Electromagnetic
Radio Frequency induced butterfly decline, new hypothesis or prediction come
true?
By
Dr Chris Barnes, Bangor Scientific and
Educational Consultants, LL57 2TW. Published on-line July 2016.
EMAIL manager@bsec-wales.co.uk
Abstract
The recent 2016 DEMISE of
butterflies in North Wales is discussed.
Neither increased used of neonicotinoids nor habitat destruction
accounts for this demise. A prediction of such a demise was made by the author some three years ago on the basis that when 4G
emissions would be introduced they would resonate with the average butterfly
body. It has recently been shown that magnetic reception is most probably cryptochrome system and further most probably a primordial
pre-requite and common throughout the entire living kingdom of insects and
animals. Further that reception senses rotating magnetic fields. It is naturally to be expected therefore that
any artificial magnetic field which provides some degree of rotation and
quantum matching to the bio-sensing elements involved will cause disruption of
the latter and the delicate balance of the living systems attached
thereto. 4G LTE with 800 MHz diversity MIMO antenna systems provide a magnetic
component which exactly fits this bill. Orientation
to the sun is absolutely essential for butterflies especially those newly
hatched from the chrysalis phase. If
the rotating fields of 4G 800 MHz MIMO
systems are disturbing this orientation many butterflies will simply not
even reach adult maturity. Sadly, they may even be dying on their first day of hatching rather as
mayflies. I conclude that the predictions I
made in 2013 appear to have come true.
Lower frequency mobile phone data emissions are more strongly absorbed
by butterflies which form ideal dielectric dimple resonators. The rotating fields produced by 4G LTE
appear to be accentuating the situation and the likely mechanism is
interference with the cryptochrome radical back
reaction. Since cryptochrome
and rotating field detection may be a common denominator in the insect and
animal kingdom, l desperately fear for the future of all
wildlife in our environment and possible impact on human life. I predict a silent spring in 2017 in Gwynedd
as bird chicks hatching this year will have little or few grubs to feed
upon. 4G LTE systems already appear to be disrupting
human sleep more than any previous sort
of mobile telecoms system and there will be attendant rises in cancer, stroke
and diabetes as a result. If the human
species is to survive, future technology must be designed with biology in
mind. Treatment with melatonin might
possibly help. Possibly it is already far
too late for many in the insect world.
Introduction
The author has noticed
that despite a much warmer than average June, the butterfly population this
year (2016) in urban and rural Gwynedd North Wales seems so far all but
extinct. The statistics are frankly
frightening. On an average day one is lucky now to spot more than 2 or 3
butterflies in urban or rural habitat within several hours of observation. In
prevoius years this number would be measured in the hundreds. The
purpose of this publication is to try and explain this very sudden demise. Only
a few woodland species seem to remain.
A written enquiry concerning
possible renewed or invigorated use of neonicotinoids in the area was passed to DEFRA and a third party
response was later received from the Welsh Government giving assurances that there was no such use
at least on fruit and cereal crops attractive to bees. They also quoted habitat
destruction as a possible reason.
However, given the fact that councils are now encouraged not to cut
verges and farmers are encouraged not to cut
field margins and hedgerows very often this explanation is
disputed.
One naturally, therefore,
has to seek alternative reasons for the decline. In 2013, I introduced a new hypothesis for bee
decline on the basis of pulse modulated microwave
emissions in interfering with their homing and signalling abilities and I further
gave an explanation of the decline of houseflies with the introduction of
2.1GHz 3G emissions (ref) and I made a further
prediction that if the lower parts of the SHF spectrum were adopted for 4G
mobile telephony to be rolled out circa 2016, butterfly decline would most
likely follow. At the time I envisaged
the use of 600 MHz for 4G. The actual chosen
frequency has turned out to be 800 MHz, presumably so as not to cause
too much disruption to the UHF DVB
Freeview service and also so that base station antenna structures would
not become too physically cumbersome. In
fact 4G was rolled out in the main towns and cities of North Wales circa April
2016 which seems almost exactly coincident with the mass disappearance of many
butterfly species.
Hypothesis
At 800 MHz the wavelength
of electromagnetic radiation in
cartilage is 72 mm. Assuming the keratinous body of an insect behaves
similarly and knowing the size of common UK species of butterfly bodies and wingspans vary from about 30-50 mm we can see that they would make good half
wave dielectric resonators. The hypothesis is therefore quite simple. Butterfly bodies effectively make good
antennas at the 4G operating frequency.
Unless extremely close to base station transmitting antennas, the
possibly of direct thermal damage is remote.
