What You Still Don’t Know about the $25 Million US National Toxicology Program Study

screenshot from the NTP website.

In 2024, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) announced it had no plans to further study the effects of cellphone radiofrequency radiation (RFR) on human health.

They wanted to find out the US if exposure to radiation from 3G phones can cause the development of malignant cancers. They studied this in lab rats.

Finally, on November 1, 2018, they published their report.

In case you have not read this landmark study, here is a summary of what researchers found:

• 6% of the male rats exposed to the highest dose of cell phone radiation developed malignant schwannomas in the heart, while 2 to 3% developed gliomas in the brain.

Researchers conclusion? “Clear evidence” of cancer and DNA damage from wireless radiation.

—The NTP study took about 10 years to complete in 2018.

Did you know it had taken that long? It started out studying the existing wireless technology used in phones (3G). But the time the study had ended, industry and consumers were moving on to 4G.

—Some did not believe that wireless radiation could cause cancer.

The study had massive detractors. Was such a study was even worth the while?

“The NTP has now shown what no one believed was possible before the project started. The assumption has always been that RF radiation could not cause cancer,” he said, “Now we know that was wrong.”—Ron Melnick told Microwave News.

—The study conclusions would have meant updating FCC’s outdated 1996 standards.

NTP researchers communicated the initial findings to the relevant regulatory agencies, including the FDA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which sets the legal limits for wireless radiation. They had not updated its guidelines since 1996. That’s when we were still using 2G.

But they were not interested to update their guidelines.

—The NTP study sounded the alarm on Schwannomas.

Schwannomas cancer were extremely rare.

Schwannomas are basically what makes your cell’s myelin sheath. It insulates nerve fibers and speed the conduction of electrical impulses.

But it so happened that these same malignant tumors of the heart were also found in another large cell phone rat study published that same year in 2018.

This latter study was carried out at the Ramazzini Institute in Bologna, Italy.

—Researchers decided to publish a follow-up study, or what they excluded from the first study.

Researchers had also found that RFR exposure was associated with an increase in DNA damage. They evaluated DNA damage in three regions of the brain, the liver, and in blood cells in rats and mice. These findings were removed at an earlier timepoint from the ongoing 2-year toxicology study.

They published this second article in October 2019.

DNA damage, if not repaired, can potentially lead to tumors.

This work was included in NTP’s published Technical Reports, but this study includes analyses of the data in the supporting information not included in the Technical Reports.

—Researchers wanted more detailed studies.

The goal of subsequent studies is smaller “mechanistic” studies to understand biological changes related to RFR that could be causing cancer.

—FCC have not explained their current guidelines either.

This is related.

Because at the time, the FCC hasn’t complied with a court-ordered mandate to explain how the agency determined that its current guidelines adequately protect humans and the environment against the harmful effects of exposure to wireless radiation.

—This was government-funded.

It begs the question. Why does it fall to the government to prove harm or no harm? the biological effects of the telecommunication industry’s products.

“[Research] is what the industry should be doing on their dime and using their expertise and their predictions as to where the technology is going.”—Dr Bucher

—Bureaucracy stalled research findings.

FDA to study RFR “because they’re the agency charged with making recommendations to the FCC with respect to the biological aspects of the need for regulation.”

This is in the USA. But similar bureaucratic challenges exist in every government.

—The NTP eventually shut down the studies.

You would have thought they’d be motivated to find out more. After all, EMF exposure are increasingly exponentially and the effects are profound.

No.

In January 2024, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) announced it had no plans to further study the effects of cellphone radiofrequency radiation (RFR) on human health — even though the program’s own $30 million study, which took about 10 years to complete in 2018, found “clear evidence” of cancer and DNA damage.

This article interviews Dr Bucher, a former senior scientist in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) NTP division.

“By the time we would come out with the next generation of studies’ industry would be on to something else. “The government has always been way behind the technologies that are being developed in the telecommunications industries.”—Dr Bucher

—The NTP study reveals how difficult it can be to conduct such studies.

