Note to anybody wishing to publish this article or use excerpts therefrom: This article is based upon studies reported in my 2003 book, Brain Speed and the Body Electric, which assembles a wealth of proof showing that electromagnetic (EM) energy slows down nerve conduction. This is the smoking gun that many researchers have been looking for as they explore the possible health effects of EM radiation upon humans.

When nerve conduction slows down, it adversely affects mental performance in every measurable skill category (memory, reading, computation, verbal fluency, verbal creativity, thinking, and reaction time). It also adversely affects physical performance. This article concentrates upon the cell phone and the way its radiation lowers brain speed, and it shows the reader how to use a simple technique for measuring changes in brain speed. Anybody can use this simple scientific technique, which should appeal to most readers. Use of this article is permissible only if proper credit is given to the author.

Cell Phone Radiation Slows Down Brain Speed
James Protsman

Controversy swirls around the subject of the health effects of cell phones. The radiofrequency electromagnetic (EM) radiation emitted by a cell phone is known to penetrate the skull, but does this lead to the development of cancer, especially malignant brain tumors which are on the rise? The new cell phone towers springing up everywhere greatly increase our daily dosage of radiation. Is this healthy for us?

A study by the California. Department of Health Services, eight years in the making, and which can be seen online, suggests there is a connection between exposure to EM radiation and childhood leukemia, brain cancer, Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), miscarriages, and possibly suicide.

The scientific proof connecting health problems with cell phones convinces some people and scientists that a danger exists, but the majority of people and lots of scientists remain skeptical. They want more evidence. More evidence is now available.

It now can be demonstrated that EM radiation from cell phones slows down nerve conduction, or the speed at which vital regulatory messages travel through the body's nervous system. This reduces the effectiveness of the nervous system, which in turn could reduce the ability of the immune system to protect our bodies from disease of all kinds. It certainly slows down reaction time, which makes cell phone use dangerous while driving.

You can detect for yourself the effect of cell phone radiation upon your brain by measuring changes in brain speed. Brain speed is a rough measure of nerve conduction speed. If you don't have a cell phone, the handset from a wireless phone will work almost as well.

For best results in this self-test, remove the metal from your hands (rings, bracelets, watches). This elimination will increase your sensitivity to the effects of EM radiation; to increase your sensitivity even more, remove shoes and socks. Males (especially postpuberty males) will get stronger testing results than females, because the electrical system in a male generates more electrical current than in a female.

(1) Hold a cell phone in your hand and silently in your head count to 50 as fast as you can. This is a rough measure of brain speed. Pay attention to the amount of effort this takes. Time yourself with a stopwatch or the second hand of a timepiece.

(2) Put the phone down and step away at least six feet (two meters) from it. You should be near no other electrical devices. Do not look at the phone. Again silently in your head count to 50 as fast as you can.

If it takes more effort and time to count to 50 when in contact with a cell phone, this means the phone's radiation slows down nerve conduction in your body, which slows down brain speed. It means you are sensitive to EM radiation. The term for this is electrosensitivity.

(3) Put the cell phone on a table. Put the palm of your hand one foot above it, and again count to 50 as fast as you can. Pay attention to the amount of effort this takes, and time yourself. Compare this self-test to when you were standing away from the phone.

The palm of your hand is a very sensitive responder to EM radiation, and even though it is a foot away from the phone, the phone's energy can still penetrate your body at this distance and slow down nerve conduction.

(4) Put the cell phone in a pocket and do the counting test again. Compare this to when the cell phone is several feet away from you, and you are not near other electronic devices.

Body contact with a cell phone can knock down brain speed if you are sensitive to EM radiation.

(5) Concentration can be measured in a rough sort of way by (a) counting by 2's to 50, or (b) by counting backward from 50 to 1. You know the numbers well, but to do either of these mental tasks extra concentration is necessary. Do one of these counting tests when you are holding a phone, and one when the phone is at least six feet away from you and you are not looking at it--or any electronic device.

If this concentration exercise goes slower when your body is being radiated by the cell phone, this means you are electrosensitive.

The phone does not have to be on to produce radiation effects. It radiates energy even when it is off. When it is on, this energy intensifies quite a bit.

What about all the cell phone towers popping up on the landscape that transmit radiofrequency signals (a form of EM energy) so that we can make cell phone calls to places far and wide? If you are electrosensitive, this radiation can have a dummying effect upon your brain as much as a half mile away from the tower. Because this radiation penetrates just about everything, it doesn't matter that there are buildings or trees between you and the source of radiation. EM radiation penetrates these things as if they didn't exist. That is why you can use your cell phone inside a building.

Cell phones are banned in many hospitals because their radiation interferes with the sensitive electronic devices used by modern medicine to keep us alive. The electrical system in your brain is every bit as sensitive as medical electronic devices, so therefore it is not surprising that a cell phone can interfere with the brain's delicate electrical system.

Cell phones should be banned in schools if their radiation is proven to knock down brain processes and learning. Even if a cell phone is kept in a backpack in a locker, its radiation extends out two meters (six feet) or more, into hallways and classrooms. Schools are places where learning is nurtured and revered, and there is no sense in semi-paralyzing students minds with radiation as they endeavor to improve their knowledge and mental skills.

When a person carries a cell phone or uses a cell phone, the radiation from this device intensifies the electrical energy encircling his or her body. It increases the voltage in the body's energy field. This unnaturally high voltage creates electrostress. Electrostress slows down the body's vital bioelectrical processes, and this slowdown could harm your immune systems ability to maintain good health because it cannot be as effective in fighting viruses, bacteria, and the formation of opportunistic cancer cells.

Electrosensitivity varies from person to person. The simple self-tests introduced in this article are not as sophisticated as other tests that can be used, but in their simplicity these self-tests are capable of letting you know if electosensitivity needs to be a concern of yours.

(Note: James Protsman is a longtime researcher into the effects of electromagnetic energy upon body and brain function in humans, and is the author of the 2003 book, Brain Speed and the Body Electric. More information is available at the http://www.brainspeed.net web site .

Informant: Colette O'Connell

Daily Mail June 2004

A scientist has warned that children who use mobile phones are at risk of suffering memory loss, sleeping disorders and other health problems.

Dr Gerard Hyland, of the University of Warwick, said children are particularly at risk because their immune systems are less robust and are still developing.