However, there are a significant number of non –thermal bio
effects associated with RF radiation which I and others have discussed elsewhere, see
Appendix. Above and beyond these, I now propose
that in particular with 4G LTE OFDM
and diversity polarization MIMO systems
the observed bio-effects on butterflies and other similarly sized
insects will be even more deleterious
due to the production of rotating hyperbolic magnetic fields , which
will have the tendency to interfere with insect magnetic navigation and solar
orienting systems.
Firstly, in support of
the hypothesis is the finding that houseflies often spontaneously die in houses with dual band WIFI ( 2.4/ 5 GHz) and such systems also
use MIMO and slant polarised diversity antennas. Following
the above, the houseflies’ wings form a dielectric dipole antenna at exactly
2.4 GHz and its body which is about half the length will resonate close to
5GHz. Further its eyes contain Cryptochrome flavoproteins, magnetic material involved in light
synchronization of the master circadian clock, see Mazzotta
et al (2014). Cryptochromes
are presently thought to have merely a blue-light photoreceptor activity in
plants whereas in mammals they are part of the central clock mechanism, and
this function is not light dependent . In Drosophila, the unique CRY acts as a
circadian photoreceptor in the master clock
whereas, in other insects, only the vertebrate-like CRYs play a role as
transcriptional repressor. Moreover, dCRY has been
shown to play a fundamental role in the fly’s magnetosensitivity,
i.e., the use of the Earth’s magnetic field for orientation and navigation.
Theory
and mechanisms
I have discussed
bio-effects of RF radiation elsewhere and such effects summarised at http://drchrisbarnes.co.uk and
theoretically these could contribute to
the present new declines of butterfly colonies, particularly those living
at certain key distances from installations. However,
in no previous year in Gwynedd has there
been such a serious decline as 2016.
I have therefore sought
to more properly explain this decline.
It is known that in the USA, the Monarch migratory butterfly contains
magnetic nanomaterial ( bio-magnetite).
Krirsvink ( ref) found bio magnetite in the
human brain and very recently indeed has shown
that humans ( brain rhythms) can be
modulated by rotating magnetic fields, see Eric Hand ( 2016), Science 24 Jun
2016:
Further detail can be found at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3664569/Do-lost-sixth-sense-Expert-claims-evidence-humans-discern-magnetic-fields.html. Detection systems for the earth
magnetic field found in birds, insects and other mammals, some say they rely on iron mineral and magnetite to act as
'compass needles', while others say it uses protein in the retina called cryptochrome.
Kirschvink believes
Magneto reception may be the source of this ability even in humans where it has been shown with a
high degree of reproducibility for 24 different subjects in a Faraday cage that when the applied magnetic
field is rotated clockwise alpha wave frequency dropped. See also http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3664569/Do-lost-sixth-sense-Expert-claims-evidence-humans-discern-magnetic-fields.html#ixzz4DTVAivjc
Persinger (
ref) found that melatonin is
seriously supressed in power industry
workers exposed to 3-phase lines ( i.e. rotating fields) but not in those who
worked underneath or proximal with single phase lines. As an alternative or in addition to this a
large number of species including insects,
amphibians, dogs, primates and humans
have been shown to have magnetically sensitive molecules known as cryptochromes in their eyes and brains. Cryptochromes have
also been found in plants and primordial magnetically sensitive bacteria. The latest thinking is that there is a
feedback driven link between melatonin and cryptochrome,
see Vreind and Reiter (2015). Loss of circadian rhythm and light-induced
suppression of pineal melatonin levels occurs in Cry1 and Cry2 double-deficient mice, see Yamananka et al
(2010). Melatonin has been found to be synthesized in the retina, lens, ciliary body
as well as other parts of the body, see
Brennan et al (2007), reinforcing the above links. Thapan et al (2001) were the first to suggest that the crptochromes were the non-rod, non-cone photoreceptor in
the eye responsible for blue light
reception and melatonin suppression. It has been shown that birds can only orient
if blue light is present. It is thought
that weak magnetic fields affect the cryptochrome
radical pair back reaction.
