Compliance with FCC guidelines, thus, unfortunately, is not in any way an assurance of safety today, as the guidelines are fundamentally flawed. Until the guidelines and advisories in the U.S. are updated, the intelligent thing for your Board of Trustees to do is to exercise the Precautionary Principle and hard wire all internet connections.

I know this might be disappointing to hear, as I understand you have invested in the WiFi. But there is no amount of money that could justify the added physiological stress from wireless antenna radiation and its many consequences, most in particular for children.

Our research has shown that the cellular stress response, a protective reaction that is indicative of cellular damage, occurs at levels that are deemed ‘safe’. Many other harmful reactions have been reported, such as the impairment of DNA processes that can account for the observed increased risk of cancer, as well as the potential cognitive decline, and sleep effects that may be due to impairment of the blood brain barrier. The DNA effects are of particular concern for future generations, an area of research that is just beginning to raise alarms. As with other environmental toxic exposures, children are far more vulnerable than adults, and they will have longer lifetimes of exposure.


The science showing reasons for concern about the microwave radiation emitted by antennas is abundant and there will be a day of reckoning. As I explain in my recent book,

Overpowered, The Precautionary Principle instructs us that in the face of serious threats, a lack of scientific ‘certainty’ never justifies inaction. The changes occurring at the molecular level, and known associations with many diseases, are sufficient at this time to give us pause and to recommend minimizing exposures to these fields, in our homes, schools, neighborhoods and workplaces. There is significant potential for risk, and to very large numbers of people, and the effects are occurring nonetheless whether or not we are noticing them.

I recommend you hardwire the internet connections at your school, and also encourage students to use hard wired connections at home for internet access, as well as for all computer equipment connections and voice communications.

Sincerely yours,
Martin Blank, PhD 




Martin Blank, PhD, Special Lecturer and (ret.) Associate Professor, Columbia University, Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics. Dr. Blank is a leading expert in the effects of electromagnetic fields on DNA and biology, and Past President of the Bioelectromagnetics Society. He holds two PhDs, in physical chemistry and in colloid science, an interdisciplinary field involving chemistry, physics and nanoscience. Dr. Blank was author of the BioInitiative Report’s section on the impact of electromagnetic fields on Stress Proteins; Editor of the journal Pathophysiology’s special issue on Electromagnetic Fields (2009); and co-author of “Electromagnetic fields and health: DNA based dosimetry” (2012), which recommends a new way of assessing the biological impact of electromagnetic fields across the spectrum, using DNA. Dr. Blank’s book, “Overpowered—What Science Tells Us About the Dangers of Cell Phones and Other WiFi- Age Devices“, was published in 2014. 

Read More About the Fay School Lawsuit and Federal Charges Concerning the WiFi Installation

Wi-Fi in School ADA Federal Complaint Against School After Child Fell Sick From Wireless Installation

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Easy Solutions For Healthy Homes: IPads and Wi-Fi Routers

Excellent Videos By Parents on Practicing Safe Tech at Home

Watch these excellent videos  on how to reduce wireless exposures in your home and still  have full access to technology.  Solutions exist. Why not use them? 


Simple Instructions to Hook Up Your IPad Without Radiation

This video below shows exactly how to have a wired connection for your iPad and/or iPod. Andrea talks about her family's journey and the changes she has made in her excellent blog at http://it-takes-time.com/2015/06/how-to-connect-device-to-the-ethernet.html



How to Reduce Exposure From Phones and Wi-Fi Routers
Peter Sullivan is a father who has made this video to show an easy first step that will substantially reduce radiation to your family.


Peter has a great blog at http://www.clearlightventures.com/blog/2015/8/18/staying-safe-in-college.
Please note his recent post entitled "Campus Safety: How to Survive and Thrive in the Wireless Era

Want to learn more ways to reduce exposure? 





Thursday, September 17, 2015

The Health Risks of Wireless Internet in Schools: A Letter by A Montgomery County MD Public School Graduate



The Health Risks of Wireless Internet in Schools 

A Letter by A Montgomery County Public School Alumni 9/16/2015

This was written by a 2014 MCPS  Graduate (Now In College ) who got informed on the issue by some Safe Tech for Schools Maryland parents during the summer of 2015.

Dear Mr. Sherwin Collette, MCPS Board of Education, Administrators, Parents, Teachers and Community,


Montgomery County Maryland Public Schools Chief Technology Officer Sherwin Collette recently responded to a parent’s concerns about the health risks of Wi-Fi. Mr. Collette based the crux of his defense of current MCPS wireless technology policy on purported compliance with FCC radio frequency radiation exposure guidelines. However, organizations including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Department of Interior (DOI) have all condemned the current guidelines (which have not been revised since 1996) as inadequate, since the guidelines are based on studies which;

  1. Only measure the effects of short-term exposure to wireless radiation (unlike the nearly constant exposure children in MCPS schools receive), 
  2. Do not consider the effects of exposure on particularly vulnerable populations such as children, and,
  3. Only consider tissue heating caused by the radiation, a measure now considered an inappropriate gauge of the potentially adverse health consequences of wireless radiation. 
The AAP, EPA, and DOI caution that long- term exposure to radiation well within the FCC guidelines may entail serious health risks, especially for children. FCC compliance is inapplicable and irrelevant when looking at the health and safety of children. 

