The Scary Truth about Heavy Metals in Your Home

From clearing space for a calm and clean home for baby, to breastfeeding, to baby’s first foods, we want to give our babies the very best environment in a home that we want to make both beautiful and cosy for family life.

That’s why it’s so shocking to know that many of the common household items can be toxic with the most egregious of all neurotoxins—heavy metals.

Many of us think that toxic heavy metals are only a problem of old homes or old products, but the truth is that toxic heavy metals are commonly used even in materials today. 

These elements are substances that can be toxic in very low concentrations.

Here are five common heavy metals that you may not know is in your home furnishings, decor, as well as common everyday items.

TOXIC HEAVY METAL SYMPTOMS & YOUR HEALTH

First, let’s get the brief on toxic heavy metals that we may not hear often about compared to more media-hogging headlines like PFAS and plastics.

You can experience heavy metal poisoning symptoms acutely or due to a chronic exposure and build up of toxic heavy metals.

Common SYMPTOMS of heavy metal poisoning

• Brain fog—having trouble focusing on things you were previously good at or having a poor memory.

• Fatigue—both acute and chronic, which also contributes to “brain fog.”

• Numbness, tingling, and paralysis in your arms and legs. Heavy metals affect the nervous system disorders.

• Chronic mental health problems. Including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.

Toxic metals disrupt the metabolic function in the body.  First, they can accumulate and build up within the body, which disrupts the function of vital organs and glands (such as the heart, brain, kidneys, bone or liver). 

The second way they disrupt is that they replace the vital nutritional minerals we have in our bodies, which in turn hinders their biological function.  (source)

Our bodies cannot usually detox heavy metals easily (hence the term “heavy”). Even if you’re being exposed at low levels over time, there can be high levels of heavy metal toxins in your body as your body just CANNOT get rid of it fast enough.

Heavy metal poisoning is insidious, because at low and chronic levels, you may not even notice your changes. In healthy people, the concentration of free metal ions is usually very low.

But now we know the implications of heavy metals crossing the blood-brain barrier, in severe neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Huntington’s disease (HD), among others

Arsenic

Arsenic can cause various cancers and harms the developing brain and nervous system. In fact, one study found drinking water with arsenic at half the allowable limit still caused IQ loss.

Arsenic was most prevalent in these household items:

• Wallpaper. Arsenic was commonly used in the dyes for the fabric.

• Non-aniline free Leather.

• Vintage baby carriages. Arsenic was commonly used in the dyes for the fabric.

• Beauty products.

Cadmium

This toxin is linked with brain damage, learning disabilities, cancer, and kidney, bone, and heart damage. It can also cause various types of cancer, including breast, lung, prostate, nasopharynx, pancreas, and kidney cancers. What’s more, scientists now know that this damage happens even at levels previously deemed safe by the medical community. (source)

Cadmium was most commonly found at home in:

• Cigarette smoke. The tobacco plant takes up cadmium avidly from the environment.

• Metal work. These release micro particles into the air from work, such as plating, soldering, and welding.

• House paint as a colour stabiliser.

• PVC (polyvinyl chloride) flooring, and;

• PVC leather / faux leather / “leatherette” furniture. All PVC plastics are notorious for their extensive use of multiple hazardous heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, and tin as stabilizers.

• Contaminated water.

• Beauty products.

Lead

There is no safe level for lead; any amount of lead is toxic to humans, and especially babies. Lead exposure is linked with ADD, behavioral issues, and problems in school.

Lead is most commonly found:

• Paint, including those used for Stairs, railings, banisters, and porches. Most countries still do not regulate or ban the use of lead in paint.

• Older homes built before 1978 (in the USA).

• Renovation work dust. Repair works often involve sanding or scraping paint on the inside and outside of homes that spread lead dust throughout the home.

• Wood stain varnishes.

• Porcelain paint on sinks. Old barn style kitchen sinks with old peeling porcelain.

• Contaminated Soil, yards and playgrounds. Lead can chip from surrounding buildings and contaminate the area.

• Air pollution from leaded gasoline in cars.

• Artificial turf and playground surfaces made from shredded rubber. These artificial turf made of nylon or nylon/polyethylene blend fibers can contain lead.

• Toys. Especially older toys or if it made outside of the EU, where lead for toys is banned.