Vacha
et al (2009) has shown that the sense
that allows birds to orient themselves by the Earth's magnetic field can be
disabled by an oscillating magnetic field whose intensity is just a fraction of
the geomagnetic field intensity and whose oscillations fall into the medium or
high frequency radio wave bands. This remarkable phenomenon points very clearly
at one of two existing alternative magnetoreception
mechanisms in terrestrial animals, i.e. the mechanism based on the radical pair
reactions of specific photosensitive molecules. As the first such study in
invertebrates, our work offers evidence that geomagnetic field reception in
American cockroach is sensitive to a weak radio frequency field. Furthermore,
we show that the `deafening' effect at Larmor
frequency 1.2 MHz is stronger than at different frequencies. The parameter
studied was the rise in locomotor activity of cockroaches induced by periodic changes in the geomagnetic
North positions by 60 deg, i.e. rotations. The onset of the disruptive effect of a
1.2 MHz field was found between 12 nT and 18 nT whereas the threshold of a doubled frequency field 2.4
MHz fell between 18 nT and 44 nT.
A 7 MHz field showed no impact even in maximal 44 nT
magnetic flux density. Their results
indicate resonance effects rather than non-specific bias of procedure itself
and suggest that insects may be equipped with the same magnetoreception
system as the birds.
Several conclude (refs) that such bio-magnetic cryptochrome proteins
and mineralisation are most probably a
common or even a universal essential feature throughout the animal
kingdom. Rotating magnetic fields applied to given
cell cultures and even human brains have
been shown to evoke bio-photon
production and effectively quantum coupled production in
other nearby cultures and brains, see Persinger
(2011). They found that Light flashes delivered to one
aggregate of cells evoked increased photon emission in another aggregate of
cells maintained in the dark in another room if both aggregates shared the same
temporospatial configuration of changing rate,
circular magnetic fields. During the presentation of the same shared circumcerebral magnetic fields increases in photon emission
occurred beside the heads of human volunteers if others in another room saw
light flashes. Both cellular and human photon emissions during the light
flashes did not occur when the shared magnetic fields were not present. The
summed energy emissions from the dark location during light stimulation to
others was about 10(-11) W/m(2) and calculated to be in the order of 10(-20) J
per cell which is coupled to membrane function. Their results support
accumulating data that under specific conditions changes in photon emissions
may reflect intercellular and interbrain communications with potential
quantum-like properties. This may not be
as surprising as it sounds. For instance, even human cryptochrome exhibits light-dependent magnetosensitivity,
see Foley et al, who showed this by
using a transgenic approach that human CRY2, which is heavily expressed
in the human retina, been made to function as a magnetosensor
in the magnetoreception system of Drosophila and that
it does so in a light-dependent manner. Their results show that human CRY2 has
the molecular capability to function as a light-sensitive magnetosensor
and re-open an area of sensory biology that is ready for further exploration in
humans.
Bazalova
et al (2015) have shown that Cryptochrome 2 mediates directional magnetoreception
in cockroaches. Further by eye-covering
experiments and by immunolocalization of a crucial
mammalian-type Cry2 under the retina, they clearly show that the eye is an
indispensable organ for the directional geo-magnetic field response.
The common denominator in
magnetic field detection in man and in insects appears to be the need for
rotation. The earth system is axially
rotating and further orbits the sun so all interactions of living systems and
the sun –earth magnetic field are rotational interactions.
It is naturally to be
expected therefore that any artificial magnetic field which provides some
degree of rotation and quantum matching to the bio-sensing elements involved
will cause disruption of the latter and the delicate balance of the living
systems attached thereto. 4G LTE with 800 MHz diversity MIMO antenna systems fits this
bill, see Appendix 1 below.
The purpose of bio
–magnetite and cryptochromes in insects seems to be intimately linked to
vision and navigation and it is thought it might measure the angle of the sun
and/or allow faster navigation at night.
Orientation to the sun is absolutely essential for butterflies
especially those newly hatched from the chrysalis phase. If the rotating fields of 4G 800 MHz MIMO systems are disturbing this orientation
many butterflies will simply not even reach adult maturity. Sadly, they may
even be dying on their first day of
hatching rather as mayflies.
First
-hand observations
Today
( 4th July 2016) I believe I witnessed first -hand the
effect of 4G on butterfly behaviour.
The butterfly I saw was a small tortoishell. Its wings were in excellent condition but
its flight was aimless it seem bedazzled
by the sun and incapable of selecting any blossom upon which to land. Such a demise if repeated on freshly emerged
imagoes of several species would certainly explain this year’s almost
complete absence of butterflies here in Gwynedd. The statistics are frankly frightening. On an
average day one is lucky now to spot more than 2 or 3 butterflies in urban or
rural habitat within several hours of observation. In prevoius years this
number would be measured in the hundreds.
Further, according to my
hypothesis, I would expect Woodland butterflies to be less badly affected as firstly they do not need to orient as often
and secondly in woodlands radio frequency fields will be weaker. By observation this is exactly what I have observed. In Gwynedd, the Speckled Wood species seems
relatively unaffected in numbers whereas all species which are expected to be found in meadows, heathland and gardens
are all but extinct.
