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12/12/23/2002

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Ingrid Scherrmann

Fuchsfeldstr. 50, D-88416 Ochsenhausen, phone: + 49 7352 940529, fax: + 49 7352 4392

email: info@safer-world.org  web: http://www.safer-world.org

SAFER WORLD is a private independent international internet-network for a safer environment.

 

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AKTIV

FREIBURGER APPELL http://www.hese-project.org/Freiburger-Appell-inhalt.html   (please click your country)

Interdisziplinäre Gesellschaft für Umweltmedizin e. V., IGUMED, Bergseestr. 57, 79713 Bad Säckingen, Germany.

Tel. +49-7761 913490, FAX +49-7761 913491, e-mail: igumed@gmx.de   ,9th October 2002:

Out of great concern for the health of our fellow human beings do we - as established physicians  of all fields, especially that of environmental medicine - turn to the medical establishment and those in public health and political domains, as well as to the public. We have observed, in recent years,  a dramatic rise in severe and chronic diseases among our patients, especially:

- Learning, concentration, and behavioural disorders (e.g. attention deficit disorder, ADD)

- Extreme fluctuations in blood pressure, ever harder to influence with medications

- Heart rhythm disorders

- Heart attacks and strokes among an increasingly younger population

- Brain-degenerative diseases (e.g. Alzheimer‘s) and epilepsy

- Cancerous afflictions: leukemia, brain tumors

 

Moreover, we have observed an ever-increasing occurrence of various disorders, often misdiagnosed in patients as psychosomatic:

- Headaches, migraines

- Chronic exhaustion

- Inner agitation

- Sleeplessness, daytime sleepiness

- Tinnitus

- Susceptibility to infection

- Nervous and connective tissue pains, for which the usual causes do not  explain even the most conspicuous symptoms

 

Since the living environment and lifestyles of our patients are familiar to us,  we can see - especially after carefully-directed inquiry - a clear temporal and spatial   correlation between the appearance of disease and exposure to pulsed high-frequency   microwave radiation (HFMR), such as:

- Installation of a mobile telephone sending station in the near vicinity

- Intensive mobile telephone use

- Installation of a digital cordless (DECT) telephone at home or in the neighbourhood

 

We can no longer believe this to be purely coincidence, for:

- Too often do we observe a marked concentration of particular illnesses in correspondingly HFMR-polluted areas or apartments;

- Too often does a long-term disease or affliction improve or disappear in a relatively short time after reduction or elimination of  HFMR pollution in the patient‘s

  environment;

- Too often are our observations confirmed by on-site measurements of HFMR of unusual intensity.

 

On the basis of our daily experiences, we hold the current mobile communications technology (introduced in 1992 and since then globally extensive) and cordless digital telephones (DECT standard) to be among the fundamental triggers for this fatal development.

One can no longer evade these pulsed microwaves. They heighten the risk of already-present  chemical/physical influences, stress the body‘s immune system, and can bring the  body‘s still-functioning regulatory mechanisms to a halt. Pregnant women, children,  adolescents, elderly and sick people are especially at risk. Our therapeutic efforts to restore  health are becoming increasingly less effective: the unimpeded and continuous penetration  of radiation into living and working areas in particularly bedrooms, an essential place for  relaxation, regeneration and healing - causes uninterrupted stress and prevents the patient‘s   thorough recovery. In the face of this disquieting development, we feel obliged to inform  the public of our observations - especially since hearing that the German courts regard  any danger from mobile telephone radiation as "purely hypothetical"  (see the decisions of the constitutional court in Karlsruhe and the administrative court  in Mannheim, Spring 2002).

What we experience in the daily reality of our medical practice is anything but hypothetical!

 

We see the rising number of chronically sick patients also as the result of an irresponsible " safety limits" policy, which fails to take the protection of the public from the short- and  long-term effects of mobile telephone radiation as its criterium for action. Instead, it submits to  the dictates of a technology already long recognized as dangerous. For us, this is the beginning  of a very serious development through which the health of many people is being threatened.

We will no longer be made to wait upon further unreal research results - which in our experience are often influenced by the communications industry - while evidential studies go on being ignored.

We find it to be of urgent necessity that we act now!