• Jewelry. Lead is added to make the product heavier, brighten colors, and stabilize or soften plastic.

• Plastics, such as plastic toys. Lead is used to soften plastic and to make it more flexible so that it can go back to its original shape.

• Brass faucets may contain lead.

• Antiques. Lead was pervasively used in the making of items such as Dishware, Painted tin panels, Lead crystal pieces, Ceramic items, Silverware. Jewelry.

• Scuba weights. Some people use these to hold down the filter lines in the family's swimming pool, and their children accidentally, and regularly, swallowing lead-contaminated water

Mercury

This well-established neurotoxin lowers IQ and is known to cause brain damage, disrupt development and learning, and may contribute to cancer. Mercury also damages the nervous system, kidneys, and digestive system. (source)

Mercury is most commonly found:

• Fluorescent lightbulbs. These include all linear, U-tube and circline fluorescent tubes, Bug zappers, tanning bulbs, Black lights, Germicidal bulbs, Cold-cathode fluorescent bulbs

• Mercury short-arc bulbs.

• Fever thermometers that contain metallic mercury.

• Novelty jewelry, such as a glass pendant that contains mercury.

• Dental metal amalgams. It is made up of approximately 40-50% mercury, 25% silver, and 25-35% blend of copper, zinc and tin.

• Injections and vaccines. These may contain ethylmercury-containing compounds and Thimerosal that readily cross the blood-brain barrier, and convert to highly toxic inorganic mercury-containing compounds. These have been found in studies to significantly and persistently bind to tissues in the brain, even in the absence of concurrent detectable blood mercury levels.

References

• Legacy and Emerging Plasticizers and Stabilizers in PVC Floorings and Implications for Recycling. Helene Wiesinger, Christophe Bleuler, Verena Christen, Philippe Favreau, Stefanie Hellweg, Miriam Langer, Roxane Pasquettaz, Andreas Schönborn, and Zhanyun Wang. Environmental Science & Technology 2024 58 (4), 1894-1907. DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c04851. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.3c04851

• Check out this interesting article on how and why arsenic found its way into wallpaper, bread, and baby carriages in Victorian times. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/10/the-era-when-poison-was-everywhere/503654/

Study: Comprehensive Review of Mercury Provoked Autism

Emerging evidence supports the theory that some autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) may result from a combination of genetic/biochemical susceptibility

This is especially when the body is not able to excrete mercury and/or when one is exposed to mercury at critical developmental periods, such as during pregnancy and in childhood.

Mercury Causes Autism Symptoms

Mercury has been found to cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioural dysfunctions similar to traits defining/associated with ASDs, and that these similarities extend to neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, and biochemistry.

These symptoms span social relatedness and communication, repetitive behaviors, and stereotypic abnormal movement patterns.

The Research Findings

• Mercurials may be found in drugs for the eye, ear, nose, throat, and skin; in bleaching creams; as preservatives in cosmetics, tooth pastes, lens solutions, vaccines, allergy test and immunotherapy solutions; in antiseptics, disinfectants, and contraceptives; in fungicides and herbicides; in dental fillings and thermometers; and many other products.

• Mercury has been to cause immune, sensory, neurological, motor, and behavioural dysfunctions similar to traits defining/associated with ASDs. These similarities extend to neuroanatomy, neurotransmitters, and biochemistry.

• A review of molecular mechanisms showed that mercury exposure can induce death, disorganization and/or damage to selected neurons in the brain similar to that seen in recent ASD brain pathology studies. The researchers suggest that these neuronal alterations may likely produce the symptoms by which ASDs are diagnosed.

• A review of treatments suggests that ASD patients who undergo protocols to reduce mercury show significant clinical improvements in some cases.

The researchers note that in conclusion, the overwhelming preponderance of the evidence favours acceptance that Hg exposure is capable of causing some ASDs.

Environmental Toxins Can Inflame the Brain

Here’s another study that reviewed how heavy metals can cause autism through brain inflammation. The article in the Journal of Immunotoxicology is entitled "Theoretical aspects of autism: Causes--A review."

The author is Helen Ratajczak, who used to be a former senior scientist at a pharmaceutical firm.

