Biological Implications of Circadian Disruption By Dr. Laura Fonken (Book)

If you know anyone working shift work or living erratic schedules, you need to read this book.

Dr Laura Fonken has been studying the impact of circadian rhythms on health for over a decade now. She wrote her PhD on how circadian rhythms can make you gain weight, increase inflammation, develop diabetes.

She even showed how artificial light environments such as in a hospital environment hindered healing after surgery. published over sixty academic papers and reviews, twenty of which are focused on circadian regulation of physiology and behavior. You can cheeck out some of them on this blog.

She's published her research thus far in a book. This is an epic read into how our lives have dramatically shifted since the 19th century and the advent of artificial light.

You'll learn how shift workers and others exposed to high levels of light at night are at increased risk of health problems, including metabolic syndrome, depression, sleep disorders, dementia, heart disease, and cancer.

All life on earth evolved under a consistent cycle of light and darkness caused by the earth's rotation around its axis. It's given us our 24-hour circadian system in organisms, ranging all the way from fungi to humans. With the advent of electric light in the 19th century, cycles of light and darkness have drastically changed.

Check out the book here: Fonken, L.K. and Nelson, R.J. (2023). Biological Implications of Circadian Disruption: A Modern Health Challenge. 9781009076685. Cambridge University Press.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0014488624000517

What You Should Know about Wireless Radiation: Health Impacts on Babies and Children

Wireless radiation is just one form of electromagnetic fields (or EMFs).

These are invisible waves of energy emitted by electronic devices like WiFi routers, cell phones, and baby monitors.

You can’t see them, but these EMFs are how your iPad and all mobile devices connects to the cell tower.

You cannot sense these as with other pollution such as smog, noise pollution, but your body is definitely sensitive to these fields.

Children are uniquely vulnerable to wireless radiation.

Children are more vulnerable to wireless radiation and cell phone radiation because they have smaller heads, they have thinner skulls, and they have developing brains. Research shows that children absorb higher levels of wireless radiation.

Wherever you are using your wireless device, this radiation is being absorbed into your body, quite intensely, whenever it’s nearby. So, if it’s in your head, you’re going to get high levels of absorption of the non-ionizing radiation into your head and brain. If it’s near the abdomen and you’re pregnant, your body will receive that radiation as will your developing baby.

Wireless radiation is linked to a wide range of symptoms.

Before it even becomes an acute disease, Some studies of people living near cell towers have also confirmed an array of health complaints, including dizziness, nausea, headaches, tinnitus and insomnia, from people identified as having "electromagnetic hypersensitivity."

Wireless radiation is considered a carcinogen.

In 2011, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization, cited troubling but uncertain evidence in classifying wireless radiation as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.”

In 2018, a study by the federal government that was nearly two decades in the making found “clear evidence” that cellphone radiation caused cancer in lab animals. A major study in Italy produced similar results.

The main reason for this new classification was its linked to gliomas.

Cellphone radiation was classified a “possible carcinogen” in 2011 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, part of the World Health Organization, a conclusion based on human epidemiological studies that found an increased risk of glioma, a malignant brain cancer, associated with cellphone use.

Gliomas are the most common CNS tumors in children and adolescents; it is usually a fast-growing cancer that affects your child's brain or spinal cord.

Leukaemia and brain cancer are BOTH among the top five most common childhood cancers in most countries that track such statistics, from Singapore, Malaysia in the tropics to the UK, across Europe.

In fact, leukaemia and brain cancer account for more than half of all childhood cancers. Check out the population statistics in countries such as the UK, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia. By contrast, these cancers are rare in adults.

While these childhood cancers are rare and have high overall survival, it remains the first cause of death from

disease in children and adolescents. Can you imagine what the leading factor to such cancers are?

They’ve been concerned for a long time.

“They” being the many official institutions. For example, before the WHO’s 2011 official declaration, between 2008 and 2011, the European Union Parliament and the Council of Europe passed multiple resolutions against the “early, ill-considered, and prolonged use of mobiles and other devices emitting microwaves.”

The European parliaments’ advice for an exposure level was called A.L.A.R.A. (as low as reasonably achievable). (How low is still up to you to achieve as there are no standard regulations.)

Many medical associations in North America and Europe have also issued public statements to warn about the serious health risks associated with using wireless devices. Among them, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine wrote:

Wireless radiation is linked to autism and spectrum disorders.

A majority of studies that have looked at something called oxidative stress have found an effect. Now oxidative stress can lead to inflammation and more inflammation can lead to a lot of other health implications.

Dr. Martha Herbert documented in her publications, looking at autism and ADHD, there is inflammation in the brain. With electromagnetic fields, there are studies showing inflammation as well.

Many clinicians, doctors, and health professionals have found reducing electromagnetic fields can help with kids who have behavioral problems or have autism and other health issues. It’s been a way to impact or reduce electromagnetic fields that can support the child’s resilience.

Wireless radiation can cause behavioural problems in children.

