What’s the connection between wireless and your health ? Wireless and cancer risk?
In this episode of Causes or Cures, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Dr. Fiorella Belpoggi about the potential health risks of wireless technology and radiation from EMFs (electromagnetic fields). Wireless and cancer risk, or the safety of EMFs in general, is in the news due to the potential rollout of 5G and because of a recently resurfaced petition to the World Health Organization that was signed by 250 scientists warning about EMF exposure and health effects. There may be cause for legitimate concern and reducing our exposure. After all, we are saturated day and night in tech exposure. But as for 5g, even though many conspiracy sites run with things about what it’s doing to us, I don’t see any studies for 5g specifically. The two largest randomized controlled trials in animals did not look at 5g.
Dr. Belpoggi is the head of research at the Ramazzini Institute in Italy and Director of the Cesare Mal-toni Cancer Research Center, where she has worked since 1981. She has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers and has done research on a variety of environmental exposures, including pesticides, plastics, food additives and hormones. To date, she has performed the largest animal study involving EMF (cell phone) exposure and cancer risk, which is covered in this interview, along with her recommendations for use of cell phones and wireless technology. Keep in mind that what happens in animal studies is not a direct translation to what will happen in humans. However, we can’t do randomized controlled trials on humans regarding cell phone exposure, so we have to try to analyze the results from animal studies and any human epidemiological studies.
Dr. Belpoggi is a fellow of the International Academy of Toxicologic Pathology; a member of the European Society of Toxicologic Pathology, and she has served as an expert witness or adviser for the European Parliament, the World Health Organization, the Directorate General for Health and Consumer Affairs, and the European Center for Environmental Health.
Click here to listen to the interview on the Causes Or Cures podcast.
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For those with short attention spans or those who feel they don’t have time, below is a summary of her key points and recommendations for how we should use our cell phones and wireless tech. That said, I highly recommend listening to the full interview to capture the nuances. :)
From the podcast, Dr. Belpoggi’s key points related to wireless and your health & ways to reduce risk of cancer and negative health outcomes if you decide it’s worth it to do so:
1. EMF radiation is shown to affect mammalian cells in the heart and in the brain.
2. She states that the fact that 2 large randomized controlled trials conducted on animals at two independent research labs show that EMF exposure produces two rare types of tumors ( gliomas in the brain and schwannomas in the heart) and the fact that epidemiological data has linked EMF exposure to the same types of tumors in humans means that this isn’t just by chance. We shouldn’t ignore this.
3. Tech companies should create phones and wireless technology that have a lower impact on human health. Dr. Belpoggi states that it’s definitely possible to do so.
4. In addition to cancers, other health effects related to EMF exposure include insomnia, poor memory and attention, and infertility seen in men, because EMF exposure affects the motility of sperm.
5. When pregnant, do not use the cell phone for a long period of time and keep it away from your body.
6. Only use your phone when you have a good signal.
7. When you are sleeping, do not put the phone under your pillow and turn your WIFI routers off at night.
8. Try to refrain from calling when you are in a train, in a bus or in a car with lots of people connecting at the same time.
9. If you listen to music for a long period of time, do so with wired headphones and not Bluetooth/wireless headphones.
10. Use a cable to connect to the internet at home.
11. The often recited defense for EMF-emitting devices is that there is no identifiable mechanism for harm since it’s non-ionizing radiation. Dr. Belpoggi calls this “complete nonsense.” When it comes to the cytology, it means nothing at all and is nonsense. Dr. Belpoggi’s lab is currently teamed up with another lab to identify mechanisms of action.
12. Dr. Belpoggi does not believe in EMF shields or that there is any evidence that they work. (These are taking the wellness market by storm, so guys, save your money!)
12. When asked if she was against 5G , Dr. Belpoggi said that she is not against 5G. She said that she is a scientist and doesn’t have evidence for or against and would need to study 5G before making any comments. However, she feels it shouldn’t be widely deployed without such studies.
13. When asked what tech companies should do, Dr. Belpoggi said that “human health should come before money.” She feels tech companies should support and run safety studies and put safer products on the market.
Thanks for reading, guys. Stay tuned for more Causes or Cures episodes on this hot topic and others!
Other Causes Or Cures Podcasts:
An interview with cancer epidemiologist, Dr. Anthony Miller, on risk of cancer and cell phones and wireless technology.
An interview with Holistic Psychologist Dr. Nicole LePerra on what it really means to be “holistic.”