'Wi-fi refugees' shelter in West Virginia mountains

[OnyxKnight]

'Wi-fi refugees' shelter in West Virginia mountains

By Jane O'Brien & Matt Danzico BBC News, Green Bank

13 September 2011 Last updated at 02:45 GMT

Dozens of Americans who claim to have been made ill by wi-fi and mobile phones have flocked to the town of Green Bank, West Virginia.

More than five billion people use mobile phones worldwide and advances in wireless technology make it increasingly difficult to escape the influence of mobile devices.

But while most Americans seem to embrace continuous connectivity, some believe it's making them physically ill.

Diane Schou is unable to hold back the tears as she describes how she once lived in a shielded cage to protect her from the electromagnetic radiation caused by waves from wireless communication.

"It's a horrible thing to have to be a prisoner," she says. "You become a technological leper because you can't be around people.

"It's not that you would be contagious to them - it's what they're carrying that is harmful to you."

Ms Schou is one of an estimated 5% of Americans who believe they suffer from Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS), which they say is caused by exposure to electromagnetic fields typically created by cell phones, wi-fi and other electronic equipment.

Hiding in a cage

Symptoms range from acute headaches, skin burning, muscle twitching and chronic pain.

"My face turns red, I get a headache, my vision changes, and it hurts to think.

Last time [I was exposed] I started getting chest pains - and to me that's becoming life threatening," Ms Schou says.

To alleviate the pain, her husband built an insulated living space known as a Faraday Cage.

Diane Schou says she was forced to live in a shielded cage in Iowa, prior to moving to West Virginia

He covered a wooden frame with two layers of wire mesh and a door that could be sealed shut to prevent radio waves from entering.

Diane spent much of her time inside it, sleeping on a twin mattress on a plywood base.

"At least I could see my husband on the outside, I could talk to him," she says.
Diane believes her illness was triggered by emissions from a mobile phone mast.

Her symptoms were so severe that she abandoned her family farm in the state of Iowa and moved to Green Bank, West Virginia - a tiny village of 143 residents in the heart of the Allegheny Mountains.

Outlawed wireless technology

Green Bank is part of the US Radio Quiet Zone, where wireless is banned across 13,000 sq miles (33,000 sq km) to prevent transmissions interfering with a number of radio telescopes in the area.

The largest is owned by the National Radio Astronomy Observatory and enables scientists to listen to low-level signals from different places in the universe.

Others are operated by the US military and are a critical part of the government's spy network.

As a result of the radio blackout, the Quiet Zone has become a haven for people like Diane, desperate to get away from wireless technology.

"Living here allows me to be more of a normal person. I can be outdoors. I don't have to stay hidden in a Faraday Cage," she says.

"I can see the sunrise, I can see the stars at night, and I can be in the rain.
"Here in Green Bank allows me to be with people. People here do not carry cells phones so I can socialise.

"I can go to church, I can attend some celebrations, I can be with people. I couldn't do that when I had to remain in the Faraday Cage."

But EHS is not medically recognised in the US.

The world's largest, fully steerable radio telescope is operated in the town of Green Bank

'Debated 'condition'

The wireless association, CTIA, says that scientific evidence overwhelmingly shows that wireless devices, with the limits established by government regulators, do not pose a public health risk or cause any adverse health effects.

And the World Health Organization, while acknowledging that the symptoms are genuine and can be severe, says: "EHS has no clear diagnostic criteria and there is no scientific basis to link EHS symptoms to EMF (electromagnetic field) exposure. Further, EHS is not a medical diagnosis, nor is it clear that it represents a single medical problem."

However, new research by scientists at Louisiana State University and published by the International Journal of Neuroscience, claims to show that EHS can be caused by low frequency electromagnetic fields found in the environment.

“Start Quote

Towards the end of my normal life when I still could watch television I could actually cut my pain off and on with the remote control device”

Nichols Fox West Virginia resident

"The study provides direct evidence that linking human symptoms with environmental factors, in this case EMF," says Dr Andrew Marino, a neurology professor who led the study.

