Nexus - 0501 - New Times Magazine-pages

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... GLOBAL NEWS ... NEWS ELECTROMAGNETIC HOT-SPOTS MAKE CARS GO CRAZY any of Sydney's new cars have become vulnerable to various elec- tromagnetic field "hot-spots", according to Phil Scott, Motoring Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald. Symptoms include cars jamming on their own brakes, doors locking and gears shifting on their own, and engines shutting down completely. The cars at most risk are a relatively small number of newer cars with inade- quate "immunity" built into the electronic systems which control engines, brakes, transmissions and features such as central door-locking, cruise control and air condi- tioning. Airbags can also be affected. Automotive failures are also well-known to RFI Industries, an independent testing laboratory in Melbourne. Dick Davies, manager of the company's electromagnetic compatibility and interference laboratories, says, "Of course the automotive world is closed-mouthed, like the medical world. "We put these malfunctions into differ- ent classes. A fuel gauge that doesn't work when you're on the mobile phone is a ‘grade one’. A 'grade two' might be the windshield wipers going off. Startling, yes, but unlikely to cause an accident. "Grade three’ could be the electric seat repositioning itself while you're driving. That could, perhaps, cause an accident. Then you go through to the 'grade fives’, the catastrophic ones. You might be dri- "T personally believe that the recent increase in the number of lung cancer patients in vehicle-congested areas is closely linked with respirable carcinogens such as 3-nitrobenzanthrone," said Hitomi Suzuki, a chemist at Kyoto University, who led the study. When Suzuki tested the compound on a strain of salmonella he found that it caused more mutations than 1,8-dinitropyrene, the previously most powerful known mutagen. Although both compounds are found only in minute quantities, they are so dan- gerous that "it is easily understandable that they would contribute considerably to the total mutagenic activity of Diesel exhaust particle extracts," Suzuki added. He has called for stronger limits on the loads that Diesel trucks can carry because there are more emissions from engines under heavier loads. (Source: New Scientist, 25 October 1997) ving down the Hume Highway at 120 km/h and the microprocessor says 'stop the left front wheel'...or maybe the cruise con- trol jams." Needless to say, Australia is looking into standards on electronic immunity. (Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 13 October 1997) UK GULF WAR VETS BLAME UNTESTED VACCINES Ams Forces Minister John Reid, probing mysterious ailments suffered by British Gulf War veterans, said the troops were given vaccines that were not licensed in the UK. The soldiers, due to the threat of biological and chemical attack from Iraq, were given a mixture of anthrax and pertussis vaccines despite warnings from health department officials. Reid told reporters: "I am committed to doing all I can to get rid of the distrust which has built up over the years between the Ministry of Defence and those who served their country in the Gulf." Veterans campaigning for official recog- nition of "Gulf War syndrome" (GWS) believe their illnesses have resulted from a cocktail of chemicals they were given dur- ing the war. The symptoms include asth- ma, chronic fatigue, depression and skin ailments. About 51,000 British troops served in the war and up to 4,000 veterans and members of their families are ill. (Source: The Guardian Weekly, w/e 9 November 1997) UK HOSPITAL TOLL OVERTAKES ROAD DEATHS ospital infections account for more deaths per year in the UK than road accidents or suicides. At any one time, 10 per cent of hospital in-patients are suffer- ing from an infection contracted since they were admitted. These infections cause 5,000 deaths a year and contribute to a fur- ther 15,000. The findings are released in a new book on Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI), published by the Office of Health Economics which studies the financial aspects of health care. The study finds the most common infections contracted from hospitals are in the urinary tract, the lower- respiratory tract and surgical wounds. The report also says that up to a third of HAIs could be prevented. (Source: The Independent, UK, 16 September 1997) ) pion i CANNABIS CURES BLINDNESS! ue Arnold, a respected journalist and writer for the Observer for 26 years, is registered as blind. A sufferer of retinitus pigmentosa, an hereditary eye condition, she recently discovered—by accident, at a dinner party in Battersea—that smoking cannabis brought back her sight. Since that night, Sue has been spear- heading a campaign to legalise cannabis for medicinal use in the UK. (Source: Evening Standard, UK, 16 September 1997) NEXUS -7 DECEMBER 1997 - JANUARY 1998