Electromagnetic Pollution:
Supplementary Slides
Daytona Beach Take Back Your Power
The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Changes to our Electromagnetic
Environment over Time
Cell Towers: Standards vs. Actual Harm
Radiation from Cell Tower 328 feet vs.
Wi-Fi enabled Laptop at < 2 feet
…and not in the US … Sweden and Lebanon
Recent Spread of Wi-Fi
Guterman et al., IEEE APS Trans.,
vol 51, n. 4, p.12-39 (August 2009)
Cell Phones, PDAs, iPods…
Prof. Om Ghandi, Electrical Engineering Department,
University of Utah
Cell Phone Manuals:
Fine Print Warnings!
• Blackberry Torch:
– "Use hands-free if available and keep the Blackberry at least .98 in. from your
body, including the abdomen of pregnant women and the lower abdomen of
teenagers or it may cause your device to exceed RF exposure standards...
– The Long Term Effects of Exceeding RF Exposure Standards Might Present a
Risk of Serious Harm..
– Caution: When using the camera flash, hold the camera flash LED aperture at
least 19.69 in. (50 cm) from the subject's eyes. Use of controls or adjustments
or performance of procedures other than those specified herein may result in
hazardous radiation exposure.”
• Motorola Manual:
– “Some people who have used mobile phones have been diagnosed with brain
cancer.”
– "An association was found between mobile phone use and one rare type of
glioma, neuroepithelliomatous tumors … when tumors did exist in certain
locations, however, they were more likely to be on the side of the head where
the mobile phone was used.”
You can limit exposure to Radio-frequency If you are concerned about potential health effects
from cell phone RF Energy, the City of San Francisco
(RF) Energy from your cell phone.
recommends:
You can limit exposure to Radio-frequency
(RF) Energy from your cell phone.
• Limiting cell phone use by children Developing
brains and thinner skulls lead to higher absorption
in children.
• Using a headset, speakerphone or text instead
Exposure decreases rapidly with increasing distance
from the phone.
• Using belt clips and purses to keep distance
between your phone and body Do not carry on
your body to at least meet the distance specified in
your phone’s user manual
• Avoiding cell phones in areas with weak signals
(elevators, on transit, etc.) Using a cell phone in
areas of good reception decreases exposure by
allowing the phone to transmit at reduced power.
• Reducing the number and length of calls
• Turn off your cell phone when not in use.
Although studies continue to assess potential health effects
of mobile phone use, the World Health Organization has
classified RF Energy as a possible carcinogen.
This material was prepared solely by the City
This material was prepared solely by the City and County of
and County of San Francisco and must be
San Francisco and must be provided to consumers under
provided to consumers under local law.
local law.
Safer Cell Phone Use
How To Practice Electromagnetic Hygiene: Tips to Reduce Your Exposure to Microwave Radiation
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CELL PHONES
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WI-FI
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Opt-Out of wireless utility smart meter and demand either an analog meter or other wired meter.
Note that wireless AMR meters are “smart meters-lite”; utilities take great pains not to call them a smart meter, but they are wireless and transmit out to
the street awaiting a passing van to “wand” them. If you have one, start by putting a sheet of aluminum on the other side of the wall and avoid part of room
that has wireless meter on the other side.
CELL TOWERS
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Use a Wired Connection instead of Wi-Fi; hard wire your house. At the very least, shut off the Wi-Fi transmitter when not in use and at night.
Don’t use cell phone hotspots on your phone; they can emit more radiation than is publicly allowable in Switzerland, Italy, Russia and China (which are
probably allowing their own standards to be breached); wait to use a hard line connection for internet.
Experts recommend that those with any medical condition, including pregnancy, avoid proximity to routers.
Use UV blocker on windows to block neighbors’ passive Wi-Fi.
If in a Wi-Fi’ed environment, KNOW the location of transmitters and keep a distance.
Note that the World’s Expert on wireless devices, Dr. Lennart Hardell indicates that an iPad is emitting up to 100,000 times too much radiation; avoid
wireless tablets; at very least disable wireless function.
SMART METERS
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Use Cell Phone on Speakerphone or with a wired earpiece; hold phone away from body; never hold it up to your ear; Note that “dumb” flip- phones emit far
less radiation than smart phones; Do not use Bluetooth ear attachments, use a “BlueTUBE” or other wired headset. Phone off in bedroom; at least not near
beside.
Use Wired Land-Line phone indoors; Avoid cordless phones; keep away from cordless base stations.
Keep phone on table or seat away from you; if in bag- keep away from body (never put cell phone in bra); a holster on body is not ideal, but if in use orient
phone’s antenna away from body.