"It's a watershed in that regard. There have been no previous studies that scientifically assess whether electromagnetic fields in the environment could produce human symptoms," he says.

"And the symptoms matter because they are the first steps that show how EMFs produce human disease."

Scientists conducted a number of tests on a 35-year-old physician who had diagnosed herself with EHS.

She was seated on a wooden chair while voltage was applied to metal plates for pulses of 90 seconds to create a series of magnetic fields. The woman was asked to describe her symptoms after each exposure and after random sham exposures when, unknown to her, there was no voltage.

She reported headaches, pain and muscle twitching during the genuine exposures and no symptoms for the majority of the sham exposures.

The scientists concluded that such consistency could not be attributed to chance.

But other experts still disagree that a link exists.

Technological 'ignorance'

Bob Park is a physics professor at the University of Maryland.

He says that the radiation emitted by wi-fi is simply too weak to cause the type of changes in the body's chemistry that could make people sick.

"The bigger problem that we face is that in our society, driven by technological change, people have very little education," he says.

"There are lots of things people need to learn and they're not learning it. The thing that's going to kill them is ignorance."

Seventy-year-old Nichols Fox says she understands such skepticism - it took several years before she became convinced that her debilitating pain and fatigue were caused by electromagnetic radiation emitted by her computer.

Nichols Fox lives alone in a home powered primarily by gas just outside the Quiet Zone

"Towards the end of my normal life when I still could watch television I could actually cut my pain off and on with the remote control device," she says. "It was such an enormously clear association there was just no denying it."

Her symptoms are so severe that she has isolated herself almost entirely, living in a remote house surrounded by fields and woods just outside the Quiet Zone - she says even the low-level electromagnetic fields generated there affect her health.

She uses hardly any electricity - her refrigerator operates on gas, light comes from kerosene lamps and a wood-burning stove provides most of her heat.

A thermostat is set to switch on electric heaters if the temperature drops to a level where she is in danger of hypothermia.

"It's so important that people understand that this is a very serious disability, it's a life changing disability. It leads to an earlier death - I have absolutely no doubt about that and I think it's just unfortunate that this is not recognized," she says.

But even in this secluded part of America, the incursion of wireless technology is relentless. Planning permission has been granted for a cell tower a few miles from her home and Nichols says she'll have to move.

"I'm getting older and I really don't know where I'm going to go or what I'm going to do," she says. "It's really quite frightening."

Source

[Ria]

I think it is affecting us all to some degree. We might attribute some of the affects to other things, when is in fact it is wi-fi.

[Mark]

Sounds like some ascension symptoms.

[WhiteFeather]

I do not have a cel phone, got rid of it around 2 years ago simply because it has negative ill effects on the pineal gland, and it removes us from our true selves and being. I do utilize a wireless internet at home, and I believe this wi-fi and cel use could also be effecting the honey bees as well. And If its effecting the honey bees think of what it may be doing to us.

[KosmicKat]

When the government (or anybody else for that matter) says "does not pose a public health risk" I have learned to look closer. Those meds that "may cause" symptoms in a minute percentage of people can cause some very severe reactions if you happen to be one of that minute percentage.

[Ria]

I could not agree more, I became disabled by statins. I do not wont to bore my self, let alone anyone els, with a cater-loge of what has happened to many people around me. we are to wish all well, hold all beings in light and love see them transformed.

[Lisab]

As some of you know ive been waiting for a lap top for ages and using my sons iphone to post. Now before my previous laptop broke I was suffering major anxiety,heart palpitations and generally feeling off planet everytime I went on the computer. At the time I started reading about about ascension symptons and for a while though it was that. Then I was posting on iphone and ive been more or less fine for the past year,thinking yay Ive finally grounded. Finally got a lap top a week ago and I feel terrible. Cant sleep,feel agitated cant handle people around me. I know its the lap top I feel sick when its on. The thing is I dont get the same symptons on the iphone. Its really weird. To cut a long story short Ive been using both one to post the other to browse and keeping the laptop off as much as possible.
Now Ive read before about geopathic stress and wonder if its that. Theres supposed to be certain crystals that help.Ive tried (crystals)but to be honest they dont help.Does anyone know of anything that could help me? Protections of some sort. Honestly this is driving me crazy and I was going to ask on this very subject,so thankyou Onyx.
I also get a hot feeling around my chest/heart area. I cant think straight and feel really horrible. I cant even post properly. my brain feels scrambled. I definately wouldnt sleep with it in the same room as me. This thread is well timed for me. HELP! Thanks love Lisa x