Studying wireless radiation’s biological effects is no small feat.

EMFs as a phenomenon is completely differently from say, drug or environmental chemicals.

NTP scientists had to work with toxicologists, statisticians, geneticists, pathologists, and animal care staff, etc. They also had to work with electrical engineers and experts in wireless radiation to design and build the exposure systems and monitor the exposures used in these studies.

—The final report is redacted.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) refuses to reveal nearly 2,500 pages of records related to the National Toxicology Program’s (NTP) decision to shut down its research on how wireless radiation affects human health.

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Resources and References:

• NTP’s first paper published on the website. https://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/research/topics/cellphones

• NTP’s second paper evaluated DNA damage in three regions of the brain: Smith-Roe, S.L., Wyde, M.E., Stout, M.D., Winters, J.W., Hobbs, C.A., Shepard, K.G., Green, A.S., Kissling, G.E., Shockley, K.R., Tice, R.R., Bucher, J.R. and Witt, K.L. (2020), Evaluation of the genotoxicity of cell phone radiofrequency radiation in male and female rats and mice following subchronic exposure. Environ Mol Mutagen, 61: 276-290. https://doi.org/10.1002/em.22343

5G FAQs: Why is there an international appeal to stop the rollout of 5G?

The 5G Space Appeal is signed by over 260,000 international scientists, medical doctors and engineers warning against the harmful effects of electromagnetic fields on humans, animals and the environment.

The appeal calls for a moratorium on the roll-out of the fifth generation, 5G, for telecommunication.

The 5G Space Appeal can be found here  and states, “We the undersigned scientists, doctors, environmental organizations and citizens, urgently call for a halt to the deployment of the 5G (fifth generation) wireless network, including 5G from space satellites.

5G will massively increase exposure to radio frequency (RF) radiation on top of the 2G, 3G and 4G networks for telecommunications already in place. RF radiation has been proven harmful for humans and the environment. The deployment of 5G constitutes an experiment on humanity and the environment that is defined as a crime under international law.” 

What is 5G?

The term 5G refers to a fifth-generation cellular wireless technology. It is a new wave form of short wave radiation and will utilise not only the frequencies currently in use from 1G to 4G of wireless technology, but also higher millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave frequencies.

5G aims to enable “smart” homes, “smart” businesses, “smart” highways, “smart” cities and self-driving cars. Virtually everything we own and buy, from refrigerators and washing machines to milk cartons, hairbrushes and infants’ diapers, will contain antennas and microchips and will be connected wirelessly to the Internet.

In fact, 5G as a global standard is meant to power the Fourth Industrial Revolution and change the social and economic landscape. In this article, we focus instead on the biological impacts of the technology.

5G antenna — closer, denser

(Note that this is different from current WiFi radio signals that are at either 2.4 GHz or 5GHz. 5G celluar technology uses higher frequencies in the THz range. Older WiFi runs at 2.5GHz while newer runs at 2.5GHz and 5GHz. Many devices such as laptops can only use the 2.5Ghz signal.)

5G is a new wave form of short wave radiation, which the WHO classifies as a Group 2B carcinogen. [https://www.iarc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr208_E.pdf]

Little is known about these millimeter waves (30GHz-300GHz). While these frequencies only permeate a small fraction of the human epidermis (the skin), the effect on the cornea, in particular, needs serious research. [https://web.archive.org/web/20180823220918/https://www.pcmag.com/commentary/363244/the-problem-with-5g]

As Frank Clegg, former President of Microsoft Canada, explains, because these waves are poor at travelling long distances, more transmitters will be needed to make 5G work:

"5G will impact you personally. There are designs that show the requirement for small cell 5G antennas as close as every third house in the neighbourhood and could be as close as every 500 feet in public areas. The impact of that radiation at that level of frequency and intensity and power, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week is unprecedented and is not understood.” [https://ehtrust.org/former-president-of-microsoft-canada-frank-clegg-on-safety-5g-wireless-technologies/]

What is the controversy around 5G?