Fears over the use of mobile phones has centred on "brain heating", but Dr Hyland said the real risk was with low intensity radiation, known as non-thermal radiation.

Dr Hyland, who is based in the physics department at the University of Warwick, said children were at risk because their skulls are smaller and thinner and radiation was able to penetrate.

'Radiation is known to effect the brain rhythms and children are particularly vulnerable,' he said.

'The body is an electro-chemical instrument with exquisite sensitivity. The effect of microwaves from a mobile phone is a bit like interference on a radio. It has an impact on the stability of cells in the body.

'The main effects are neurological, causing headaches, memory loss and sleeping disorders.'

He added: 'If mobile phones were a type of food, they simply would not be licensed because there is so much uncertainty surrounding their safety.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/womenfamily.html?in_article_id=7049&in_page_id=1799


Source: http://www.whale.to/a/mobile.html

A hit to the cellular companies: they will be obligated to compensate for property value reduction because of the cellular antennas

By Dror Marmur
Maarive Business

After the communication minister's statement that the cellular companies will have to reduce the tarifs of the cellular calls [the companies are going to appeal to the supreme court, it is estimated that they will lose 2 billion shekels a year if that will happen], the cellular companies got a second serious hit also in the national council for construction and planning [2 hits in one week]. The council decided that the companies will be obliged from now on to pay for every property value reduction where there are cellular antennas erected. The national council, in the authority of Gidon Bar Lev decided on addition to the national planning programme for small and tiny transmission installations ("Tam"a 36 A"). The addition forces giving compensation document by the cellular companies to the local committee, as a condition for permission to erect cellular antennas. The council emphasized that the compensation documents are to ensure that the local committees for construction and planning will not have to pay compensations (clause 197 in the construction and planning law), if they will be sued in the future for loss of property value due to cellular antennas erection. In case of such a future lawsuit, the cellular companies will pay. The change is going to pass to the government approval.

Informant: Iris Atzmon

“Truth is irrelevant, what matters is what sells"

REMEMBER:

Dr Charlie Teo

Brain tumours: the silent killer
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/235398/

* "When patients come in with a brain cancer, I often say to them, "your cancer was on the right side of the brain, it is in the area just above your ear, can you tell me if you feel that you have had more exposure than most people to mobile phones," and I am surprised that most people say, "yes I have used my phone continuously for the last seven years and it is always stuck to my ear on this side..." well that is where the cancer is...

Dr Miguel Muntané


In the following excerpt from the transcript of the 'Sunday Sunrise' news program (1/8/04), Michael Hawker, CEO of the Insurance Australia Group makes a brief comparison to the current asbestos claims and the possibility for similar claims for the mobile phones industry 30 years down the track. Though he discounts any evidence for a health problem (and I doubt he has looked at the science any deeper than media articles) he cannot rule out the possibility.

So 30 years in the future will put Mr. Hawker in the 80+ age bracket where senility goes with the territory - but what about all those 6 to 12+ year old children Motorola and other companies are today targeting as a "customer electronics market"? If there is a health problem apparent in 30 years, most likely mental dysfunction of one kind or another, today's young cell phone users will be in the prime of their lives raising a young family and in the peak of their working careers.

And if there is a health problem, the many millions (or billions) of people exposed to microwaves from cell phone use will absolutely dwarf the thousands who were exposed to asbestos in the past.

Should the cell phone industry worry about this? Absolutely not. As we say in Australia, if "shit hits the fan" in 30 years time, today's senior cell phone executives now running the show will be retired and well and truly out of the game. It will just be someone else's problem. As they say "truth is irrelevant, what matters is what sells". That's corporate science today.

Don Maisch


Transcripts by category: Finance
Finance editorial with Michael Pascoe
01/08/2004

Full transcript at:
http://seven.com.au/sundaysunrise/finance_040801_pascoe

SNIP

". . . While the focus remains on James Hardie, there are other aspects of the whole asbestos tragedy that should be considered - among them, the performance of the insurance industry - coverage finished up a long way short.

That was something I took up at a Banking and Finance magazine insurance panel discussion on Friday, eliciting this intriguing, perhaps worrying, response from Insurance Australia Group CEO, Michael Hawker.

Michael Hawker/Insurance Australia Group: So I'd argue that when some of these policies were written say in 1940, early-1950s, the risk wasn't perceived to be risk at that point in time. And it's very interesting.... the extrapolation of that might be mobile phones today.... there's a lot of chatter in the background that maybe mobile phones are seen as potentially providing some sort of medical effects, no evidence at all... a lot of chatter... everyone in this room's probably heard a lot of the chatter, but everyone's still uses the mobile phone. So take the personal, take the personal decision, even though there's all this chatter in the background.. I'm still going to use this mobile phone because of the convenience. I'll be fascinated in 30 years' time to see whether mobile phones are the asbestos of the future. And I can tell you, the industry is certainly not pricing in a risk of mobile phones creating a medical issue in today's premiums. And if they were, today's premiums would be substantially higher than they are.

SNIP

"If Mobile Phones Were a Type of Food, They Simply Would Not be Licensed"

This statement was not uttered by some uneducated anti-technology activist, but rather was written by British physicist Dr. Gerald Hyland and was printed in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet.

A recent issue of the journal published 2 papers on the subject of cell phone safety, as well as an accompanying editorial. The editorial, written by Philip P. Dendy of Cambridge, UK, and entitled "Mobile phones and the illusory pursuit of safety" puts the 'safety' issue into perspective:

The deceptively simple question, much loved by television and radio interviewers, "Is it safe?" is the scientist's banana skin. A Nobel prize awaits the person who first designs an experiment to show that anything is "safe".

In the light of experience with ionizing radiation and radioactive materials, out-of-hand dismissal of the possibility of subtle effects of low-intensity, pulsed, microwave radiation is most unwise.

Early in the 20th century radon and radium-enriched spa waters were "recommended" for a wide range of aches and minor ailments. As knowledge of the harmful effects of ionizing radiation has increased and quantitative risk estimates have become possible (notwithstanding rather large error bands), the permitted annual dose limit has been progressively reduced from the 1930s to the present day.

Dr. Hyland writes an excellent paper, covering the possible mechanisms by which mobile phones, or cell phones, may cause adverse effects in people. Below are some exerpts from his paper, entitled "Physics and Biology of Mobile Telephony":

...there is evidence that the low intensity, pulsed radiation currently used can exert subtle non-thermal influences. If these influences entail adverse health consequences, current guidelines would be inadequate.This review will focus on this possibility.

