An Electronic Silent Spring

An Electronic Silent Spring: Facing the Dangers and Creating Safe Limits

“Except for light and infrared heat, we can’t perceive any of these [radio frequency and other] energies without instruments, so most people don’t realize how drastically and abruptly we’ve changed the electromagnetic environment in just one century.” —Robert Becker, MD, author of The Body Electric: Electromagnetism and the Foundation of Life

Over millions of years, living creatures have evolved in relation to the Earth’s electromagnetic energy. Now, we’re surrounded by human-made frequencies that challenge our health and survival. An Electric Silent Spring reports the effects of electrification and wireless devices on people, plants, bee colonies, and frogs around the globe. It presents solutions for people who want to reduce their exposure to electromagnetic radiation.

This pioneering book is for anyone concerned about the health of the environment and the people and other creatures that inhabit it.

ISSUES COVERED IN AN ELECTRONIC SILENT SPRING:

While they operate, mobile phones, mobile phone chargers, iPads, cellular antennas, Wi-Fi, compact fluorescent lights, transformers, and “smart” utility meters emit electromagnetic radiation (EMR) at frequencies and amplitudes that are not found in nature. An Electronic Silent Spring describes how wildlife and peoples’ health are affected.

1. The book reports on peer-reviewed studies that show that EMR-exposed tadpoles die, aspen tree seedlings wither, bee colonies collapse, birds crash into antennas, and white stork mates fight.

2. Signals emitted by metal detectors, “smart” utility meters, hybrid cars, and other common electronics can shut off a medical implant. While the FDA regulates microwave ovens (whose signals can interfere with cardiac pacemakers), no agency regulates cell phones, which operate closer to the body, with more power and at the same frequency as a microwave oven. Geophysicist, electrical engineer, and implant patient Dr. Gary Olhoeft explains the issues.

3. Dr. Martha Herbert, Harvard pediatric neurologist, and Cindy Sage, MA, coeditor of the BioInitiative Report, and others explain why exposing children to Wi-Fi may lead to autism. The American Academy of Pediatrics warns pregnant women and children not to use cell phones.

4. Federal regulations protect the engineering needs of electronic devices and telecom companies. Federal law prohibits local officials from refusing installation of a cell tower based on health or environmental concerns. The book explains federal policies, which do not recognize that EMR can harm health.

5. Underwriters Lloyds of London and A.M. Best advise companies not to insure against damages to health caused by wireless devices. This book presents the peer-reviewed studies underlying analysts’ concerns.

Katie Singer also offers an extensive solutions section for policy makers, telecom and utility companies, schools, civic groups, and individuals who want to reduce EMR emissions and exposure.

C O N T E N T S:

Introduction

1. Ginger Farver: Give Me a Megaphone
2. Veronica Ciandre: My Life Six Feet under Ten Cellular Antennas
3. Wildlife Health and Radio-frequencies
4. Electricity, Magnetics, Electronics, Biology, and the Law
5. What’s New under Heaven?
6. Health Effects of Exposure to Magnetic and RF Fields
7. Other Dangers from Wireless Devices
8. Rules and Regulations that Frame Us
9. Slingshots at Goliath
10. Living with Ourselves and Other People in this Virtual Season
11. Solutions
12. Closing Questions

Appendices:
Resources
The American Academy of Pediatrics on the Cell Phone Right to Know Act
De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, MPH on “Smart” Meters
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine on “Smart” Meters
How to Detect EMFs
A Timeline of Electronic Developments
Glossary of Terms
Glossary of Acronyms

Index

About the Author

KATIE SINGER presented her concerns about the Internet’s footprint at the United Nations 2018 Forums on Science, Technology and Innovation, and Sustainable Development. A medical journalist, her books include An Electronic Silent Spring (2014, also available in Korean); Honoring Our Cycles (2006); The Garden of Fertility (2004); and The Wholeness of a Broken Heart (1999). A consultant for the Electromagnetic Policy Institute, Katie speaks internationally.