THE UPSIDE OF LOCKDOWNS

by Kimberly B. Whittle

Around the world, the COVID-19 pantion in traffic and industry similarly impactdemic has changed the way millions ed the climate. Within the first six weeks of people live their day-to-day lives, of lockdowns, in London, Birmingham, but despite their dire consequences, govBristol and Cardiff, NO 2 and fine particulate ernment-mandated lockdowns have had an pollutant levels dropped by a third to half, unintended positive consequence: cleaner air. with large declines recorded in other cities.

In China, as major cities shuttered These are the two air pollutants that have the factories and reduced transportation earlier biggest health impacts on people, says James this year, experts found that carbon emisLee, professor of atmospheric chemistry at sions dropped by about 100 million tons the University of York and research fellow at over a two-week period. Scientists at the the National Centre for Atmospheric Science. Royal Belgian Institute for Space Aeronomy, The U.S. has been part of these trends, in Brussels, are using satellite measurements as well. In Los Angeles, known for its smog, of air quality to estimate the changes in nithe air quality index improved by about 20 trogen dioxide (NO 2 )—a pollutant emitted percent during March. According to Yifang into the air when fossil fuels are burned— Zhu, a professor at the University of Caliover the major epicenters of the outbreak. fornia (UC) Los Angeles Fielding School Their research shows that NO 2 pollution of Public Health, during March, the region over Chinese cities decreased by an average recorded the longest stretch of “good” air of 40 percent during the lockdown comquality that it has experienced for 25 years. pared to the same period in 2019. NASA has observed significant air

Across the United Kingdom, the reducquality improvements in other parts of the

U.S., as well. Satellite data for March showed that the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions had the lowest monthly atmospheric levels of NO 2 that month since 2005. Data on NO 2 from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument over the Northeast in March indicated that levels of the pollutant in March of this year were about 30 percent lower on average across the region of the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., to Boston than the mean of the previous five years.

Another immediate benefit of the reduction in pollutants is their effect on the pandemic itself. Public health experts agree people that have higher long-term exposure to fine particulate pollution have a 15 percent greater likelihood of dying from COVID-19. They attribute this to the lung damage caused over time by air pollution, combined with the fact that the virus targets the lungs and increases the risk of pneumonia.

Experts warn, however, that the cleaner air is likely to be temporary if we return to pre-COVID-19 levels of travel and industry. Although we have seen a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) levels—another important contributor to global warming—have continued to rise. “The crisis has slowed emissions, but not enough to show up perceptibly [in CO 2 levels everywhere]. What will matter much more is the trajectory we take coming out of this situation,” geochemist Ralph Keeling, who directs the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s CO 2 monitoring program at UC San Diego, told The Washington Post. But it’s possible that if people start expecting and demanding the cleaner air we have been enjoying during the pandemic, the coronavirus shutdowns could lead us to embrace new ways of living and working.

Scientists worldwide have emphasized that most of the air quality improvement is due to a reduction in traffic. Ed Avol, a professor of clinical preventive medicine at the University of Southern California, told Forbes that telecommuting is here to stay. “Telecommuting from home for those who can, even just for a couple of days a week, can have a marked reduction in terms of emissions.”

Kimberly B. Whittle is the founder and CEO of KnoWEwell.com, a community and marketplace platform committed to rigorous, evidenced-based research that empowers healthier living. To learn more, visit KnoWEwell.com or see ad on page 29.

by CT Residents for Responsible Technology

Every day we’re bombarded with ads in upgrade from 4G/3G, shouldn’t we assume media outlets extolling the virtues of the FCC and FDA have already approved 5G-microwave radiation. The media the applied science we’ve been using for the hype behind 5 th -generation wireless telecomlast 30 years? No. munications promises consumers greater While marketing spin has presented speeds along with connectivity of all things— 5G as simply an upgrade, it is, in fact, an the “Internet of Things.” What the telecom entirely new and evolving system based industry chooses not to disclose, however, on the military’s selective beam technolare the devastating health effects that will imogy. The telecommunications industry is pact every living organism, from insects and currently deploying this infrastructure on trees to livestock and humans. Perhaps the utility and light poles, existing cell towers greatest peril will be the radiation-induced and the tops of buildings near your home, decimation of our bee population, threatworkplace and schools. This means there ening our very food supply.If bees were to will be powerful cells on every street, disappear, according to Albert Einstein, we’d alarmingly close to our homes. have no more than four years to live. While the use of the term “small”