The word “controversy” leads us to think there is “Contention; dispute; debate; discussion; agitation of contrary opinions” (borrowing from a dictionary here).

However, you will find that such disputes come from different interests and perspectives, less about the actual facts themselves.

One example: for a long time, it was thought that non-ionising radiation had no health impacts, unlike ionising radiation such as X-rays. As the use of wireless technology became ubiquitous, and as we increased our exposure to wireless technologies of 2G, 3G and 4G — that we use today with our cell phones, computers and wearable tech, there is increasing evidence for concern around high frequency radiation.

The Bio initiative Report was instrumental in gathering thousands of studies showing the biological impact of 5G, leading to the WHO recognition of wireless technology as a possible carcinogen.

Thousands of independent studies conclude that non-ionising radiation like wireless radiation does cause biological harm, including:

• oxidative stress

• cancers

• brain tumours

• sperm/testicular damage

• neuropsychiatric effects

• DNA damage

• hormonal changes

More about the health impacts [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935118300355?fbclid=IwAR0YSqoBqW2OE2zUIzBQiR5JAVEGxuoimf0CGyPbNAWKqtP-BWasDGk_BcM]

As our EMF exposure increases with 5G networks, we need to critically evaluate our exposure. Mounting evidence are calling for concern and precaution over biological effects of wireless radiation on people as well as the ecosystem and our environment.

Meanwhile, rollouts for 5G continue to be ever more ambitious. Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX was authorised by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in November 2018 to launch a fleet of 7,518 satellites in a scheme to provide global satellite broadband services to every corner of the Earth— a “smart planet” of sorts. [https://futurism.com/spacex-satellites-approval-fcc]

What is the science behind 5G (fifth generation wireless)?

The wireless industry admit they have no safety studies on 5G and do not plan to do any. "The stark truth is the health hazards are unknown and unstudied." Senator Richard Blumenthal, Dec 2018, in a February 2019 US Senate hearing [https://youtu.be/z8I4XDKX2a4]

5G is not simply an upgrade from 4G. It will be tens to hundreds of times more powerful and will use a completely different technology that has never been tested. 4G networks use frequencies below 6 GHz, but 5G uses extremely high frequencies in the 30 GHz to 300 GHz range.

Most common wireless devices currently operate below 10 gHz. 5G will operate 10gHz+ into the tHz, which is uncharted territory. It has shorter wavelength and a higher frequency. Theoretically those higher frequencies cannot penetrate as easily and cant travel as far. To compensate for these, more devices will likely need to be built to get coverage and power increased.

So far, over 134,000 science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) experts have signed an international appeal to the UN, the WHO, the EU, the Council of Europe and governments of all nations to stop the rollout of 5G.

Read the appeal in English here:

https://www.5gspaceappeal.org/s/International_Appeal_Stop_5G_on_Earth_and_in_Space-4dfh.PDF

As the 5G standard is new, there are no studies that have looked at long term human exposure to 5G.

However, evidence that wireless technology is harmful to life is already overwhelming—enough data for scientists to call for a moratorium. [https://ehtrust.org/scientific-research-on-5g-and-health/]

If the telecommunications industry’s plans for 5G come to fruition, no person, no animal, no bird, no insect and no plant on Earth will be able to avoid exposure, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to levels of RF radiation that are tens to hundreds of times greater than what exists today, without any possibility of escape anywhere on the planet. These 5G plans threaten to provoke serious, irreversible effects on humans and permanent damage to all of the Earth’s ecosystems.

Immediate measures must be taken to protect humanity and the environment, in accordance with ethical imperatives and international agreements. — The 5G Space Appeal

5G harms the ecosystem, including bees

Beekeepers were recently added due to the increasing scientific and direct observation that RFR and cell towers are injurious to bees.

Which countries and cities have opted out of 5G?

Cell phone companies began deploying 5G in 2019. In USA, 5G coverage is already available in many areas.

