January  23, 2012.  In October 2011, Moses Znaimer, President of Zoomer Media,  invited me to give a talk at the Zoomer Life Conference in Toronto. Below is short video  based on that presentation.

In this video I present information about the harmful effects of electrosmog and the beneficial effects of devices that generate pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF).  In Europe these PEMF devices are much more popular than they are in North America.  They are used to treat pain, to enhance healing of bone fractures, to treat depression and other psychological disorders, to promote circulation and functioning of the immune system.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

In order to better understand how electromagnetic energy affects living organisms, it is important to consider a broad range of exposures and both the harmful and beneficial effects documented in the literature.

Fortunately we have some excellent doctors, scientists, and engineers who have been working with PEMFs for decades and who are willing to share their understanding of this technology.  The work of Dr. Rainer Klopp in Germany is particularly enlightening and is mentioned in the video, as is the work of Dr. Thomas Rau at the Swiss Paracelsus Clinic, Dr. Jeff Daskalakis at the University of Toronto, Dr. Jeff Marrongelle at the  Bioenergimed Metabolic Institute in Pennsylvania, and Dr. Roland Drolet in Quebec.  The devices mentioned in this video include those that promote bone healing; transcranial magnetic stimulation for depression; Rhumart for rheumatism and arthritis; and iMRS and BEMER for a host of symptoms.  Many devices are now available and I expect these devices will become more popular here in North America as well.

Various shielding products to reduce electrosmog exposure are also mentioned in this video.

Please note that our research in the area of PEMF is at an early stage. Inclusion of a product in this video does not necessarily imply endorsement.

Click here to watch Dr Oz on PEMF Therapy and Pain Relief.

January 7, 2012.  In 2010, we published a paper that showed radiation from a cordless phone at 2.4 GHz affects the heart. Click here for a copy of that publication and here to watch the youtube video.

We heard from many people who acknowledged that they experience heart palpitations in certain environments and are unable to use mobile phones and be near cell phone antennas and Wi-Fi routers.  We also learned that some students in schools with Wi-Fi experience a racing heart. Cardiologist, Dr. Stephen Sinatra, believes that those who have undiagnosed heart conditions may be particularly vulnerable to radio frequency radiation.

In the past we were concerned about the radiation from a microwave oven affecting heart monitors.  Those heart monitors have been improved and are now shielded against radio frequency radiation. Our hearts are NOT shielded and our exposure to radio frequency radiation includes not only microwave ovens but mobile phones, cell phone antennas, wireless routers, smart meters, wireless computer games, blue tooth, and wireless baby monitors.

Our study was criticized and the claim was made that our results were due to electromagnetic interference (EMI).

EMI refers to disruption of an electronic circuit with an electromagnetic signal. A common example is the static you hear as you drive under high voltage transmission lines with your radio tuned to an AM station.  The static on the radio is EMI.

In our experiment the radiation from the cordless phone may have affected the receiver, placed near the heart, creating spurious results.  If this were the case, the signal would interfere each time but that did not happen. We were convinced our results were real (i.e. that we were recording changes in the heart rather than changes in the equipment)  but the criticism of EMI was worth testing.

Was there a critical distance where the radiation from the cordless phone interfered with the equipment we were using?

So we designed an experiment to test for EMI.  The results are in our new video.  Click here to watch the video.

NOTE:  There is an error in our previous video (2010).  We refer to the cordless phone as a DECT phone.  Technically DECT phones radiate between 1880 and 1930 MHz and the phone we used provides a signal at 2400 MHz.  We do have DECT phones in North America but they operate at a different frequency than those in Europe.  DECT 6.0 phones in U.S. and Canada operate at 1.9 GHz.

January 5, 2012.  In May of 2011, the IARC (International Association for Research on Cancer) declared radio frequency radiation as a possible cause of cancer. In this video you will listen to excerpts from the press conference and the related microwave radio frequency radiation emitted by cell phones and cell towers. You can then decide if you want to live near cell towers and if you want to hold a mobile phone next to your brain.

December 4, 2011. A growing number of schools are having wireless routers installed across North America despite the fact that many of these schools already have ethernet connections and students are able to access the internet.

I have been asked to give lectures on this topic to many different groups. For those who would like information about Wi-Fi in schools and whether or not it is safe, please watch this video. Click here for video and here for pdf.

Some students, in schools with Wi-Fi, are complaining about ill health that includes headaches, dizziness, nausea, weakness and heart palpitations. Exposure in one school has exceeded Health Canada’s Safety Code 6 guideline but no one in Municipal, Provincial or Federal Health Departments/Ministries is responding.

