PAPER 1: A
new mechanism for Tree Die-Back by Dr
Chris Barnes Bangor Scientific and Educational Consultants
Abstract
A brief history of tree dieback is presented.
Routes for metal absorption are discussed. A new theory of a requirement for
both radio frequency fields and metal pollution mainly magnetite in PM2.5 is
needed to cause vegetation damage. General tree die back is discussed in terms
of Oxidative stress. Effects of clustering of tree deaths are discussed in
terms of a new quantum mechanical model.
Introduction
Tree –die back has been noted amidst various
species since the 1970’s. Acid rain and
fungal and insect infestations infections are usually blamed and indeed are
probably still responsible for the majority of tree die-back. However, the
question posed here is could other factors in our environment be accentuating
the situation?
The author has noticed an association between
locations which experience the phenomenon known as the Hum and general clusters species independent tree
dieback. Localities which experience
the phenomenon known as the Hum often seem to occur at specific and quantised
distances from mobile phone antennas
and/or are locations where there are strong a.c.
electrical ground currents. It is thus
possible these self-same factors are involved in some way in contributing to
the phenomenon now commonly referred to as tree die back. Whereas some specific species tree deaths are
accountable for simply in terms of disease, Dutch Elm probably being one of the
most famous or because of predators such as the Oak Processional Caterpillar, the
author has more recently noticed another
much more species independent form of die -back and it is the purpose of this
communication to seek to explain this latter phenomenon.
Metals absorption by trees, their leaves and
vegetation.
Metals and their compounds can appear on or in the
leaves of deciduous trees or the needles of conifers by two main routes. These are either translocation from the root
system via the xylem and phloem, see Breckle and Kahle 1991 (1) and
Baes and Mclaughlin (1984) (2) or by deposition of nano-material
such as magnetite and nickel onto the
leaves/needles directly from the air, especially by roadsides , see Speranza and Leopold (2012) (3).
Some metals have a direct toxicity on entire plant
metabolism but for others their outcome in terms of plant physiology is less
clear.
Magnetite, for example, is an excellent microwave
absorber, indeed one of the most efficient and yet in human radio biology its
presence has been totally disregarded in calculating SAR for cell phones and
the like, see Kirschvink 1996 (4). As well as for
perception of some cases of the disturbing LFN like phenomenon known as the Hum
which plagues people World –wide, maybe magnetite could account for so called
‘non-thermal damage’ of EM fields to living systems? In any event one expects biogenic magnetite to
be laid down in places where it is really needed in the body such as the
brain. On the other hand geologic
magnetite due to PM2.5 pollution will, perhaps, be spread more evenly including the blood
stream and skin. It is this geologic
magnetite which will, amongst other pollutants, metals and their compounds find
itself on and in tree leaves and needles.
So metals and their oxides are very strong
microwave absorbers. There are probably multiple mechanisms by which leaf death
and eventual whole plant partial die back or death could occur as a result
of r.f.
radiation exposure involving either in
the traditional sense energy carried in the e.m field
or in the quantum mechanical sense information carried by the magnetic vector
potential (A –field). This latter
explanation is useful for other than in so much as electrical ground currents
may disturb the root systems of trees it provides the missing link between tree
deaths associated with modulated mobile telephony and data systems and tree
deaths associated with overhead
electricity pylons.
Hitherto unexplained locations of clusters of tree
die-back (various mixed species)
We hear a lot in the news recently about species
specific tree die back and disease causality.
However, where the author resides in
Fig1
Fig2
The illustration, figure
1, above shows non-specific species independent tree die back in the vicinity
of one of Gwynedd's first ever mobile
phone masts, ironically one which is itself disguised as a tree. Trees mainly to the left of the antenna can
be seen dying from the top down. The
location is at the side of the busy Felinheli bypass,
near Caernarfon. There is thus both a
source of RF radiation and nano- particulate
pollution.
Figure 3
Figures 2+3 show a number
of dead and dying trees around another mobile phone mast near the busy Bangor
to Bethesda A5 road. The main beam of a
mobile phone mast is usually made with a declination of about 60 degrees to
optimise for pavement users. Figure 2
illustrates elegantly a completely dead tree about 50m from the mast and at
exactly the declination to receive maximum effect.
Background radio waves
It has been shown very recently that background
radio waves either stunt or accelerate vegetation (geraniums and aspen trees) (5). Although it is mentioned that r.f may make seedlings more susceptible to disease precise
mechanisms for interaction are not advanced. The work also remarks on the fact
that major World forest decline began in the late 1970’s. The present author associates this date with
the advent of UHF TV and UHF PMR transmission, together with more attendant use
of microwave point to point systems.
Similarly road infra-structure particularly motor ways were vastly
expanded. Thus we have formulae wherein
we provide both more UHF and microwave pollution and more PM2.5 particulate
pollutants. The present author believes
both are requisite for tree and vegetation damage.
