1) The Berkeley case “Right to Know”,
where the Court decided that Berkeley city could require notification in stores selling cell phones with wording similar to that in manuals, is being appealed by the CTIA, the cell phone industry group. Here is a press release about the fact that one of the Judges is in a situation of possible conflict of interest and she has not recused herself. There is a 40 minute video of the back and forth in the court hearing which is very interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU2IqWFM5KY
For Immediate Release:
Contact: Ellen Marks, California Brain Tumor Association
925-285-5437 cabta@ellenkmarks.com or elliekmarks@gmail.com
Ninth Circuit Court Judge Friedland’s Conflict of Interest
On September 13 the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard the CTIA- Wireless Association’s appeal in their lawsuit against the City of Berkeley’s Cell Phone Right to Know ordinance which was implemented in March, 2016. A decision has not yet been rendered.
Video of hearing below.
The three presiding judges of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals were Judge William Fletcher, Judge Morgan Christen and Judge Michelle Friedland. The potential conflict of interest rests with Judge Michelle Friedland.
Friedland’s husband’s career included design engineering in the wireless telecommunication industry with Cisco Systems, a member of the CTIA- wireless association.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/18/style/weddings-michelle-friedland-daniel-kelly.html?_r=0
This case has high visibility on the basis of constitutionality of the law and because the CTIA is represented by Theodore Olson, past Solicitor General for George W. Bush. The City of Berkeley is defended pro bono by Harvard Constitutional Law Professor Lawrence Lessig. Lessig is also a past United States presidential candidate.
The outcome of this case is much anticipated as many cities and states are awaiting this critical ruling as they plan to enact their own versions of Berkeley’s cell phone right to know label. California Attorney General Harris’s office submitted an Amicus Brief in support of Berkeley with concerns that a ruling against Berkeley’s ordinance may harm other important disclosures protecting the welfare of California citizens.
During the hearing Judge Michelle Friedland seemed to have an unfavorable opinion regarding the City of Berkeley’s position giving consumers the right to know. This predisposed bias was present in the form of questions and statements made by the judge.
The case before the federal Court of Appeals is CTIA-The Wireless Association v. City of Berkeley et al., case number 16-15141.
In past years Friedland also submitted an amicus brief supporting the work of Theodore Olson in regard to prop 8 (same sex marriage).
Link to the hearing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NU2IqWFM5KY
2) RE: shielding for those who are sensitive or are concerned about RF entering the home, this information from the company’s Facebook was sent by a member:
“Posting from Facebook – Silverboard
Finally –it’s a miracle, I am getting sleep- real sleep and here is how I’m able to block the rf radiation coming in my home from a new local cell tower- I am putting up these foam insulation boards- 4’x8′. My piano room, and my basement are both affected so I am posting some photos to show the easy, simple, not pricey fix I am using for this miracle- You can buy these boards at any building supply store for about 7$-$10 per sheet. Very light, easy to move around. I started out with just a few sheets, then still getting symptoms, so I kept adding more until- Viola’!! It finally did the trick.
Pic#1- My beautiful music room is now a dark cave. I had to cover the windows too unfortunately. The silver foil side faces out. Now my beautiful room looks bad, but I can function without getting ill. What a crazy life, huh?
Pic #2- I sleep in a corner of the basement with the foil boards on their side, just propped up. It took 2 to cover enough distance. My bed is behind these 2 boards. I take them down each morning, and lay them flat. I can’t believe the difference.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-IkVbdDxUwQ
3) Below in Letters is a Facebook document that has been translated from Swedish entitled: Nokia’s Technology Director, Matti Niemelä: Mobile Radiation Destroyed My Health
4) Letters:
We thank this Facebook group, Vi som vill bo tillsammans i ett område med lägre strålning, for having posted this article.
Nokia’s technology director, Matti Niemelä: Mobile Radiation destroyed my health
vaken.se, 30 May 2016 (Google translation with grammatical corrections)
Matti Niemelä is one of Nokia’s former technical directors, and has been involved in the development of many of the early mobile phones for Nokia. Matti became seriously ill from mobile industry microwave radiation. In addition, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS). Some studies suggest that radiation can increase the risk of MS.
Niemelä believes that we have been silent for too long about the risks. He is particularly worried about children. But the Vice President of Nokia claims: “All Nokia products fulfill international requirements and limits.”