[Lord Sidious]

Posted by Lisab (here)
As some of you know ive been waiting for a lap top for ages and using my sons iphone to post. Now before my previous laptop broke I was suffering major anxiety,heart palpitations and generally feeling off planet everytime I went on the computer. At the time I started reading about about ascension symptons and for a while though it was that. Then I was posting on iphone and ive been more or less fine for the past year,thinking yay Ive finally grounded. Finally got a lap top a week ago and I feel terrible. Cant sleep,feel agitated cant handle people around me. I know its the lap top I feel sick when its on. The thing is I dont get the same symptons on the iphone. Its really weird. To cut a long story short Ive been using both one to post the other to browse and keeping the laptop off as much as possible.
Now Ive read before about geopathic stress and wonder if its that. Theres supposed to be certain crystals that help.Ive tried (crystals)but to be honest they dont help.Does anyone know of anything that could help me? Protections of some sort. Honestly this is driving me crazy and I was going to ask on this very subject,so thankyou Onyx.
I also get a hot feeling around my chest/heart area. I cant think straight and feel really horrible. I cant even post properly. my brain feels scrambled. I definately wouldnt sleep with it in the same room as me. This thread is well timed for me. HELP! Thanks love Lisa x

I don't know, but I can attract attention from others who might.
Come on avalonuggets, we need some help here.

[TigaHawk]

hey Lisab

I dont realy think there is much a solution to EM sensativity current, other than what's been stated in the posts above. a Faraday cage or moving somewhere that there is not many/none wireless or electronic devices.


The only thing i can think of which may help (im not sure it might because it will require "holes" for you to actualy use it, and even then its at a hinderance to you) is to build a small faraday cage. Place it over/around the laptop. Use a wired keyboard and mouse and have them outside the cage connected to the pc. But as i said before, it wont be a proper faraday cage - as it has holes, and is connected still to the device allowing a link for the EM in the cage to get out. IT may block enough of it tho to allow you to use it without pain or discomfort....

tho ive yet to figure out how youd' see the screen properly thru the faraday cage.


---

Another idea - old/dying wiring in the house? Are you only using the laptop in 1 spot? Have you tried taking it to another room of the house and using a different power outlet to see if the symptoms persist there?

---

Yet another idea - Can you physically identify where on the laptop the wireless card is. I am assuming that you are using wireless internet thru the laptop yes? If not - you should be able to (most laptops have) a button, switch, or setting that allows you to disable the wireless card. If you do not - its allways active, sending and recieving signals, even tho you're not connected to the net and using it.

So if you connect to the internet using a cable plugged into a modem - definately look into turning it OFF.

If you use the wirless to connect to the internet... try and physically identify where the wireless card is on the laptop. If its somewhere good, like smack bang on the front or back - get a few coke cans and cut them open (be carefull lest you cut your'e fingers on it) and try and turn it into a fairly big icecream cone, perhaps not so thin - make it fat like a radar dish. Find you're trusty friends, stickytape and gluetack, and fix it on. This should help deflect signals from the wireless away from you. But be warned - it WILL effect the connection strength of you're internet if your'e using the wireless for internet on the laptop. If you're not - and cant turn off the wireless card, just coke-can all around where its meant to be, keeping the signals away from you.

---

I'm on a roll here!! Make yourself an EM shield. Coke cans, alfoil and whatnot, use a cardboard box, or wooden backing to stick it too and create a sort of wall. Have this sit, shiny reflective side facing the laptop , between you and the laptop. Dont make it too big as so you cant get your'e arms around to the laptop and so you cant see - but make it so it shields as much of you're body without causing restricted movement or discomfort. Please note, you will look goofy and possibly scare people if you take this approach lol


---


Its weird tho, an iphone can generate enough interference to knock out a wireless internet connection, so my brain hasnt quiet gotten around that corner yet as to why even the power wiring in you're house, or you're iphone or other appliances in the house dont cause the same symptoms. But then again, i have no medical degree or knowledge in that area other than what ive seen and learnt myself.


