Idioms ‘Transmit’ Health Concerns in
Wireless Technology Documentaries:
“Full Signal”
“Radiant Day”
“Bad Reception”
“Public Exposure” 3

The documentaries above all deliver the same message: there may be serious, long-term health hazards from radiation emitted by cell towers, wireless base stations, cell phones, cordless phones (!), and other devices.

Full Signal debuted this fall. The trailer calls wireless technology “the world’s largest biological experiment ever.” It was named Best Documentary at the Myrtle Beach International Film Festival; and was featured at both the premier and closing (due to popular demand) of the Santa Fe Film Festival. The San Fernando Valley Sun published this review last week.

Radiant Day is a Norwegian documentary (with English subtitles) that calls into question World Health Organization and U.S. standards on safe levels of radiation exposure. It reveals that military and wireless industry personnel dominate scientific committees that set these standards, and that such questions are far from “settled” as many scientists are very concerned. Disturbing musical and visual effects throughout the video ‘portray’ the invisible radioactive emissions from cell towers and wireless devices.

Bad Reception covers a San Francisco neighborhood’s fight to keep cell sites out of their neighborhood in 2003, County Supervisor Matt Gonzalez’ anger at Sprint over misleading data on its permit application, and residents’ concerns that proliferation of cell sites was about gaining market share, not providing service. Producer Doug Loranger is one of the organizers of the Coalition for Local Oversight of Utility Technologies.

Public Exposure dates from 2000, as cell phone use increased dramatically. Nine years ago (before universal wireless broadband became the goal!), the trailer warned wireless signals had increased background radiation 10,000 times. The issues from 2000, though, are very much the same today: industry’s claim there are no proven health effects, concerned scientists asking for common sense precautions, and individual activists and communities trying to sound the alarm. Two scientists featured in this video (Cindy Sage and Elizabeth Kelley) continue today to advocate for protecting populations from wireless technology radiation.

A YouTube search will turn up several other videos on this subject.

For those with a preference for print information, the latest issue of Prevention Magazine features the dangers of dirty electricity (low-level radiation), and 11 ways to protect yourself (4 of these involve cell phones).