EMF*D

Joseph Mercola is a physician whose website is the most visited for natural health and who issues a daily newsletter. As it happens, there is an article today about the signing into law of the 5G Act in the US, which will 'force Americans to receive unprecedented exposure to the millimetre wave (MMW).' These shorter wavelengths will in turn require many more transmitters, and as I write SpaceX has already launched 400 of a projected 42,000 satellites designed to provide blanket 5G coverage – and EMF exposure - for the whole planet, with 1 million base stations currently approved. As those already up to speed on the topic will know, no prior industry studies have been carried out on the potential effects on human health and indeed on cell life in general - this was openly admitted in a Senate hearing in answer to a question by Sen Richard Blumenthal. Another key issue is that FCC and ICNIRP safety guidelines are based on the outdated and indeed scientifically discredited criterion (see e.g. www.5GSpaceAppeal.org) measuring only thermal heating via cell phones. Both the FCC and ICNIRP have in my view been captured by the telecoms industry (see pp. 74 ff.) in connivance with governments who want to maximise associated economic growth associated with a 'smart' Internet of things which at the same time enhances the capacity for surveillance and potentially for digital control.

In this authoritative treatment based on over 70 pages of scientific references, the author provides a highly informative account, beginning with a basic understanding of EMFs then moving on to ways in which they cause cellular damage to the body and contribute to the development of disease. He then explains how we can repair EMF-related damage and how we can reduce our EMF exposure. One of his overall arguments is that the telecoms industry is following the tactics previously used by the tobacco industry in denying adverse effects 'and funding low-risk studies that assure a positive result.' The industry then claims that the science is inconclusive -'doubt is their product.' The author shows how our exposure to EMFs has progressively increased over the last 100 years (by a factor of 1018), and that the implementation of 5G is an order of magnitude increase in pulsed EMF exposure, representing a massive involuntary health experiment. In this sense, 5G is an addition to existing capacity, not a replacement of it - it is attractive to the industry because no installation of cables is required, while Mercola himself recommends the adoption of fibre-optic cables (p. 56) instead.

The fourth chapter explains in detail how EMFs damage the body, explaining the significance of voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) that facilitate cellular damage through increasing oxidative stress by creating free radicals, and in particular peroxynitrite, that can cause inflammation and damage 'cell membranes, proteins, mitochondria, stem cells and DNA.' (p. 91, and see www.bioinitiative.org for a 650-page report containing 1,800 new studies documenting the health effects of EMFs). Earlier, the author had explained how ionising and non-ionising radiation both cause cellular damage, but in different ways. Appendix B lists the principal categories of harmful effects in terms of cellular DNA damage, lowered fertility, neuropsychiatric effects, cell death, free radical damage, in endocrine/hormonal effects and cancers. Plants, trees, animals and insects are also affected, but the population most vulnerable to EMF damage is children (p. 109). The next chapter explains in more detail the research into EMFs and disease, including tinnitus, disruption to the blood-brain and intestinal barriers, impaired sleep and increased susceptibility to degenerative and neurodegenerative conditions. Then there is a small percentage of people who are electromagnetically hypersensitive (3%) - EHS, which is not recognised by the medical establishment. Anecdotal evidence that I have read recently about 5G in streetlights in Birmingham suggests strong adverse effects within this group.

The next two chapters are devoted to help and advice for repairing EMF-related damage and reducing EMF exposure, which is aligned to other lifestyle factors and partly represented by maintaining NAD+ levels within the body. The first thing to know is sources of EMFs, for instance in computers, wireless connections, cell phones, microwaves, portable phones and baby monitors. The author recommends various meters and forms of shielding in an extensive resources section. Interestingly, major insurance companies including Lloyd's of London have excluded EMF claims from their policies. Reading this book can be a first step in becoming better informed about this unprecedented challenge to our health and steps we can take to mitigate this. For those who are already familiar, it provides a wealth of background scientific information. A must read in the current circumstances.