But not everyone is as enthusiastic about the deployment of 5G. Many towns, cities, and whole countries have decided to ban 5G, or halt its rollout, for two growing concerns: it has not been proven safe and it may take more time to ascertain its fuller effects; and growing concern about the data emerging over 4G/5G densification.

Their decisions affirm that technological advancement will never be at the expense of the health and welfare of their citizens.

Why the rush for 5G?

The 5G rollout is being called “progress” in the drive for "faster, better internet”. As most of us already own mobile phones and have access to the internet, expanding to 5G holds untapped markets for the wireless carriers and for the IoT device and sensor makers.

Read more about the wireless industry https://safeg.net/5g-the-real-story/.

How much of this push is really a gold rush for the wireless industry? Much of the things being touted by the wireless industry—such as “smart meters”, driverless cars, the Internet of Things, remote surgery by camera, and improved virtual reality—are things most people can live without, or can be done better and more securely with wired connections.

The practical considerations may prove cumbersome instead, as smart cities “will be exceedingly complex to manage, with all sorts of unpredictable vulnerabilities” — Shoshanna Saxe, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering, University of Toronto writes.

Billions are being invested in 5G. But will technologies, as in the case of smart meters considered as one of the most mature and most widely adopted applications of IoT technology, rapidly become obsolete?

Are savings, whether to the consumer or to government, worth the expense of capital and infrastructure?

Who determines accuracy, privacy, and efficacy? [https://www.smh.com.au/business/smart-meters-too-toxic-to-touch-20120906-25ge2.html] [https://www.ema.gov.sg/reply_to_forum_letter.aspx?news_sid=201612075WEXOFyHRyge] 

How can we exercise precaution?

While debate continues, there are many steps we can take as individuals to protect our own health amidst a denser electro-polluted environment.

I list a few considerations that, when implemented, could have the most impact in reducing our exposure to wireless radiation:

• Children are especially susceptible to EMFs. Children’s developing brains, eyes and bone marrow absorb electromagnetic radiation three to 10 times deeper than adults. Their brain tissues are more absorbent, their skulls are thinner and their relative size is smaller. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213879X14000583] Microwave exposure can result in degeneration of the protective myelin sheath that surrounds brain neurons, at critical stages of their development. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/myelin]

• Understand microwave exposure limits have remained unchanged for over 20 years. Take responsibility to educate yourself on EMFs and how to recognise and reduce your exposure to this environmental toxin.

• Rethink your SMART home. The more devices connected to your Wi-Fi or cellular network, the more EMF exposure your family is going to have. Decline having a smart meter installed by the utilities. Ditch the “smart home” devices that offer to turn on/off lights or air conditioning.

• Avoid living near cell antennas. Don’t buy a house or rent an apartment right next to cell antennas, especially if you have or plan to have kids.

• Consult a Building Biologist trained in EMF mitigation. If you want to understand your real exposure to wireless radiation and other sources of EMFs, get in touch with me or another Building Biologist in your area.
  What can you do?

If you are concerned about the possible health impacts, and you want to ensure your own safe living environment:

1. Sign the international appeal.

2. Join “Stop 5G” groups in your part of the world. Connect through the internet and in-person. More people are becoming aware of wireless radiation as an environmental toxin and recognise health symptoms as a sign of hypersensitivity. Sign any local petitions and support the appeals in any way you can.

3. Learn more about the 5G Global Protest Day. 205 events in more than 195 cities in 33 countries are being planned for 25 January 2020. Events are planned in: Australia (5 cities), Belgium. Bermuda, Canada (13 events), Croatia (6 cities), Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark (7 cities), Finland, France, , Germany (11 cities), Greece - Patras, Hungary (3 cities), Ireland - Dublin, Italy (39 cities), Japan - Tokyo, Kenya, Malta, Netherlands - Amsterdam, New Zealand (15 cities), Norway (5 cities), Poland (9 cities), Portugal - Lisbon, Romania (4 cities), Serbia - Belgrade, Slovenia - Ljubljana, South Africa - Durban and Cape Town, Spain, Sweden (3 cities), Switzerland (13 cities), United Kingdom (13 events), and the United States (34 events).

