Newsletter November 2023
European breaking news and one International Declaration for Children
Please and share widely
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https://esc-info.eu/?na=view&id=11

We are very sorry that Michèle Rivasi is no longer with us. She died suddenly at the age of 70 due to a heart attack on Wednesday 29 of November.

Europeans for Safe Connections will always remember her courageous fight for acceptance of health effects of EMFs and her passionate advocacy for recognition of EHS. She was fighting for true acceptance of EHS, and she wanted to open up society for people with EHS to participate.

She also made an effort to change the view of the European Commission, whose interest in introducing 5G has always been merely an economic one without considering the adverse effects on health and environment.

Her demand for justice and for an open mind in politics continuously needs to be answered. May her messages echo on!

Her inspiration, integrity and political stand will be deeply missed.

Our thoughts go to all her family and her dedicated staff in the Parliament.

Europeans for Safe Connections
https://esc-info.eu/en/michele-rivasi-has-passed-away/

Europeans for Safe Connections will be part of the panel in the first International Webinar on Children in the Digital Age Wednesday, December 13th at 7pm ECT.

Advocates from around the world will share their stories and ideas and discuss how they will use the International Children’s Declaration to raise awareness of the issues with decision makers in their countries.

Read the declaration here: https://www.thechildrensdeclaration.org/

Join fellow advocates from England, Canada, Japan, South
Africa, Germany, Australia, Denmark and the United States
for a fun and informative program.

Please register soon for this exciting event!
Visit https://rb.gy/ud9xnd

Which countries have banned mobile phones from schools?

See if your country is on the list? ;) https://www.elektrosmogazdravie.sk/zakazy-mobilov-na-skolach-abecedny-prehlad-statov/


Sweden has just decided to ban mobile phones from grade 1 - 9 all day - also during break time. https://esc-info.eu/en/sweden-ban-schools/


In July this year UNESCO made this statement in their report "Technology in Education". https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000385723


"Smartphones should be banned from schools to tackle classroom disruption, improve learning and help protect children from cyberbullying, a UN report has recommended." https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/26/put-learners-first-unesco-calls-for-global-ban-on-smartphones-in-schools


Read more about the report here: https://esc-info.eu/en/report-on-global-technology-in-education/

The lawsuit could set an important legal precedent that would help people like Henry “Hank” Allen, who have electromagnetic sensitivity, fight back against cell towers being placed near their homes.
https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/henry-hank-allen-chd-verizon-lawsuit-radiofrequency-radiation-cell-towers/

ESC Newsletter December 2023
ESC wishes everybody a very merry Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year!
Thank you for all your support.
Please share widely 😉
https://esc-info.eu/?na=view&id=12

Annals of Clinical and Medical Case Reports

Case Report: Both Parents and their Three Children Developed Symptoms of the Microwave Syndrome while on Holiday near a 5G Tower
https://acmcasereport.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/ACMCR-v12-2046-1.pdf

▪️Invite friends | subscribe @Stop5G_Stay_Connected_but_Protec

Making intelligent use of technology 15.12.2023

Fact sheet

Meta-study: "Biological effects of electromagnetic fields on insects: a systematic review and meta-analysis"


This systematic review and meta-analysis by Thill, Cammaerts & Balmori (2023) evaluates the international state of research on the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) from high-voltage power lines and mobile phone base stations on insects. The authors subjected 130 studies to a quality assessment in accordance with the international PRISMA guidelines and presented an overall evaluation of the significance of the results. As a meta-analysis, the study meets the highest scientific standards. Following peer review, the study was accepted by the trade journal "Reviews on Environmental Health" and published on 23.11.2023. Its findings are therefore part of scientific knowledge: "Biological effects of non-thermal EMF on insects are clearly proven in the laboratory, but only partly in the field, thus the wider ecological implications are still unknown." The results indicate an increase in the level of threat to insects due to the effects of EMF.

Thill A, Cammaerts M-C, Balmori A. (2013): Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields on Insects: a Systematic Review and Metaanalysis, Reviews on Environmental Health, online: https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2023-0072, https://www.emf-portal.org/de/article/52384

A German and French translation of the study was published by diagnose:funk, available free of charge as a PDF at kontakt@diagnose-funk.de.