With the introduction of cellular wireless telecommunications facilities phones in the 1990s, we came to trust and (sWTF) makes them sound harmless, the rely on the technology. So, if 5G is just an man-made, pulsed-modulated microwave radiation emitted from these cells is extremely dangerous. In thousands of peer-reviewed studies, these unnatural pulsing and spiking frequencies have been proven to be highly disruptive to the cellular functions of our bodies. Worse still, this bombardment of unnatural microwave radiation will be ongoing 24/7/365, with no break for our bodies to return to homeostasis. Nor will we be able to shield our families from the unceasing assault.

Willfully dismissed by industry and government leaders alike are massive numbers of scientific studies documenting harmful health effects. Recently unclassified papers from the U.S. government, Russia and the WHO from 1945 and the 1970s reveal that millimeter waves are quite dam aging based on duration and proximity.

These thousands of peer-reviewed studies have demonstrated that radiofrequency/microwave radiation causes suppressed melatonin and sleep disruption, headaches, dizziness, memory and learning impairments, cardiac arrhythmias, immune dysfunction, DNA damage, cancer, infertility, miscarriages and neurodevelopmental complications, particularly in exposed fetuses. Vastly increased wavelengths can interfere with electronic medical devices such as pacemakers and hearing aids. This radiation is especially damaging to children, born and unborn. The developing brains of the young absorb up to 10 times more radiation than do adult brains. Such whole-organism and cellular damage is not limited to humans, but also occurs in pets, farm animals and wildlife— especially our pollinators.

There are other concerns beyond those that are biological. Data, it seems, is the new currency. The 5G technology in enhanced conveniences such as smart refrigerators, smart phones and home thermostats is deployed with microchips that gather data uploaded to the grid for sale to industry and government agencies for purposes of analysis and targeting. Worse still, 5G-enabled drones will capture data that will be used to monitor social distancing, body temperatures and contact tracing. Are we willing to give up our privacy for speed, autonomous cars and manufacturing robots—innovations already available without 5G?

All this does not mean we cannot have speed and advancements in education, healthcare and entertainment. Safe and responsible solutions do exist today. For example, fees for fiber-optic infrastructure were added to our phone bills in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Yet, the telecommunications industry has lobbied our elected officials and government agencies to allow for the fraudulent use of our publicly funded fiber-optic cables for their industry profit, while the public has been given inferior service through wireless, which is slower and less reliable with known security risks. The fiber-optic alternative, which we’ve already paid billions for, is faster, safer and more reliable, and it can be deployed today—fiber to the premises without the use of wireless infrastructure. No wireless antennas in the community mean greater security and greater reliability in services.

Industry lobbyists have subverted our understanding of the 1996 Telecommunication Act with the myth that state and local rights are preempted by government/industry partnerships. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 preempted neither “health effects” nor

“operations.” These matters are within the purview of our local town regulatory author ities—not some state-level agency or council far removed from our communities.

What can you do? Become informed and get involved in your town meetings, asking questions and requesting they halt all deployment. Organize to ensure your freedom from assault with warrantless surveillance, privacy invasion and data seizure in our homes and communities. Families in Easton have successfully worked together to establish a town-wide 5G moratorium to ensure only safe and responsible technology is deployed. Other communities across the state, including Trumbull, Greenwich, Brookfield and Fairfield likewise are engaged in educating the public and requesting their town governments halt all 4G/5G.

At the very least, communities need to insist that decisions are made based on actual needs assessment, capping and monitoring power capacity of devices such as sWTF conducted by local towns, not some far-off bureaucrat. Connecticut must work on changing how decisions are made regarding telecommunications applicants, giving more power to the local municipalities and towns. Deployment closer to our homes means towns must engage and get involved sooner rather than later. The community should not have to sacrifice its health and safety for some Internet of Things.

To connect with CT Residents for Responsible Technology on protecting the community’s natural rights to health, safety, property value and a clean environment, join the Facebook group at Facebook.com/groups/ Stop5GCT/.

One Online Destination for

Today’s Regenerative Whole Health ™ NAPUB110

Knowledge, Resources and Community Collaborating to Inspire and Empower You to Achieve WELLthier Living ®

NAPUB110