If you are pregnant and exposed to cellphone radiation, your baby could be born susceptible to behavioural issues. A Yale study in 2012 found hyperactivity and reduced memory in mice exposed to cellphone radiation in the womb, consistent with human epidemiological research showing a rise in behavioral disorders among children who were exposed to cellphones in the womb.

The researchers exposed the pregnant mice to radiation from a muted and silenced cell phone positioned above the cage and placed on an active phone call for the duration of the trial. A control group of mice was kept under the same conditions but with the phone deactivated (such as being on “airplane mode”).

After the mice were born, researchers conducted psychological and behavioral tests, as well as measured their brain electrical activity.

“We have shown that behavioral problems in mice that resemble ADHD are caused by cell phone exposure in the womb. The evidence is really, really strong now that there is a causal relationship between cellphone radiation exposure and behavior issues in children. — Dr. Hugh Taylor, the author of the mouse study and chair of the obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences department at the Yale School of Medicine”

Concerned scientists are advocating for education around possible harms of wireless tech and how it should be used with care around children.

The BabySafe Project was conceived jointly by Dr. Devra Davis of Environmental Health Trust and Patti and Doug Wood of Grassroots Environmental Education after attending a conference in Stonington, Connecticut — it was where Dr. Hugh Taylor of Yale School of Medicine presented the results of his important study on fetal exposures to cell phone radiation. https://www.babysafeproject.org/science

Your child may already be suffering from EMF

A case in Canada saw three young children with an environmental intolerance, medically known as electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). They regularly suffered with symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, concentration and memory problems, anxiety, abdominal pain, nosebleeds, ringing in the ears, and more. These symptoms were otherwise unexplainable.

In May of 2012, to accommodate children with EHS and to provide choice for parents who want to heed health warnings to reduce exposure for children who are most vulnerable, the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) called for a moratorium on Wi-Fi in schools.

EMFs health impacts begin pre-conception.

Higher levels of exposure could reduce sperm quality in men and increase miscarriage risk in women. The two miscarriage studies, conducted by Kaiser Permanente and funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, are particularly interesting because they're some of the only ones to date that actually measured EMF exposure in subjects using a magnetic field monitoring device.

"We took [913 pregnant women] and asked them to wear the monitor for the duration of their pregnancy. Studies right now aren't using the meters because most of them are focusing on cancer. Cancer can take 20 years to develop—you can't measure your exposure from 20 years ago, so in those cases, you just ask how much the person uses their cell phone." — reproductive epidemiologist De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, the principle investigator on both studies (one published in 2002, one published in 2017).

Any safety regulations is out of date.

Any safety data is so out of date, it is not even funny.

No standards even consider the impact to a pregnant woman, as that research didn’t exist 25 years ago.

For example, the US Federal Communications Commission, or FCC, based on an adult male and they don’t even consider a child’s developing brain. They last adjusted its woefully outdated health standards for wireless radiation a quarter-century ago, well before wireless devices became ubiquitous, heavily used appliances synonymous with modern life.

5G wireless radiation is a new beast.

Until now, most of us use the second-, third-, and fourth-generation cell phones (2G, 3G, 4G) that emit radiofrequency in the frequency range of 0.7-2.7 GHz.

Fifth-generation (5G) cell phones are anticipated to use the frequency spectrum up to 80 GHz.

That’s an astounding leap!

I hope this compilation of research and studies will help you make a more informed decision about Wifi and its use in your family.

Resources & recommendations

• https://www.babysafeproject.org/science

• Read the study of real-world exposure to non-ionizing radiation from magnetic fields in pregnant women found a significantly higher rate of miscarriage (December 13, 2017)

• Your quick guide to reducing exposure at home

• Is your child already experiencing exposure to EMFs? Check out 12 common symptoms that you may not know about.

• Get in touch for a free discovery call on how to kick wireless radiation exposure out of your house.

Lifestyle Tip for a Calm Home - Natural Movement

In the list of to-dos for a good home, we don’t often consider whether it gets us moving.

We think of home as a place to cosy into and curl up in, in chairs, armoirs, and beds.

For good reason, as we want our home space to be safe and predictable, protected from any intruders, from dangerous animals to bugs and bosses…

But — Many everyday common furniture and interior design can sabotage our need to move. Create a home that embraces natural movement options to avoid installing an overly sedentary space that impedes and discourages us from moving our bodies.

Why you want to move, naturally

Stress is a baseline starting point for a lot of mental and emotional dysregulation. And movement is a way that the body releases the build up of stress.

Being able to move and stretch in positive ways is a release for the nervous system. You are literally letting go stress, trauma, and anything your body would prefer to not hold on to.

This is why daily walks outdoors are so powerful for health; they’re a way to shake off nervous energy, even if your walks are in the city (i.e., you’re not getting to fully ground in Nature).

A home space that affords complex and adaptable movement patterns help maintain a clarity and restful state for the mind. This feeling of competence, peace, and grace permeates the home.

(In fact, I believe a successful home is one that facilitates you going out with confidence into the wider world and connecting with Nature and with people in your community—both core principles in building biology.)

What is natural movement?

Natural human movement is all about being able to move well in everyday life and in all the activities and sports you love to do. It’s about moving your body with ease in a wide variety of ways that are applicable to the real world.