Hard-wiring car with antenna on car’s EXTERIOR is preferred; if using Bluetooth in the car, shut it off when not in use.
Never use a phone in an elevator or other metal enclosed space, including planes, trains and automobiles.
International Guidance is to not use the cell phone for more than 6 minutes at a time and for no longer than 20 minutes per day; Children under 18 should
avoid using cell phones except for emergency use and pregnant women should avoid using them at all.
Note nearest cell towers; keep a wide berth from them (stay out of direct line of site and stay 1,500 feet away and further if sensitive to the radiation). Do
not live close to a cell tower; if this is unavoidable, consult a building biologist to shield your house properly.
Make sure town is committed to protecting property values and that the ordinance has rational siting provisions to keep cell towers away from frequented
areas, including but not limited to houses, schools and critical institutions like courts, government buildings, drug stores, doctors’ offices and post offices.
OTHER
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Do not use wireless baby monitors; wired is preferred; one type of wireless emits a less bioactive frequency, but must be kept as far away from the baby as
possible.
Note that kitchen appliances emit ELF (extra-low frequency radiation); blenders in particular are high. emitters; even a non-wireless device like an iPod emits
high amounts of RF at the surface- carry in a bag away from body- do not tuck into athletic-wear.
Avoid turning house into a “smart-home” and buying appliances, including, but not limited to music speaker systems, wireless refrigerators and alarm
systems.
Avoid Use of Femtocells/Cell Phone Boosters.
Avoid Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs); Incandescents are the safest. Stay at least 50 cm away from CFLs.
Use Wired Mouse, Wired Printer, Wired Keyboard; Wii Games; Hard Dock computer at home.
Unplug appliances at night where possible; consider shutting off the power to a child’s bedroom at night.
Transmitter Free Zone Zones in Public
Places
Decal for Wired Buildings
Action Steps
Signify truly Green Buildings/
ACTION STEPS: ADA NIBS/IEQ
Microwave Free Zones: like the
report as model for legislators
Smoke free premises signs of the
to mandate TFZ
1990’s
ISSUES: FCC Plan to abandon
wired coverage, smart meter
roll-outs, incandescent
light/CFL swap, Distributed
Antennae Systems (DAS), Wi-Fi
transmitters on electric poles,
Wi-Max, Blue Tooth, Cordless
Phones, Baby Monitors
Policy Issues
Policy: TFZ will encompass Wi-Fi, smart meter and cell transmitter free government buildings.
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Premises will be free of cell transmitters and smart meters and Wi-Fi
Commitments sought to keep transmitters 1500 feet away from premises
Commitments sought to keep cell phones and wireless PDA's shut off indoors
Justification: Protect children, vulnerable populations, including 20 million Americans with medical
implant devices (MID's) and occupational health of public employees.
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Promote Precautionary Principle.
Preserve control populations for future study.
Create PR campaign that gets people to ask about the benefits of living in a TFZ.
Preserve right to a clean, healthy environment and the right to choose to avoid second-hand
radiation.
Create a new societal stakeholder in green buildings/sustainability movement
Residential EMF Exposure
HOW CAN THIS LITTLE METER BE SUCH A
BIG PROBLEM?
smart meters
FCC IDENTIFIER
FCC ID: OWS-NIC507
http://transition.fcc.gov/oet/ea/fccid/
Smart grid architecture
HOME AREA NETWORK (HAN)
Smart meter issues
 Privacy Concerns
HEATER
OVEN PREHEATING
OVEN CYCLING
CONSUMPTION DATA
 PEAK = 7.18 kW
 MEAN = 0.49 kW
 DAILY LOAD FACTOR = 0.07
 ENERGY CONSUPTION = 11.8 kWh
POWER, kW
TOASTER
WASHING
MACHINE
STOVE
REFRIGERATOR
24 HOUR DAY
SOURCE: NIST
STOVE
HOT WATER HEATER
Smart METERS
NEIGHBORHOOD AREA NETWORK (NAN)
Smart meter Exposure levels
“SECOND-HAND” RADIATION MAP IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH
Smart Meter Deployments are Significantly Increasing Electrosmog
SOURCE:
“Second-hand” microwave geography in Salt Lake City, Utah, Paul M. Torrens, Geography, Arizona State
University
Wi-Fi router to identify location
indoors by law enforcement
Wireless Cities: Silver Spring Corp.
Wireless Cities: Silver Spring Corp.
Wireless Cities: Silver Spring Corp.
Intellistreets: Illuminating Concepts
Corp.
Intellistreets: Illuminating Concepts
Corp.
Intellistreets: Illuminating Concepts
Corp.: “We Can Build Your Network
without Digging for Costly Wires”