Ratajczak did what nobody else apparently has bothered to do: she reviewed the body of published science since autism was first described in 1943. Not just one theory suggested by research such as the role of MMR shots, or the mercury preservative thimerosal; but all of them. You can read about her study here.

References:

• Geier DA, King PG, Sykes LK, Geier MR. A comprehensive review of mercury provoked autism. Indian J Med Res. 2008 Oct;128(4):383-411. PMID: 19106436.

• Heavy metals are a risk factor for autism since, according to previous studies, it has been recognised as a neurotrophic toxin. Check out the study here.

How Safety Standards for Cellphone Severely Neglects Human Biology

Do you know what levels of wireless radiation your phone has to emit to be considered lethal, or at least cause burns?

Sam the Military Man and Microwave Radiation

Let me tell you a story about SAM.

SAM is the specific anthropomorphic mannequin (SAM) meant to represent the standard human head.

But SAM was created in 1989 and he was not made to be average.

He was made to be a representative of the very top 10 percent of army recruits in the US military.

As microwave radiation as a military weapon progressed throughout 1970s and 80s, the military wanted a model to test the effects of microwave radiation on humans that they were observing in real life. So SAM was to be the test mannequin to see how much microwave radiation a body could absorb while making a cell phone call.

SAM became the standard for the specific absorption rate (or SAR) for cellphone radiation in humans.

The Problem with SAM

But some people began to point out that testing mobile phones on a plastic dummy isn't the same as in human body.

For one, the ear of a plastic dummy is not like a human ear of cartilage -- in fact, it is highly absorbant liquid.

SAM’s head size only represents roughly 2% of the human population and 0% of children.

Furthermore, the measurement, ‘SAR’ is still only based on thermal-induced effects (i.e., heating effects) and therefore disregards numerous health hazards, such as the effects on the blood brain barrier (BBB), neurotransmitters and autophagy which have all been well documented.

How do you use your phone? Against your ear?

Where do you actually keep it when you’re out all day — against your hip bone in your pocket? Or tucked in a bra? It goes on and on…

In fact, the phones themselves violate the SAR standard!

SAM was used to test early phone models. The outcome of those early proceedings was that a person cannot absorb more than 1.6 watts of energy per kilogram of body weight.

By now phones are on the 4G of wireless technology.

We Are Not SAM

Now, meet the man whose research inspired the SAM campaign. Professor Om P. Gandhi, Emeritus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering with the University of Utah, taught courses on biological effects of antennas, RF and microwave electromagnetic fields for over 50 years.

A world expert on how mobile phone radiation penetrates the human brain, Prof Ghandhi was once a consultant to major cell phone companies.

In March 2012, his study was published in the journal Electromagnetic Biological Medicine, it shared how The SAR for a 10-year old is up to 153% higher than the SAR for the SAM model and MRI scans of children between 5 and 8 years of age.

He wrote:

"It was found approximately 2 times higher SAR in children compared to adults. When electrical properties are considered, a child’s head’s absorption can be over two times greater, and absorption of the skull’s bone marrow can be ten times greater than adults."

“It is a fact that humans of all sizes and ages from children to older individuals are using cell phones, and testing for compliance testing for a 220 lb., 6 feet 2 inch tall adult male underestimates the actual energy absorbed by up to a factor of two, thus releasing into the market telephones that would not pass if a proper safety compliance testing method was used.”

He realised these findings were being manipulated...and how the SAM testing standard were an abuse of the SAR ratings.

Prof Gandhi became deeply disillusioned at the unconscionable lack of industry regulation and zero liability of cell tower companies and cell phone makers on human health.  Gandhi refused to work with them any longer.

SAM and SAR Cannot Tell You How Much Radiation You Absorb

The highest SAR was set relative to the heat produced by RF radiation.

Worse, the highest SAR is set well below the level of radiation that would endanger a user’s health.

Prof Ghandi embarked on a mission with other scientists and concerned advocates to share this knowledge. This work sparked the WE ARE NOT SAM movement.

We Are Not SAM movement is not based on opinion - it's backed by thousands of scientific studies and the leading independent scientists from around the world have a lot to say about this testing dummy called SAM.

The SAR specification on a phone can only tell you the highest measurement taken for each frequency reached by the device, and not how much radiation you absorb.