 

Above all we are, as doctors, the advocates for our patients. In the interest of all those concerned, whose basic right to life and freedom from bodily harm is currently being put at stake, we appeal to  those in the spheres of politics and public health. Please support the following demands with your  influence:

- New health-friendly communications techniques, given independent risk assessments before  their introduction and, as immediate measures and transitional steps:

- Stricter safety limits and major reduction of sender output and HFMR pollution on a justifiable  scale, especially in areas of sleep and convalescence

- No further?expansion of the mobile telephone technology, in order to prevent a manifold  increase in radiation load

- A say on the part of local citizens and communities regarding the placing of antennae (which in a  democracy should be taken for granted)

- Education of the public, especially of mobile telephone users, regarding the health risks of  electromagnetic fields

- Ban on mobile telephone use by small children, and restrictions on use by adolescents

- Ban on mobile telephone use and digital cordless (DECT) telephones in preschools, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, events halls, public buildings and vehicles (as

  with the ban on smoking)

- Mobile telephone and HFMR-free zones (as with auto-free areas)

- Revision of DECT standards for cordless telephones with the goal of reducing radiation intensity  and limiting actual use time, as well as avoiding the biologically critical

  HFMR pulsation

- Industry-independent research, finally with the inclusion of amply available critical research results and our medical observations

 

(SAFER WORLD: in the meantime more than 300 physicians and some thousand persons from all over the world were supporting this appeal.

The "Freiburger Appeal " is also available in many languages and more and more the "Freiburger Appeal" is also "working" in other countries . Please look at http://www.hese-project.org/Freiburger-Appell-inhalt.html   and click your country.)

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I support the demands of the "Freiburger Appeal" with my signature. Principal demands of the Freiburger Appeal are:

A major reduction in safety limits, sender output and transmission loads

An end to network development – radiation levels must not increase further

A say on the part of local citizens and communities regarding the placing of antennae

Ban on mobile telephone use by small children, and restrictions on use by adolescents

Education of the public regarding health risks

Mobile telephone-free zones

Prohibition of the DECT standards, avoidance of pulsing and continuous operation

Industry-independent research including critical peer-review

Signature lists please by post, fax or email to h.e.s.e. project, Arbeitsgruppe Elektromagnetische Felder/Mobilfunk

Postfach 1306, 36198 Rotenburg/Fulda GermanyGermany, Tel.: +49-6623/410638 Fax: +49 6623/44114,

e-mail: emf-mobilfunk@heseproject.org  

Supporter lists (paper-copy to download) for the FREIBURGER APPEAL of the IGUMED e.V. at http://www.hese-project.org/Freiburger-Appell-inhalt.html  

 

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ACTIV

From P A N U P S, Pesticide Action Network Updates Service

Action Alert: Canada's First Province-Wide Ban of Cosmetic Pesticides Threatened Under NAFTA

November 15, 2002

Quebec's Minister of the Environment has called for new regulations to reduce pesticide use throughout the

province. In July 2002, the Minister presented a new Pest Management Code that includes strict new

regulations designed to "progressively institute a decreased and more prudent use and sale of pesticides." The

Code would ban a number of pesticides for non-agricultural uses including the herbicide 2,4-D, and has come

under sharp criticism by a group of 2,4-D manufacturers in the U.S. who have threatened to sue the Quebec

government under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The movement to ban the use of pesticides for cosmetic (purely aesthetic) purposes has grown steadily in

Canada since June 2001, when Canada's Supreme Court upheld the 1991 pesticide bylaws of Hudson, Quebec.

Hudson is one of nearly 60 Canadian city municipalities that already ban cosmetic lawn pesticides. Many more

Canadian cities--including Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto--are also considering bans.

"This could be the first province-wide or state-wide ban of its kind in the world," said Michel Gaudet, of the

Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (CAP). CAP and other local citizen and environmental groups have played

a key role in forwarding Quebec's Pest Management Code and promoting alternatives to urban pesticide use.

The Code is expected to pass the Quebec government by the end of 2002 and come into effect in early

2003. The Code states that by 2003, synthetic pesticides will be prohibited in all daycare facilities and schools

and cosmetic pesticides will be banned from all public land; by 2005, the ban will extend to all private green

spaces. Fines will range from CAN$500-$30,000. The ban covers 23 pesticide active ingredients that--according

to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and/or World Health Organization (WHO)--are known or

possible carcinogens or endocrine disruptors, including lindane, malathion, MCPA, permethrin, benomyl, captan

and 2,4-D.

In addition to the ban, the Code will also increase buffer zones around spray applications, outlaw application of

mixtures of pesticides and fertilizers, require sale and use permits for pesticide applicators, require golf courses

to present pesticide use reduction plans, and provide a list of less-toxic and organic pest control products. The

Quebec government also plans to support alternative pest management education for the public and training

for pesticide applicators.

