Wireless health damage as certain as human-caused climate change: scientist

OTTAWA — A U.S. scientist who was part of a team that won a Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007 for their work on climate change told a Canadian parliamentary committee on Tuesday that evidence linking wireless radiation to various health ailments is at least as convincing as the evidence linking global warming to greenhouse gases. "I would say the evidence on the damaging effect of cellphone and other wireless radiation is as strong, if not stronger than, the evidence on climate change, which I reviewed as a member of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change)," Derva Davis, president of the Wyoming-based Environmental Health Trust, said during a meeting of the House of Commons health committee. She was responding to a question from Conservative MP Terence Young, who has tabled a private member's bill that would require labels on wireless technology or packaging that addresses possible health risks from the devices. The committee is reviewing Health Canada's Safety Code 6, which provides a number of technical provisions around human exposure to wireless signals. Earlier in the meeting, Davis outlined a number of studies she said showed how exposure to what are typical levels of cellphone and WiFi radiation can damage sperm counts and cause stress to human cells in ways that might be linked to cancer and autism. Bernard Lord, CEO of the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA), told the committee that he supports current standards and ongoing research, but added that the industry operates well within the prescribed limits that are based on scientific evidence. "The overwhelming evidence of the credible scientific community, as determined and published in studies worldwide, continues to support the conclusion that there is no demonstrated public health risk associated with the use of wireless technology," Lord said. "In fact, when we look at the way that Canadians use wireless technology, we can safely state that wireless technology makes our communities safer," he added, in reference to features like being able to call 911 in an emergency. He added that as a father whose daughter is visiting South America, he feels better knowing she has access to mobile communications. Liberal MP Hedy Fry said more 90 per cent of the evidence that had been heard during three meetings dealing with Safety Code 6 has indicated there is "clear causal evidence" between wireless radiation and health problems including autism and cancer, as well as issues related to fertility and prenatal health. She asked Lord what he thought about the wireless industry being more proactive in taking measures to reduce the radiation transmitted by devices and educating the public about safer ways to use the technology. Lord repeated his support for radiation standards that are currently in place. "I think the people that really care and have the responsibility for the health of Canadians is the Canadian government. I'm sure you would agree with that as a former minister of the government of Canada," Lord said to Fry, who served in the cabinet of former prime minister Jean Chrétien. "Those standards that are set in Canada here are set by the government," Lord added. "They're not set by the industry, and I think that's important to recognize." — With reporting by Derek Abma at dabma@thewirereport.ca and editing by Anja Karadeglija at akarad@thewirereport.ca

Wireless health damage as certain as human-caused climate change: scientist

News | April 28, 2015

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Wireless health damage as certain as human-caused climate change: scientist

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