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to power-frequency EMR.” They found that magnetic fields disruptor better than many hormone-mimicking environmental disrupted the cells' signalling system—their internal pollutants because magnetic fields appear to elicit their effects by communications network, which determines how they respond to acting on and through hormones rather than as hormones. their environment. In the process, Dr Ishido et al. also challenged Millions of women around the world are prescribed tamoxifen, one of the central tenets of mainstream toxicology: less is better the most popular drug given to prevent recurrence of breast and more is worse. The EMR effect he observed at 12 milligauss cancer. A very significant study showed that tamoxifen lost its (mG) was pretty much the same as the one he saw when he used a ability to halt the proliferation of cancer cells when exposed to field 100 times higher—at one gauss (1 G). Dr Ishido found EMR.” The level of EMR which produced this effect—12 mG or indications that the effect was even stronger at the lower EMR more—is found in common sources such as hairdryers, vacuum dose than the higher one.”! This mechanism has helped to explain cleaners, can openers, computers, microwave ovens, desk lamps, why reduced melatonin levels from EMR have been shown to blenders and electric clocks. What was even more troubling from cause a number of cancers including breast, prostate, colorectal, further research was that while melatonin successfully reduced the melanoma, ovarian malignancies and childhood leukaemia. growth rate of human breast cancer in a culture, when exposed to It is now known that melatonin suppression occurs at a 12 mG magnetic field it completely lost its ability to inhibit frequencies not far above those of the common household ranges breast cancer cell growth.” of 50 hertz (Hz) (e.g., in Australia) and 60 hertz (e.g., in USA). If Women who are being treated for breast cancer with tamoxifen you sleep next to a cordless phone base station and/or digital are rarely, if ever, advised to reduce exposure to EMR or to use clock or have faulty electrical wiring, there'll be enough adequate technologies to protect themselves from EMR exposure. continuous EMR exposure to suppress night-time melatonin Neurotransmitters, a special class of hormones which includes production. serotonin and dopamine, play a major The connection between breast role in moods. Changes in serotonin cancer and EMR continues to It is now known that levels are known to be associated with strengthen. Dr Patricia Coogan and depression. For example, lowered colleagues at the Boston University of melatonin suppression occurs evels of this chemical in the brain have Public Health reported a 43 per cent at frequencies not far above een linked to an increase in suicide increased risk in women with a high frequency.* One study examined the likelihood of occupational exposure to those of the common brain functions of monkeys exposed to magnetic fields, such as those given off 60 Hz magnetic fields. It was found that by mainframe computers.” . household ranges of 50 hertz the levels of serotonin and dopamine (the In fact, women who work in (e.g., in Australia) and 60 atter affecting brain processes that electrical jobs, including electricians, . control movement, emotional response telephone installers, power line workers hertz (e.g., In USA). and ability to experience pleasure and and electrical engineers have been shown to have a greater risk of dying ain) were significantly depressed immediately following exposure, and from breast cancer. This increased that only the dopamine returned to incidence has been directly linked to the suppression of melatonin normal level several months afterwards.” by EMR. Dr Becker reports: "It seems that there may be two types of And it's not just women who should be concerned about EMR's clinical depression: one that is produced by simple psychosocial causal link to breast cancer. In five studies, elevated EMR has factors, and one that is produced by some external factor that been implicated in an increased incidence of male breast cancer. influences the production of these psychoactive chemicals by the Men who worked as telephone linemen, in switching stations and _ pineal gland. In view of the known relationship between the pineal in the utilities industry were found to have as much as a sixfold _—_ gland and magnetic fields, it is advisable that the search for the increase in breast cancer compared with the general male responsible factor include an evaluation of the effect of abnormal population.” electromagnetic fields." He is backed up in his advice by other researchers.*” melatonin suppression occurs at frequencies not far above those of the common household ranges of 50 hertz (e.g., in Australia) and 60 hertz (e.g., in USA). More Hormone Disruption from EMR Experimental physiologist Dr Charles Graham found that magnetic fields have an effect on two other hormones. Overnight exposure of women to elevated levels of EMR in the laboratory significantly increased their level of oestrogen, which is a known risk factor for breast cancer.* In men, EMR exposure reduced the level of testosterone—a hormone drop that has been linked to testicular and prostate cancers.” Dr Graham notes that a field's steady magnitude matters less than its intermittency or other features, such as power surges called "electrical transients". These surges can pack a big burst of energy into a short period of time. They occur whenever lights or other electric devices are turned on, when motors or compressors (such as those in refrigerators and air conditioners) cycle on, or when dimmer switches are operated. Transients are hard to avoid because they may stem from surges elsewhere—in a neighbour's house or even in power lines up the street. Dr Graham also believes that EMR may actually fit the definition of an endocrine Stress Hormones and EMR Exposure to high levels of EMR also increases the level of adrenalin, the flight or fight hormone, released from the adrenal glands. B. Blake Levitt, author of Electrical Fields, states: "Prolonged chronic stress is detrimental to every anatomical system, including the reproductive one. Subliminal stress may affect fertility and elevate blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke, as well as suppress immune function ... even short EMR exposures, like the use of a cordless phone on and off throughout the day, could cause spikes in such hormone levels." The other stress hormone is cortisol, which affects long-term stress response. Also produced by the adrenals, cortisol is involved in glucose metabolism, blood pressure regulation, insulin release, inflammatory response, hormone balance and immune system function. The cortisol level also influences energy and memory. It should come as no surprise that EMR exposure has been found to cause increased serum cortisol.“ NEXUS +37 It is now known that AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2007 www.nexusmagazine.com