As part of its ongoing support for the health and industrial scandal of Phonegate, the American organization, Environmental Health Trust (EHTrust), chaired by Dr. Devra Davis, wished to engage the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) https://www.fda.gov/  on the subject of the tests conducted on the Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) by the French National Frequencies Agency (ANFR) https://data.anfr.fr/explore/dataset/das-telephonie-mobile/?disjunctive.marque&disjunctive.modele&sort=date_du_controle_par_l_anfr between 2012 and 2015 on the real use (in contact with the body) of several hundred mobile phones. Full measurements were published for the first time by the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety in a July 8, 2016 report, “Exposure to Radiofrequencies and Child Health”.

The Executive Director of the Environmental Health Trust (EHT), Theodora Scarato, wrote to the FDA in June and September 2017 to inform them of the results of these tests and of my action as whistleblower for a better protection of the health of mobile phone users, thanks to a much stricter regulation that does not allow manufacturers to place on world markets mobile phones potentially at risk.

On October 18, 2017, the FDA replied to the EHTrust by an Email from Daniel Kassiday, Radiation Safety Engineer, to let it know that the FDA had written to the French agency, asking for a discussion of the results of their studies and conclusions and that ANFR has not responded to date (as of October 18). The FDA also indicated that it has not yet formed an opinion with regard to the differences in test protocols between France and the United States, nevertheless hastening to recall that the safety thresholds for health are adequate to protect the public.  Finally, the FDA confirmed to the EHTrust that two of its employees viewed the video of my intervention during the scientific conference in Jackson Hole (USA) on July 31, 2017.

The exchanges with the FDA, ANFR and ANSES are very important. The SAR test protocols in the United States are still currently conducted at 15 mm from the skin, while in June 2016, France and Europe changed the European standard to 0 mm (SAR limbs) and a few mm (SAR trunk), following the disclosure of its measurement tests indicating that the limit values were exceeded by up to more than 3 times for 9 out of 10 mobile phones in 2015.

In the same way as France and Europe, they will no longer be able to ignore the protocol of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the American counterpart of ANFR, which since 1996 has introduced stricter parameters to protect the health of users, for example, by using a SAR measurement of 1 gram of tissue instead of 10 grams and 30 minutes of communication instead of 6. In addition, the regulatory thresholds are lower for the head and trunk at 1.6 W/kg compared to 2 W/kg in France and Europe.

These differences in the choice of parameters of the protocols have a substantial impact. We now have tangible evidence that can no longer be ignored by the regulators, by the manufacturers of mobile phones and even less by the public authorities. We are thus going to follow very closely the discussions in progress on both sides of the Atlantic.

Original text in French:

Phonegate : premières réponses de l’Agence américaine Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

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As a result of lax and imprecise international standards, hundreds of millions of users of mobile phones that have been placed on the market over the past twenty years are subjected to radiation levels in contact with the body, for some phones, more than three times the threshold limit (ten times with American standards). We now have proof of this, since Dr Arazi obtained the publication on 1 June 2017,  of the initial partial results conducted by the French National Frequencies Agency (ANFR) that our health, especially of younger people, is being deliberately endangered.  Despite this, ANFR continues to hide essential information. There is total inertia on the part of the public authorities despite having been alerted in various ways.  It is urgent to inform the more than six billion users, including the French population, of the risks involved and the ways to protect against these risks.

One point in common with the various scandals that have been increasing in recent years, from Médiator to the “Monsanto papers” and Dieselgate, are the many obstacles to acquiring information.

ANFR postpones indefinitely the publication of test reports

The *Phonegate scandal is no exception. The fight for transparent information from the manufacturers of mobile phones and national and international control agencies is far from being won.  Let us take as evidence the latest blow from ANFR which, in an unexpected turnaround, decided to no longer publish the complete reports of the measurements of the specific absorption rates (SAR) of the 428 mobile phones tested between 2012 and June 2017. ANFR had nevertheless made a written commitment to Dr. Arazi on 13 July 2017 to make these reports public “in September’  Courrier-ANFR-13-JUILLET-2017  Gilles Brégant, Director-General of ANFR, however, never lacks “good reasons” for not doing so. In the telephone exchange on 10 October 2017 with the whistleblower, the head of the control authority considers this is no longer “a priority” for its staff.  The publication of this essential information, expected for more than 15 months, has been indefinitely postponed.