So now you know, there is zero biological science behind mobile phone safety testing. You are exposing yourself regularly to harmful levels of wireless radiation every time you use a wireless device. It is now in your hands to share about this knowledge and protect yourself and your loved ones.

https://www.instagram.com/wearenotsam/

References and Notes:

• https://www.instagram.com/wearenotsam/

• You can read Prof Gandhi’s paper here. Gandhi OP, Morgan LL, de Salles AA, Han YY, Herberman RB, Davis DL. Exposure limits: the underestimation of absorbed cell phone radiation, especially in children. Electromagn Biol Med. 2012 Mar;31(1):34-51. doi: 10.3109/15368378.2011.622827. Epub 2011 Oct 14. PMID: 21999884.

• Prof Gandhi was a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering in 1997. He was the Chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Utah, from 1992 to 1999, the President of the Bioelectromagnetics Society from 1992 to 1993, the Co-Chairman of the IEEE SCC 28. IV Subcommittee on the RF Safety Standards from 1988 to 1997, and the Chairman of the IEEE Committee on Man and Radiation from 1980 to 1982.

Study: Relationship Between Heavy Metals and Autism

What do autism and spectrum disorders in tiny children have in common with older people suffering with dementia? Their brains are chockful of heavy metals. These heavy metals be may exist in our environment naturally, or as impurities introduced through raw materials that are used in the production process -- of anything from cosmetics, household materials like paint, to the water you consume.

What Are Heavy Metals?

By definition, heavy metals are elements that can elicit adverse effects on the central nervous system and cognitive function. It is a huge and growing concern with far-reaching implications for human health, especially for the development of young children.

The most common heavy metals are elements, such as lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and chromium (Cr), which can exert toxic effects on living organisms at even very low exposure levels.

When you are poisoned by heavy metals, you suffer severe and long-term consequences on the brain, resulting in cognitive impairment. Chronic exposure to heavy metals may interrupt the development of physical, muscular, and neurological conditions, that look a lot like diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disorders.

The Study: The Relationship between the Level of Copper, Lead, Mercury and Autism Disorders: A Meta-Analysis

We know about the likelihood of a possible relationship between the concentrations of copper, lead, and mercury and autism. Researchers in this study wanted to review various studies to determine the relationship between the concentrations of these elements and autism by meta-analysis.

They eventually chose 18 out of 95 selected studies, involving 2–16-year-old children from different countries from 1982 to 2019.

The Results

The results were significant.

In these 18 studies, 1797 patients (981 cases and 816 controls) aged 2 to 16 years were examined. Concentration of the samples (blood, hair, and nails) for both case and control groups was evaluated. There was no significant relationship between copper concentration and autism (SMD (95% CI): 0.02 (− 1.16,1.20); I2=97.7%; P=0.972); there was a significant relationship between mercury concentration and autism (SMD (95% CI): 1.96 (0.56,3.35); I2=98.6%; P=0.006); there was also a significant relationship between lead concentration and autism (SMD (95% CI): 2.81 (1.64,3.98); I2=97.8%; P=0.000).

These heavy metals were found in various parts of the children through tests, especially in their blood plasma and nails. You can check out the concentrations of copper, mercury and lead in samples of hair, nails, and plasma of the children with autism and a control group in studies— the results of the meta-analysis are presented in Table 1 of the study.

Due to the chemical properties of certain metals, excessive metal exposure can cause brain abnormalities.

The study was published in Pediatric Health Medicine.

Why is this study important?

The review examined multiple studies and found a very strong link between lead and mercury concentration and autism.

Yet, are you aware of just how pervasive these toxic heavy metals are in our environment? It's found in things from cosmetics, interior decor and materials like paint, down to our water supply and quality of air.

Compared with adults, children are more exposed to environmental toxic elements and also absorb them at a higher rate.

On the other hand, the chance of warding off elements’ toxicity in children is less than adults.

Evidence of mercury’s toxicity has been growing for decades, and in recent years is focused on the metal’s association with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Brain health is what makes us happy, creative, vital individuals. We can build all the muscle we want and look good on the outside, but it is our super powerful computing system that powers how we live every day. If you are serious about averting neurological crises and general degeneration, prioritise eliminating every source of heavy metals in your own home.