A recently published Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine study has strongly linked wireless radiation exposure to increased oxidative stress in cells, a known health hazard and well associated with diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative illnesses. As the Harvard Center for Ethics recently published book on the issue states, the FCC “has not changed course despite the IARC classification of cell phones as possibly carcinogenic, despite the recent studies showing triple the glioma risk for heavy users, despite the floodtide of research showing biological effects.” Indeed, the FCC continues to base its guidelines only on protection against thermal heating.The 19 year old FCC guidelines completely ignore biological effects from low level “non heating” levels. “It only hurts you if it cooks you,” the FCC says. 


Furthermore, Collette's letter suggests that because Public Health England and Health Canada have similar wireless technology policies, those espoused by MCPS must of course be safe. Yet Collette neglects the facts that Health Canada's approach has been vehemently criticized by the Canadian Parliament's Standing Committee on Health and the Canadian Medical Association Journal; that Public Health England's policy has been denounced as unsafe by leaders of Britain's Education Professionals Union The Voice, and Association of Teachers, and Lecturers and over 100 scientists who stated that Canada’s standards are “flawed, obsolete and did not protect Canadians”. 


Why did Mr. Collette not mention European Union? The European Parliament issued Resolution 1815 expressing grave concerns regarding long-term wireless exposure, particularly for children, and it specifically recommended that all European nations take steps to reduce wireless exposure in schools. 

Collette quotes the World Health Organization in attempting to prove the unequivocal safety of wireless technology, yet neglects that the WHO itself classifies wireless radiation as a Class 2B possible human carcinogen, and that over 200 scientists around the world have petitioned the WHO to take immediate urgent action on wireless radiation. Countries like Germany, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Spain have taken significant steps to limit exposure to wireless radiation in schools. France has gone as far passing a law to ban wireless from nursery schools across the nation, turn wireless off in elementary schools as the default setting recommending wired connections rather than wireless technology. Israel also bans Wireless for the younger grades , drastically limits hours of wifi exposures, and recommends wired not wi-fi. 

With so many around the world taking such action, how can the argument that we must accept wireless radiation as safe simply because a select few other institutions do so stand? Ultimately, this question amounts to whether to blindly follow the dictums of a bureaucratic organization not even specialized in public health (the FCC), or to step back and look at the situation with some common sense. While the pressures to adopt new, more "advanced" technologies may be strong often to the point of overwhelming, and in no small way influenced by the financial incentives of the technology industry, we must critically assess whether these technologies are really best for the welfare of our children and society before fully embracing them. 

While the technology will not go away, the opportunity to protect the health of our children will never come back. We have a choice. Schools across the nation and worldwide have taken steps to reduce the risk of wireless radiation, recognizing that we ought to err on the side of caution when our children's safety is at stake. 

We as a county can choose to dispassionately undertake similar precautions, or to dogmatically cling to the outdated guidelines of a single federal organization and the doctrine that what's new is always better. The decision's implications for the future are tremendous. 

Signed,
A 2014 MCPS High School Graduate Now In College
This was written after becoming informed on the issue by some Safe Tech for Schools Maryland parents during the summer of 2015.

Click Here to Read the Full letter by this MCPS Alumni 

It has footnotes and is thoroughly scientifically documented with sources.


MCPS staff attended a scientific lecture at George Washington University. A Safe Tech Maryland parent asked a question in the Q and A session about the safety of wireless in schools. See the answer by Dr. Carlo in this 2 minute video.


 




Please read MCPS Chief of Technology Mr. Collette's August Letter HERE. 


This is the letter where MCPS defends its use of wireless amidst health concerns.








In response to Mr. Collette's  letter (see above),  Safe Tech for Schools Maryland parents wrote the following response:

Dear MCPS Board of Education, Parents, Teachers, Staff, Administrators and Community,

We have enough evidence to justify taking action and we are not willing to wait until our members, their children and the students suffer health consequences from not doing anything,"

Mr. Collette, the MCPS Chief Technology Officer, wrote to Safe Tech for Schools Maryland (STSM) on August 4, 2015.  In that letter Mr. Collette gave MCPS’s response to some of the concerns raised by parents of  STSM.  Although this took months to receive, we appreciate his response. Unfortunately, this response includes serious factual mischaracterizations. We are deeply concerned about MCPS’s profound misunderstanding of wireless radiation in the school environment and the health implications for the over 150,000 students entrusted to MCPS.  We are responding point by point to MCPS’s  letter given the seriousness of these errors.

Click to Read the Full Letter Here. 

Every statement by The Office of Technology is met with facts that all parents and staff should know.