Everything always goes well in la-la land

The question we publicly ask ANFR is simple:  “What are you trying to hide?”   This question is more legitimate when we discover the new list of 49 mobile phones “tested” by ANFR up to June 2017.  To say that ANFR is confounding information with communication is a euphemism.  Its strategy is all the more simple as the subject is complex.  The Agency wants to give the appearance of transparency.  It as not done so!  Welcome to la la land! Here are examples:

• The SAR measurements of the phones as actually used, in contact with the skin, have simply disappeared.  This is the easiest way for ANFR to obtain deceptively reassuring results, especially since European legislation requires a measurement in contact for the SAR “limbs” (a phone in the pants pocket or held in the hand).
• A SAR  “head” measurement for only one phone out of the 49 phones tested.
• A compliance distance greater than 5 mm and up to 25 mm.  This concerns nine mobile phones (Wiko, Sony, Hisense, Orange, Alcatel, Crosscall, Doro and Switel).  And yet, ANFR publicly explained that the new European warning regarding the “SAR ‘trunk’ in contact with the skin at a few millimeters” would apply for measurements taken at distances not exceeding 5 mm…Proof by example!

A scandalous European Directive written to defend the interests of the manufacturers

The new directive 2014/53/UE, entered into force in June 2017 at the initiative of the European Commission, is meant to set an example of transparency.  On the contrary, it is further proof of the serious abuses of an institution that is too much influenced by the actions of the lobbies invading Brussels.  Article 5 of the directive   provides the manufacturers of mobile phones with complete confidentiality of the data concerning the health risks of their phones, while article 42 is entitled, “Compliant radio equipment which presents a risk”.

 A total absence of reaction from the public authorities, despite warnings

The French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) made scientific recommendations to the government in its July 2016 report entitled, “Exposure to Radiofrequencies and Child Health”.  The recommendations have not been followed up!

Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to review its 1996 SAR measurement protocols which are inappropriate and out of date. The AAP expressed its concern prior to the announcement in September 2017 by the scientific team of the National Toxicology Program (NTP), one of the official agencies of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), of the disturbing results on the “genotoxicity” of mobile phone waves tested on mice and rats.

The complete results are expected at the beginning of 2018.

When will the Minister for Health, Agnès Buzyn, and the Minister for the Ecological Transition, Nicolas Hulot, finally take up this public health issue? They have not yet responded to the letter sent by Dr. Arazi four months ago, reminding them of the responsibility of the State. To hear them, human health is nevertheless their “priority”.

Time and need to act

The action for transparency is for us a major public health issue.  We have thus decided to take all necessary actions, including legal actions, to obtain from ANFR as soon as possible the complete reports of the measurement tests of mobile phones.  We call on all those in France and abroad who share our fight for “truth” to be heard.

* The origin of the term comes from Pierre Le Hir (Le Monde, 23 December 2016) « Soupçons sur les ondes des téléphones portables »

Links to Dr Marc Arazi’s blog and the above post

[Press release] Phonegate : Welcome to la la land !

« Hello, I hear nothing » Article published in Le Canard Enchaîné, 2 August 2017

[Interview] Danger of cell phone waves: en route towards a “phonegate”?

Mobile Phones : Towards a Health Scandal? by Emmanuel Lévy, Marianne, 23 December 2016

[Video] Phonegate: Dr. George Carlo supports international action.

More articles,translated by the authors of  ” Towards Better Health”

5 Billion Mobile Phone Users in the World: How Many Users Are Exposing Themselves to Levels of Microwave Radiation Beyond Regulatory Standards?  http://mieuxprevenir.blogspot.co.za/2017/07/5-billion-mobile-phone-users-in-world.html

“Phonegate” Cell Phone Radiation Tests of France Violate Safety Limits – Lecture by Dr. Marc Arazi, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 31 July 2017 http://mieuxprevenir.blogspot.co.za/2017/09/phonegate-cell-phone-radiation-tests-of.html

French ‘PhoneGate’ — Cellphone Users Say They Are Misled on Dangers http://mieuxprevenir.blogspot.co.za/search?q=Phonegate

Cell Phones Violate Radiation Limits: Doctor Calls For Urgent Action To Update Cell Phone Radiation Tests http://mieuxprevenir.blogspot.co.za/2017/08/cell-phones-violate-radiation-limits.html

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Publications
– Mikko Ahonen

Publications – Mikko Ahonen

The post Microwave radiation guidelines and debate during the last 50 years – Mikko Ahonen (PhD) appeared first on EMFSA.

Don’t Hold Your iPhone 7 To Your Head, Says Apple

Note: There is a mistake in the above article. It is wrong to call cell phone radiation ‘radioactive’

  Radioactive [ produces continuous ionizing radiation]

The emission of elementary particles by some atoms when their unstable nuclei disintegrate . Materials composed of such atoms are radioactive. (See alpha radiation, beta radiation, and gamma radiation.) Once made radioactive in a “reactor” and depending of the material used it will slowly de-energize itself by continuously giving off radiation and can remains active for many years.

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