The radiation used is indeed of very low intensity, but an oscillatory similitude between this pulsed microwave radiation and certain electrochemical activities of the living human being should prompt concern...there are consistencies between some of these effects and the neurological problems reported by some mobile-telephone users and people exposed longterm to base-station radiation.

The Stewart Report (1), published in May, 2000, makes some sensible recommendations, but unfortunately some of its greyer areas are now being exploited by the industry to obfuscate the issue.

As yet unresolved is the question of adverse health impacts provoked by the contentious non-thermal effects of the low intensity, pulsed microwave radiation (MWR) used. For these effects are not taken into account in current safety guidelines (2), which simply restrict the intensity of the radiation to prevent tissue heating in excess of what the body's thermoregulatory mechanism can cope with...in the case of living systems (and only living ones) there are many reports over the past 30 years that MWR can exert non-thermal influences, at intensities well below those necessary to cause any detectable heating (3).

The purpose of this review is to introduce clinicians to the physics of mobile telephony and to explain how low-intensity, pulsed microwaves can affect living organisms, both thermally and non-thermally; and then to identify some of the reported biological impacts of exposure to this radiation, particularly those provoked by the contentious non-thermal effects.

Physics of Mobile Telephony

A base-station antenna typically radiates 60 W and a handset between 1 and 2 W (peak). The antenna of a handset radiates equally in all directions but a base-station produces a beam that is much more directional. In addition, the stations have subsidiary beams called side-lobes, into which a small fraction of the emitted power is channelled. Unlike the mean beam, these side-lobes are localized in the immediate vicinity of the mast, and, despite their low power, the power density can be comparable with that of the main beam much further away from the mast. At 150-200 m, for example, the power density in the main beam near ground level is typically tenths of a µW/cm (2).

A handset that is in operation also has a low-frequency magnetic field (EMF) associated, not with the emitted microwaves, but with surges of electric current from the battery that are necessary to implement "time division multiple access" (TDMA), the system currently used to increase the number of people who can simultaneously communicate with a base-station. With handsets that have an energy-saving discontinuous transmission mode (DTX), there is an even lower frequency pulsing at 2 Hz, which occurs when the user is listening but not speaking.

Biological Impacts: Thermal

Heating of biological tissue is a consequence of microwave energy absorption by the tissue's water content. The amount of heating produced in a living organism depends primarily on the intensity (or power density) of the radiation once it has penetrated the system, on certain electrical properties of the biomatter, and on the efficiency of the body's thermoregulation mechanism.

Above a certain intensity of the microwaves, temperature homoeostasis is not maintained, and effects on health ensue once the temperature rise exceeds about 1°C. Safety guidelines impose upper limits on the radiation intensity to ensure that this does not happen.

Heating occurs whether the organism is alive or dead. The frequency of the radiation, as opposed to the intensity, is taken into account only in so far as it affects (via size resonance) the ability of the organism to absorb energy from the irradiating field.

Amongst the most thermally vulnerable areas of the body (2), because of their low blood supply, are the eyes and the testes, and cataract formation and reduced sperm counts are well-documented acute exposure hazards.

Animal studies indicate that a variety of behavioral and physiological disorders can be provoked by temperature rises below 1°C -- ie, under much less acute exposure conditionsŠthere are reports of adverse health effects of subthermal intensities, the possible origin of which will now be considered.

Biological Effects: Non-Thermal

The possibility that the pulsed, low-intensity MWR currently used in GSM mobile telephony can exert subtle, non-thermal influences on a living organism arises because microwaves are waves; they have properties other than the intensity that is regulated by safety guidelines. This microwave radiation has certain well-defined frequencies, which facilitate its discernment by a living organism (despite its ultralow intensity), and via which the organism can, in turn, be affected.

The human body is an electrochemical instrument of exquisite sensitivity whose orderly functioning and control are underpinned (6) by oscillatory electrical processes of various kinds, each characterised by a specific frequency, some of which happen to be close to those used in GSM. Thus some endogenous biological electrical activities can be interfered with via oscillatory aspects of the incoming radiation, in much the same way as can the reception on a radio.

The biological electrical activities that are vulnerable to interference from GSM radiation include highly organised electrical activities at a cellular level whose frequency happens to lie in the microwave region, and which are a consequence of metabolism.7 Although not universally accepted, there is experimental evidence7-9 consistent with these endogenous activities, in terms of which effects of ultralow-intensity microwave radiation of a specific frequency on processes as fundamental as cell division, for example, can be understood in a rather natural way.10

Furthermore, the DTX pulse frequency at 2 Hz and the TDMA frequency of 8·34 Hz correspond to frequencies of electrical oscillations found in the human brain, specifically the delta and alpha brain-waves, respectively. It is thus quite possible that living organisms have a two-fold sensitivity to the pulsed GSM signal -- ie, to both the microwave carrier and the lower frequency pulsings of the TDMA and DTX signals.

To deny this possibility yet admit the importance of ensuring electromagnetic compatibility with electronic instruments by banning the use of mobile phones on aircraft (11) and hospitals (a prohibition driven by concerns about non-thermal interference) seems inconsistent.

The intensity of radiation needed for this recognition is many orders of magnitude below even that currently associated with non-thermal effects. This influence is possible only when the organism is alive, with excited endogenous frequencies; the dead have flat electroencephalograms.

Non-thermal effects thus depend on the state of the person when exposed to the radiation -- ie, non-thermal effects are non-linear. A low-intensity field can entail a seemingly disproportionately large response (or none at all), and vice versa, quite unlike the predictable thermal responses. Thus not everyone can be expected to be affected in the same way by identical exposure to the same radiation.

A good example of human vulnerability to anon-thermal, electromagnetic influence is the ability of a light flashing at about 15 Hz to induce seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy (12). It is not so much the amount of energy absorbed from the light that provokes the seizure, but rather the information transmitted to the brain by the (coherent) regularity of its flashing, at a frequency that the brain "recognises" because it matches or is close to a frequency utilised by the brain itself.

What do we know experimentally about non-thermal biological influences of MWR (both pulsed and continuous) of an intensity close to that near a mobile phone handset, but often at higher microwave carrier frequencies? A selection of in vitro studies is given in panel 1.

