I would like to thank Madrona and Russell for keeping the debate about EMF alive with their article “The Buzz about EMF.” The work that they do through their organization Kwiaht is extremely important for our community, and I thank them for that. I was disappointed in this piece however. Here are my concerns:
1- They quote a review which says “We simply do not know” how much EMF affects bees. They say a review of 113 studies found that most of them “reported some kind of harm” from EMF. This light-hearted article does not question why our society is dispersing this controversial radiation in an unconscious and indiscriminate way, when we know there is harm, but we don’t know how much. They feel that we should not buy products containing Imidacloprid, (and I agree wholeheartedly), but they make no recommendations to use caution with EMF, something most of us have the power to turn on and off.
2- They state that cell phone use exposure is much higher than for other forms of EMF. This may be true, but it does not consider that microwave radiation from cell towers (beyond 1,500 feet) and Wifi routers constitutes low level, long-term exposure (24/7), whereas cell phone use is high level, short term exposure : this difference can equalize the exposure effects.
3- There are other problems with bees than just Colony Collapse Disorder. An NPR report says that our bee population has declined as much as 30 percent in the last 25 years, due to disease. If the experimental evidence shows than bees “do not like” hives with cell phone radiation exposure, is this environmental “stress” not at least a part of the equation making them sick? Twenty five years ago the planet was not completely smothered with cell towers, Wifi, smart meters etc.
In conclusion, as Russell and Madrona stated in their article, more research is needed on this important and controversial issue. In the meantime, please use caution with EMF. Educate yourselves on this issue, speak out, and don’t buy anything with pesticides!
Ann Marie Fischer
LOPEZ ISLAND