For Tampere-based Matti Niemelä, 44, life was like a movie when he was young. He was recruited to work for Nokia in 1997. The brilliant young man advanced rapidly to become Nokia’s chief technology officer in less than ten years and was involved in the development of mobile phones, access memories, and WLAN Wi-Fi solutions.
In 2007, Niemelä’s career came to a halt when his health failed. Today he can only move with the help of a walker. Niemelä refuses to use a wheelchair.
– The irony of this is that I can no longer use any of the equipment that I developed, Niemelä says with a smile.
Niemelä is one of the unlucky ones who have experienced severe symptoms of microwave radiation.
– I traveled around the world with a Communicator [early model smart-phone] in my hand. Exposure to radiation was very strong from morning to night, and even at night.
Few people have had such an overload of radiation, says Niemelä. The first symptoms appeared within a year of his employment at Nokia.
– I played badminton, and I could no longer hit the ball during a serve, even though I had been playing badminton for a long time.
At first, Matti Niemelä did not dare go to the doctor, mainly because of the fear of brain cancer. The symptoms worsened every year.
– I could not walk around where people were talking on mobile phones because it caused coordination problems. The more intense the exposure, the more speech was slurred. Also, my ear felt warm when I talked on the phone for a long time. I struggled on, using the phone until I could no longer feel my own skin. Then I had to go to the doctor, says Niemelä.
In 2001, MRI images and samples of cerebrospinal fluid revealed the brutal truth: multiple sclerosis.
– I was kind of relieved, because one can cope with MS, but not survive brain cancer.
According to Niemelä, his medical representatives are not willing to take a position on whether mobile phone radiation caused MS. Preliminary results show that the radiation increases the risk of multiple sclerosis.
– I am a layman, not a doctor. The MS may actually be caused by a combination of factors, not only mobile phone microwave radiation. The radiation has increased my MS symptoms.
In addition, the symptoms of disease are easily confused with cell phone radiation symptoms, says Niemelä. During the interview, Niemelä’s voice slurs and is bad.
A sign in the hallway asks you to switch off your mobile phone. Even a small radiation exposure is too much.
– I can no longer go to the movies or stay in public areas for long because of lots of radiation. I have not been anywhere for a long time, says Niemelä who, in his forties, has to accept that the four walls of his home is now a prison.
Although Niemelä has lost his health, career and more recently, his marriage, he does not blame anyone.
– I’m not bitter, it was my own choice to work for Nokia.
He also would not scare people too much about cell phone dangers.
– A healthy person can use a cell phone responsibly.
For Niemelä, to go public with his story involves a great risk.
– I’m afraid to talk about this publicly, because I do not want to be labeled as crazy.
Niemelä explains that the issue of mobile phone radiation has always been kept quiet at Nokia.
– You cannot talk about it within the company. But among the staff, it has been speculated whether radiation can cause damage. But no one dared to bring it up, because it can get them kicked out.
Niemelä says he raised the issue with the doctor for the first time in 2006.
– The doctor told me about a number of patients suffering from the same symptoms as mine, reveals Niemelä.
Niemelä is particularly concerned about children and their cell phone use because continuous exposure to the ear and head does not do any good.
– These things have been kept quiet for a long time. I hope it will be possible to discuss the symptoms openly and without fear.
************** ************** ************** ******** ******
Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia and Microsoft’s current Senior Vice President Tom Kuuppelomäki ensures us that all products meet the requirements of the international health bodies and standards advocates.
– Product safety is of paramount importance for both Nokia and Microsoft.
With lots of Nokia employees using mobile phones during the past few decades, wasn’t it clear that radiation was the cause of these symptoms?
– The World Health Organization has looked at a number of studies from the past two decades in order to determine whether mobile phones pose a potential health risk.
Kuuppelomäki insists that so far, studies have not shown adverse health effects from cell phone use.
What kind of studies on radiation has Nokia done and ordered since the late 1980s?
– Nokia and Microsoft are now participating in the MMF (Mobile Manufacturers Forum), funding research.
– We believe that independent research will provide the best consumer information on the safety of mobile devices.
How will the health effects be studied in the future?
– WHO has issued recommendations for further research on electromagnetic fields in order to make a proper risk assessment.
Original article in Swedish:
http://www.vaken.se/nokias-teknikdirektor-10-ar-matti-niemela-mobilstralning-forstorde-min-halsa/
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
“Lyon, France, May 31, 2011 ‐‐ The WHO/International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B), based on an increased risk for glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, associated with wireless phone use.”
~ World Health Organization