Panel 1: Selected in vitro studies of non-thermal effects of microwave radiation of various frequencies and intensities

Effect Reference

Epileptic activity in rat brain slices in conjunction with certain drugs 13

Resonant effects on cell division of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and on the genome conformation of Escherichia coli 9, 14

Synchronisation of cell division in S carlsbergenis 15

"Switch-on" of epigenetic processes, such as -phage and colicin synthesis 16, 17

Altered ornithine decarboxylase activity 18

Reduced lymphocyte cytotoxicity 19

Increased permeability of erythrocyte membrane 20

Effects on brain electrochemistry (calcium efflux) 21

Increase in chromosome aberrations and micronuclei in human blood lymphocytes 22

Synergism with cancer-promoting drugs such as phorbol ester 23

In vivo evidence of non-thermal influences, including exposure to actual GSM radiation, comes predominantly from animal studies (panel 2).

Panel 2: Selected in vivo studies of non-thermal microwave exposure, including GSM radiation

Effect Reference

Epileptiform activity in rats, in conjunction with certain drugs 24

Depression of chicken immune systems (melatonin, corticosterone and IgG levels) 25

Increase in chick embryo mortality 25

Increased permeability of blood-brain barrier in rats 26

Effects on brain electrochemistry (dopamine, opiates) 27

Increases in DNA single and double strand breaks in rat brain 28

Promotion of lymphomas in transgenic mice 29

Synergistic effects with certain psychoactive drugs 30

Finally, human in vivo studies, under GSM or similar conditions, include effects on the EEG and on blood pressure. A delayed increase in spectral power density (particularly in the alpha band) has been corroborated (31) in the "awake" EEG of adults exposed to GSM radiation. Influences on the "alseep" EEG include a shortening of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep during which the power density in the alpha band increases (32), and effects on non-REM sleep (33).

Exposure to mobile phone radiation also decreases the preparatory slow potentials in certain regions of the brain (34) and affects memory tasks (35). In 1998, Braune et al (36) recorded increases in resting blood pressure during exposure to radiofrequencies.

Non-thermal effects have proved controversial, and independent attempts to replicate them have not always been successful. Such difficulties are not unexpected, however, because these effects depend on the state of the organism when it is exposed, particularly in vivo.

Possible Associated Adverse Health Reactions

...GSM radiation does seem to affect non-thermally a variety of brain functions (including the neuroendocrine system), and health problems reported anecdotally do tend to be neurological, although formal confirmation of such reports, based on epidemiological studies, is still lacking.

For example:

* reports of headache are consistent with the effect of the radiation on the dopamine-opiate system of the brain27 and

* the permeability of the blood-brain barrier (26), both of which have been connected to headache (40,41).

* Reports of sleep disruption are consistent with effects of the radiation on melatonin levels (25) and

* on rapid-eye-movement sleep (32).

Furthermore, since there is no reason to suppose that the seizure-inducing ability (12) of a flashing visible light does not extend to microwave radiation (which can access the brain through the skull) flashing at a similarly low frequency, together with the fact that exposure to pulsed MWR can induce epileptic activity in rats (24), reports of epileptic activity in some children exposed to base-station radiation are perhaps not surprising.

Finally, the significant increase (by a factor of between 2 and 3) in the incidence of neuroepithelial tumours (the laterality of which correlates with cell-phone use) found in a nationwide US study (42) is consistent not only with the genotoxicity of GSM radiation, as indicated by increased DNA strand breaks (28) and formation of chromosome aberrations and micronuclei but also with its promotional effect on tumour development (43).

...it cannot be denied that non-thermal effects of the MWR used in mobile telephony do have the potential to induce adverse health reactions of the kind reported, and this possibility should not be ignored even if only a small minority of people are at risk.

Whether a person is affected or not could depend, for example, on the level of stress before exposure; if it is high enough, the additional contribution from MWR exposure might be sufficient to trigger an abnormality that would otherwise have remained latent.

It is often argued that anecdotal reports of health problems should be dismissed. However, given the paucity of systematic epidemiological studies of this new technology, such reports are an indispensable source of information, a point acknowledged in the 1999 report of the UK parliamentary committee (44).

Preadolescent children can be expected to be more vulnerable to any adverse health effects than adults because absorption of GSM microwaves is greatest (5) in an object about the size of a child's head, because of the "head resonance" effect and the greater ease with which the radiation can penetrate the thinner skull of an infant (1).

Also the multiframe repetition frequency of 8·34 Hz and the 2 Hz pulsing in the DTX mode of cellphones lie in the range of the alpha and delta brain-waves, respectively.

In a child, alpha waves do not replace delta waves as a stable activity until the age of about 12 years. Furthermore, the immune system, whose efficacy is degraded (19,25) by this kind of radiation, is less robust in children.

This makes them less able to cope with any adverse health effect that might be provoked by chronic exposure, not only to the pulsed microwave radiation but also to the the more penetrating low-frequency magnetic fields associated with the current surges from the handset battery which can reach 40 µT (peak) near the back of the case (45). Indications of the biological noxiousness of these magnetic fields (in animals) can be found in ref 25.

In the context of base-station radiation, reports relating to animals are of particular value since it cannot here be claimed that the effects are psychosomatic. Of particular interest is a publication on cattle (43), recording severely reduced milk yields, emaciation, spontaneous abortions, and stillbirths. When cattle are removed to pastures well away from the mast, their condition improves, but it deteriorates once they are brought back. The adverse effects appeared only after GSM microwave antennae were installed on a tower formerly used to transmit only non-pulsed television and radio signals.

Finally, in support of the reality of an adverse health impact of non-thermal influences of the kind of radiation used today in mobile telephony, we should recall that during the "cold war" the Soviet irradiation of western embassies with microwave radiation (of an intensity intermediate between that in the vicinity of a handset and a base-station), done with the express intention of inducing adverse health effects, was quite successful (47).

The references to this excellent review by Dr. Hyland are given below.


Risks on the Road

In a separate Lancet report, Massachusetts scientist Dr. Kenneth Rothman said his research indicated the main public health concern was motor vehicle collisions rather than any possible link to brain cancer.

He notes that one study found that the risk of a car accident was 4 times greater when the driver was using the telephone or soon after a call and that heavy mobile users were involved in twice as many fatal road accidents than light users.

In addition, use of 'hands-free' units was no less risky than holding the telephone to the ear with one hand while talking.