The MovNat movement became popular in response to the regimented exercises that seem to characterise modern lifestyles. The best thing: anyone can gain from improving their movement, from elite athletes to those quite out of shape. You don’t have to be fit to move, you have to move to be fit.

When you reconnect with your body’s natural movement abilities – everything from getting out of bed to moving furniture, to playing with your children will feel different. You will be astonished how your body responds to practicing its natural movements.

The seven primary movement patterns are squat, lunge, push, pull, press, twist, and gait (walking, running, and sprinting). Some professionals may list “hinge” as a primary movement pattern and leave “press” (as in, overhead press) off the list.

The problem with four walls—cabin fever

Modern lifestyle comforts such as soft sofas and big fluffy pillows may have been designed with good intentions. However, they’ve diminished the necessity for us to maintain natural postures and, in turn, move naturally.

#1: natural movement improves mood and better body

hhawareness, alignment, muscle recruitment, and mobility. It can also reduce the stress placed on joints, release and strengthen connective tissue, and form part of a holistic pain management solution.

#2: Natural Movement Is Crucial Especially in Your Child’s First Three Years

Growing up is intensely physical during the early years, and babies are learning to use the entirety of their bodies. Every time your baby swings her arms, kicks her legs, or turns her head, she is discovering how different parts of her body work.

The more your little one develops their large muscles through reaching, rolling, pushing, sitting, crawling, climbing, and walking, the better their later development of small muscle movements like holding a spoon, turning a doorknob, or using a crayon.

Some common items for the 0-3 years old include driving instead of walking and the use of “bouncy seats” and “exersaucers,” in which babies sit in one position to play instead of moving their whole bodies freely.

#2: Natural movement helps cchildren learn better

Children acquire knowledge by acting and then reflecting on their experiences. Children learn through experience, in which children acquire knowledge by doing and via reflection on their experiences, is full of movement, imagination, and self-directed play.

If your kids are in school, they’re likely spending the bulk of their time in a passive learning environment. A study from the University of Virginia found that, compared to just a few decades ago in 1998, children today are spending far less time on self-directed learning—moving freely and doing activities that they themselves chose—and measurably more time in a passive learning environment.

#3: Natural movement can predict your lifespan

How fast can you get in and out of a chair? Do you need extra assistance, such as getting up on their knees or using two hands? Many studies are showing that, away from complicated diets and routines, health can be more accurately defined — and longevity predicted — by very simple health parameters, such as muscular strength and endurance, flexibility and body composition.

The study found a simple two-minute test could predict the level of overall fitness in middle age that earmarks those likely to enjoy a longer life.

Researchers said the ease with which someone could stand up from a sitting position on the floor – and vice versa – was linked to a reduced risk of dying early.

“If a middle-aged or older man or woman can sit and rise from the floor using just one hand – or even better without the help of a hand – they are not only in the higher quartile of musculo-skeletal fitness but their survival prognosis is probably better than that of those unable to do so.” —Dr Claudio Gil Araújo, who carried out the study with colleagues at the Clinimex-Exercise Medicine Clinic in Rio de Janeiro

#3: Natural movement can is Connected with a Confident Sense of Self

Along the same lines of thought, in 1926, strong man and physical culture enthusiast Earle Liederman wrote a book called Endurance. So while Liederman did “not believe in everyone striving to be a long distance swimmer, a long distance runner, or any kind of endurance athlete,” we felt we ought to be able to move.

In it, Liederman makes the case for developing all-around strength and fitness as a way of not only preserving one’s health in the everyday sense of extending longevity, but protecting it under extraordinary and acutely threatening circumstances. 

He wrote, bluntly:

If he is of the fat, porpoise type, naturally he cannot do all, if any, of these things; he has nobody to blame but himself, and his way of living that has brought his body into its condition of obesity.

Unfortunately, the homes we built impede the thinhs that we can actually do. The panacea is to create a home space that enables you to move the way your body craves.

#3: Natural movement can is Connected with a Confident Sense of Self

Dr. Peter Levine developed somatic experiencing as a body-based therapy to process and release trauma. In his book “Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma,” Levine notes that animals can be observed shaking to release tension and stress. You might’ve seen a dog do this.

So maybe you’re thinking you’re not “traumatised” and you don’t need this therapy. However, most of us have a higher than optimal background level of stress, in part due to unnatural and stressful lifestyles.

Being able to move and jive as you please helps to release muscular tension, burn excess adrenaline, and calm the nervous system to its neutral state, thereby managing stress levels in the body.

It is easy to see this at play (no pun intended) with children. Getting to roughhouse (respectfully) is one way to have fun together, and it’s easy to see how anxious energy dissipates and connection happens with physical play.

It seems to loosen everybody up beyond just old bones or fidget young bums.

When you become a new parent, your usual routines get tossed to the wayside. Even if you can chug along well enough, neglecting self-care that include a good diet of physical activity is a fast track to depletion and stress building up…in yourself and at home.

Rather than piling on the guilt factor for not making it outdoors enough to a gym or even just a walk, I believe it is more effective to make space that actually encourage quality natural movement.