Perhaps there's a fault with the laptop itself, and its generating more of whatever it is thats specificly causing irritation/discomfort to you.

You could try sending it back for a replacement under manufacturers warrenty. Dont tell them the real reason tho, they'll probably do everything in their power to say no. If you can take it back and swap it for another of the same make/model - use the excuse that it keeps freezing and rebooting without warning. And when it does this, if the PC is currently playing a song or sound at the time of the crash it starts looping a small segment but sped up for about 2sec before it reboots. If they ask if you get the "Blue screen of death" - say no - everything freezes, sound loops for 2 seconds then black screen and its rebooting. Those are legit symptoms of a borked pc if you wanted to try getting it swapped.


If you can get it replaced and the same thing happens....




You would think that because i work in a place that has 3 levels of datacentre, cabling that runs both UNDER and over the floor, and indipendant power regulators/generators scatterd around the place , that SOMEONE here would know SOMETHING about EM radiation.

but noooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.... they cant even give me advice on how to prevent myself from getting electric-shocked from static electricity 3-4 times in 1 go from pulling up a layer of our fly trap mats.

Further goes to show that there is little awareness about this issue - and from the above posts - it seems evidant that they wont look into it further. Because if they do, they'd have to regulate the cell phone/internet companies, which they will keep throwing money at to make go away and not interfere with their profit plans.

[panopticon]

G'day All,

I started to have high level anxiety (panic) attacks, with no medical cause.
Now I only have the occasional hypertensive episode.
We've shifted to a remote-ish area that has no cell-phone or wireless signal.
When in town I use the Motley-bile only in emergencies as it brings on migranes.
At home we monitor the electricity used and turn it off when I have a "problem".
When there's a longer "problem" we just go bush (up the back paddock) for a bit.
No problems then at all.

Though I say it's the emf etc, and our doctor agrees that it's a possible cause, there's no way of tying the two together without a long term study. That's the last thing power companies and cell phone manufacturers (it's a long list so just think "interest groups") want looked at so I would anticipate little to no funding. As the saying goes "No mun, no fun".

I can't help you Lisab. TigaHawk posted some excellent ideas. Maybe try putting a plastic cover (or wire/plastic "shield") over the monitor (though this wont help with wireless transmissions) as it maybe to do with the "refresh rate" of the monitor. This helps my step daughter with her migranes but if you're like me it is really a matter of limiting exposure as much as needed.

Kind Regards,
Panopticon

[Mad Hatter]

Lisab to add to tigahawks suggestions look into what electronic techs call a static electricity kit. It consists of a mat with a wrist strap and a grounding wire. The idea being you sit the electronic component your working with, in this case your laptop, on the mat and you put on the wrist strap which grounds you to the mat which in turn is grounded to earth by connecting the wire to something very well gounded, say a waterpipe. I still have one from my IBM days many many moons ago so have never had a need to go shoping for one but I suspect in this case google will be you friend...

As an aside I always find amusing the blinkered western claims of no proof when a search of the Russian literature on bioenergetics weapons leaves absolutely no doubt at all.

For the budding experimenter I would suggest looking into the work of Masaru Emoto and his photographs of the stunning effect of thoughts on water, which I first saw in the film 'What the bleep do we know'. One could perhaps photograph the water inside a faraday cage as the control and then photograph the same water without the faraday cage. I'd bet london to a brick there will be a marked difference in the pictures and considering we are 95% water thus proof positive EMF effects each and every one of us far more than we would be comfortable acknowledging.

cheers

[Anno]

There was a decent amount of interest starting about this topic but every time it does the Orgonite people turn up and spoil it.

Ever since I was a kid I'd had the 'idea' in my head that beaming radiowaves all over the place is a bad idea. That was before Cell Phones and WiFi existed. Now there's also Tetra which is having an effect on the Emergency Services who use them and those who live around the towers. That's why they're starting to hide them in false trees and petrol station signs.