The Lancet, November 25, 2000; 356: 1833-36, 1837-40


More Bad News for Hands Free Mobile Phones

Many people concerned with possible adverse health effects, including myself, have recommended the use of "Hands Free" units as a way to greatly reduce the microwave exposure. However, as we reported several weeks ago this may not necessarily be any safer.

Now, upon further review of the safety evidence, including the results of tests conducted by the British Consumers Association and published in their magazine Which? the British government has decided to withdraw its recommendation that mobile phone users switch to handsfree units.

In addition, they plan to start issuing leaflets warning buyers of the unknown, but potentially harmful impact of mobile phone usage by children, according to a report in Newsbytes.com.

The warnings follow the British government's continuing funding of tests into the effects of mobile phone radio frequency (RF) radiation on the soft tissue of the brain and head.

Liam Donaldson, the UK's chief medical officer, said that the government's decision to remove the health approval on handsfree kits followed a number of investigations that claim handsfree devices may even channel radiation to the users head. "We don't have good enough science so far to say definitely one way or the other," he said, adding that further research is being conducted urgently to provide an answer to the question.


For more information regarding the safety of cell phones go to EMFacts Consultancy's Mobile Phone Health Hazard's page which is likely the best compilation of data on the mobile phone issue.


Dr. Mercola's Comment:

This is the most comprehensive detailed and well referenced report on cell phone dangers I have yet to see.

Cell phones are becoming increasingly popular, yet most are absolutely blinded to the damage they are doing to their brains by exposing themselves to this radiation. Even the conservative British journal The Lancet is warning that the dangers from this radiation can NOT be dismissed.

My recommendation? Keep the use down to as low as possible (my use is less than five minutes per YEAR). Let's keep those brain cells alive!

Related Articles:

References

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22 Garaj-Vhovac V, Fucic A, Horvat D. The correlation between the frequency of micronuclei and specific aberrations in human lymphocytes exposed to microwave radiation in vitro. Mutation Res 1992; 281: 181-86.

23 Balcer-Kubiczek EK, Harrison GH. Neoplastic transformation of C3H/10T1/2 cells following exposure to 120 Hz modulated 2.45 GHz microwaves and phorbol ester tumour promoter. Radiation Res 1991; 126: 65-72.

24 Sidorenko AV, Tsaryk VV. Electrophysiological characteristics of the epileptic activity in the rat brain upon microwave treatment. In: Proceedings of Conference on Electromagnetic Fields and Human Health (Moscow, September, 1999): 283-84.

25 Youbicier-Simo BJ, Bastide M. Pathological effects induced by embryonic and postnatal exposure to EMFs radiation by cellular mobile phones (written evidence to IEGMP). Radiat Protect 1999; 1: 218-23.

26 Persson BRR, Salford LG, Brun A, et al. Blood-brain barrier permeability in rats exposed to electromagnetic fields used in wireless communication. Wireless Networks 1997; 3: 455-61.

27 Frey AH, ed. On the nature of electromagnetic field interactions with biological systems. Austin, TX: RG Landes, 1994.

28 Lai H, Singh NP. Single and double-strand DNA breaks after acute exposure to radiofrequency radiation. Int J Radiation Biol 1996; 69: 13-521.

29 Repacholi MH, Baster A, Gebski V, Noonan D, Finnie J, Harris AW. Lymphomas in Eµ-Pim 1 transgenic mice exposed to pulsed 900 MHz electromagentic fields. Radiation Res 1997; 147: 631-40.

30 Lai H, Horita A, Chou CK, Guy AW. A review of microwave irradiation and actions of psychoactive drugs. Engineering Med Biol 1987; 6: 31-36.

31 Reiser H-P, Dimpfel W, Schober F. The influence of electromagnetic fields on human brain activity. Eur J Med Res 1995; 1: 27-32.

32 Mann K, Roschke J. Effects of pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic fields on human sleep. Neuropsychobiology 1996; 33: 41-47.

33 Borbely AA, Huber R, Graf T, et al. Pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic field affects human sleep and sleep electroencephalogram. Neurosci Lett 1999; 275: 207-10.

34 Freude G, Ullsperger P, Eggert S, Ruppe I. Effects of microwaves emitted by cellular phones on human slow brain potentials. Bioelectromagnetics 1998; 19: 384-87.

35 Krause CM, et al. Effects of electromagnetic field emitted by cellular telephones on the EEG during a memory task. NeuroReport 2000; 11: 761-64.

36 Braune S, Wrocklage C, Raczek J Gailus T, Lüching CH. Resting blood pressure increase during exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic field. Lancet 1998; 351: 1857-58.

37 Gos P, Eicher B, Kohli J, Heyer WD. Extremely high frequency fields at low power density do not affect the division of exponential phase Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. Bioelectromagnetics 1997; 18: 142-55.

38 Malyapa RS, Ahern EW, Bi C, et al. DNA damage in rat brain cells after in vivo exposure to 2450 MHz electromagnetic radiation and various methods of euthanasia. Radiation Res 1998; 149: 637-45.

39 Kaiser F. The role of chaos in biological systems. In: Barrett TW, Pohl HA, eds. Energy transfer dynamics. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 1987: 224-36.

40 Winkler T, Sharma HS, Stalberg E, Olsson Y, Dey PK. Impairment of blood-brain barrier function by serotonin induces desynchronization of spontaneous cerebral cortical activity: experimental observations in the anaesthetized rat. Neuroscience 1995; 68: 1097-104.

41 Barbanti P, Bronzetti F, Ricci A, et al. Increased density of dopamine D5 receptor in peripheral blood lymphocytes of migraineurs: a marker of migraine? Neurosci Lett 1996; 207: 73-76.

42 Carlo GL. Wireless telephones and health: WTR Final Report. Presented to the French National Assembly, June 19, 2000.

43 Repacholi MH, Basten A, Gebski V, Finnie J, Harris AW. Lymphomas in E mu-Pim1 transgenic mice exposed to pulsed 900 MHz electromagnetic fields. Radiat Res 1997; 147: 631-40

44 Scientific Advisory System: mobile phones and health. London: Stationery Office 1999: vol I, para 36.

45 Andersen JB, Pedersen GF. The technology of mobile telephone systems relevant for risk assessment. Radiat Prot Dosim 1997; 72: 249-57. [PubMed]

46 Löscher W, Käs G. Conspicuous behavioural abnormalities in a dairy cow herd near a TV and radio transmitting antenna. Pract Vet Surg 1998; 79: 437-44.

