Page 52 - Spring 2019 Journal

“No other environmental carcinogen has produced evidence of an increased risk in just one decade.”
sleep problems; and an increased risk of atten-
tion deficit hyperactivity and conduct disor-
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ders. Of even greater concern, cancer is now
the second leading cause of death for five-to- nine-year-olds, the third leading cause of death for the very youngest children and preteens, and the fourth leading cause of death for young people between the ages of fifteen and thirty- four.40 Pediatric rates of brain cancer—as well as of liver, kidney and thyroid cancers—increased between 2001 and 2014 “across sex, age, race/ ethnicity, region, economic status, and rural/ urban status.”41 Similar childhood cancer trends are playing out in Europe.42
Although many aspects of modern life are undoubtedly contributing to these develop- ments,43 few are as unrelenting or pervasive as RF electromagnetic radiation. In 2013, Swedish researchers found a fourfold increased brain tumor risk in children who began using mobile devices before age twenty. They pointed out that “no other environmental carcinogen has produced evidence of an increased risk in just one decade.”44 Because policy- and decision- makers seem disinclined to heed the warning signs, the burden continues to fall on parents to educate their children and control risks (see “Recommendations at Home”).
At the same time, it is important for all citizens to continue to pressure school admin-
istrators and legislators—at the local, state and federal levels—to do something about the grow- ing risks outside the home (see “5G update”). The stakes are very high not just for children but for all of us.
REFERENCES
1. Shopping guide for the best tablets. https://bestrev-
iews.com/best-tablets.
2. Statistics & facts on tablets. https://www.statista.
com/topics/841/tablets/.
3. U.S. tablet PC market—industry analysis, size,
share, growth and forecast 2012-2018. https://www.
transparencymarketresearch.com/tablet-pc.html.
4. Robb M. Kids’ screen time shifts dramatically toward phones and tablets. Common Sense Media, Oct. 18,
2017.
5. Cocozza P. Are iPads and tablets bad for young
children? The Guardian, Jan. 8, 2014.
6. Bedford R, Saez de Urabain IR, Cheung CH, Karmil-
off-Smith A, Smith TJ. Toddlers’ fine motor milestone achievement is associated with early touchscreen scrolling. Front Psychol 2016;7:1108.
7. Dawn R. How early should toddlers play with tablets? Study may surprise you. Today, June 15, 2015.
8. Should young children use iPads? https://www.hsph. harvard.edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/michael-rich- tots-ipads/.
9. Council on Communications and Media. Media and young minds. Pediatrics 2016;138(5).
10. The mediatrician: alum frames kids’ media diet as public health issue. https://www.hsph.harvard. edu/news/hsph-in-the-news/kids-media-exposure- public-health/.
11. Naidenko O. Yet another reason for your kids to un- plug? Health risks from cellphone radiation. EWG’s Children’s Health Initiative, July 11, 2018.
5G UPDATE
The global rollout of 5G networks and technology is unfolding at a fast and furious pace,45 despite intense opposi- tion from citizens, scientists and medical professionals alarmed by the technology’s serious risks to human health and the environment. Ground-based 5G infrastructure involves placement of millions of small cell towers on virtually every street corner, but in addition, this infrastructure will soon be supplemented by thousands of low-Earth-orbit 5G com- munication satellites.46
Martin Pall, PhD, professor emeritus of biochemistry and basic medical sciences at Washington State University, recently declared that “Putting in tens of millions of 5G antennae without a single biological test of safety has got to be about the stupidest idea anyone has had in the history of the world.”47 Dr. Pall, who is “particularly expert in how wire- less radiation impacts the electrical systems in our body,” also says that wireless technology hazards are creating a public health crisis that is “the worse one I’ve ever heard of.”48
Thus far, over forty-eight thousand signatories from around the world have signed on to the International Appeal to Stop 5G on Earth and in Space (still available for signing at 5gspaceappeal.org/the-appeal/), addressed to the United Nations, World Health Organization, European Union, Council of Europe and governments of all nations.49 The Appeal “urgently calls for a halt to the deployment of the 5G...wireless network, including 5G from space satellites,” describ- ing 5G deployment as “a crime under international law.” The Appeal makes reference to a literature base of “well over 10,000 peer-reviewed studies” documenting that RF radiation is overwhelmingly harmful to all life on the planet. The planned 5G deployment “threaten[s] to provoke serious, irreversible effects on humans and permanent damage to all of the Earth’s ecosystems.”
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Wise Traditions
SPRING 2019