Teachers concerned about exposure are told to keep quiet and not to speak publicly against School Board Policy.

Parents don’t know if their children are attending schools that have wireless routers as they have NOT been consulted about this and are NOT required to give consent for their children to be exposed to microwave radiation.

Some School Boards are measuring the microwave radiation in the classroom but the measurements are deeply flawed as those doing the monitoring are unqualified and are taking measurements inappropriately. The routers in some schools are hidden behind ceiling tiles and the technicians don’t know where these are.

We are heading for a health tsunami if we expose young children to pulsed microwave radiation generated by Wi-Fi routers in the classroom for the duration of their school education.

The World Health Organization in May 2011 classified this form of radiation as a possible human carcinogen, but this has not affected School Board policy. They can’t get Wi-Fi into schools fast enough.

Those of us who have been studying this issue for decades are perplexed that those responsible for the education of the next generation are so out of touch with reality and are so irresponsible in the decisions they are making that will affect the lives of many young people and their teachers. They are undemocratic in their conduct and, when all else fails, they resort to bullying tactics.  Are these the type of people we want making policy decisions and educating our children and grandchildren?

If you care about the health of students and their teachers, please watch and share this video.  Click here to watch video and click here if your prefer to read it as a pdf.

For more information about Wi-Fi in schools, visit the following websites:

www.safeschool.ca
www.citizensforsafetechnology.org
www.centerforsaferwireless.org
www.emfeffectsonkids.com
www.wiredchild.org

August 28, 2011.  A hair stylist in Toronto noticed discolourations on the scalp of adolescents. The marks were often in the temporal lobe near the ear although some were on the top or back of the head.  Since most of the blemishes were covered by hair they were difficult to see.This is what she had to say about the marks: On a few occasions, I saw one spot on each side [of the head] in similar or same positions above the ear.  Sometimes there are up to 6 on the head.  They range from light pink to dark brown and blackish.  Some of them look new and developing.  Sometimes they are perfectly round with darkened edges, sometimes random shapes with uneven edges. Sometimes they are a bit like oozing blemishes, sometimes a bit crusty.  Sometimes there might be a few or many on one side of head above and around ear, neck and cheek size of a pea to size of a nickel.  They are most common from grade 3 up to grade 7.  In grade 8 the numbers begin to drop off.  Whatever these blemishes are, the numbers and regularity, with which I see them, is alarming.  One immediately thinks of melanoma, a malignant tumor–often on the skin–that contains dark pigment. She goes on to say . . . While I am aware that the sun is often cited as reason for concern, I cannot help but wonder if the rapid increase in young children’s exposure to various levels of radiation in the home, school, and public environments has something to do with this.  The highest amount of blemishes, per-capita, was on a group of children who apparently carry their blackberries in the pockets of their school uniforms all day long, and have probably been doing it for a few years. Characteristic signs of melanoma include a spot that is asymmetrical, that has irregular borders, that has a range of colours, and is larger than the diameter of a pencil eraser as shown in this figure.

Compare these to the spots on the children’s head.   Clearly, some require examination by a qualified dermatologist to ensure that they are not malignant.

The message for parents is to check their children for head blemishes and to notify their family doctor if any resemble melanomas.  This is especially important if your child uses a mobile phone.

“Dear 16-year-old Me” is an excellent 5-minute video made possible by the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund (DCMF).  This video, now available in English, French, Spanish, and Russian has gone viral. It is well worth watching and sharing. Click here to watch.

March 23, 2011.  Symptoms for multiple sclerosis (MS) and electrohypersensitivity (EHS) are similar and may lead to an initial misdiagnosis of this illness.  Also, some people with MS may also have EHS.  If this is the case, improved electromagnetic hygiene in the home and work environment may alleviate some of the neurological symptoms as shown in this video.

For more information click here to download pdf of Havas, 2006. Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity: Biological Effects of Dirty Electricity with Emphasis on Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis.  Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, 25:259-268.

January 18, 2011.  Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disorder and many of the symptoms overlap with electrohypersensitivity (EHS).  Indeed some individuals with EHS may be misdiagnosed with MS and some may have both “diseases.”

In a study we conducted a few years ago, we found that some people diagnosed with MS improved when power quality was improved in their home environment. Subjects documented better sleep, more energy, clarity of thought, improved balance and motor coordination, better mood among other symptoms.   Changes were documented within a matter of days and weeks. However, not everyone who participated in this study noticed benefits.