The EU's European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) calls for an insect study to be carried out as a matter of urgency

The urgency of a study on the effects of EMF on insects is being requested at European level. The EESC calls for this to happen on 13.07.2023:

"The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) supports the Commission's ambitious Communication (1),
which responds to the trend of declining wild pollinators in the EU. Nevertheless, it considers that insufficient

progress has been made five years after the original initiative, particularly in terms of obtaining the requisite data that would drive policy action forward." (1.1.) . "The Committee calls for an EU study aimed at providing accurate data on the impact of electromagnetic radiation emitted by telecommunication antennas on wild pollinators in their natural habitats and on the necessary policy measures to ensure effective pollinator protection." (1.8). (https://kurzelinks.de/ls66)

The background to the EESC's call for clarification of the causes of insect mortality is the many individual studies that have demonstrated negative multifactorial effects in recent years, including in the area of EMF (see below). With the meta-analysis by Thill, Cammaerts & Balmori, a study is now available for EMF that meets the EESC's comprehensive requirements. We have already sent the study to the EESC.

The main findings of the study by Thill, Cammaerts & Balmori

Thill et al. write about the main result: "Non-thermal biological effects of EMF on insects have been clearly demonstrated in the laboratory, but only partially in the field, so the wider ecological effects are still unknown. There is a need for more field studies, but extrapolation from the laboratory, as is common in ecotoxicology, already suggests an increase in the threat level from EMF effects on insects (overview)." The study shows:

• EMFs clearly have a negative effect on the organism of insects.
• The laboratory results showing damage cannot be transferred 1:1 to the field effects, but: "It is highly probable that the effects shown in the laboratory also occur under real conditions" (p. 10), because in the field the insects are not only exposed to EMF, but also to other damaging influences, so that even greater damage must be assumed due to combined effects.

The main findings of the study

1. actual radiation situation is harmful - limits do not protect
"However, some recent human epidemiological studies and field studies in insects, birds and pine trees around cellular towers point to chronic detrimental effects even at current power levels" (p. 7).

"Thirty-six of the fifty-five RF-EMF studies reported in this review used field strengths lower than 6 V/m
2(∼100 mW/m ), and 31 of these 36 studies (86 %) nevertheless found statistically significant adverse effects, starting at about 2 V/m and peaking around 6 V/m. This is below the regulatory thresholds established by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) (41 V/m, or 61 V/m above 2 GHz), and even below the particularly stringent installation limits only found in a handful of countries" (p. 11).

"These findings of biological effects in insects starting at around 2 V/m imply that existing standards would have to be revised and made more stringent, to include nature protection/wild-life concerns" (p. 11).

2. studies show damaging effects -among other things- on reproduction, DNA and behavior as well as the development of oxidative stress,
The toxicity estimate derived from the meta-analysis "might be interpreted as a 50 % increase in DNA damage or a 33 % reduced reproductive capacity, in the worst-case scenario" (p. 7).

"For the HF-EMF, observed effects were mostly detrimental as to their impact (57 %). About one quarter were classified as uncertain effect (such as increased or reduced locomotion). For the LF-EMFs (133 experiments), a behavioral effect was observed in 29 % of experiments, in 12 % of experiments, the effect concerned metabolism, and in 11 %, reproductive ability was impaired. For HF-EMFs (238 experiments), the following trends were observed: decreased reproductive capacity in 37 % of experiments, altered behavior (18 %), oxidative stress (10 %), DNA damage (7 %) and impaired development (5 %). In 10 % of experiments, no effect could be found" (p. 9). (Note: HF=high frequency; LF=low frequency).

3. high significance of the results despite weaknesses in the study situation
"The vast majority of studies found effects, generally harmful ones. These findings are unlikely to be the result of chance. Sceptics might object that most studies were not randomized controlled trials (but see here [103]). Despite these shortcomings, the existence of consistent results from numerous studies conducted by various research groups using various protocols make an irrefutable case for adverse effects of low-power LF- and HF-EMF on insects" (p. 9).

4. Conclusion: The indications and evidence require a precautionary protection policy
"Based on an assessment of the overall study situation on insects, we must warn against a careless deployment of further mobile telephony infrastructure, as harmful effects on insect populations would be likely, especially if interactions with other noxious agents are taken into account (including high-voltage power lines and artificial lighting). This might lead to further declines of already dwindling populations of pollinators, and would
thereby entail costs for humanity" (p. 12).

