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by Reynard Loki
August 03,
2018
from
EcoWatch Website
There is growing evidence
that our addiction to
cellphones could be impacting brain
functionality and be the cause of,
Now a new report has
found that we're not the only living things to be affected by our
increasing dependence on wireless technology.
Mammals, birds, insects
and even plants are likely being harmed by the electromagnetic
radiation (EMR) emanating from,
...according to a new
analysis (The
Impacts of Artificial Electromagnetic Radiation on Wildlife - Flora
and Fauna)
of 97 peer-reviewed studies conducted
by EKLIPSE, a biodiversity and
ecosystem project funded by the European Union.
The researchers said that,
"evidence is
accumulating that mammals (e.g., bats and mice) have a magnetic
sense" that is affected by radio-frequency-modulated
electromagnetic fields (RF-EMR).
Birds in particular may
be highly susceptible.
The researchers found
that even weak magnetic fields in the radio frequency range can
disrupt birds' magnetoreception, their ability to use the Earth's
magnetic fields to orient themselves and find their way home.
Homing pigeons are well-known for their
magnetoreception, but this sense
has also been detected in other animals, like red foxes, and there
is evidence that even large mammals like deer use the planet's
magnetic fields to sense direction.
A number of
invertebrates, including worms, mollusks and fruit flies also use
this ability.
The report also concluded that EMR can also alter the metabolism of
plants, causing,
"significant changes…
demonstrated at cellular and molecular levels."
The authors noted that
even a low level exposure to EMR,
"caused a rapid
increase in stress-related transcript accumulation in tomato
[plants]."
Transcription is the
first phase in the expression of a gene, in which a specific segment
of DNA is copied into RNA.
The authors said that their findings indicate,
"an urgent need to
strengthen the scientific basis of the knowledge on EMR and
their potential impacts on wildlife," specifically calling out
the "need to base future research on sound, high-quality,
replicable experiments so that credible, transparent and easily
accessible evidence can inform society and policy-makers to make
decisions and frame their policies."
The UK charity
Buglife (which proposed the
analysis) warned that there wasn't enough research to determine
limits to EMR pollution.
The group said that,
"serious impacts on
the environment could not be ruled out",
...and urged that 5G
transmitters should not be placed near street lights, which attract
nocturnal insects like moths, nor in areas near wildlife.
Buglife CEO Matt Shardlow, who served on the experts
steering group of the report, warned that,
"there is a
credible
risk that 5G could impact significantly on wildlife."
He added:
"We apply limits to
all types of pollution to protect the habitability of our
environment, but as yet, even in Europe, the safe limits of
electromagnetic radiation have not been determined, let alone
applied.
This is a classic
case of out of sight out of mind, just because humans cannot see
electromagnetic radiation this does not mean that animals cannot
'see' the pollution or be
significantly impacted at a neural or
cellular level.
A proper research
program and clear policy measures are long overdue."
Shardlow specifically
warned of the current rollout of
5th-generation wireless systems or 5G networks,
and called on telecommunications firms to research the impact of
their wireless technology on wildlife and make their findings
public.
In May, Qatar become the
first nation in the world to have a 5G network. The worldwide
commercial launch of 5G is expected in 2020...
The report authors also said that strong EMR fields increase the
temperature in living tissue, but the intensity needed to induce
such heating is,
"not experienced by
wildlife (so far)."
It's notable that they
left the door open to this other potential emerging threat, as
cellphone adoption rates are steadily rising globally.
The number of smartphone
users worldwide is forecast to grow from 2.1 billion in 2016 to
around
2.5 billion in 2019, according to
Statista, a market research
firm.
That means more cell
towers - and more EMR being emitted into the environment.
"When you start to
observe and realize that swallows and house martins no longer
nest in towns and villages, when you realize that the sparrows
have all disappeared, that in the evenings there are no bats
flying in the dusk and that you no longer hear owls hooting,
then you will begin to know what effect microwaves from cell
towers and antennas are having on the environment," said one
commenter to a One World News article about the report.
The report comes on the
heels of a
recent appeal to
the United Nations, signed by more
than 200 scientists from 41 countries, urging the international body
to address the risks posed electromagnetic fields (EMF),
physical fields produced by objects charged by electromagnetic
fields and radiofrequency radiation.
Specifically, the
scientists want the UN to,
"recognize that EMF
exposure is an emerging health and environmental crisis that
requires a high priority response."
"Biologists and
scientists are not being heard on the committees that set safety
standards," said Dr. Martin Blank of the Department of
Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University and
signatory of the appeal, in a video address on the website of
International EMF Alliance, a group founded in 2009 that
disseminates information to policymakers and health authorities
about the potential effects of electromagnetic radiation.
"The biological facts
are being ignored and as a result, the safety limits are much
too high. They are not protective."
Though evidence is
mounting that humans may also be physiologically affected by EMF,
the jury is still out on the impact of long-term low-frequency
exposure.
The World Health
Organization (WHO) concluded that,
"current evidence
does not confirm the existence of any health consequences from
exposure to low level electromagnetic fields."
However, the agency does
admit that,
"some
gaps in
knowledge about biological effects exist and need further
research."
But the WHO is partially
responsible for the widespread concern.
As Bob Berman
points out in his recent book
Zapped - From Infrared to X-rays, the Curious
History of Invisible Light:
"Some of the fears
are based on a report issued in 2011 by the World Health
Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer
(IARC).
The agency had
gathered in Lyon, France, to discuss scientific studies
surrounding the question of whether there's a relationship
between radio-frequency-modulated electromagnetic fields
(RF-EMF)
and cancer.
After intense
deliberations, and to the great surprise of the world at large,
experts decided to classify RF-EMF waves emitted by cell phones,
cell towers, and Wi-Fi networks as category 2B, indicating a
'possible human carcinogen'."
For Dr. Martin Blank
and his colleagues raising the warning flag to the United Nations,
the evidence is clear.
"Cellphones, tablets,
Wi-Fi, etc...
Putting it bluntly,
they are
damaging the living cells in our bodies and killing
many of us prematurely," he said in his video address.
"Rising exposure to
electromagnetic radiation is a global problem. The World Health
Organization and international standard-setting bodies are not
acting to protect the public's health and well-being.
International
exposure guidelines for electromagnetic fields must be
strengthened."
In his video address, Dr.
Blank suggested that the current EMF safety limits may be inadequate
due to the influence of the telecommunications industry on the
policymakers.
"More protection will
probably result from full disclosure of possible conflicts of
interest between regulators and industry," he said.
"We have created something that is harming us, and it is getting
out of control. Before Edison's light-bulb, there was very
little electromagnetic radiation in our environment.
The levels today are
very many times higher than natural background levels and are
growing rapidly because of all the new devices that emit this
radiation.
An example that a lot
of us have right now in our pockets is the cellphone."
Watch Dr. Martin Blank's
video address:
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