One might expect that people who have a compromised nervous system and an impaired immune system may be particularly vulnerable to electromagnetic energy.  MS patients have both.  The myelin sheath around nerves cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged and this is believed to be an autoimmune response.

More research needs to be done in this area to determine what percent of the MS population is electrically hypersensitive and what frequencies they may be responding to.  By reducing their exposure to radio frequency  radiation and other forms of electrosmog and by practicing good electromagnetic hygiene they may be able to get relief from their symptoms and some may be able to delay, halt or reverse the progression of this disease.

Here are some tips on how to practice good electromagnetic hygiene.

1.  replace cordless phone with corded phone

2.  replace WiFi with ethernet cable for computer

3.  use cellphone as little as possible & only in speaker mode

4.  do NOT use compact fluorescent light bulbs

5.  do NOT use electric blankets or water beds

6.  keep alarm clock radios at least 2 meters from bed

7.  measure radio frequency in your home & install radio frequency-reflecting window film or fabric to shield from external sources

8.  measure dirty electricity in your home & install filters if values are above 50 GS units.

9.  ask utility to install “wired” smart meter (not wireless)

10. do not live in a home within 100 m of transmission lines or within 400 m of cell phone antennas

Click  here for peer-reviewed publication:  Havas. M.  2006. Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity:  Biological Effects of Dirty Electricity with Emphasis on Diabetes and Multiple Sclerosis.  Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, 25:259-268.

Youtube video on “Multiple Sclerosis and Dirty Electricity” coming soon.

January 10, 2011.  The purpose of my website it to provide information about different types of electromagnetic pollution and what people can do to protect themselves and to regain their health. I try to present scientific information to a lay audience in a way that they will both understand and recognize the importance of the information.

While many people visit my website, a lot more watch the youtube videos that I create. Even kids watch these videos and it is important to reach the next generation.

Perhaps you have seen “Planet Irth” (April 2010) about a planet that becomes inundated with electrosmog and the irthlngs are warned by sensitives that this is not a good thing but no one listens.  Click here to watch this video.

Or you may have seen “Taming the Microwave Dragon” (December 2010) told in a fairy tale style with a similar message to Planet Irth.  Click here to watch this video.

Well, the newest in this “series” is called “Population Control & Microwave Radiation.”  It ponders the concept that some “elite group” is using microwave radiation to control the size of the human population. This video is deliberately intended to be provocative. Click here to watch this video.

Am I a supporter of conspiracy theories?  NO. Those with wealth and power have always tried, and will continue to try, to increase their wealth and power (combination of both greed and insecurity) and they will manipulate situations in their favor. This is not new. However, I believe that we do more damage to this planet and its inhabitants than that done by some elite group by a combination of greed, stupidity, and insecurity (both real and imaged) at all levels of society.

All of my youtube videos are meant to inform the audience about the harmful effects of electrosmog and what they can do to reduce their exposure and to protect themselves, if they choose to.  Drawings and cartoon characters make the “medicine” of the message more palatable and bring it to the attention of  younger audiences, who are increasingly becoming hooked on wireless technology.

“Knowledge is power” and these videos are meant to empower those who watch them.

December 23, 2010. The Concern with WiFi in Alberta Schools, aired on Alberta Prime Time on November 17th 2010.

Dr. Magda Havas debates Dr.Marc MacKenzie, a scientific sceptic.

Nausea, headaches, heart palpitations and insomnia; just a few of the effects some Canadian parents claim wireless internet is having on their kids.

Health Canada says there is no convincing scientific evidence to prove Wi-Fi is dangerous. But some experts say there is enough anecdotal evidence to prove radio frequencies do harm little bodies, and now, parents at one Alberta school are protesting impending Wi-Fi installation.

Has enough research been done on Wi-Fi?  Are health Canada standards up-to-date? And are your children at risk?

Joining us for this discussion is Dr. Marc MacKenzie, Medical Physicist with the Cross Cancer Institute in Edmonton and spokesperson for the Centre for Inquiry Canada, and Dr. Magda Havas, Associate Professor of Environmental and Resource studies at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario.

Click here to watch video.

October 22, 2010.  New study by Dr. Magda Havas and colleagues in the peer-reviewed European Journal of Oncology Library Vol. 5, 2010 shows that radiation from a digital cordless phone base station affects the heart in a double-blind provocation study.

Click HERE to view the study.