Evidence for author’s hypothesis
The author lives quite proximal to several mobile
phone base stations and a VHF paging transmitter. The r.f. field
strengths are similar in inside the third floor of the author’s home and
outside in the garden. Some shrubs and
trees in the garden show signs of die back and have leaves similar to those
documented by Haggerty above. Plants
kept indoors on the third floor do not show such signs. Plants kept by Haggerty outdoors in a Faraday
cage also do not show such signs. This observation leads to a conclusion is
strong support for the authors’ hypothesis that both r.f.
and particulate pollutants are required for damage.
Oxidative stress Mechanism.
Certain metal nano-particles
and their oxides make excellent microwave absorbers particularly when mixed
with organic insulators (6). The situation for such particles particularly
magnetite, and iron and nickel nano-particles, major
constituents in PM2.5 pollution, might well be very similar to this in
whichever mode they adsorbed onto or absorbed into tree or vegetation leaves or needles. The proposal is then, that even at modest
microwave or uhf field strengths, energy might be concentrated sufficiently to
bring about oxidative stress and destroy critical biochemical pathways in the
leaf. If leaves die then, unable to photosynthesize effectively, the entire
plant might suffer partial or entire death or decline. Such observations have been made under
certain controlled conditions for certain species of plants without added
pollution, see, for example, for duckweed,
Tkalec et al 2007 (7); for
tomato, Roux et al (8) and in general references (9-11).
The added pollution, mainly from the roadside, according to the present author, will make the
leaves act like dielectric antennas and focus up to twenty times as much energy
into them.
Quantum mechanical effects
It has also been previously
noticed that tree deaths tend to occur at specific distances from transmitting
antennas. Previously this has been
ascribed to the presence of antenna main beam (12) and secondary side lobes (13).
The present author has
noticed a general effect which can only be described as being a quantum effect
related to the electromagnetic Aharonov-Bohm effect
and resulting in maximum bio –effect occurring for trees and vegetation located
at distances from transmitting antennas such that the magnetic field B and
magnetic vector potential A are odd multiple numbers of PI radians
apart (antiphase).
At 1000 MHz this is 0.5 nS as a time
difference or approximately 500 meters
from the transmitter and odd integer multiples thereof.
This
is a difficult concept and is best understood by reference to (14) Or for a more rigorous mathematical interpretation of the
background see also (15).
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The SCALAR ‘A’ carries information if the transmission
is modulated. Magnetite is known to
store information in biological systems by spintronic
type interactions with biological organic molecules and water. Thus we have a quantum oriented mechanism for
how electromagnetic fields working in conjunction with PM2.5 pollution could
conceivably alter transcription in plant cells and produce radial die back
clusters. The author has filed a UK
patent application in respect of the spatial predictability aspects of die back. Trees and plants stressed in this manner
are also naturally more likely to succumb to fungi and parasites.
Other biological systems.
The assimilation of metal nanometre sized
metal/metal oxide pollutant particles
in the presence of electromagnetic fields could have implications for the
decline of other species particularly insects and birds and is hoped to report
on these soon and elsewhere.
References
1.
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00031914#page-1
2.
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1984Sci...224..494B
4.
http://web.gps.caltech.edu/~jkirschvink/pdfs/JoeMicrowave.pdf
5. International Journal of Forestry
Research Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 836278, 7
pagesdoi:10.1155/2010/836278Research Article Adverse Influence of Radio
Frequency Background on Trembling Aspen Seedlings: Preliminary Observations
Katie Haggerty P.O. Box 553, Lyons, CO 80540, USA).Received
6.
Microwave
absorption properties of the core/shell-type iron and nickel nanoparticles Journal of Magnetism and
Magnetic Materials Volume 320, Issue 6, March 2008, Pages 1106–1111) and
polymers ( Journal of applied Physics Volume:111
Issue:6).
7.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969707008017
8.
Roux et al.: High frequency
(900 MHz) low amplitude (5 V/m) electromagnetic field: a genuine environmental
stimulus that affects transcription, translation, calcium and energy charge in
tomato. Planta 2008 Mar, 227 (4): 833-91
9.
Roux et al.: A possible
role for extra-cellular ATP in plant responses to high frequency, low amplitude
electromagnetic field, 2008.
10. Tkalec et al: Exposure to radiofrequency radiation
induces oxidative stress in duckweed Lemna minor L.;
Environ 2007 Sep 6 Sci Total Environ.
11. Nilsson M, Sjunnesson R. Träd
skadas av strålning från mobilmaster. Article in Miljömagasinet Nr 22,
12. http://www.ee.iitb.ac.in/~mwave/GK-cell-tower-rad-report-DOT-Dec2010.pdf
13. Confidential
private communication regarding a report which was made for UK Forestry
Commission.
14.
http://cwl2004.powerwatch.org.uk/programme/posters/day4-smith.pdf
15. Toward a more complete electrodynamic
theory’
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Journal |
International Journal of Signal and
Imaging Systems Engineering |
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Publisher |
Inderscience Publishers |
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ISSN |
1748-0698 (Print) |
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Subject |
Electronic Systems, Control and
Artificial Intelligence and Systems Engineering |
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Issue |
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Pages |
3-10 |
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DOI |
10.1504/IJSISE.2012.046745 |
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Subject Group |
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Online Date |
Monday, May 07, 2012 |
16.