In order to operate, mobile phones, iPads, cellular antennas, Wi-Fi and “smart” utility meters emit electromagnetic radiation (EMR) at frequencies and amplitudes that are not found in nature. An Electronic Silent Spring tells how people and wildlife are affected.

1. The book reports on peer-reviewed studies that show that EMR-exposed tadpoles die, aspen tree seedlings wither, bee colonies collapse, birds crash into antennas and white stork mates fight.
2. EMR from “smart” utility meters, metal detectors, hybrid cars and other common electronics can shut off a medical implant. NIH estimates that 10% of Americans have a medical implant. The FDA regulates microwave ovens, which can interfere with cardiac pacemakers. No agency regulates cell phones, which operate closer to the body, with more power and at the same frequency as a microwave oven. In An Electronic Silent Spring, geophysicist, electrical engineer and implant patient Dr. Gary Olhoeft speaks on the issues.
3. How does long-term, chronic exposure to EMR affect infants and children? In An Electronic Silent Spring, Dr. Martha Herbert, Harvard pediatric neurologist, and Cindy Sage, MA, co-editor of the BioInitiative Report, explain why exposing children to EMR may lead to autism. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises pregnant women and children not to use mobile devices.
4. An Electronic Silent Spring looks at worker safety: the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers are routinely exposed to dangerous EMR from rooftop antennas without warning or protection.
5. Federal regulations protect the engineering needs of electronic devices–and telecom companies. A federal law prohibits local officials from refusing installation of cellular antennas based on health or environmental concerns. The book explains FCC policies, which do not recognize that EMR can harm health.
6. Lloyds of London and A.M. Best consider health damages caused by EMR a critical, emerging risk. These underwriters advise insurance companies not to insure against damages to health caused by cell phones, antennas or “smart” meters. An Electronic Silent Spring presents the peer-reviewed studies underlying analysts’ concerns.

Katie Singer’s An Electronic Silent Spring also offers an extensive solutions section for policy makers, telecom and utility companies, schools, civic groups and individuals who want to reduce EMR emissions and exposure.

More Electric Issues Covered in An Electronic Silent Spring:

1. When electricity is delivered through properly installed wires, its electromagnetic radiation (EMR) is confined. With wireless devices like mobile phones, the EMR is not confined. It penetrates buildings, cars, people. An Electronic Silent Spring describes how electricity gets to your home, how wireless devices function, how EMR affects us biologically and what regulating agencies could do to keep us safe.
2. Fluorescent lights use less energy as heat than incandescent bulbs. But they contain mercury, they flicker 30,000 times per second and they emit EMR. An Electronic Silent Spring offers safer lightning solutions.
3. The energy issue. An Electronic Silent Spring reports on studies that show: If data centers (which store website content) were a country, they would rank fifth in use of energy.
4. We continue to deploy electronic devices without first proving that they are safe for pregnant women, infants, children, people with medical implants – or over the long term or in combination with other devices. An Electronic Silent Spring presents policies that will educate the public and move us toward preventing new deployments until they are proven safe.
5. To operate, wireless devices require radiofrequency fields that create the dopamine effect and lead to addictive behavior. An Electronic Silent Spring presents physicians who have treated children for addiction to mobile devices. The book also presents warnings about children’s media use from the American Academy of Pediatrics and Kaiser Permanente.
6. An Electronic Silent Spring reports on peer-reviewed studies about fertility: If a man carries a cell phone in his pants pocket, he will damage his sperm, even if the phone is turned off. If a man has erectile dysfunction, he is 2.6 times more likely to carry a cell phone in his pants pocket. After five generations of exposure to EMR, mice become irreversibly sterile.
7. Why don’t we have American studies about cell phone use and brain cancer risk? Answer: Because American telecom companies won’t release customer usage data for epidemiological research. An Electronic Silent Spring presents studies from Europe, where telecom companies turn over usage data for health research as a matter of course.
8. An Electronic Silent Spring reports on the health effects of living near a cellular antenna. It gives resources: i.e., to learn about the antennas near you, go to antennasearch.com. It warns: a study by the EMR Policy Institute found that EMR emitted by U.S. antennas exceeds FCC guidelines.