One day after the Environment Minister presented the Code, the U.S.-based companies that manufacture

2,4-D threatened to sue under Chapter 11 of NAFTA. Donald Page, spokesman of the Industry Task Force on

2,4-D Research, stated that, "[Quebec is] going to have to stand up in court and prove [that 2,4-D causes

cancer]." Page's group, funded by 2,4-D's largest manufacturers, Dow Agro-Sciences, BASF, Nufarm and

Agro-Gor SA, is spending US$30 million on tests intended to show that 2,4-D is not carcinogenic. The U.S. EPA

estimates that at least 58 million pounds of 2,4-D are used in the U.S. each year.

This is not the first time that pesticide manufacturers have threatened to sue a Canadian government under

NAFTA for projected profit loss (see PANUPS: Canadian Government Sued for Banning Lindane, January 3,

2002 http://www.panna.org/resources/panups/panup_20020103.dv.html   ).

However, the Environment Minister seems resolved: "I consider health to be more important than a perfect

lawn. I would therefore like to ask Quebecers to avoid using pesticides, or if they need to do so, to use them

in ways that respect our health and the environment." CAP has called for international support for the Quebec

government to stand against the pesticide manufactures' lawsuit under NAFTA.

Action: Send a letter to Canadian officials supporting the ban on cosmetic pesticides:

Addresses and sample letter available at: http://www.panna.org/resources/documents/QuebecLetter.dv.html

Contacts: Michel Gaudet or Rohini Peris, Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides (CAP), C.P. 434,

Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville, Quebec J3V 5G8, Canada; phone (514) 683-5701; fax (450) 441-2138; email caponline@videotron.ca ; Web site  http://www.cap-quebec.com/  .

Sources: CAP Press Release: Pesticide Coalition Applauds Quebec's Move to Ban Pesticides in Urban Areas, July

3, 2002. "Pesticide sparks NAFTA fight" July 5, 2002, The Montreal Gazette. "Quebec to ban cosmetic

pesticide use" July 3, 2002, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, http://www.cbc.ca/  . Quebec Pesticide

Management Code is available at http://www.menv.gouv.qc.ca/   .

PANUPS is a weekly email news service providing resource guides and reporting on pesticide issues that don't

always get coverage by the mainstream media. It's produced by Pesticide Action Network North America, a

non-profit and non-governmental organization working to advance sustainable alternatives to pesticides worldwide.

To comment, send an email to: panna@panna.org  

To subscribe, send a blank email to: PANUPS-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com  

Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA), 49 Powell St., Suite 500, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA

Email: panna@panna.org  Web: http://www.panna.org 

 

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ACTIV - PETITION TO EPA TP BAN CCA-TREATED WOOD

... Currently, EPA is waiting for a joint study on CCA by the Consumer Products Safety Commission and EPA. After finalizing the study, the agency will implement a risk assessment of existing CCA-treated wood structures.

Find out how to protect yourself from CCA-treated wood http://www.beyondpesticides.org/wood/reportsandpublications/CCA%20health_factsheet.htm

Read Beyond Pesticides' petition to EPA to ban CCA-treated wood http://www.beyondpesticides.org/wood/CCA%20Petition.htm Link to online article: http://www.beyondpesticides.org/news/daily.htm  

http://www.noccawood.ca 

 

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CHEMICALS - ACRYLAMIDE

Acrylamide In Cooked Foods: The Glyphosate Connection

Recent health alert over toxic acrylamide in cooked foods is linked to glyphosate, Prof. Joe Cummins reveals. Acrylamide is a building block for the polymer, polyacrylamide, a material well-known in molecular biology laboratories as a gel matrix for resolving DNA fragments in sequence analysis and identifying proteins, both under electric fields. In the world at large, polyacrylamide is used in water purification to flocculate suspended organic matter. Recently the world health organization

(WHO) had a closed meeting to review the finding that cooked vegetables had significant levels of acrylamide [1]. The finding received worldwide attention because acrylamide is a potent nerve toxin in humans and also affects male reproduction, and causes birth defects and cancer in animals. The WHO press releases implied that the acrylamide finding was a surprise and that the pollutant probably arose from cooking the vegetables.