The authors advocate the financing and implementation of field studies and, due to the many indications of the potential for damage, the application of the precautionary principle, i.e. no transmission masts may be erected in nature conservation areas, i.e. the preservation of "white zones" for flora and fauna.


Summary of the study results (from the study)

"Abstract: Worldwide, insects are declining at an alarming rate. Among other causes, the use of pesticides and modern agricultural practices play a major role in this. Cumulative effects of multiple low-dose toxins and the distribution of toxicants in nature have only started to be investigated in a
methodical way. Existing research indicates another factor of anthropogenic origin that could have subtle harmful effects: the increasingly frequent use of electromagnetic fields (EMF) from man-made technologies. This systematic
review summarizes the results of studies investigating the toxicity of electromagnetic fields in insects. The main
objective of this review is to weigh the evidence regarding detrimental effects on insects from the increasing technological infrastructure, with a particular focus on power lines and the cellular network. The current generation of mobile communication technologies, 5G, is being deployed - without having been tested in respect of potential toxic effects. With humanity's quest for pervasiveness of technology, even modest effects of electromagnetic fields on organisms could eventually reach a saturation level that can no longer be ignored. An overview of reported effects and biological mechanisms of exposure to electromagnetic fields, which addresses new findings in cell biology, is included. Biological effects of non-thermal EMF on insects are clearly proven in the laboratory, but only partly in the field, thus the wider ecological implications are still unknown. There is a need for more field studies, but extrapolating from the laboratory, as is common practice in ecotoxicology, already
warrants increasing the threat level of environmental EMF impact on insects."

Further current insect studies
Reviews
Reategui-Inga et al (2023): "Effects of Artificial Electromagnetic Fields on Bees: A Global Review". There is ample evidence of negative effects of electromagnetic fields on bees.
https://www.emf-portal.org/de/article/50620

Mulot M. et al. (2022). "Effects of non-ionizing radiation (NIR) on arthropods", report commissioned by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). NIR effects were determined with an acceptable reliability (at least medium) for locomotion, reproduction, foraging and stockpiling, orientation, DNA damage, cell stress, behavior and various body functions for frequencies up to 6 GHz.
https://www.emfdata.org/en/studies/detail?id=784; https://www.emf-portal.org/de/article/49665

Levitt et al. (2022): "Low-level EMF effects on wildlife and plants: What research tells us about an ecosystem approach". There are at least 48 papers showing DNA damage after exposure to RF at <0.4 W/kg.
Insects showed the strongest effects in the 1.2 MHz range - known as the Larmor frequency.
https://www.emfdata.org/de/studien/detail&id=808; https://www.emf-portal.org/de/article/49162

Balmori (2021): "Electromagnetic radiation as an emerging driver factor for the decline of insects".
The studies listed prove that low-frequency EMF from high-voltage power lines, but also high-frequency EMF from cell phone antennas, have shown clear signs of harmfulness, at least in laboratory experiments. https://www.emfdata.org/de/studien/detail?id=573; www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969720384461

Experimental studies

Molina-Montenegro et al (2023): "Electromagnetic fields disrupt the pollination service by honeybees".
The authors were able to show that the presence of EMF under field conditions, especially from high-voltage power lines, significantly impairs the pollination performance of honeybees.
https://www.emfdata.org/en/studies/detail?id=805; https://www.emf-portal.org/de/article/50698

Treder et al (2023): "Defined exposure of honey bee colonies to simulated radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF): Negative effects on the homing ability, but not on brood development or longevity".
Long-term RF-EMF exposure had a significant negative impact on the foraging orientation ability of honey bees. https://www.emfdata.org/en/studies/detail?id=806; https://www.emf-portal.org/de/article/51083

Nyirenda et al. (2022): "Effects of phone mast-generated electromagnetic radiation gradient on the distribution of terrestrial birds and insects in a savanna protected area". The diversity of wildlife decreased significantly with increasing EMF strength. The area closest to the mobile phone mast had the lowest number of species. https://www.emfdata.org/en/studies/detail?id=688; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11756-022-01113-8

Adelaja et al. (2022): "Distribution, diversity and abundance of some insects around a telecommunication mast in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria". Seven species were particularly abundant, including the migratory locust, honeybee and house mosquito. Of these seven species, all but the honeybee showed a significantly reduced abundance the closer to the mobile phone mast the sampling took place. https://www.emfdata.org/de/studien/detail&id=757; https://bnrc.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s42269-021-00683-y