Conclusions
and Fears for the future
·
I
conclude that the predictions I made in 2013 appear to have come true. Lower frequency
mobile phone data emissions are more strongly absorbed by butterflies which
form ideal dielectric dimple resonators. The
rotating fields produced by 4G LTE appear to be accentuating the situation and
the likely mechanism is interference with the cryptochrome
radical back reaction.
·
Since
cryptochrome and rotating field detection may be a
common denominator in the insect and animal kingdom, l desperately fear for the future of all
wildlife in our environment and possible impact on human life.
·
I
predict a silent spring in 2017 in Gwynedd as bird chicks hatching this year
will have little or few grubs to feed upon.
·
4G
LTE systems already appear to be disrupting human sleep more than any previous sort of mobile telecoms system and
there will be attendant rises in cancer, stroke and diabetes as a result.
·
If
the human species is to survive, future technology must be designed with
biology in mind. Treatment with melatonin
might possibly help.
·
Possibly
it is already far too late for many in
the insect world.
Appendix
1 : 4G MIMO Antenna Polarisation
Representation
LTE is what most are calling 4G but in reality it is just an advanced 3G standard that some call 3.9G. LTE uses a completely different radio technology. Instead of CDMA, it uses orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and OFDM access. This modulation technique divides a channel usually 5, 10 or 20 MHz wide into smaller subchannels or subcarriers each 15 kHz wide. Each is modulated with part of the data. The fast data is divided into slower streams that modulate the subcarriers with one of several modulation schemes like QPSK or 16QAM.
LTE also defines multiple input multiple output (MIMO) operation that uses several transmitter-receiver-antennas. The data stream is divided between the antennas to boost speed and to make the link more reliable. Using OFDM and MIMO lets LTE deliver data at a rate to 100 Mb/s downstream and 50 Mb/s upstream under the best conditions
Thus each data stream
effectively rotates the signal through a spatial angle creating a pseudo-random
rotating magnetic field vector. These would appear to be exact facets
in frequency and time domain that that bio-magnetic sensory systems in insect
and mammalian biology have recently and
above been proven sensitive to. In
weak signal areas there is more randomness due to multipath propagation.
Appendix 2 : Wireless Devices & Wildlife
See http://www.drchrisbarnes.co.uk/BEEDECLINE.htm and http://www.drchrisbarnes.co.uk/TREE.htm
and http://www.drchrisbarnes.co.uk/RFEM.htm
Some
other known effects of EMR from wireless
devices on wildlife
Excerpts and
Resources Reproduced for Research
Purposes from An Electronic Silent Spring
The
radiofrequency (RF) signals that cellular antennas, mobile devices and “smart”
utility meters require to function are now ubiquitously and continuously
emitted.
How do
these signals affect wildlife?
Scientists report that RF fields emitted by cellular antennas alone potentially
cause the decline of animal populations, reduction of some species’ useful
territory, and deterioration of plant health. Some species may experience
reduction of their natural defenses, problems in
reproduction and aversive behavioral responses. (1)
Here are
summaries of studies about the effects of RF signals on trees, insects and
birds:
Trees
In a 2010 paper published in the International Journal of Forestry Research,
researcher Katie Haggerty explained that the Earth’s natural radiofrequency
environment has remained about the same within the lifespan of modern trees.
“Before 1800,” Haggerty wrote, “the major components of this environment were
broadband radio noise from space (galactic noise), from lightning (atmospheric
noise), and a smaller RF component from the sun. (2) …Plants may have evolved”
to use these environmental signals, along with visible light in order to
regulate their periodic functions. Therefore, they may be sensitive to man-made
RF fields. “The background of RF pollution,” Haggerty continued, “is now many
times stronger than the naturally occurring RF environment. From the
perspective of evolutionary time, the change can be considered sudden and
dramatic. (3,4) …Growth rates of plants (5) and fungi (6) can be increased or
decreased by RF exposure. Exposure to RF signals can induce plants to produce
more meristems, (7) affect root cell structure, (8,9) and induce stress response…causing
biochemical changes.”(10)
Ms.
Haggerty went on to describe her study of the influence of RF signals on
trembling aspen seedlings. Seedlings that were shielded in a Faraday cage (a
metal container that prevents RF radiation from entering) thrived. Seedlings
that were exposed to RF signals showed necrotic lesions and abnormal coloring in their leaves. (11)
According
to British biologist Dr. Andrew Goldsworthy, “Trees
are now dying mysteriously from a variety of diseases in urban areas all over Europe.
