Related Posts
Tesla’s dream of wireless electricity made real
Several American technological companies are developing methods of wireless energy transference, as was once envisioned by legendary inventor...
Eco Gadgets: Solar energy harvesting green badge as charger for mobile devices
The advent of eco-friendly mobile phones made from sustainable materials and powered by renewable energy resources has a...
Study shows smokers are less intelligent
A study of over 20,000 Israeli military recruits suggests that smokers have lower IQs than non-smokers.
Reuters reports on...
Study: Soil CO2 Emissions Have Increased Over the Years
Did you know that soil emits carbon dioxide?
Not only does it emit CO2, but the analysis of 439...
Study: Rising CO2 Levels may Decrease Crop Protein and Nutritional ValueYou’ve probably heard all the reports about how Climate Change will damage our crops and livelihoods via drought,...
Get your Eco Starter Kit
Create an account and start harvesting Carbon Credits! Exchange your Carbon Credits for green goodies, like the Eco-Hatchery Starter Kit!
-
Green network users
3,118 Users - Show All
Green Directory
Tip of the Day
Keep eggs out of the fridge to save energy when cooking them
Yet Another Study Suggests Wireless Devices may be Bad for You
photo by lute1 (image source: Stock.Xchng)
We live in a world of extreme convenience and wireless technology. We don’t have to go to the store for shopping. We can just have our orders delivered. We don’t have to go to the post office to send in our bill payments. We can simply do that online. We have wireless phones, computers, GPS devices, and who knows how many other similar gadgets.
According to (yet another) recent study, all of these wireless devices may be extremely bad for your health. This is hardly shocking news, as we’ve been hearing for years that cell phones can cause cancer, tumors and other such problems. This particular study goes a bit further, however.
Everything electronic emits an electromagnetic field, or EMF. All of this used electricity has transformed into what experts call “electro-smog”. Electro-smog is the invisible pollution in the form of EMFs that come from wireless devices, such as cell phones and wireless routers. These EMFs are supposedly the cause of the problem.
The Bioinitiative Working Group—an international collaboration of public health policy experts and scientists—released a 650-page report that cites over 2,000 studies on the toxicity of EMFs. These scientists believe that EMFs can cause a number of cancers, as well as contribute to Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, heart disease, and more health problems. Apart from major health conditions, they also note that minor side effects, such as fatigue, facial irritation and dizziness can be experienced.
I’ll bet some of you are wondering where green labeled gadgets fall on this scale. Unfortunately, it would seem that they share the blame, too. These energy-efficient devices produce a byproduct called “transients”. This happens when the device uses up their electrical output and thus, creates an unstable and possibly dangerous electromagnetic field. This EMF will radiate into the immediate environment.
Right now, everything is pretty 50/50 in the scientific world. Some scientists say that most of these studies are small and that years of studies, tests and further evidence are needed before they can truly understand the health consequences of EMFs. Other scientists believe you might as well jump in a pool of lead paint or inhale all those lovely toxins from a school bus exhaust pipe.
If you’re wondering what this means for the rest of us: nothing new, really. Simply use your wireless devices with caution. Unplug or turn off electronics when they’re not in use, replace CFLs with LEDs, and try to keep wireless gadgets away from the kids. You can find a comprehensive guide on WiredChild.org on how to protect yourself and your loved ones from EMFs and transients.
By Heidi Marshall
Tags: Bioinitiative Working Group, devices, electro-smog, electronics, EMFs, health problems, transients, wireless
Other Greenfudge.org posts
Sugar Sugar: Good Biofuel from Brazil?
When I visited Brazil several times during the latter half of the 1990s I noticed that many of the petrol/gas stations sold something called álcool. When I asked my friends what this was, they explained that it is a fuel made in Brazil from sugar cane. I thought this was brilliant: growing gasoline from yummy plants that are produced right in your own backyard and free from any mess involving oil spills, Gulf Wars or foreign despotic tyrants. It was...