4. Subscribe to the SafeG Alliance mailing list to receive updates. Subscribe to my newsletter as I share updates and research about EMFs.

5. Share this information with others.

References and resources:

1. Birds Bees and Mankind: Destroying Nature by “electrosmog” by Urlich Warnke. https://www.naturalscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/kompetenzinitiative-ev_study_bees-birds-and-mankind_04-08_english.pdf

2. https://ehtrust.org/international-actions-to-halt-and-delay-5g/

This Real-Life Study on Emfs Will Blow Your Mind

You know that wireless radiation from molbile devices are not the best for your health. You’re also concerned about the wireless infrastructure that exist in the urban landscape all around you. After all, we live in an electromagnetic soup in a urban technological society

 One Scientist in Japan Was Able to Conduct a Real Life Experiment

In 2014, Japanese physician Tetsuharu Shinjyo conducted a groundbreaking before & after study that points to a critical issue affecting global health.

The study focused on the residents of a condominium in Okinawa, where cell phone antennas had been operating on the roof for several years. The people living there were exposed from 1998 to 2009 to the radiation from mobile phone base station antennas installed on top of their condominium.

To accomplish this, in January and November 2009, 107 of 122 inhabitants were interviewed and underwent medical examinations. The first examination was carried out while the base station was in operation, the second examination three months after the base station antennas were removed once and for all.

A total of 122 individuals from 39 of the 47 apartments were interviewed & examined.

Before the antennas were removed, the health issues among the residents were alarming:

• Chronic fatigue: 21 individuals

• Dizziness, vertigo or Meniere’s disease: 14 individuals

• Headaches: 14 individuals

• Eye problems (pain, dry eyes, repeated infections): 17 individuals

• Insomnia: 14 individuals

• Chronic nosebleeds: 10 individuals

However, after the removal of the antennas, the results were striking:

• No cases of chronic fatigue in the building

• No one experienced nosebleeds anymore

• No one had eye problems

• Only two individuals still had insomnia

• Only one individual still had dizziness

• Only one individual still had headaches

• Conditions such as gastritis & glaucoma also resolved

These clinical symptoms pretty much vanished after the mobile antenna was removed.

Like the residents of that building before the study, the majority of the people in the world today do not know that their acute and chronic illnesses are in large part caused by electromagnetic pollution. They do not talk to each other about their health problems & are unaware that they are shared by many of their neighbours.

The Researchers Conducted This Study Independently and It Took Five Years to Publish

This study is rare because the conducted this research without outside funds in order to maintain neutrality and avoid pressures from external sources. It took almost five years before had his paper published in a journal.

"We live today with a number of devastating diseases that do not belong here, whose origin we do not know, whose presence we take for granted and no longer question. What it feels like to be without them is a state of vitality that we have completely forgotten. . . . These are the diseases of civilization, that we have also inflicted on our animal and plant neighbors, diseases that we live with because of a refusal to recognize the force that we have harnessed for what it is. The 6o-cycle current in our house wiring, the ultrasonic frequencies in our computers, the radio waves in our televisions, the microwaves in our cell phones, these are only distortions of the invisible rainbow that runs through our veins and makes us alive. But we have forgotten. It is time that we remember."—Arthur Firstenberg

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Epilepsy, Seizures, and Toxicity: Why Are Childhood Seizures Increasing

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition characterised by recurrent, unprovoked seizures that start in the brain.

One single seizure or fit does not necessarily indicate Epilepsy, and a seizure can be caused by many factors.

Some types of seizures are more common in childhood, such as absence seizures which can be very brief —blink and you might miss it. It looks as though a child is ‘spaced out’, ‘daydreaming’ or not paying attention.

Learn how to help spot signs of seizures, so that you can get early treatment that may reduce the risk of lasting brain injury.