They also show abnormal photoperiodic responses. Many have cancer-like growths
under the bark (phloem nodules). The bark may also split so that the underlying
tissues become infected. All of these can be explained as a result of exposure
to weak RF fields from mobile phones, their base stations, Wi-Fi and similar
sources of weak non-ionizing radiation.” (12)
Other
scientists have found that trees in areas with high Wi-Fi activity suffer from
bleeding fissures in their bark, the death of parts of leaves, and abnormal
growth. In 2010, in the Netherlands, 70% of urban ash trees suffered from
radiation sickness, including a “lead-like shine” on their leaves, indicating
the leaves’ oncoming death. In 2005, only 10% of ash trees suffered radiation
sickness. (13)
Ants
Perhaps
the first study to demonstrate that insects have an electrical sense came out
in 1992. Biologist William MacKay and his colleagues showed that several kinds
of ants were attracted to electrical fields. Indeed, ants can damage equipment that
produces “attractive” electrical fields. (14)
In 2013,
Belgian biologist Marie-Claire Cammaerts and Swedish
neuroscientist Olle Johansson exposed ants to common
wireless devices. The scientists placed a mobile phone under a tray, then
placed ants on the tray. When the phone was off or on standby-mode, the ants’
angular speed increased. Within two to three seconds of the scientists’ turning
the phone on (able to receive or send calls), the ants’ angular speed increased
and their linear speed decreased.
Exposed
to a smartphone, the linear speed of “fresh” ants decreased; their angular
speed increased. The ants’ speed changed similarly but more strongly when
exposed to a DECT (cordless landline) phone. They had difficulty moving their
legs and did not move toward their nest or their food site as usual. The ants
were exposed to each of these two phones for three minutes, and took two to
four hours to resume their normal behavior.
When Cammaerts and Johansson put a mobile phone on standby mode
under the ants’ nest, the ants left their nest immediately, taking their eggs,
larvae and nymphs with them. They relocated far from the phone. Once the phone
was removed, the ants returned to their original location.
After
thirty minutes of exposure to a Wi-Fi router, the ants’ speed changed again, as
did their foraging behavior. It took them six to
eight hours to resume normal foraging. Several ants never recovered and were
found dead a few days later.
When the
scientists placed an ACER Aspire 2920 about twenty-five centimeters
away, the insects appeared disturbed as soon as the computer was switched on.
When the PC was switched on with its Wi-Fi function de-activated, the ants
appeared undisturbed.
The
researchers concluded that ants can be used as bio-indicators to reveal the
biological effects of RF signals from some wireless devices. They also advised
users to de-activate the Wi-Fi function of their PCs. (15)
Bees
Bees also have an electrical sense. Bees are
positively charged, and flowers are negatively charged. These charges help
pollen stick to bees’ hair while they pollenate. In 2012, biologist Dominic
Clarke and his colleagues showed that bees use their electrical sense to
determine whether or not a flower has recently been visited by another bee–and
is therefore worth visiting. (16,17)
In Bees,
Birds and Mankind: Effects of Wireless Communication Technologies (Kentum, 2009), German scientist Ulrich Warnke
states, “Bees and other insects, just as birds, use the Earth’s magnetic field
and high frequency electromagnetic energy such as light. They accomplish
orientation and navigation by means of free radicals as well as a
simultaneously reacting magnetite conglomerate. Technically produced
electromagnetic oscillations in the MHz range and magnetic impulses in the low
frequency range persistently disturb the natural orientation and navigation
mechanisms created by evolution.”
In his
book, Warnke quotes Ferdinand Ruzicka,
a scientist and beekeeper who reported, in 2003, after several transmitters
(cellular antennas) were erected in the immediate vicinity of his hives: “I
observed a pronounced restlessness in my bee colonies (initially about forty)
and a greatly increased urge to swarm. As a frame-hive beekeeper, I use a
so-called high floor. The bees did not build their combs in the manner
prescribed by the frames, but in random fashion. In the summer, bee colonies
collapsed without obvious cause. In the winter, I observed that the bees went
foraging despite snow and temperatures below zero, and they died of cold next to
the hive. Colonies that exhibited this behavior
collapsed, even though they were strong, healthy colonies with active queens
before winter. They were provided with adequate additional food and the
available pollen was more than adequate in autumn.”
Ruzicka then organized a survey of beekeepers through the
magazine Der Bienen Vater.