References & Notes:

• Jafari Mohammadabadi H, Rahmatian A, Sayehmiri F, Rafiei M. The Relationship Between the Level of Copper, Lead, Mercury and Autism Disorders: A Meta-Analysis. Pediatric Health Med Ther. 2020;11:369-378
  https://doi.org/10.2147/PHMT.S210042 Link: https://www.dovepress.com/the-relationship-between-the-level-of-copper-lead-mercury-and-autism-d-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-PHMT

• Mercury is a risk factor for autism. Mercury is considered as a risk factor for autism since, according to previous studies, it has been recognized as a neurotrophic toxin. Check out the study here.

What is YOUR standard against wireless radiation?

In the digital era of the 21st century, we are not exposed to one Wi-Fi transmitter antenna. One typical office place or school classroom might have dozens of radiation streams from dozens of transmitting antennas: 30 laptops, 30 cell phones, a wireless printer, a wireless security system, an overhead internet access point and a cell tower located in line of sight outside the window.

You enter a mall and you’re exposed to multiple sources of wireless devices and antennas around you.

Do I Need to Worry About Radiation From WiFi and Bluetooth Devices?

Here’s what is known about the potential risk from routers and wireless devices

As of 2011, radiofrequency (RF) radiation is classified as a Group 2B Possible Human Carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer at the WHO.

There is a large number of studies establishing a concern that exposure to even low level electromagnetic fields causes adverse health effects. Studies showing possible health effects, that are corroborated as more research is done.

In 2018, the US National Toxicology Program embarked on an ambitious a 10-year, $25 million government study in rodents. It provided evidence that wireless radiation can cause cancer—but the abrupt termination of the study left a lot of key questions unanswered.

Professor James Lin from the University of Illinois in Chicago discussed the US National Toxicology Program’s (NTP’s) decision to close its radiation research program and what that means for us all.

‘In 2018, NTP published the final report on its US$30 million laboratory research showing “clear evidence” that lifelong exposure to low-level RF radiation caused cancers in rats.

‘The statistically significant findings showed that both GSM- and CDMA-modulated 900-MHz RF radiation had led to the development of malignant schwannoma, a rare form of tumor in the hearts of male rats. Furthermore, an independent analysis of the NTP data for overall cancer incidence detected in any organ or tissue inside the animal showed that rats exposed to GSM and CDMA cellphone RF radiation had significantly higher overall or total primary tumor incidence than the concurrent controls.’

Just recently, in 2023, the NTP declared on its 2023 fact sheet that it would perform follow-up studies on the effects found in the long term animal studies. 

So what happened? 

Have the follow-up studies been completed already?

Working with Swiss national engineering and U.S. government experts, the NTP had devised small-scale systems for exposing animals experimentally to controlled levels of wireless radiation.

Yet results from these exposure systems have neither been publicly shared nor published.

You can learn more about the NTP cellphone study in another post.

What Are the Existing Standards on Wireless Digital Technology (Radiofrequency Radiation)?

There Are No Safety Standards.

There are no national or international bodies who have “standards” for safe levels of the radiation emitted by wireless or microwave devices.

It is important to know that different countries have different standards and approaches to the current thermal (heat) RF exposure standards. The biologically toxic (oxidative/membrane) RF exposure levels, shown to produce harm at non-thermal levels.

This is an alarming concern as many countries rush towards 5G (i.e., device to device in the Internet of Things).[2]

So we are clear that nobody is watching out on your behalf:

Any “safety standard” by the telecommunications industry and the Big Tech sector, related industry associations, regulators on both sides of the Atlantic, and standards bodies such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) are focused exclusively on thermal effects ONLY.

This means “standards” are pushed to whether you get literally burnt or fried. Any non-thermal biological effects are either ignored or denied.

Different Countries Have Different Exposure Standards

However, in just the last 20 years, more than 20 position papers and resolutions regarding EMF and health have been adopted by esteemed EMF researchers and physicians.

Building Biology Standards

Standards for EMF exposure in Building Biology is based on the precautionary principle and lowest biological harm for sleeping areas. It is informed by reports by the BioInitiative Working Group. In August 2007 and December 2012, the BioInitiative Working Group, an international group of 29 experts with different competences, published two groundbreaking reports “BioInitiative 2007/resp. 2012 – A Rationale for a Biologically-based Public Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF and RF)” edited by Cindy Sage and David O. Carpenter, calling for preventive measures against EMF exposure based on the available scientific evidence.