Create a calm, resilient home with natural movement

It is hard to keep up exclusively-yours exercise routines at exclusive places such as gyms. However, being mom or dad and making a home does not have to be sedentary, and I have learnt to expand my definition of movement to address how we can work with interior design and the flow of household chores and tasks.

Here are some ways to make space to move naturally around the house:

• Vary seating around the house. We love cosy seats, love seats, armchairs, sofas, and beds. Also consider benches and seating that come in various tactile surfaces.

• Ditch seating around the house. Identify the chairs and seats that you don’t like. Take the chance to clear out common “baby containers” such as bouncy strollers, etc.

• Uncluttered areas where you can get on the floor. This allows your parasympathetic system to kick in as your breathing slows down.

• Uncluttered areas and tasks where you get practise the “sit-to-stand” exercise. Laundry, getting on the floor to play “wrestling” with your kids, or just having your laptop space close to the ground are great opportunities every day to practise.

• Create a safe area where your child can hang out “reigns free”. It’s a vital spot that can serve a few purposes: your child can move as he/she wishes, spinning in a circle, jumping in and out of a makeshift rocket ship out of a discarded box, turning Lego into a high-jump routine… And your own amusement as you may carry on your tasks un-jostled with entertainment.

• Create a pebble tray or a foot reflexology path.

• Create a movement sacred spot. Have fun with this and make it a place for your movement goals that you always wanted. It may be a special yoga mat to practice flow movements, a pull-up bar to regain your 100-pull-up dominance, or a rebounder.

Does your home help or hinder how you move around the house? How does your body feel at home, even if you don’t get a chance to get out of doors? Let’s make space for natural movement — for a home that feels at ease.

If you are craving a calm home, check out this post on another lifestyle tip that impacts the calm of your home.

Resources

• Amazon link to the book. https://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Original-Restored-Earle-Liederman/dp/1466433876

• Amazon link to Dr Peter Gray’s book book “Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life.”

The Scary Truth about Heavy Metals in Your Home

From clearing space for a calm and clean home for baby, to breastfeeding, to baby’s first foods, we want to give our babies the very best environment in a home that we want to make both beautiful and cosy for family life.

That’s why it’s so shocking to know that many of the common household items can be toxic with the most egregious of all neurotoxins—heavy metals.

Many of us think that toxic heavy metals are only a problem of old homes or old products, but the truth is that toxic heavy metals are commonly used even in materials today. 

These elements are substances that can be toxic in very low concentrations.

Here are five common heavy metals that you may not know is in your home furnishings, decor, as well as common everyday items.

TOXIC HEAVY METAL SYMPTOMS & YOUR HEALTH

First, let’s get the brief on toxic heavy metals that we may not hear often about compared to more media-hogging headlines like PFAS and plastics.

You can experience heavy metal poisoning symptoms acutely or due to a chronic exposure and build up of toxic heavy metals.

Common SYMPTOMS of heavy metal poisoning

• Brain fog—having trouble focusing on things you were previously good at or having a poor memory.

• Fatigue—both acute and chronic, which also contributes to “brain fog.”

• Numbness, tingling, and paralysis in your arms and legs. Heavy metals affect the nervous system disorders.

• Chronic mental health problems. Including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.

Toxic metals disrupt the metabolic function in the body.  First, they can accumulate and build up within the body, which disrupts the function of vital organs and glands (such as the heart, brain, kidneys, bone or liver). 

The second way they disrupt is that they replace the vital nutritional minerals we have in our bodies, which in turn hinders their biological function.  (source)

Our bodies cannot usually detox heavy metals easily (hence the term “heavy”). Even if you’re being exposed at low levels over time, there can be high levels of heavy metal toxins in your body as your body just CANNOT get rid of it fast enough.

Heavy metal poisoning is insidious, because at low and chronic levels, you may not even notice your changes. In healthy people, the concentration of free metal ions is usually very low.

But now we know the implications of heavy metals crossing the blood-brain barrier, in severe neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington’s disease (HD), among others

Arsenic

Arsenic can cause various cancers and harms the developing brain and nervous system. In fact, one study found drinking water with arsenic at half the allowable limit still caused IQ loss.

Arsenic was most prevalent in these household items:

• Wallpaper. Arsenic was commonly used in the dyes for the fabric.

• Non-aniline free Leather.

• Vintage baby carriages. Arsenic was commonly used in the dyes for the fabric.

• Beauty products.

Cadmium

This toxin is linked with brain damage, learning disabilities, cancer, and kidney, bone, and heart damage. It can also cause various types of cancer, including breast, lung, prostate, nasopharynx, pancreas, and kidney cancers. What’s more, scientists now know that this damage happens even at levels previously deemed safe by the medical community. (source)

Cadmium was most commonly found at home in:

• Cigarette smoke. The tobacco plant takes up cadmium avidly from the environment.

• Metal work. These release micro particles into the air from work, such as plating, soldering, and welding.

• House paint as a colour stabiliser.

• PVC (polyvinyl chloride) flooring, and;

• PVC leather / faux leather / “leatherette” furniture. All PVC plastics are notorious for their extensive use of multiple hazardous heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and tin as stabilizers.