All twenty of the beekeepers who replied to his questionnaire had a transmitter
within 300 meters of their beehives. Compared to the bees’ behavior
before and after the transmitters were in operation, 37.5% observed increased
aggression from their bees.
25% found
that their bees had a greater tendency to swarm.
65%
reported that their colonies were inexplicably collapsing since the
transmitters became operational.
Warnke says that monocultures, pesticides, the Varroa mite, migratory beekeeping, dressed seed, severe
winters, and genetically modified seeds could also explain the bee colonies’
collapse. However, none of these convincingly explains “the fairly sudden and
country-spanning appearance two to three years ago of the dying bees
phenomenon. Should the bees simply be too weak or ill, they should also die in
or near the hive. But no ill bees were found in research into this phenomenon.”
In May,
2009, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service urged Congress to investigate the
potential relationship between wireless devices and bee colony collapse. (18)
Frogs
In 2010, Spanish biologist Alfonso Balmori published
his study of a common frog habitat 140 meters from a cellular antenna. The
experiment lasted two months, from the egg phase until an advanced phase of
tadpole. Balmori placed some of the frogs inside a
Faraday cage. These shielded frogs had a mortality of 4.2%. The unshielded
frogs – exposed to the antenna’s RF fields–had a mortality of 90%. Balmori concluded that “this research may have huge
implications for the natural world, which is now exposed to high microwave
radiation levels from a multitude of phone masts.” (19)
Bird
collisions with telecom equipment
Albert Manville, PhD, wildlife biologist with the Division of Migratory Bird
Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), estimates that up to 6.8
million birds die per year in collisions with communications antennas or their
guy-support wires in North America. The impacts of cellular antenna radiation
on migratory birds in North America, especially those nesting close to these
structures, remain suspect and unknown.
In
January 2012, Dr. Manville wrote: Recent studies
from Europe raise troubling concerns about the effects of radiation from
cellular communication antennas, especially on resident, breeding migratory
birds. These apparent effects include feather deformities, weight loss,
weakness, reduced survivorship and death, especially to those birds and their offspring
nesting adjacent to cellular antennas. Where Before-After, Control-Impact
(BACI) studies were performed during some of the European research, no effects
to resident birds were detected prior to construction and operation of cellular
communication antennas. Some laboratory studies in the U.S. have documented
lethal effects of extremely low levels of radiation to chicken embryos in the
frequencies of cellular telephones, (20) but research to better address cause
and effect to wild birds in North America has yet to be conducted. To date,
only anecdotal reports from instances in North America have been brought to the
attention of authorities at the USFWS.
If we are
to better understand the cumulative effects of human infrastructure on
migratory birds–including communication technologies, research needs to be
conducted to specifically address how radiation is affecting migratory birds
and what resultant lethal and injurious effects are occurring. The explosive
growth of hand-held technologies raises further concerns since potential
impacts may grow.
The
unpermitted killing or injury of a migratory bird, is called a “take” under the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The USFWS does not permit the ‘incidental or
accidental take’ of any of the 1007 migratory bird species protected under
MBTA. Therefore, studies need to be undertaken to determine how much ‘take’ is
occurring as a result of radiation, and what steps can be undertaken to “avoid
or minimize” future “take.” The USFWS continues to suggest to the FCC the need
for these North American studies based alone on cumulative effects that must be
addressed under National Environmental Policy Act review. The studies need to
better tease out how and at what level “takes” are occurring, then determine
what conservation measures can be adopted to “avoid or minimize” future “take.”
Because of the controversial nature of this issue, any studies and outcomes
need to be seamless and fully transparent.
The white
stork
During the Springs of 2002, 2003 and 2004, biologist Alfonso Balmori monitored the reproduction of the white stork, a
vulnerable bird species that usually lives in urban areas. White stork couples
build their nests in pinnacles and other very high places that are now exposed
to man-made microwaves. Balmori studied white stork
nests within 200 meters of antennas and nests located more than 300 meters from
antennas. He found that 40% of the nests within 200 meters of antennas had no
chicks, while only 3.3% of nests further than 300 meters of antennas had no chicks.
Also, near antennas, white stork couples frequently fought for sticks, their
sticks fell to the ground while they tried to build nests, the nests did not
get built and hatched white stork chicks frequently died. (21)
Common
citizens have also observed changes in birds when technologies that emit EMR
are deployed. After transmitting water meters were installed in Renton,
Washington in December, 2012, a retired civil engineer who had spent thirty
dollars per month on birdseed for years noticed that the feeders in his yard no
longer emptied. His neighbors also noticed that
immediately after the transmitting water meters were installed, the birds that
had frequented their yard (beside a greenbelt) disappeared. (22)
Birds,
bees and magnetically-sensitive cryptochromes
Why would RF signals disturb birds and bees? Here’s an answer from biologist
Andrew Goldsworthy, PhD: To navigate and also to control their immune systems,
birds and bees use magnetically-sensitive substances called cryptochromes.