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Source: http://www.mercola.com/2000/dec/17/mobile_phones.htm


Informant: Don Maisch

We have just posted our new commentary:

EMF Decision Time in California:
Follow the Health Data or Follow the Money?


In addition, check out some of the recent postings on our ³From the Field² column. For instance, read about the latest controversy over the heat shock protein (HSP) workshop held in Helsinki in late April.

Our news and editorials are still accessible to all at no cost.

So, bookmark http://www.microwavenews.com and visit us often for the latest news on EMFs.

As always, we welcome your comments and questions. Send your e-mails to: info@microwavenews.com.

Best,
Louis Slesin, PhD

Yesterday in "Yediot Ahronot" newspaper was a classic example of the double-sword media reporting on cellular phones, in the article "From Radition to Explosion".

On the one hand: it details how 15 chinese people were hurt by a lightning that hit one of them while he was talking on the cellular phone. It wasn't the first time in China. A woman was injured a month ago when she was talking on the phone in a bad weather.

The article calls the fact that the meteorological service in China starts a "wise system" for wheather forecast that will send SMS to users before coming storms- "the destiny's laughter". Well, maybe the "cellular companies laughter" is a better definition.

The 15 chinese were strolling on the Chinese wall, and the journalism language uses it for dramatization: although the wall is "one of the strongest defence means that have been created in the human history, yesterday a small cellular device from the new age succeeded in breaking it."

The sub-title asks "Is the device more dangerous than we think?"

On the other hand: cooling its lagnuage, "the danger is certainly rare", continues the article, and brings the expert opinion, Dr. Orit Altratz from the Planetaric sciences and geophyisics in Tel Aviv University, who says that the lightning is attracted to objects that send charged particles, "these objects can be sharp, but also human hair or cellular phones. The science has no clear answer today why the lightnings are attracted to certain objects and not to others."

So the human hair receives here the same degree like cellular phones. Maybe going bald is the way to protect ourselves from the lightning? For this expert opinion leaves us with the feeling that 'cellular phones or hair- what's the difference anyway'.

On the one hand what about the sperm study? No mainstream journalist is going to leave this study alone without hitting it under the belt. The sperms study is mentioned but then....

On the other hand "The study, that was published on the first pages and won sparkling headlines, was not intended to be published at all. In the conference of the European Organization for Human Fertility, it was defined in one word: rubbish". The journalist complains that the study on the 221 men didn't take their nationality into consideration, occupation, smoking, the men fertility "and other things" (you name it).

"By the way" it sneaks us even one more secret: the men in Finland, where Nokia was born, "especially laughed when the survery [so the study becomes a survey] was published, because extensive studies had already determined that the finnish man is one of the most fertile men in the world" ! (So what's a tiny cellular phone to change this solid "irrefutable" fact?...)

On the one hand "warning: a fuel station". The fuel station "rumors" became a fact, admits the article, but

On the other hand it reminds us, that "it's important to note, that sparks in a fuel station are not special to the cellular, actually every spark in the fuel station can cause a flame, also a spark that's created by rubbing nylon socks." (well that's a good comparison, when have we heard of such an incidence lately?)

On the one hand privecy is lost with the ability to follow everybody
On the other hand until today there are zero cases of taking advantage of this ability, and the companies keep our privacy. But this claim is not true, because a journalist in Israel was a victim to such a follow up of his private conversations, after he had exposed some against-the-law stuff about our prime minister, Sharon.

On the one hand the journalist reminds us that the real thing, the real danger is the radiation.
On the other hand sure we get our daily dose of: "Despite the many studies on the subject, until now there is no conclusive conclusion about the connection cellular phone-cancer. Some studies suggest a clear connection, others reach totally different conclusions", say the journalist.

It finishes with the opinion of "most researchers" that think that more years have to pass before we will succeed in examining the devices effects- "really". (ss if until today everything was false), and that's because the cell phones use started only several years ago. Meanwhile the experts recommend on minimal use. "It certainly won't hurt".

No wonder one woman asked me yesterday, "what can I understand from this article?"

("From Radiation to Explosion", Roy Shlomi, Yediot Ahronot 27/7/2004)

Message from Iris Atzmon

The birds (and people) suffers different threats depending on the habitat that they occupy and of the interaction with other species (especially the human one) that impact directly in their populations. It is probable that the electromagnetic contamination taken place by the phone masts causes the loss of species that use the electromagnetic fields to be guided, as the homing pigeons of the first news of Sweden.

In fact a lot of anecdotic information exists at this respect (See the files for example….). Numerous investigations also confirm that the microwaves affect especially to the nervous, immune and reproductive systems of the birds (and people).

Other factors like the chemical substances or pathogen agents producing of illnesses can be behind the news of the death of more than 10.000 flamingos in África.

Climatic or meteorological changes (behind which the human activities can be also, as the emission of CO2 to the atmosphere) seems the cause of the descent of ducks in USA and Canada.

Lastly the wrong uses of the earth (the intensive agriculture in U.K. and other countries) is the causing of disappearance of species associated to the traditional agriculture that didn't you use chemical products and was respectful with the wild plants and birds.

Best regards
Alfonso Balmori


Mobile phone masts 'confuse pigeons'

Source: Ananova, 2002-02-08

Source URL: http://www.ananova.com/business/story/sm_515942.html

Mobile phone masts are said to be confusing pigeons and preventing them finding their way back to their lofts.

Pigeon fanciers have banded together to help prevent Orange building a mast at Tow Law, County Durham.

Breeder Frank Armstrong claims pigeon fanciers have been losing double the amount of birds they used to since three masts were erected last year. He added: "They are very young these birds, and they go up to fly and fly around and when they are tired they look for home, and they need these instincts then to find home and they just weren't coming home."

There is no proof the masts are to blame but Mr Armstrong says fanciers want no more building until the matter is investigated. "They want to erect another mast, they keep erecting these masts, but we would rather wait until they find out what is really doing it," he added.

Ananova is owned by Orange, the mobile phone division of France Telecom.