• Contaminated water.

• Beauty products.

Lead

There is no safe level for lead; any amount of lead is toxic to humans, and especially babies. Lead exposure is linked with ADD, behavioral issues, and problems in school.

Lead is most commonly found:

• Paint, including those used for Stairs, railings, banisters, and porches. Most countries still do not regulate or ban the use of lead in paint.

• Older homes built before 1978 (in the USA).

• Renovation work dust. Repair works often involve sanding or scraping paint on the inside and outside of homes that spread lead dust throughout the home.

• Wood stain varnishes.

• Porcelain paint on sinks. Old barn style kitchen sinks with old peeling porcelain.

• Contaminated Soil, yards and playgrounds. Lead can chip from surrounding buildings and contaminate the area.

• Air pollution from leaded gasoline in cars.

• Artificial turf and playground surfaces made from shredded rubber. These artificial turf made of nylon or nylon/polyethylene blend fibers can contain lead.

• Toys. Especially older toys or if it made outside of the EU, where lead for toys is banned.

• Jewelry. Lead is added to make the product heavier, brighten colors, and stabilize or soften plastic.

• Plastics, such as plastic toys. Lead is used to soften plastic and to make it more flexible so that it can go back to its original shape.

• Brass faucets may contain lead.

• Antiques. Lead was pervasively used in the making of items such as Dishware, Painted tin panels, Lead crystal pieces, Ceramic items, Silverware. Jewelry.

• Scuba weights. Some people use these to hold down the filter lines in the family's swimming pool, and their children accidentally, and regularly, swallowing lead-contaminated water

Mercury

This well-established neurotoxin lowers IQ and is known to cause brain damage, disrupt development and learning, and may contribute to cancer. Mercury also damages the nervous system, kidneys, and digestive system. (source)

Mercury is most commonly found:

• Fluorescent lightbulbs. These include all linear, U-tube and circline fluorescent tubes, Bug zappers, tanning bulbs, Black lights, Germicidal bulbs, Cold-cathode fluorescent bulbs

• Mercury short-arc bulbs.

• Fever thermometers that contain metallic mercury.

• Novelty jewelry, such as a glass pendant that contains mercury.

• Dental metal amalgams. It is made up of approximately 40-50% mercury, 25% silver, and 25-35% blend of copper, zinc and tin.

• Injections and vaccines. These may contain ethylmercury-containing compounds and Thimerosal that readily cross the blood-brain barrier, and convert to highly toxic inorganic mercury-containing compounds. These have been found in studies to significantly and persistently bind to tissues in the brain, even in the absence of concurrent detectable blood mercury levels.

References

• Legacy and Emerging Plasticizers and Stabilizers in PVC Floorings and Implications for Recycling. Helene Wiesinger, Christophe Bleuler, Verena Christen, Philippe Favreau, Stefanie Hellweg, Miriam Langer, Roxane Pasquettaz, Andreas Schönborn, and Zhanyun Wang. Environmental Science & Technology 2024 58 (4), 1894-1907. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04851. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.3c04851

• Check out this interesting article on how and why arsenic found its way into wallpaper, bread, and baby carriages in Victorian times. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/10/the-era-when-poison-was-everywhere/503654/

What is YOUR standard against wireless radiation?

In the digital era of the 21st century, we are not exposed to one Wi-Fi transmitter antenna. One typical office place or school classroom might have dozens of radiation streams from dozens of transmitting antennas: 30 laptops, 30 cell phones, a wireless printer, a wireless security system, an overhead internet access point and a cell tower located in line of sight outside the window.

You enter a mall and you’re exposed to multiple sources of wireless devices and antennas around you.

Do I Need to Worry About Radiation From WiFi and Bluetooth Devices?

Here’s what is known about the potential risk from routers and wireless devices

As of 2011, radiofrequency (RF) radiation is classified as a Group 2B Possible Human Carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer at the WHO.

There is a large number of studies establishing a concern that exposure to even low level electromagnetic fields causes adverse health effects. Studies showing possible health effects, that are corroborated as more research is done.

In 2018, the US National Toxicology Program embarked on an ambitious a 10-year, $25 million government study in rodents. It provided evidence that wireless radiation can cause cancer—but the abrupt termination of the study left a lot of key questions unanswered.

Professor James Lin from the University of Illinois in Chicago discussed the US National Toxicology Program’s (NTP’s) decision to close its radiation research program and what that means for us all.

‘In 2018, NTP published the final report on its US$30 million laboratory research showing “clear evidence” that lifelong exposure to low-level RF radiation caused cancers in rats.

‘The statistically significant findings showed that both GSM- and CDMA-modulated 900-MHz RF radiation had led to the development of malignant schwannoma, a rare form of tumor in the hearts of male rats. Furthermore, an independent analysis of the NTP data for overall cancer incidence detected in any organ or tissue inside the animal showed that rats exposed to GSM and CDMA cellphone RF radiation had significantly higher overall or total primary tumor incidence than the concurrent controls.’