According to this research, some individuals are hypersensitive to microwave radiation and respond when they are exposed to levels well below federal guidelines (5 microW/cm2 or 0.5% of guidelines in Canada & U.S.). During real time monitoring of the heart some individuals experienced an  irregular heart rate or a rapid heart rate that occurred only during provocation and not during sham exposure (when the radiation was off).  This  is the first study showing such dramatic and repeatable results.

The sympathetic nervous system up regulated and the parasympathetic nervous system down regulated during exposure, which is the typical “flight-or-fight” stress response. Feelings of anxiety as well as pain or pressure in the chest were associated with the rapid or irregular heart beat among some of the participants tested.

This test is objective and directly measures the heart’s response to radiation and is unlike subjective testing, where scientists ask individuals if they know whether a device is turned on or off and then determine their “sensitivity” based on perception of exposure, which is just that perception and NOT sensitivity.

It clearly documents that some individuals are hypersensitive to specific frequencies and supports complaints people have when they are exposed to radiation,  including a racing or fluttering heart, pain or pressure in the chest, and feelings of anxiety that resemble the onset of a heart attack.

Recent reports that students in some Collingwood Ontario schools are experiencing these symptoms when they are exposed to WiFi in the classroom, leads one to ask whether those symptoms are due to the pulsed microwave radiation generated by the WiFi base stations.

The cordless phone base station beacon signal, used in the present study, operates at the same frequency as WiFi in schools, namely a pulsed digital signal at 2.4 GHz.  If this radiation can affect the adult heart it could be affecting the heart of children as well.

Heart complaints are becoming increasingly common in society and at least some of these complaints may be related to our increasing exposure to radiation from wireless devices as documented for the first time in this study.

View the videos below to see the methods that were used in the study. (Note the video title and narration specify  that a DECT phone base station was used.  In Europe – DECT technology utilizes 1.9 gigahertz and in North America 2.4 gigahertz is commonly used.  We used a 2.4 gigahertz digital portable phone base station that was always sending it’s beacon signal similar to DECT phones for this study.  Read reference material and view videos below)

View a video from a TV program that used this method to test for electrosensitivity using a 2.4 gigahertz WiFi base station.

The video below demonstrates how microwave radiation is used  for wireless devices that are found in your home.

______________________________

Eur. J. Oncol. Library, Vol. 5, 28 pp.

Provocation Study using Heart Rate Variability shows Radiation from 2.4 GHz Cordless Phone affects Autonomic Nervous System

Magda Havas, Jeffrey Marrongelle, Bernard Pollner, Elizabeth Kelley, Camilla R.G. Rees, Lisa Tully

IN:  Non-Thermal Effects and Mechanisms of Interaction Between Electromagnetic Fields and Living Matter.  Giuliani, L. and M. Soffritti (Eds). 2010.  An ICEMS Monograph, Ramazzini Institute. Eur. J. Oncol. Library Vol 5:  273-300.

Abstract

Purpose: The effect of pulsed microwave radiation on heart rate variability (HRV) was tested in a double blind study. Method: Twenty-five subjects in Colorado between the ages of 37 to 79 completed an electrohypersensitivity (EHS) questionnaire. After recording their orthostatic HRV, we did continuous real-time monitoring of HRV in a provocation study, where supine subjects were exposed for 3-minute intervals to radiation generated by a pulsed cordless phone at 2.4 GHz or to sham exposure.

Results: Questionnaire: Based on self-assessments, participants classified themselves as extremely electrically sensitive (24%), moderately (16%), slightly (16%), not sensitive (8%) or with no opinion (36%) about their sensitivity. The top 10 symptoms experienced by those claiming to be sensitive include memory problems, difficulty concentrating, eye problems, sleep disorder, feeling unwell, headache, dizziness, tinnitus, chronic fatigue, and heart palpitations. The five most common objects allegedly causing sensitivity were fluorescent lights, antennas, cell phones, Wi-Fi, and cordless phones.

Provocation Experiment: Forty percent of the subjects experienced some changes in their HRV attributable to MW radiation. For some the response was extreme (tachycardia), for others moderate to mild (changes in SNS and/or PSNS). and for some there was no observable reaction either because of high adaptive capacity or because of systemic neurovegetative exhaustion.

Conclusions: Orthostatic HRV combined with provocation testing may provide a diagnostic test for some EHS sufferers when they are exposed to electromagnetic emitting devices. This is the first study that documents immediate and dramatic changes in both HR and HRV associated with MW exposure at levels well below (0.5%) federal guidelines in Canada and the United States (1000 microW/cm2).