Public Weighs in on AWOL Pigeon Mystery

Source: CNN, 1998-10-09

Unable to cite original URL

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- John Carter thinks he may have solved the mystery of what happened to some of the 2,200 homing pigeons that vanished during two recent long-distance races along the East Coast. "I was leaving work when I saw these birds in the parking lot," Carter said Thursday after leaving his job in Canton, Ohio. "When I got home, I said, 'Wait a minute, those are some odd-looking pigeons.' I thought maybe they were the missing pigeons."

He may be right. Carter is one of dozens of people across the East who have contacted race organizers and animal control groups to report pigeons they suspect may be the missing birds. One person said she saw 100 of them resting on a ledge of a Philadelphia warehouse. Another woman in Pennsauken, N.J., said she took a pigeon that had been resting in her front yard and put it in a birdcage.

About 1,600 pigeons vanished out of 1,800 competing in a 200-mile race from northern Virginia to Allentown, Pa., on Oct 5. And 600 out of 700 birds were missing after a 150-mile race on the same day from western Pennsylvania to Philadelphia.

Joanne Moore, whose husband, Gary, ran the Pennsylvania race, said her phone has been ringing off the hook at her Phoenixville home, with callers from as far away as Ocala, Fla. "It's doubtful they would go that far; but I've been getting calls all over the place," Moore said.

Homing pigeons find their way using the sun and by using the earth's magnetic field as a compass, experts say. Though they are sleeker and a bit bigger than a city-dwelling pigeon, the only definitive way to identify a homing pigeon is by a colored band around its leg. Ordinarily, the swift birds should have been back in their lofts in a matter of hours. So far, no one knows exactly why the birds veered off course.

Some humans haven't embraced the long-lost birds with open arms. A frail, wayward pigeon recently landed in the backyard of bird-watcher John Rahn's home in Hedgesville, W. Va. "It's eating sunflower seeds and chasing other birds away," he said. "I don't mind it that much, but it's making a bigger mess than the other birds do."


Phone masts blamed for pigeons' lost art

Vivek Chaudhary, chief sports correspondent

Friday January 23, 2004

The Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,1129386,00.html

Homing pigeons excel in the art of endurance while using age-old instincts to make their way home across thousands of miles. But modern technology is being blamed for their demise after claims that mobile phone masts are causing thousands to get lost each year.

According to homing pigeon enthusiasts, powerful electromagnetic microwave radiation from the masts is destroying the birds' sense of direction. Many owners have had to change the route their birds take to fly home, known as the road, to avoid the perils of modern technology.

The British Royal Pigeon Racing Association (BRPRA) is calling for research into the impact of the masts. It also wants them fitted with tracking devices to monitor what happens when they pass the masts.

Delegates at the British homing world show of the year in Blackpool, which took place last week complained that they had lost dozens of homing pigeons over the past few years because of the masts. Anne Pitkeathly, from the Isle of Wight, who has been racing pigeons for the past five years said that the problem with masts had become so severe that she had had to change the road her birds take to fly home. Ms Pitkeathly said: "The route between Cornwall and the island used to pass through Dorset, where there has been a proliferation of masts. In a season I lost 40 birds and had to switch to the Dover south road which has been much better. "I would think that it should be possible to fit trackers to birds... to know exactly if they are put off course by emissions from masts."

Graham Deacon, also from the Isle of Wight, said he would welcome research into the issue. "On one race from Winchester last year I lost more than 80 birds," he said.

Peter Bryant, general manager of the BRPRA, said the organisation had been inundated with complaints about pigeons getting lost because of mobile phone masts. Mr Bryant drew a contrast between the stark dangers faced by pigeons carrying vital messages during the second world war and the risks posed to the birds today. "Their instincts carried them back through hostile fire and they were even parachuted to members of the resistance and made their way back from that," he said. "It would be ironic if they were now the victims of an unseen enemy."


BBC News

23/1/04

Phone masts 'confusing' pigeons

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3423691.stm

Which way now? Could the pigeon's skills fall foul of new technology? A growing number of homing pigeons are getting lost due to interference from the new "unseen enemy" of mobile phone masts, racing experts claim. The birds' natural instincts are being confused by radiation signals from an increasing number of transmitters, the Royal Pigeon Racing Association said. Racers say anecdotal evidence shows poor returns over the last two years. Pigeons are thought to find their way home using landmarks and the earth's magnetic field. Peter Bryant, of the RPRA, said its Stray Birds Committee had proposed attaching a GPS tracking device to pigeons to investigate the problem.

During the World War II thousands of aircraft carried two pigeons in case the plane was downed. Now they're facing this unseen enemy. Peter Bryant, RPRA But currently the device - which would have to be strapped on like a rucksack - is too heavy for a pigeon to carry. "It's fine with eagles and albatross, but for the poor little pigeons it would hamper their return," said Mr Bryant. 'Stressed' he said it was impossible to estimate how many pigeons were vanishing because of the transmitters. "During the World War II, thousands of aircraft carried two pigeons in case they the plane was downed so they could send messages," he said. "The birds were also parachuted to the Resistance. Now they're facing this unseen enemy in the form of mobile phone masts."

Pigeon fancier Anne Pitkeathly, 50, from the Isle of Wight, said she was losing more and more birds. "When I started I was told I would lose baby birds but never the big ones. "A lot of people think it's mobile phone masts." She claimed one of her pigeons had recently reacted badly after being near a mast, saying it was "stressed" and "trying to be sick". Previous research by German scientists in 1999 suggested that short wave radiation had an "undefined negative" impact on homing pigeons. It was found that exposed birds took longer to get home, flew at lower levels and were reluctant to go near transmitters. Between 50,000 to 60,000 pigeons are estimated to have gone missing last year due to problems such as bird of prey attacks and poor weather, the RPRA said.

Mobile phone mast blamed for vanishing pigeons

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/software/0,39020381,2094472,00.htm

Wearden ZDNet UK September 03, 2001, 15:48 GMT

Tell us your opinion Could a mobile phone mast damage a bird's sense of direction? One UK pigeon fancier thinks so -- and he's planning legal action

A mobile phone mast is being blamed for the disappearance of over 50 racing pigeons. Monday's edition of The Times reports that pigeon fancier David Blain has lost two-thirds of his birds since the mast was build next to his farm. He believes that emissions from the mast are responsible for damaging the birds' homing instincts. Pigeons have been kept at the family farm for over 40 years, and Blain insists this is the first time so many birds have been lost. He, along with hundreds of fellow breeders, is reported to be close to taking legal action again the mobile phone companies -- who consistently deny that emissions from their equipment are harmful.