Just recently, in 2023, the NTP declared on its 2023 fact sheet that it would perform follow-up studies on the effects found in the long term animal studies. 

So what happened? 

Have the follow-up studies been completed already?

Working with Swiss national engineering and U.S. government experts, the NTP had devised small-scale systems for exposing animals experimentally to controlled levels of wireless radiation.

Yet results from these exposure systems have neither been publicly shared nor published.

You can learn more about the NTP cellphone study in another post.

What Are the Existing Standards on Wireless Digital Technology (Radiofrequency Radiation)?

There Are No Safety Standards.

There are no national or international bodies who have “standards” for safe levels of the radiation emitted by wireless or microwave devices.

It is important to know that different countries have different standards and approaches to the current thermal (heat) RF exposure standards. The biologically toxic (oxidative/membrane) RF exposure levels, shown to produce harm at non-thermal levels.

This is an alarming concern as many countries rush towards 5G (i.e., device to device in the Internet of Things).[2]

So we are clear that nobody is watching out on your behalf:

Any “safety standard” by the telecommunications industry and the Big Tech sector, related industry associations, regulators on both sides of the Atlantic, and standards bodies such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) are focused exclusively on thermal effects ONLY.

This means “standards” are pushed to whether you get literally burnt or fried. Any non-thermal biological effects are either ignored or denied.

Different Countries Have Different Exposure Standards

However, in just the last 20 years, more than 20 position papers and resolutions regarding EMF and health have been adopted by esteemed EMF researchers and physicians.

Building Biology Standards

Standards for EMF exposure in Building Biology is based on the precautionary principle and lowest biological harm for sleeping areas. It is informed by reports by the BioInitiative Working Group. In August 2007 and December 2012, the BioInitiative Working Group, an international group of 29 experts with different competences, published two groundbreaking reports “BioInitiative 2007/resp. 2012 – A Rationale for a Biologically-based Public Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF and RF)” edited by Cindy Sage and David O. Carpenter, calling for preventive measures against EMF exposure based on the available scientific evidence.

The BioInitiative report 2012 includes sections on the evidence for effects on: gene and protein expression, DNA, immune function, neurology and behavior, blood-brain barrier, brain tumors and acoustic neuromas, childhood leukemia, melatonin, Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, fertility and reproduction, fetal and neonatal disorders, autism.

Now let’s have a look at some of these new actions:

In Europe, the EU in its Council Recommendation of 1999 adopted the ICNIRP recommendations. However, this does not consider long-term non-thermal effects. It also does not consider non-thermal bio effects.

Many individual EU countries are choosing stricter regulations against wireless radiation levels.

Austria

has one of the strictest standards. Since 2007, the Highest Health Council of the Ministry of Health in Austria has recommended to take preventive action by reducing exposure levels from RF devices of at least a factor of 100 below the guideline levels of the European Commission!

South Korea

In Korea, you will find many websites for public and nonpublic institutions that provide information aiming to improve public awareness and EMF knowledge [19-22]. This information includes large amounts of data on human limitation levels, EMF measurements of electronic products, base station information, general safety guidelines, and false beliefs.

France

The first low-EMF zone was established at Drôme, France in July 2009.[10]

After two long years of debate, on January 29th 2015, France adopted a law which limits the spread of WiFi radiation and establishes basic rules of precautionary principle related to health risks from radio frequency waves.

It also promises a fine of 75 000 Euros if any cell phone advertisement fails to mention recommended use of EMF protection products.

On 8 July 8, 2015, a court in Toulouse, France, ruled in favor of a woman with the diagnosis “syndrome of hypersensitivity to electromagnetic radiation” and determined her disability to be 85% with substantial and lasting restrictions on access to employment.[9]

Italy

The Italian Supreme Court confirmed a previous decision by the Civil Court of Appeals of Brescia (no. 614 of 10 December 2009) that ruled that the National Institute for Workmen’s Compensation (INAIL) must compensate a worker who had developed a tumor in the head due to long-term, heavy use of mobile phones while on the job.[11]

Russia

Russia set strict standards and has not loosened these. In contrast to the ICNIRP guidelines, the Russian safety standards, are based on non-thermal RF effects, which were obtained by several research institutes in the former Soviet Union during decades of studies on chronic exposures to RF. It is interesting to find that Russian researchers  looked at RFR exposures and immune dysfunction over 2 decades ago and because of these robust studies which were replicated in 2006-2009 they set their upper limit of RFR at 10 μW/cm2.

Canada

EMF Exposure Guidelines in Canada are under the jurisdiction of Health Canada who has not independently established guidelines for magnetic field or electric field exposure. When pressed, they will state that Canada follows the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection “ICNIRP” guidelines of 830 mG or 83,000 nT (Magnetic Field) or 5000 V/m (Electric Field) for a 24-hr period. Since these guidelines are based on short-term acute exposure we still do not have guidelines that protect the public from long-term low level exposure.

The Canadian Teachers' Federation (which represents over 200,000 teachers across Canada (2013)) recommends “prudent use of Wi-Fi” whenever possible including the recommendation to limit consistent exposure in schools by turning off wireless access points when not in use.