I think that by filling the atmosphere with all sorts of different radiation it's possible to cut off most people from 'natural powers'. From psychic abilities to seeing ghosts and the ancestors. I've just 'thought' this since I was a kid and first learnt about Radio. When you hear about something and just think; "That's a stupid idea". Like Microwaves Ovens and Dishwashers. Why do we even have those?

[mahalall]

I recently had the opportunity of working on a specialist neuro-surgical unit. It was sad seeing young people with Glioblastomas. When chatting with a senior nurse who had been in the field for over twenty years she said with sad eyes that when she first started they were uncommon in the young, now she sees them regularly particularly right sided brain tumurs

Anecdotal evidence to one side,

The results of long-term studies conducted by a group of Swedish scientists have demonstrated a considerably increased risk of brain cancer among people who started to use mobile phones before 20 years old [21, 22, 23]. In children, the amount of so-called stem cells is larger than in adults and the stem cells were shown to be the most sensitive to RF EMF exposure, which may be one of the reasons why children are so susceptible to electromagnetic exposure [24]. The information on possible blood-brain barrier disturbances, cerebral bio-electric activity disturbances and structural disturbances of brain neurons from EMF exposure should also be taken into account for assessment of mobile phone safety [25, 26, 27]

http://electromagnetichealth.org/ele...ussian-report/

This just an example of the effect of Mobile electromagnetic fields on the brain. Just think what it is doing when you text at crutch level?

Welcome the suggestions of protective devices for Wi Fi

[conk]

I believe there is a simple method of protection. Ground yourself. Find someone with minimal electrical knowledge and have them teach you how to ground your physical body. I simply drove a 9 foot copper stake in the ground and ran a wire to my seating area. While I read or watch TV I am connected to ground. There are products you can buy that make it easier. You can use the ground connector from the wall socket. Do be careful if you're not sure which is the ground hole. Generally in the center (USA)

I also sleep grounded. A mat at the foot of my bed is embedded with conductive silver threads and connected to the ground receptacle. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.

[Fred259]

Posted by WhiteFeather (here)
I do not have a cel phone, got rid of it around 2 years ago simply because it has negative ill effects on the pineal gland, and it removes us from our true selves and being. I do utilize a wireless internet at home, and I believe this wi-fi and cel use could also be effecting the honey bees as well. And If its effecting the honey bees think of what it may be doing to us.

You’re quite correct WhiteFeather it is what’s killing the Honey Bees. We were talking about this the other day. Bees don’t fly like other insects and birds. Rather the bee beats its wings to a frequency around 200Hz or 200 beats (cycles) per second and then levitates away.

So the bee is therefore levitating at 200HZ while cell phones are transmitting in the Gigahertz range.

Its complete insanity, so good on you for leading the way and trashing the cell phone!

[Lisab]

Where would I be without you guys.You rock,thankyou.Im going to look into all the advice given here. Tigahawk as far as looking goofy people already think that of me anyway so no worries there! But seriously,when you said maybe a fault with this laptop I am starting to think it could be.I use computers all day in my part time job and Im usually fine.The laptop Ive got now was given to me second hand from my friends company and grateful as I am Im thinking of getting rid of it now.In fact woke up with a banging headache today again,had to go work and felt nauseas all day-nightmare. I also agree with the honey bees theory,sad. And thankyou to Lord Sid for bumping this thread for me,really appreciate all advice given here. Love to you all Lisa x

[applejax]

interesting read. thank you for sharing this....you know, i've used those bluetooth devices once and it left scars around my ear. needless to say i refused to use it since then. still use a cell phone and wi-fi but i wear a special necklace from gia wellness and also from that company a cell guard (have placed it on me and my hubby's phones). wish it wasn't so pricey b/c they have stuff for every thing in the house. it did make a difference though. without it i'd have weird headaches and it wouldn't allow me to sleep.

[Lisab]

Thanks Applejax I shall look into this company Gia Wellness. Sounds promising x