A representative of the Mobile and Telecoms Advisory Group told The Times that there was no evidence that emissions from mobile phone masts could have a damaging effect on animals or birds, but added that more research might be done into the issue in the future. This case isn't the first time that mobile phone masts have been accused of affecting birds. Recent research by the Swiss Bird Study Organisation found that racing pigeons got confused near mobile masts, and also flew much lower than normal.

--------

2,000 HOMING PIGEONS LOSE THEIR BEARINGS, DISAPPEAR
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/3671987/

Pulsed microwave radiation and wildlife - Are Cell Phones Wiping Out Sparrows?
http://omega.twoday.net/stories/926007/

According to a new "study" by Teleconomy, children and adolescents are now becoming so emotionally attached to their phones that they cannot live without them. This "study" is the sort of research the cell phone industry is actively investing their money behind. Teleconomy's web site honestly explains why, to quote:

"Our approach is to work closely in partnership with our clients and in so doing have a deep understanding of their commercial and strategic imperatives, so ensuring our out puts are appropriate and practically usable. The fact that the overwhelming majority of our clients continue a long-term relationship with us more than ably demonstrates this."

AND the industry body, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) calls this independent research!

So now that Teleconomy informs us that kids are so addicted to their cell phones they cannot live without them, AMTA has thoughtfully devised "Developing an Acceptable Use Policy for Mobile Phones in Your School" ( see below) that will ensure total marketing - promoting cell phones in all Australian schools. Copies of this document have been provided to the Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO), the peak national parent organisation representing the interests of children enrolled in government schools throughout Australia, the Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA), the national representative for independent schools, to Federal, State and Territory Education Ministers, and to other relevant organisations.

Well, I guess its all just about "Strategic Imperatives" - An economic concept that harks back to a Darwinian "nature red in tooth and claw". A corporate jungle where the corporate beast is all to willing to devour its own young to further its marketplace imperative.

Don Maisch



New generation embraces mobiles
By Jane Wakefield
BBC News Online technology reporter

A new generation of mobile users are becoming so emotionally attached to their phones that they cannot live without them.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/3830527.stm

Also see:

http://www.amta.org.au/default.asp?Page=393

This is one of the key findings of a study into how people use their mobile phones entitled Me, My Mobile and I.

The annual study from research firm Teleconomy reveals that 10 to 14-year-olds - dubbed M-Agers - are rapidly becoming the most sophisticated users of phones.

Even toddlers are able to tell the difference between incoming phone calls and text messages said Professor Michael Hulme, chairman of Teleconomy.

Socially acceptable

ME, MY MOBILE AND I
26% say they couldn't live without mobile
18% refuse to admit the importance of the mobile in their life
32% see phone as tool rather than intimate object
24% say wouldn't miss mobile if it was taken away
85% of children had personalised phones

For children, phones are not so much about communication as a device for downloading things such as pop news, games and ringtones.

"These M-Agers are very clued up on phone functions. They want highly functional phones and they give them a high degree of personalisation," said Prof Hulme.

Phones are rapidly replacing trainers as a social marker.

"The phone plays a role in the playground and can be a ticket to entry into certain groups," he said.

In some cases the phones themselves are becoming 'virtual playgrounds', as children fill their free time with texting their friends and playing games.

In denial

Youngsters are also far more aware of the more sophisticated uses of phones, with 71% aware of video-calling compared to 54% of adults.

About two-thirds knew about Java applications like games, while only 44% of adults were aware of this function.

This will all be great news for operators keen to push more and more services on phones.

"They are growing up ready to take on these services," said Prof Hulme.

The study found that adults were more ambivalent about their phone use, with a growing number of people (18%) in denial about how much they need their mobile phones.

"The denier believes the myth that they are in control of the device but when we spoke to them it began to dawn on them that they were not," said Prof Hulme.

"This group represents a field day for the network providers as they put themselves on tariffs too small for their needs and then go drastically over their free minutes and text allowance," he added.

Objects of desire

For a quarter of the population, their relationship with their mobile was more honestly assessed - they admitted that they just could not live without it.

"These people have their phone on 24 hours a day. They are frightened of missing a call because to not be available is to cut oneself off from one's social network," said Prof Hulme.

Phones are rapidly replacing address books, diaries, watches and alarm clocks as people turn increasingly to their handsets to help manage their lives.

They are also becoming photo albums as people personalise their handsets with things dear to them, such as pictures of friends and family.

"One woman who liked a drink had a picture of a pint of beer on hers," revealed Prof Hulme.

There are lessons here for manufacturers concentrating on making phones as smart and function-filled as possible.

"There are actually more pragmatic ways of making money," said Prof Hulme.

These include increasing the amount of space for storing texts, giving more indication of where calls are coming from and a better way of ordering all the information people are increasingly storing on phones.

The Me, Myself and I study conducted 1,400 interviews between February and April including questionnaires, face-to-face interviews, focus groups and telephone surveys.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/technology/3830527.stm

Published: 2004/06/22 23:41:42 GMT

© BBC MMIV


Mobile phone guidelines for schools
http://www.amta.org.au/default.asp?Page=256

The increased ownership of mobile phones requires that school administrators, teachers, students, and parents take steps to ensure that mobile phones are used responsibly within schools.

To assist schools in managing their students' behaviour in relation to mobile phones, the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) has created a template policy document Developing an Acceptable Use Policy for Mobile Phones in Your School for use by schools.

The document, which sets out appropriate behaviour relating to the use of mobile phones, is designed to supplement school rules. It is intended to be adapted by schools as they see fit, and adopted with the consent of the parents/guardian, teachers and the student.

Developing an Acceptable Use Policy for Mobile Phones in Your School gives schools the means to make clear to all concerned what they considers are the appropriate uses of mobile phones within their boundaries, and the power to act when phones are used inappropriately.

Copies of the document have been provided to the Australian Council of State School Organisations (ACSSO), the peak national parent organisation representing the interests of children enrolled in government schools throughout Australia, the Independent Schools Council of Australia (ISCA), the national representative for independent schools, to Federal, State and Territory Education Ministers, and to other relevant organisations.

Copies of the document are available on request from the AMTA secretariat. Phone: 02 6239 6555, or email: ian.booth@amta.org.au.
http://www.amta.org.au ©