Lupi et al (2021): "Combined Effects of Pesticides and Electromagnetic-Fields on Honeybees: Multi-Stress Exposure". This study showed that both types of stress (chemical and electromagnetic) had negative effects on the exposed bee colonies, namely through the occurrence of diseases (American foulbrood), mortality in the beehives and behavioral changes (queen replacement, excessive drone brood deposition and honey storage). https://www.emfdata.org/de/studien/detail&id=623; https://www.emf-portal.org/de/article/45447

Ozel et al: (2021): "The effects of base station as an electromagnetic radiation source on flower and cone yield and germination percentage in Pinus brutia Ten". The results of the study show that the proximity to the transmitter mast significantly reduces the number of flowers and cones of the Turkish pine. https://www.emfdata.org/de/studien/detail?id=635; https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42977-021-00085-1

Thill, A (2021): "Disorientation by electromagnetic fields during bird migration", online publication, www.diagnose-funk.org/1727

ESC submits consultation answer to the EU on potential health effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields

In a 22-page long consultation answer, ESC explains the shortcomings and faulty conclusions in the Preliminary Opinion on potential health effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF) – Update with regard to frequencies between 1Hz and 100 kHz.

E.g. We give feedback on the SCHEER´s claimed lack of evidence for risk of childhood leukaemia in the context of ELF-EMF. We draw attention to the two systematic review and meta-analysis finding statistically significant associations between exposure to ELF-MF and childhood leukaemia.

ESC strongly calls for the Precautionary Principle to be applied, to prevent the harmful biological effects of EMFs, where until now only thermal effects are accounted for.

https://esc-info.eu/en/esc-submits-consultation-answer-to-the-eu-on-potential-health-effects-of-exposure-to-electromagnetic-fields/

YOU CAN ALSO GET INVOLVED IN FORMING EU LAWS

The Commission would like to hear your views on data centers. After registration, you can write your feedback until 15 January 2024
Europeans for Safe Connections posted feedback to the new EU initiative "Data centres in Europe – reporting scheme".
https://esc-info.eu/en/have-your-say-data-centres/

We suggest to take into account the significant impact on the environment and the management of natural resources.

ESC Newsletter January 2024
In 2024 we wish you healthy and safe connections.
Hold tight because the speed is increasing...
Please share widely 😉
https://esc-info.eu/?na=view&id=13

#LGElectronics #EuropeanCommission #EmporiaSmart4 #Rap #science #SohoLondon

YOU CAN ALSO GET INVOLVED IN FORMING EU LAWS
The Commission would like to hear your views on GDPR. After registration, you can write your feedback until 08 February 2024.

Europeans for Safe Connections posted feedback to the new EU initiative "Report on the General Data Protection Regulation".

https://esc-info.eu/en/have-your-say-gdpr/

We provide our experience on how the GDPR rules have been applied during 6 years and also some suggestions for improvements.

#GDPR #DataProtection #DataPrivacy #DataSecurity #EDPB #DPOs #GDPRCompliance #GDPRNews

#threats #fearless #fear #worry #worrynot #worryaboutyourself #worrynomore #donotworry

Mobile phones banned from public spaces in Seine-Port in France


The 1,800 residents of Seine-Port (Seine-et-Marne), and their visitors, will now have to restrict their use of mobile phones in the street, in shops, outside schools, in parks or while walking on pavements. Voters were called to the polls on Saturday 3 February 2024 to decide whether or not to restrict the use of smartphones in the street. The pro-restriction camp won with 54% of the votes cast.

The health authorities regularly point to the harmful effects of excessive screen time, particularly for young children, but no local authority has yet taken the step of adopting such a measure. Therefore this initiative.

Vincent Paul-Petit, the LR mayor of Seine-Port, told Le Parisien that he had no intention of taking any liberticidal measures: "People have the impression that we're interfering in their lives. I don't want that! But there is a public health problem. We have to help them. "

https://www.leparisien.fr/seine-et-marne-77/a-seine-port-les-habitants-se-prononcent-a-54-pour-la-charte-qui-limitera-lusage-des-ecrans-03-02-2024-X6PMATVDFFEEJPUM7KWYAA57TI.php

Please sign and join Environmental Health Trust's petition to the United Nations Environment Programme 🙂
https://secure.everyaction.com/BnDXoV0gDE22Yixkdlobzg2