Rob: So basically, if anything, they're making things worse, and they're taking away protections that we had by redefining things.
KS: Yes. And I could explain how that's happening with cell towers at the same time. Again, they're being deregulated. And since the elections in November of 2014, there have been reports in places like the Wall Street Journal that we ain't seen nothing yet; that more deregulation of telecommunications is headed our way with the new Congress.
Rob: Wow. Like what?
KS: Okay, you're really a glutton for punishment here. There are "green sustainable" land use codes and ordinances that are being passed in municipalities around the country. It's Greek mythology to explain this stuff. But if you have an existing tower, and if it is at least 30 feet tall, then a company wants to extend it by 20 feet horizontally and/or vertically, it will not need a permit to do that based on these new land use codes that are being implemented around the country. I think they can go up to 120 feet or taller without a permit. The only regulation that a municipality would have would be the initial installation of that tower. So for example, in my community, AT&T wanted to install a tower at a gas station, on a flood plain, at a major intersection, beside an elementary school. And a bunch of people protested, because in fact, these things do collapse or catch fire. And that would not be a good idea at a gas station. It wouldn't be a good idea at a major intersection, and it wouldn't be a good idea near an elementary school. Anyway, we were able to get that permit request denied. If there had been an existing radio antenna there or whatever, some 30 foot tower already there, and they wanted to extend it to as much as the 120 feet, they could have done so without a permit.
Rob: Okay, we're running out of time. We've only got 20 minutes here. So I want to get into some other details. Now you've mentioned WIFI, and I've read and heard what you have to say about it. Tell us about WIFI and the risks and the problems with that. It's something that ubiquitous, at least in the U.S.
KS: Yes, and I would say it's expected now. It just happened overnight. Everybody expects WIFI.
Rob: Talk about autism.
KS: Yeah. Let's start there. In March of 2014, the CDC reported that 1 in 42 boys has autism. You've got listeners in New Jersey, which has, as I understand, the highest rates of autism in the country. Girls' rates are also increasing significantly, not quite as much as boys are. That number by the way is up by almost 1/3 from 2012. So in two years time, we've had a really significant increase in the number of children presenting with autism. I've got a paper that reports on the work of a pediatrician in Silicon Valley. it's called "Calming Behavior in Children with Autism and ADHD;" it's at electronicsilentspring.com. Here's what this pediatrician, Dr. Jelter, began offering families with children with autism. She said: turn off your WIFI at night for at least 12 hours. That means turn it off at the router. Do not let the child near any cordless or wireless devices. So, if you have a landline, but it's cordless, unplug it. Get a corded telephone. I find them for a dollar at my thrift shops and at garage sales. Then, don't let the child near a cordless phone or a cell phone. She also went even further and said turn the electricity off to your child's bedroom while sleeping. Turn the electricity off from the breaker box if you can do that safely. She had reports, for example, there was one family that lived on a military based. She was convinced that because they were on a military base, the radiation levels would be really high, the background levels would be so high that shutting off any of this stuff wouldn't make a difference. The parents shut off their WIFI, and they unplugged their cordless phones. Within 3 days, their 10-year-old, who had never uttered a word, he spoke a complete sentence. They put him on therapeutic grade fish oil, which the doctor also prescribed. This boy had also been screaming nonstop every night from 10PM until 3AM. Within 3 weeks, he slept through the night. He stopped screaming. We had a lot of other really strong reports along these lines. So what we say is, it's free; it doesn't cost anything. And you don't need autism to try it. Turn the WIFI off at the router while you sleep. If you can get cabled Internet access. Get corded phones. Another thing that I like to add is don't use a cell phone in a moving vehicle. If you're in a car or a train, the phone connects to a new base station at every mile, and when it makes that new connection, it goes to maximum power. If you're in a car or a train, also known as a metal box, the signals also have to work harder to pass through the metal. Once they're in there, all that radiation is trapped inside the metal box, and it bounces around. You know who gets it, so don't use mobile devices inside moving vehicles.
Rob: Does it help if you use like ear buds or a Bluetooth device, so you don't have the phone right up to your head.
KS: A Bluetooth is another antenna. So, if you've got an ear bud, make sure it does not have a Bluetooth in it.
Rob: Is a Bluetooth device equally problematic compared to the cell phone itself?
KS: This is really slippery again because every phone is different and there are so many factors involved. As I understand, smartphones now have at least 3 antennas: one or sometimes two for cell phone reception; one for Bluetooth; one for WIFI. If you have a meter, I'm trying to think if you go to safelivingtechnologies.co, they've got meters. And I think they've got videos where you can hear the sound of different devices as they emit radiation. I think you've posted the talk I gave at Cooper Union, and I've got a minute and a half long video that plays some audiometers in relation to cordless phones, iPads, WIFI and stuff like that. http://www.electronicsilentspring.com/media/calendar/techno-utopianism-talk-audio/
Rob: So, my question is though, is it best to use ear buds where you're having the phone further away from your head? And is it better if you're using the Bluetooth device than having the phone directly next to your head?
KS: Bluetooth is no good. Bluetooth is a transmitter. So, if you've got an ear bud, you don't want it to have a Bluetooth in that ear bud.
Rob: Okay, are there devices in terms of WIFI, I'm thinking I could put my WIFI on a timer so it goes off at a certain time and goes back on when I'm working, so it's not there continuously running.
KS: Let me pause you there. This is really interesting. Instead of a timer, which would be like a mechanical thing or an electronic thing, what if you just said, okay I'm just going to get in the habit of remembering to turn off the router when I'm not using, when I'm not using the WIFI. Keep it on only when I use it and ideally investigate getting cabled access.
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