Symptoms of Seizures

Seizures is an abnormal, uncontrolled electrical discharge in the brain altering function or behavior. It is the most common neurological condition in children. Seizures can occur spontaneously or be triggered by things such as stress, excitement, boredom and tiredness. Anti-epileptic drugs can be used to control seizures and establishing good sleep patterns, as well as maintaining a healthy diet have also been shown to help manage the condition.

The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classifies seizures based on the type of onset or where they originate in the brain.

Symptoms of seizures are widely variable but include stiffening (tonic) or rhythmic twitching (clonic) of one or more extremities or the face, staring spells, lip smacking or other non-purposeful movements or distinct periods of changes in behavior such as staring or sudden headache. In children on the autism spectrum, a sudden loss of languageskills or behavioral regression may be caused by epileptic disruption of organized brain activity that may not always show up clinically.

Between the time of the brain injury and the onset of seizures, called epileptogenesis, is a "silent" period because this brain abnormality cannot be detected by current neurological exams or electroencephalography (EEG). Before the actual observed seizure are brief, small electrical microbursts, or microseizures, occur before the onset of clinical recurrent seizures.

four main categories of seizures include:

• Generalized Seizures – affect entire brain
• Partial Seizures – affect part of the brain
• Non-Epileptic Seizures – not caused by epilepsy, but other things such as diabetes, fever, etc

Vaccines can cause fever, and fever in young children can lead to febrile seizures; these facts are not new. Febrile seizures are the most common seizure disorder of childhood and occur in ∼5% of all children, usually those younger than 24 months.
• Status Epilepticus – a seizure that lasts more than 5 minutes

Aside from neurosurgery, which benefits only a small population of Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients, there are no other effective treatments or preventive strategies.

Environmental triggers of epilepsy

Seizures are often unpredictable, but triggers can induce them, such as stress and environmental toxins. Being aware of potential seizure triggers helps avodid another occurance.

Anything that disturbs the normal pattern of the brain can trigger epilepsy. Trauma, illness, brain damage, abnormal development, food intolerances, and heavy metal toxicity can all be factors with epileptic patients. It is estimated that over 75% of patients with epilepsy do not know what is causing their seizure activity.

People with epilepsy are able to reduce the frequency of their seizure activity through dietary modifications and removing heavy metals from the body.

Certain food intolerances such as gluten (wheat, barley, rye, etc) casein (dairy), corn, or soy can be a major “triggers” for patients with epilepsy.

Heavy metal toxicity

Once of the most common ways that we experience heavy metal toxicity is through our teeth. Mercury fillings, gold crowns, and other metals that are placed in our mouth have the ability to “leak” into our bodies and accumulate in various organs, including the brain.

The brain and the Bazan effect

the brain consumes 20% of body oxygen and the central nervous system (CNS) is especially vulnerable to oxidative stress. Iron overexposure causes oxidative stress and ROS, which upregulate the c-fos gene.

Dr. Bazan is a neuroscientist who’s work influenced me while I was a resident at LSU and long before I had a quantum perspective.  Dr Jack Kruse shares extensively about his work; he was the first person who was able to link clinical diseases to the RPE in the retina by discovering what’s now called “the Bazan effect”. He was initially studying what effect seizures and lack of blood flow had on the CNS.  He found when the brain is stressed for any reason, neurons release two types of essential fatty acids, namely omega 6 and omega 3.  There names are arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexonic acid (DHA).  These are essential FFA’s because the body has a poor capacity to make them endogenously.

Following this discovery, when they systemically administered Neuroprotectin D-1 (NPD1), they discovered that NPD1 regulated these bursts of brain electrical activity. So it not only reduced the aberrant brain cell signaling leading to severe generalized seizures, but also the spontaneous recurrent seizures. (Neuroprotectin D-1, discovered in the Bazan lab, is derived from docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an essential omega 3 fatty acid found in fish oil.)

Resources

1. Hironishi M., Ueyama E., Senba E. Systematic expression of immediate early genes and intensive astrocyte activation induced by intrastriatal ferrous iron injection. Brain Res. 1999;828:145–153. doi: 10.1016/S0006-8993(99)01356-6. doi.org/ [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]