These are pigments found in virtually all animals, plants and many bacteria. Cryptochromes absorb blue-green and ultra-violet light and
use this energy to drive photochemical reactions where light energy is
converted to chemical energy. Cryptochromes measure
light to control and reset animals’ and plants’ biological clocks. Some animals
also use cryptochromes to sense the direction of the
Earth’s magnetic field.
Unfortunately,
cryptochromes are badly impaired by man-made
oscillating fields that are orders of magnitude weaker than the Earth’s steady
magnetic field. Such impairment can disrupt insects’ and animals’ solar and
magnetic navigational abilities. It can account for colony collapse disorder in
bees, the loss of some migratory birds and butterflies, and immune system
weakening in many more organisms.
An array
of cryptochrome molecules oriented in different
directions can be found in the compound eye of an insect, or in the retina of a
vertebrate’s eye. This cryptochrome found in the eyes
is quite distinct from the regular visual pigments (rhodopsins)
that are used in normal vision. However, the combination of these pigments
gives the animal the potential to “see” the direction of the magnetic field,
possibly as an extra color superimposed on its normal
field of vision.
Robins
can navigate in the Earth’s magnetic field if they receive light from
wavelengths absorbed by cryptochrome. (23) However,
exposure to man-made frequencies between 0.1 and 10MHz at field strengths as
little as 0.085 mT (about 500 times weaker than the
Earth’s magnetic field) made the birds completely unable to respond to the
Earth’s field.
Frequencies
used by mobile devices, including cell phones, DECT cordless landline phones
and Wi-Fi, can blot out “magnetic vision.” Even lower field strengths are
likely to disturb magnetic navigation, since radiation that is too weak to blot
out magnetic vision totally may still be strong enough to distort a bird’s
perception of the Earth’s field, causing the bird or insect to fly in the wrong
direction.
The sheer
number of wireless devices gives birds continuously conflicting navigational
data – as if they’re constantly bombarded by flashing disco lights. We should
not be surprised that birds would leave such areas. Likewise, scientists who
put DECT cordless phone base stations next to their beehives found that their
bees behaved abnormally and were less likely to return to the hive. (24)
(Beekeepers are thereby well advised not to carry their mobile phones when
visiting their hives.)
Birds,
bees and many other animals can also navigate by the sun’s position. To do
this, they must have an internal clock that adjusts to the sun’s changing
position throughout the day. Cryptochrome makes this
clock sensitive to magnetic fields. A 300 mT steady
field can alter the clock’s speed or even stop it altogether. (25) Given that
sensing light and magnetic fields by cryptochrome
uses the same basic mechanics as the internal clock, it’s likely that weak
alternating fields would also disrupt a clock’s normal functions. As a consequence,
weak, man-made electromagnetic fields would render animals unable to adjust
accurately to the sun’s changing position. This leaves the animal unable to use
either magnetic or solar navigation. If there were no landmarks to guide it,
the animal would be completely lost. This could explain colony collapse
disorder, when bees do not return to their hives.
Circadian
(daily) metabolic rhythms, which occur in virtually all higher organisms, keep
us in sync with the Earth’s twenty-four hour rotation on its axis. Circadian
rhythms are also driven by cryptochrome-containing
internal clocks. They enable the organism to anticipate the coming of dawn and
dusk, and they modify its metabolism to be ready for the new conditions.
Circadian rhythms control the production of melatonin (a sleep hormone); at
night, they divert metabolic resources to repair and immune system
strengthening.
Losing or even weakening of the circadian rhythm – due to a failure of the
internal clock’s exposure to man-made electromagnetic fields–would have serious
consequences. In humans, this would result in tiredness during the day, poor
sleep at night, and reduced production of melatonin. All of these effects have
been reported in people exposed to continuous, weak, electromagnetic radiation
from DECT phone base stations, Wi-Fi routers and cellular antennas.
Also, any
weakening of the circadian rhythms’ amplitudes means that processes controlled
by them will never function at maximum power. The immune system may never be
able to summon the massive power that is sometimes required to overcome
pathogens or destroy developing cancer cells before they get out of control. In
part, this could explain epidemiologists’ findings that people living near
cellular antennas have an increased cancer risk. It could also explain bee
colonies’ continuing decreased health and ability to resist pathogens.
