21 February 2008

The following press release was compiled and submitted by Rraphael Siket of ecolibria. It is a short but highly informative piece discussing the current situation relating to potential health problems related to the EMR emitted from phone towers and other wireless transmitters. It encourages you to think about the possible implications of exposing yourself and young menbers of our future generation to ever increasing levels of electricity in the form of WIFI, cordless phones, wireless internet and mobile phone towers, base stations and masts.

MEDIA RELEASE

21 February 2008

Should we be concerned about phone towers?

As more and more phone towers are erected humans, insects, plants and animals are all being exposed to levels of electromagnetic radiation ( EMR ) never experienced before.
Homes and workplaces are introducing EMR through cordless phones and wireless internet. As yet the question of whether this practise will undoubtedly cause long term health effects has not been conclusively proven.

However there are some worrying signs.

Standards and guidelines dictating the “ Safe Levels of Exposure ” vary dramatically around the world. While in Australia a standard of 4,6 million microwatts per m2 is considered safe the comparative guideline in Salzburg, Austria is 10 microwatts per m2. Other countries have guidelines varying between these two extremes.

Medical Practitioners in Germany have found that health effects occur at levels as low as 11 microwatts per m2.

These include:

Persistent headaches
Lack of short term memory
Hormone disruption
Insomnia and restless sleep
Depression and anxiety

An important fact is that the standards ( allowing amongst the highest levels of EMR exposure) in countries like Australia and the UK are based on what is called thermal effects only. This basically means that the level of exposure is based purely on the degree to which the body tissues heats up. Stricter exposure guidelines in many European countries take biological effects into account. This means that the level of exposure considers how blood, cells and DNA might be affected.

Cancer clusters experienced in buildings that have a concentration of mobile phone base stations on the roof are becoming more frequent. The causes of these cancer clusters are never determined. However “Safe EMR Exposure Limits” are so high it makes it impossible to assign the blame on the EMR emitted from these base stations.

So what can we do?

Building Biologists employ the precautionary principle in cases like this. In other words as a precaution, exposure to EMR should be as low as possible.
This is done through the application of specialised shielding paint to the walls of the building. Windows can be shielded through the application of specialised film or curtain fabric. If applied correctly shielding materials almost always reduce the EMR exposure levels below 10 microwatts per m2.

The practise of shielding against EMR emitted from WIFI and mobile phone base stations is growing at an enormous pace as concern grows over the ever increasing unexplained health effects that often occur after the installation of wireless communication devices.

On average we spend around 90% of our time indoors and by shielding ourselves against the EMR emitted by wireless transmitters, our exposure to this kind of electricity in the air is minimised. This means that the body’s immune system is not compromised in trying to deal with the EMR and a stronger immune system can only benefit the general state of health and wellbeing.

Biography of author

Raphael Siket is the Director of Ecolibria, a leading Building Biology Consultancy; and President of the Australasian Society of Building Biologists. Raphael has a Diploma in Building Biology from the Australian College of Environmental Studies and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Cape Town. He has also completed the 5 Star energy rating course and has an Accrediting Training and Assessment qualification. Raphael is a trainer at the Australian College of Environmental Studies and is a guest lecturer at the Southern School of Natural Therapies. He is passionate about the environmental and wellness industries and has delivered talks at many events including the Sustainable Living Festival and Sustainable Built Environment Conference.

To conduct an interview please contact ecolibria

                                                  
For more information on Electro-magnetic Radiation Shielding, refer to the following websites:

www.ecolibria.com.au
www.asbb.com.au