In a follow up to last Friday's post about the 5 Ways to Avoid Cell Phone Radiation, comes some extremely good news for consumers worldwide. Citizens of San Francisco won an important victory on July 11 when the Community Operations and Neighborhood Services Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved legislation requiring businesses to provide safety information about cell phone radiation to people before they purchase their phones.
“This is a real victory for people all over the world, and an end to the insulting treatment of cell phone users as too dumb to understand,” said Ellie Marks, Director of Governmental Affairs and Public Policy of Environmental Health Trust (EHT) and a leader with deep roots in the effort to save San Francisco's Right to Know. “We have a right to know how to be smart and safe with phones.”
The Cell Phone Industry was of course out in full force at the meeting, arguing that scientific information did not justify such warnings. “These devices are safe and there’s no proof of any harm,” the CTIA’s Jerry Keegan tried to assure the committee. I wonder if he really believes that? You can find easy to understand info on cell phone studies by checking out last weeks post on flawed cell phone studies. I think you will find yourself in disagreement with Keegan's position.
As a side note, I find the attack at the end of the video above on Verizon CFO, Francis Shammo, to be unnecessary. The point is that the public has the right to be efficiently informed as to how to properly use a cell phone to reduce the health risks. How much money Shammo makes is of absolutely no concern to me. More power to him for being able to handle the stress that must come along with that job? I mean, imagine how he must sit up at night wracked with worry over the fact that he will someday have made a name for himself as being part of an industry, which along with other segments of our manufacturing and retail industries, has contributed to the demise of our world population through sterilizing generations? But wait, consumers are going to make sure that never happens to him.
City supervisor John Alvalos, the author of the legislation, said that people deserve the right to know up front the safety warnings about cell phones that the FCC requires and that manufacturers are hiding in tiny print that nobody sees. “How can cell phone companies warn people not to keep phones in their pockets and keep them a safe distance from their bodies and run ads that feature people using phones in precisely this manner? We have a duty to ourselves and our children,” he said.
Lloyd Morgan, senior scientist with EHT, told the committee that cities and states across the nation that are taking precautionary steps and much stronger advisories are now provided by governments in Israel, France, and India.
Commenting on the San Francisco developments, Devra Davis, PhD, MPH, president of EHT, pointed out: “The original legislation simply required posting radiation levels. This improved bill will give people important information on how to reduce radiation exposures—a matter of grave importance for pregnant women and young men wanting to become fathers.” And please let mem add, girls wanting to be mothers-have you seen where young girls are carrying their cell phones these days? Try looking in the front pockets of their jeans, right above their ovaries.
Research presented to the EHT’s Istanbul Conference from the Gazi Biophysics Department in Turkey has found that prenatal exposure to cell phone radiation causes brain, liver and eye damage to baby rabbits and rats and impairs sperm count and health.
The bill goes to the full Board of Supervisors on July 19, where unanimous approval is expected, according to Alvalos.
I applaud consumers and organizations like the Environmental Health Trust who have worked together to spread information and help educate the rest of us on cell phone's health risks. Ultimately, their work insures the basis for a nationwide campaign for the retailers we all love, (think Walmart, 7-11, Radio Shack, Target, CVS, Best Buy and Safeway) to help inform consumers on how to safely use cell phones. This is not Big Brother, this is consumer demands being met.
P.S.- I am really glad that you stopped by our Environmental Booty Blog and I hope you have learned or shared a thing or two. I hope that , now that you've found us, you won't lose us! You can "Like" us on our new Facebook fanpage, join our green living online community, subscribe to our posts, download our community toolbar or Tweet with me on Twitter to stay in touch! - Shane
Sources: KevinKoonz's YouTube Channel, Environmental Health Trust , CISION WIRE
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