The BioInitiative report 2012 includes sections on the evidence for effects on: gene and protein expression, DNA, immune function, neurology and behavior, blood-brain barrier, brain tumors and acoustic neuromas, childhood leukemia, melatonin, Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, fertility and reproduction, fetal and neonatal disorders, autism.

Now let’s have a look at some of these new actions:

In Europe, the EU in its Council Recommendation of 1999 adopted the ICNIRP recommendations. However, this does not consider long-term non-thermal effects. It also does not consider non-thermal bio effects.

Many individual EU countries are choosing stricter regulations against wireless radiation levels.

Austria

has one of the strictest standards. Since 2007, the Highest Health Council of the Ministry of Health in Austria has recommended to take preventive action by reducing exposure levels from RF devices of at least a factor of 100 below the guideline levels of the European Commission!

South Korea

In Korea, you will find many websites for public and nonpublic institutions that provide information aiming to improve public awareness and EMF knowledge [19-22]. This information includes large amounts of data on human limitation levels, EMF measurements of electronic products, base station information, general safety guidelines, and false beliefs.

France

The first low-EMF zone was established at Drôme, France in July 2009.[10]

After two long years of debate, on January 29th 2015, France adopted a law which limits the spread of WiFi radiation and establishes basic rules of precautionary principle related to health risks from radio frequency waves.

It also promises a fine of 75 000 Euros if any cell phone advertisement fails to mention recommended use of EMF protection products.

On 8 July 8, 2015, a court in Toulouse, France, ruled in favor of a woman with the diagnosis “syndrome of hypersensitivity to electromagnetic radiation” and determined her disability to be 85% with substantial and lasting restrictions on access to employment.[9]

Italy

The Italian Supreme Court confirmed a previous decision by the Civil Court of Appeals of Brescia (no. 614 of 10 December 2009) that ruled that the National Institute for Workmen’s Compensation (INAIL) must compensate a worker who had developed a tumor in the head due to long-term, heavy use of mobile phones while on the job.[11]

Russia

Russia set strict standards and has not loosened these. In contrast to the ICNIRP guidelines, the Russian safety standards, are based on non-thermal RF effects, which were obtained by several research institutes in the former Soviet Union during decades of studies on chronic exposures to RF. It is interesting to find that Russian researchers  looked at RFR exposures and immune dysfunction over 2 decades ago and because of these robust studies which were replicated in 2006-2009 they set their upper limit of RFR at 10 μW/cm2.

Canada

EMF Exposure Guidelines in Canada are under the jurisdiction of Health Canada who has not independently established guidelines for magnetic field or electric field exposure. When pressed, they will state that Canada follows the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection “ICNIRP” guidelines of 830 mG or 83,000 nT (Magnetic Field) or 5000 V/m (Electric Field) for a 24-hr period. Since these guidelines are based on short-term acute exposure we still do not have guidelines that protect the public from long-term low level exposure.

The Canadian Teachers' Federation (which represents over 200,000 teachers across Canada (2013)) recommends “prudent use of Wi-Fi” whenever possible including the recommendation to limit consistent exposure in schools by turning off wireless access points when not in use.

The Elementary Teacher's Federation of Ontario - over 76,000 teachers (2013) adopted resolutions:
 "That ETFO study the impact of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, including the possible implications for schools and members, with a report with recommendations.

The British Columbia Teachers' Federation (41,000 public school teachers (2013) adopted resolution to protect teachers' health: "The BCTF supports members who are suffering from electromagnetic hypersensitivity by ensuring that their medical needs are accommodated in the workplace."

The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association - 37,000 teachers (2012) recommends pulling plug on Wi-Fi in schools, schools should practice “prudent avoidance of exposure” given the mounting evidence against WiFi exposure especially on children.

May of 2012: To accommodate children with EHS and to provide choice for parents who want to heed health warnings to reduce exposure for children who are most vulnerable, the BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (BCCPAC) called for a moratorium on Wi-Fi in schools, and for a minimum of one school in each district at each level to be free of Wi-Fi.

What Are Your Personal Standards against Wireless Radiation?

• How often do you use WIFI hot spots? Regular surveys often find many places where the level of public exposure substantially succeeds that generally observed at the national scale.