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2002-12-09 Baby food may also contain acrylamide / BfR calls for the especially careful manufacture of these products

Acrylamide may also be present in baby food. Studies by a Berlin laboratory confirm the corresponding findings of official food control. The data submitted to the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment show that most of the meals examined and even self-prepared baby food contain very little acrylamide. However, there are exceptions: one of the children's wholemeal biscuit products examined was found to contain just under 400 microgram acrylamide per kilogram (µg/kg) biscuit. In one of the biscuit products examined for the preparation of broth, up to 160 µg/kg of the substance were detected. In the worst case this would mean that a toddler would take in as much acrylamide per kilogram bodyweight as a highly exposed adult.

The large number of products shows that it is possible for baby and infant formula to be produced with low levels of acrylamide. BfR calls for the levels of acrylamide to be reduced as far and as quickly as possible by means of good manufacturing practice. If information is available about products and their acrylamide contents, the Federal Institute recommends that parents opt for products with low levels.

Acrylamide is a substance which is used, amongst other things, for the production of plastics. Under certain circumstances, acrylamide may also be formed during the production and preparation of potato and cereal-containing foods from their natural ingredients. In animal experiments acrylamide has proved to be carcinogenic and mutagenic. It is not possible to reliably assess the actual cancer risk for human beings from the intake of acrylamide-containing foods. Nor are there any scientific reasons, at present, for doubting that there is also a carcinogenic risk for man.

The interim assessment of the Federal Institute shows that the risk for children is on the same level as for adults. If the data received reveals new aspects for risk assessment, BfR will inform the general public. Independently of this, the level of protection afforded to children should, in principle, be very high. For baby and infant food this means special quality requirements and for the manufacturers a special responsibility for their products.

Further information on acrylamide and on the assessment of the health risk can be found on our homepage (www.bfr.bund.de) in the section "Latest News". http://www.bfr.bund.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=1866  

 

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CHEMICALS - AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution induces heritable DNA mutations

The respiratory effects of air pollution are well documented. Now the results of a new study suggest that industrial pollution could cause genetic defects, too. Findings published online this week by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicate that mice subjected to ambient air in close proximity to a steel mill had twice as many genetic mutations as their rural counterparts did. http://www.mapcruzin.com/news/rtk121602a.htm for full article and links to scientific report.

Proof of Inheritable Genetic Mutation Caused by Pollution? Study Looks at Pollution, Gene Mutations

Dec 9, 2002 By PAUL RECER

WASHINGTON (AP) - Exposure to air pollution from steel mills may cause genetic mutations that are passed by fathers to their offspring, according to a study in mice. Ecology scientists at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, said pairs of mice exposed for about 70 days to air pollution downwind from a steel mill produced young that carried up to twice the number of

genetic mutation found in animals that lived in clean air. Christopher M. Somers and James S. Quinn, two of the co-authors of a

study appearing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, said the new research supports earlier findings that suggested that genetic mutations among seagulls exposed to steel mill air pollution. A toxicology expert questioned the study's methods and conclusions. ... On the Net: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: http://www.pnas.org

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31 October, 2002, Europe's dirty air 'still a killer' / Thousands are "dying prematurely" through air pollution

By Alex Kirby , BBC News Online environment correspondent

The air in many European cities is still so polluted that thousands of people are dying premature deaths, scientists say.

They describe the damage done by poor air quality as "a significant threat to public health".

Air pollution continues to pose a significant threat to public health in urban environments in Europe

Apheis report. They found that even very small cuts in pollution can benefit health. But they recognise this is one risk individuals can do little to control. The researchers are from a group called Apheis - Air Pollution and Health: A European Information System.

... http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2377319.stm  

New Apheis Health Impact Assessment in 26 Cities Shows That Air Pollution Continues To Threaten Public Health in EuropeReport provides key information resource for local and European decision makers

As another key point, the Apheis report, entitled "A Health Impact Assessment of Air Pollution in 26 European Cities," states that the major reason air-pollution exposure results in important health impacts is the ubiquity of the exposure, over which individuals have little control. This contrasts with other health-risk factors, such as cigarette smoking and diet, which individuals can better control.

The report, a broad-based European HIA of air pollution, embraces data from 12 countries totaling 26 cities: Athens, Barcelona, Bilbao, Bordeaux, Bucharest, Budapest, Celje, Cracow, Dublin, Gothenburg, Le Havre, Lille, Ljubljana, London, Lyon, Madrid, Marseille, Paris, Rome, Rouen, Seville, Stockholm, Strasbourg, Tel Aviv, Toulouse and Valencia.

APHEIS at: http://www.apheis.net/

      

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