The Elementary Teacher's Federation of Ontario - over 76,000 teachers (2013) adopted resolutions:
 "That ETFO study the impact of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, including the possible implications for schools and members, with a report with recommendations.

The British Columbia Teachers' Federation (41,000 public school teachers (2013) adopted resolution to protect teachers' health: "The BCTF supports members who are suffering from electromagnetic hypersensitivity by ensuring that their medical needs are accommodated in the workplace."

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association - 37,000 teachers (2012) recommends pulling plug on Wi-Fi in schools, schools should practice “prudent avoidance of exposure” given the mounting evidence against WiFi exposure especially on children.

May of 2012: To accommodate children with EHS and to provide choice for parents who want to heed health warnings to reduce exposure for children who are most vulnerable, the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) called for a moratorium on Wi-Fi in schools, and for a minimum of one school in each district at each level to be free of Wi-Fi.

What Are Your Personal Standards against Wireless Radiation?

• How often do you use WIFI hot spots? Regular surveys often find many places where the level of public exposure substantially succeeds that generally observed at the national scale.

  While, say the National Frequency Agency (AFNR) in France in this moment considers a hotspot to be atypical if the levels of radiation exceed 6 V/m (9.5 µW/cm2). It is not uncommon that WiFi radiation on hotspot peaks above 10 V/m. It takes time for network operators, often some months, before an excessive hotspot is recalibrated.

• Do you set clear boundaries against wireless radiation in your home?

  From nurseries and daycare centers are common places that ban wireless devices; this is where very small children under 3 yrs spend their time. Do you permit wireless devices for “digital educational activities” and “lifestyle and entertainment”? Otherwise, wireless access to internet can be disabled, eliminating one common source of high levels of wireless radiation.

• Are you aware of the EMF-spreading installation (antennas, towers etc)?

  Any such installation typically has to first approved by local government, because it may breach location rules, if indeed the area has any. Installers typically must submit necessary documentation about EM fields it will create and emit. This information may not be available to the public, however. In fact, the entire process may be obscured. This means it is up to you, the individual, to be able to detect, measure, and mitigate against EMFs in your environment.

• Do you use EMF protection? And are you regularly up to date on the various types of EMF product quality? For example, the most common products promise they reduce exposure of the head to wireless radiation from mobile device.

• If you have children, do you consider their more vulnerable needs? EMF protection products for kids consider their lower body weight to mass ratio.

Are you concerned about the levels of electromagnetic pollution in your home? Do you work with wireless devices? Check out my full guide to the regulations that institutions are enacting in response to citizens’ concern around the world.

For a full list of EMR exposure guidelines go here

References

• 1. http://www.safeinschool.org/

• 5G: Great risk for EU, U.S. and International Health! Compelling Evidence for Eight Distinct Types of Great Harm Caused by Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Exposures and the Mechanism that Causes Them. (2018) Martin L. Pall, PhD. Discusses SCENIHR and ICNIRP (International Commission on Non Ionising Radiation Protection – ICNIRP, Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) Guidelines for RFR and robust scientific literature on adverse health effects which are both considered and not considered in their deliberations.   https://einarflydal.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/pall-to-eu-on-5g-harm-march-2018.pdf

• 2. Oberfeld G. Precaution in Action – Global Public Health Advice Following BioInitiative 2007. In Sage C, Carpenter DO, editors. BioInitiative Report 2012: A Rationale for a Biologically based Public Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF and RF), 2012. Available at: http://www.bioinitiative.org.

• 3. Havas M. International expert’s Perspective on the Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) and ElectromagneticRadiation (EMR) [Internet]. Peterborough, ON, (CD): 2011 June

• 11 (updated 2014 July). Available at: http://www.magdahavas.com/international-experts-perspective-on-the-health-effects-ofelectromagnetic-fields-emf-and-electromagnetic-radiation-emr/.

• x. https://ehtrust.org/singapore-policy-recommendations-cell-phones-wireless-radiation-health/; https://www.imda.gov.sg/user-and-set-up-guides/mobile-and-broadband/mobile-phone-base-stations-and-radiofrequency-radiation

• [9] Première reconnaissance d’un handicap dû à l’électrosensibilité en France. Le Monde fr avec AFP | 25.08.2015. Available at: http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2015/08/25/premiere-reconnaissance-en-justice-d-unhandicap-u-a-l-electrosensibilite_4736299_3244.html.

• 10. Abelous D. France has its first radiation-free refuge in the Drome [Internet]. EURRE/Drome (FR): Agence France Presse (AFP), 2009 Oct 9. Available at: http://www.next-up.org/pdf/AFP_France_has_its_first_radiation_free_refuge_in_the_Drome_09_10_2009.pdf.

• 19. Seoul (Korea): EMF; c2005. Electromagnetic field (EMF) [Internet] [cited 2019 Oct 5]. Available from: http://www.emf.or.kr/ [Google Scholar] [Ref list]

• Naju (Korea): Korea Electric Power Corporation; c2019. Korea Electric Power Corporation [Internet] [cited 2019 Oct 10]. Available from: http://home.kepco.co.kr/kepco/KO/D/A/KODAPP001.do?menuCd=FN050401/ [Google Scholar] [Ref list]

Sneaky Places At Home Hiding Toxic PFAS Forever Chemicals

By now you’ve heard about PFAS chemicals - the “forever chemicals” most notably associated with non-stick cookware. Its also with plastics pollution and endocrine dysfunction.