  While, say the National Frequency Agency (AFNR) in France in this moment considers a hotspot to be atypical if the levels of radiation exceed 6 V/m (9.5 µW/cm2). It is not uncommon that WiFi radiation on hotspot peaks above 10 V/m. It takes time for network operators, often some months, before an excessive hotspot is recalibrated.

• Do you set clear boundaries against wireless radiation in your home?

  From nurseries and daycare centers are common places that ban wireless devices; this is where very small children under 3 yrs spend their time. Do you permit wireless devices for “digital educational activities” and “lifestyle and entertainment”? Otherwise, wireless access to internet can be disabled, eliminating one common source of high levels of wireless radiation.

• Are you aware of the EMF-spreading installation (antennas, towers etc)?

  Any such installation typically has to first approved by local government, because it may breach location rules, if indeed the area has any. Installers typically must submit necessary documentation about EM fields it will create and emit. This information may not be available to the public, however. In fact, the entire process may be obscured. This means it is up to you, the individual, to be able to detect, measure, and mitigate against EMFs in your environment.

• Do you use EMF protection? And are you regularly up to date on the various types of EMF product quality? For example, the most common products promise they reduce exposure of the head to wireless radiation from mobile device.

• If you have children, do you consider their more vulnerable needs? EMF protection products for kids consider their lower body weight to mass ratio.

Are you concerned about the levels of electromagnetic pollution in your home? Do you work with wireless devices? Check out my full guide to the regulations that institutions are enacting in response to citizens’ concern around the world.

For a full list of EMR exposure guidelines go here

References

• 1. http://www.safeinschool.org/

• 5G: Great risk for EU, U.S. and International Health! Compelling Evidence for Eight Distinct Types of Great Harm Caused by Electromagnetic Field (EMF) Exposures and the Mechanism that Causes Them. (2018) Martin L. Pall, PhD. Discusses SCENIHR and ICNIRP (International Commission on Non Ionising Radiation Protection – ICNIRP, Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks (SCENIHR) Guidelines for RFR and robust scientific literature on adverse health effects which are both considered and not considered in their deliberations.   https://einarflydal.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/pall-to-eu-on-5g-harm-march-2018.pdf

• 2. Oberfeld G. Precaution in Action – Global Public Health Advice Following BioInitiative 2007. In Sage C, Carpenter DO, editors. BioInitiative Report 2012: A Rationale for a Biologically based Public Exposure Standard for Electromagnetic Fields (ELF and RF), 2012. Available at: http://www.bioinitiative.org.

• 3. Havas M. International expert’s Perspective on the Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) and ElectromagneticRadiation (EMR) [Internet]. Peterborough, ON, (CD): 2011 June

• 11 (updated 2014 July). Available at: http://www.magdahavas.com/international-experts-perspective-on-the-health-effects-ofelectromagnetic-fields-emf-and-electromagnetic-radiation-emr/.

• x. https://ehtrust.org/singapore-policy-recommendations-cell-phones-wireless-radiation-health/; https://www.imda.gov.sg/user-and-set-up-guides/mobile-and-broadband/mobile-phone-base-stations-and-radiofrequency-radiation

• [9] Première reconnaissance d’un handicap dû à l’électrosensibilité en France. Le Monde fr avec AFP | 25.08.2015. Available at: http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2015/08/25/premiere-reconnaissance-en-justice-d-unhandicap-u-a-l-electrosensibilite_4736299_3244.html.

• 10. Abelous D. France has its first radiation-free refuge in the Drome [Internet]. EURRE/Drome (FR): Agence France Presse (AFP), 2009 Oct 9. Available at: http://www.next-up.org/pdf/AFP_France_has_its_first_radiation_free_refuge_in_the_Drome_09_10_2009.pdf.

• 19. Seoul (Korea): EMF; c2005. Electromagnetic field (EMF) [Internet] [cited 2019 Oct 5]. Available from: http://www.emf.or.kr/ [Google Scholar] [Ref list]

• Naju (Korea): Korea Electric Power Corporation; c2019. Korea Electric Power Corporation [Internet] [cited 2019 Oct 10]. Available from: http://home.kepco.co.kr/kepco/KO/D/A/KODAPP001.do?menuCd=FN050401/ [Google Scholar] [Ref list]