Sri Lanka: Humans and elephants compete for land
As Sri Lanka’s human population grows, its number of wild elephants diminishes. It is a conflict that the elephants are losing, as humans take over tracts of land necessary for elephant survival. Land corridors are being marked off with electric fences and used for cattle farming, effectively reducing elephant food and water supplies. About four elephants are being killed per week in Sri Lanka, according to a BBC News report, but the casualties are not only on the side of the elephants: Last...
In Africa, diarrhea kills 1.5 million children every year
Diarrhea related illnesses are generally preventable and easily treatable, yet 1.5 million children in Africa still die every year from diarrhoeal diseases. 85 children die every day from such diseases in Kenya alone, according to the below video report from Al Jazeera English. Diarrhoeal illnesses are easily treated with rehydration salts and fluids. The diseases are often water-borne and usually associated with poor sanitation. Many of the victims are children of poor families in the developing world, where many parents aren't...
Update: Sea Shepherd Attempts to Give Warrant, Japanese Whalers Evade Authority
Ever since we heard about the destruction of the Ady Gil and Sea Shepherd’s attempts to take legal action against Japan, they seemed to have slipped out of the news. Well, that isn’t entirely so. Last Friday (January 15, 2010), they decided to take legal action one step further. The Ady Gil is basically from New Zealand and apparently, under the New Zealand Crimes Act of 1961, a citizen holds the power to serve an arrest warrant for any suspected crime...
War and the environment: The Garden of Eden recovers
Iraq’s Mesopotamian marshes, drained under the regime of Saddam Hussein during the early 1990s to punish a local uprising, are recovering nicely due to the efforts of Iraqi conservationists and local inhabitants. This former Garden of Eden is believed by some scholars to be the actual Garden of Eden mentioned in the Bible. You know, where Adam and Eve frolicked and had that nasty run-in with the snake. What was nothing but a wasteland nearly a mere 20 years ago is now...
Video: 15 pilot whales stranded in Gulf of Mexico
At least 15 pilot whales have run aground in the Florida Keys. The below raw video from the Associated Press shows a whale struggling in what looks like a mangrove swamp and two more stuck in shallows. According to Ft Lauderdale/Miami local news for station WSVN-TV, a volunteer rescue effort is taking place to help the pilot whales with help from the US Navy. ...
Space news: Moon base and Lego in space
US Republican presidential candidate and blowhard Newt Gingrich has stated that he will build a base on the moon by his second term should he get elected. Gingrich said he’d like to get there before the Chinese do. Well, the US did put someone there before the Chinese and everyone else back in 1969, though it was the Soviets who first put an unmanned craft on the lunar surface. OK, so they didn’t stay there and colonize as Newt would like. Republican...
Foreign Pollution has been Bitten by the Travel Bug
In this day and age, the green standard is slowly becoming the norm. People expect more sustainability out of businesses and government policies. They expect their neighbors to be as eco-minded as they are and some obsessively follow every bit of news that mentions climate change, co2 emissions, cap-and-trade, and so forth. We all have our own personal standards and ideals of the best way to live a green lifestyle. However, it’s the governmental standards we have to worry about living...
Rachel Maddow on how big corporations disguise themselves as ‘nonprofit’ organizations and social activists
Ever wonder why there is such confusion – especially in America – regarding what is healthy, what is safe, what is environmentally friendly… whether global warming and climate change are even real? Well a lot of it is comes down to PR, political lobbying and money. Whoever has the most cash has the loudest voice: in terms of publicity and unfortunately, political power. Rick Berman, a PR lobbyist who is paid to campaign under the mask of social activism by setting...
New Greenpeace Director Comes Armed With Experience
Greenpeace now has a new director, and one with years of experience in the field. Kumi Naidoo, 44, is the first African director of this great organization and also the first executive director to come from outside of the organization (i.e. he wasn’t promoted from within). He is certainly passionate about the work he does, however. In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, he said “we either get it right and all of humanity comes out on the other side...
View all articles
You can also log in to post a comment.