But PFAS can be found in many common household items and it is linked to many chronic diseases down the line.

If you have infants or toddlers at home, it's especially important to consider the chemicals that could be in your carpet. For example, rugs are a major source of PFAS exposure for little ones who are likely to put their hands in their mouths after touching the material. 

What are PFAS?

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, is a class of thousands of man-made substances that are common in everyday objects. Peer-reviewed studies have linked them to some cancers, decreased fertility, thyroid disease, and developmental delays, among other health issues.  linked to serious health issues like testicular and kidney cancer, liver damage, thyroid disease, and more, are also hiding out in some pretty surprising places in our everyday lives.

Thanks to their super-strong carbon–fluorine (C–F) bonds, PFAS are extremely stable, making them persistent and resistant to degradation.

PFAS last for decades without breaking down, earning them the "forever chemicals" nickname.

Sneaky places at home that hide PFAS

It may be impossible to completely avoid PFAS, but there are a few simple ways to reduce your exposure. By tackling some of the sneaky places they hide:

Wall paint: One study at Duke University last year found PFAS in six of 10 popular paint brands sampled. The study also determined that in some brands there was off-gassing of PFAS, which reduces the overall concentration of the chemical in the paint on the wall, but disperses it into the air, where it can be inhaled.

Food packaging: PFAS were developed in the 1940s to resist heat, grease, stains, and water. That means they've ended up in a lot of food packaging. That includes pizza boxes, microwave popcorn bags, some wrappers, and grease-resistant paper.

A 2019 study found that people had lower PFAS levels in their blood after eating at home, and higher levels after eating fast food or at restaurants.

Nonstick cookware: The coating used in nonstick cookware usually contains PFAS, and they can easily leach into your food at high heat and once the coating gets scratched.

In fact, overheating nonstick cookware at 570°F or higher leads to the release of harmful chemicals that can cause an illness called "Teflon flu," or polymer fume fever.

In makeup: Cosmetics that are smoothing, long-wear, or waterproof are the ones most likely to contain PFAS chemicals. Without it, your mascara would run. It's a good idea to read ingredient labels (look for any ingredients with ‘fluoro’ in the name).

The Green Science Policy Institute keeps a list of PFAS-free products, including cosmetics brands.

In dental floss: for years, dental floss brands have used PFAS chemicals, which is concerning since it’s a product that goes in our mouths! A 2019 study found that women who flossed with Oral-B Glide had higher levels of a specific PFAS chemical in their blood than women who didn’t use that particular floss. Make sure your floss is PFAS-free!

Soft contact lenses: a random sampling of 18 popular brands of soft lenses sent to an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-certified lab all tested positive for PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Menstrual care products: Mamavation and Environmental Health News conducted a study of PFAS in menstrual care products, including tampons, pads, sanitary napkins and period underwear, and found most of them contaminated to one degree or another with the forever chemicals.

Clothing and textiles: One of the ways fabrics become water resistant is by using PFAS chemicals! Jackets, raincoats, backpacks, and other outdoor gear are often treated with these chemicals.

These fabrics shed fibers that can travel through the house as dust, eventually getting ingested or inhaled.

These same chemicals are used in stain-resistant treatments for upholstered furniture, carpeting, and even curtains. There’s no easy way to know if your items have been treated, especially if they’re older. When it comes time to replace them, seek out brands that don’t use PFAS chemicals.

House dust: Those floaters in the air you see are made up of many things, including chemicals breaking down from various household products, including PFAS. One study found that certain PFAS chemicals were detected in 97-100% of samples! One straightforward solution is to keep your house as clean as possible. Use a water-damp cloth to remove dust (referred to as wet dusting), is a simple way to lower PFAS exposure in your home. lingers in the air and allows humans to breathe the chemicals into their lungs or ingest them. By cleaning regularly, along with opening windows to allow for airflow and ventilation, you can keep dust levels low in your home and reduce the amount of PFAS you swallow.

Tap water: Communities located near military bases, such as Newburgh, New York, often find their water supplies contaminated with PFAS. The pollution can also affect local fish populations and the people who eat them.

PFAS levels in community tap water in Massachusetts reveals a trend of increasing contamination, with total fluorinated compounds exhibiting a 5- to 320-fold rise over 25 years.

People living near military bases are more vulnerable to water contamination. For example, it emerged through internal U.S. documents obtained by journalist Jon Mitchell for The Japan Times that accidental leaks of PFOS-containing fire extinguishing foam at Kadena Air Base may be linked to the contamination of drinking water on the island.

Cellphones / Fingerprint-resistant smartphone screens: PFAS are used in pretty much anything to make things more resistant to grease and water. The circuit boards, semiconductors, and insulated wiring that use PFAS, as well as the touch screen, which has PFAS coating to resist fingerprints.