Bill
Bruno, PhD biophysicist, retired from the Los Alamos National Lab: Biology
is very sophisticated in its ability to make use of electromagnetic fields. Cryptochromes are just one example. Despite centuries of
discoveries in biology and advances in medicine, there is so much we don’t
know. For example, why do our brains, sinuses and other tissues have magnetic
magnetite particles?
Our bones
and collagen are piezoelectric: in an electric field, they expand and contract.
What are the implications of that? And what about recent experiments that show
that DNA is a semiconductor, and that melanin, including neuromelanin
in the brain, is a conductor?
Endnotes
1. Balmori, A., “Electromagnetic pollution from phone
masts. Effects on wildlife,” Pathophysiology, (2009), doi; 10.1016/j.pathophys.2009.01.007.
2. Maslin, N.M., ” HF Communications: A Systems Approach, Plenum Press,
1987.
3. ibid.
4. Sanders, E.H., et al, “Broadband spectrum survey at Los Angeles,
California,” NTIA Report 47-336, 1997.
5. Petrov, I.Y., et al, “Possibility of correction of
vital processes in plant cell with microwave radiation,” in Proceedings of IEEE
International Symposium on Electromagnetic Compatibility,” ppl.
234-235, December, 1991.
6. Berg, A. and H. Berg, “Influence of ELF sinusoidal electromagnetic fields on
proliferation and metabolic yield of fungi,” Electromagnetic Biology and
Medicine, v. 25, no.1, pp. 71-77, 2006.
7. Tafforeau, M., et al, “Plant sensitivity to low
intensity105 GHz electromagnetic radiation,” Bioelectromagnetics,
v.25, no. 6, pp. 403-407, 2004.
8. Bitonti, M.B., et al, “Magnetic field affects
meristem cell activity and cell differentiation in Zea
mays roots,” Plant Biosystems, v. 140, no. 1, pp. 87-93, 2006.
9. Wawrecki, W. et al, “Influence of a weak DC
electric field on root meristem architecture,” Annals of Botany, v.100,
no.4, pp. 791-796, 2007.
10. Roux, D., et al, “Electromagnetic Fields (900 MHz) evoke consistent
molecular responses in tomato plants,” Physiologia
Plantarum, v.128, n.2, pp. 283-288, 2006.
11. Haggerty, Katie, “Adverse Influence of Radio Frequency Background on
Trembling Aspen Seedlings: Preliminary Observations,” International J. of
Forestry Research, 2010.
12. www.mastsanity.org/health/research/299-why-our-urban-trees-are-dying-by-andrew-goldsworthy-2011.html
13. www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-11/wi-fi-radiation-killing-trees
14. MacKay, William, Said Majdi, et al, “Attraction
of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) to Electric
Fields,” J. of the Kansas Entomological Society, 65(1), 1992, pp. 39-43.
5. Cammaerts, Marie-Claire and Olle
Johansson, “Ants can be used as bio-indicators to reveal biological effects of
electromagnetic waves from some wireless apparatus,” Electromagnetic Biology
and Medicine, 8.30.13.
6. Clarke, Dominic, Heather Whitney, et al, “Detection and Learning of Floral
Electric Fields by Bumblebees,” Science DOI: 10.1126/
science.1230883; published online February 21, 2013.
7. Kaplan, Matt, “Bumblebees sense electric fields in flowers,” Nature,
February 21, 2013.
8. http://electromagnetichealth.org/electromagnetichealth-blog/emf-and-warnke-report-on-bees-birds-and-mankind/
19. Balmori, A. and C. Navarra, “Mobile phone mast
effects on common frog (Rana temporaria) tadpoles;
the city turned into a laboratory,” Electromagn
Biol Med, 2010, June;29(1-2); 31-5. 59.
20. Di Carlo, A., White, N., Guo, F. et al, 2002,
“Chronic electromagnetic
field exposure decreases HSP70 levels and lowers cytoprotection,”
J. of
Cellular Biochemistry, 84;447-454.
21. Balmori, A., (2005) “Possible effects of
electromagnetic fields from phone masts on a population of white stork (Ciconia ciconia), Electromag. Biol. Med. 24:109-119.
22. Beckley, Brian, “Are smart meters chasing away birds from Rolling Hills?” Renton
Reporter, February 22, 2013.
23. Ritz et al, Nature, Vol. 429, May 13, 2004, 177-180.
24. Yoshi, et al, http://tinyurl.com/rans84
25. Yoshi et al, http://tinyurl.com/cx7xaa