dr. mike y. chen, md, phd - report to san marino unified school district board of directors

Report to SMUSD Board of Directors

Mike Y. Chen, MD, PhD

Credentials

• City of Hope Neurosurgeon• President of the Society for Brain Mapping and

Therapeutics June 2011-June 2012• Principle Investigator for Brain Tumor Research

lab– Numerous publications, book chapters and books

published– Over 1 million dollars in research funding over last 5

years– Invited speaker, United States Congress, May 2012

Cell Phone and Cell Tower Electromagnetic Radiation (EMR)

Information on effects of Cell Phone EMR is pertinent to Cell Towers:The Energies are the SAME type.

Is Cell Phone/Tower EMR safe?

• Argument: Readings are well below Federal Communication Commissions Guidelines.

• Counter Arguments:– 1) Outdated Research• General Accountability Office wants to revise standards• Opposed by Food and Drug Administration and

Environmental Protection Agency

2) Cell Phone radiations effects are classified as:

• FCC standards only took into account Thermal Effects

• Non-thermal effects can be several times more harmful than thermal effects

Thermal or Non-Thermal

http:www/marinproject.org/studies.html

Non-Thermal Effects

• Neurocognitive: headaches, sleep disorders, poor memory, mental excitation, confusion, anxiety, depression and appetite disturbance.

Results—Whole-brain metabolism did not differ between on and off conditions. In contrast, metabolism in the region closest to the antenna (orbitofrontal cortex and temporal pole) was significantly higher for on than off conditions. Journal of the American Medical Association 2011

Non Thermal Effects: DNA Damage

• Ruediger Analysis of 101 papers revealed over 50% showed evidence of genotoxic effects of EMF.

• 4 year long REFLEX study (12 groups in 7 European countries)

• Dr. Martin Blank’s work

Key Concept: A virus alters a computer’s code to harm it. Similarly, agents that cause DNA damage can cause sickness and death.

3) NO DATA PROVES CELL PHONE/TOWER EMF IS SAFE IN CHILDREN

WHO declares ELF a possible carcinogen; some scientist in the WHO argued that it should be a probable carcinogen.

Cancer: Childhood lymphoma, Breast cancer, Testicular cancer

Brain Tumors

• Swedish Study (Hardell): Children and Teenagers are 5.4 times more likely to get brain cancer. At least 8 other studies link brain tumors to cell phone use.

• Potential SMUSD impact– US incidence rate for brain increased from 13.4

cases/100,000 in 1995 to 18.2 cases in 2004 (Central Brain Tumor Registry)

– (5.4x18.2) 98.8/100,000 people– 1/1000: about 3,000 children in SMUSD

Chronic Exposure

• 4) FCC guidelines are safety standards for 30 minutes. Not one day, a week, a month or years.

• Latency between exposure and development of cancer can be long. The time between first exposure to asbestos and diagnosis of mesothelioma is usually between 20 and 50 years.

Conclusions

• FCC standards are inadequate.• There are hundreds of research articles that

associate cell phone/tower EMR with serious biological effects.

• Children are at higher risk.• There is reasonable doubt that that cell

phone/tower EMR is safe. Therefore, especially as it pertains to children, the burden of proof is to show that this radiation is safe. No such evidence exists.