EMF Wellness
T U C S O N
WHO's WHO & HAPPENINGS
A range of groups and people from different sectors are involved in EMF-related activities in Tucson. They include citizens groups, the University of Arizona, wireless service providers, private tech development companies, researchers, health care providers, and city and state governments. All of these entities can contribute to improving EMF safety in Tucson. You will find out more about them in this chronology of recent EMF happenings in Tucson.
2018
In 2018,Tucsonan Ashley Portland co-founded the Pima County 5G Awareness Coalition to raise awareness of 5G and its impacts. 5G issues are discussed by local EMF experts and concerned citizens on the coalition’s Facebook page which, as of December 2020, had 369 members.
Ashley started the Coalition because of her concerns for her children and for the health of the planet. She is also severely electromagnetically sensitive. Read her personal EMF story here.
In November 2018, the Pima County 5G Awareness Coalition and the Electromagnetic Safety Alliance (see box) co-sponsored a public forum in Tucson “5th Generation Wireless: Technological Revolution or Pandora’s Box?”. The forum featured Elizabeth Kelley along with other prominent national experts. The speaker presentations can be found at emsafetyalliance.org. Elizabeth was interviewed on the Bill Buckmaster’s KVOI radio show regarding the forum.
Elizabeth (Libby) Kelley
Libby Kelley is Tucson’s own pioneer educator and advocate on EMF health and safety. In 2009, Libby formed the Electromagnetic Safety Alliance, an international non-profit organization that raises awareness of the risks of EMF exposure.
In addition to her work educating the public and government representatives here in Tucson (more below), Libby is the Director of the International EMF Scientist Appeal to the United Nations calling for greater protection of people, plants and animals from the health effects of EMFs. As of November 2020, 254 EMF scientists from 44 nations and 15 Supporting Scientists from 11 nations have signed the Appeal.
Find out more about Libby, an advisor to EMF Wellness Tucson, here.
A December 2018, an article titled “UA Engineers Bring 5G Whiz to Cell Networks” was published by the U of A College of Engineering News. The article highlighted the University of Arizona’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering research advancing 5G wireless technology. For example, its Broadband Wireless Access and Applications Center (BWAC), a prominent National Science Foundation center, conducts research on how to most effectively use millimeter wave frequencies in telemedicine, including remote surgery, and smart transportation, both part of the Internet of Things.
2020
In January 2020, the Electromagnetic Safety Alliance announced it is hosting ”EMF Medical Conference 2021: Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of EMF Associated Illness”.
Elizabeth Kelley is the Executive Director of the conference, and it is co-chaired by Tucson neurosurgeon Dr. Hillel Baldwin and Dr. Magda Havas.
Click here and scroll down to the official video trailer to hear doctors' and researchers' stark words about EMF health effects ... and why physicians urgently need to understand them to help their patients in this modern world.
The conference brings together leading physicians, clinicians and scientists to present the latest on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of EMF associated illness. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans underway to hold it in Tucson were shifted, and it is now a virtual conference open to a wide international audience.
"I have personally seen the toll that EMF exposure is taking on patients, families, and communities, and I look forward to joining my colleagues as we discuss the peer-reviewed medical science and the clinical findings that will improve patient outcomes.”
Dr. Hillel Baldwin
Neurosurgeon, St. Josephs Hospital
In April 2020 Tucson native and University of Arizona Professor Dr. Russell Witte gave a presentation on the “The Body Electric and Microwave Radiation”. In his presentation, he described the electric nature of the human body and explained how electromagnetic radiation can be both harmful and used by health practitioners for healing. Dr. Witte is Professor of Medical Imaging, Biomedical Engineering, Optical Sciences, and Neurosurgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. View his presentation here.
Photo requested.
In May 2020, two Tucson start-up tech development companies, FreeFall Aerospace and ED2, joined together to form FreeFall 5G. Freefall 5G commercializes U of A-invented 5G technologies, including satellite and ground-based wireless antennas. Writes Sergio Cardona, former Raytheon engineer and CEO of ED2 “It’s amazing that two small companies, from Tucson, Arizona, can transform the way 5G communication gets rolled out and by default make us a 5G technology region”. Read the Tucson.com article here.
FreeFall 5G’s state-of-the-art "FreeStar5G" antenna system is illustrated on its website.
In September 2020, Arizona State Representative Pamela Powers Hannley (LD 9) held an online public forum “5G and related health, privacy, preemption and blight issues”. The major 5G issues for Tucson were discussed: lack of local control over small cell placement, health impacts, privacy issues, and visual blight. A video of the forum can be found here.
Writes Rep. Powers Hannley "I have serious concerns about the health and privacy effects of 5G. Check out the videos. I learned a lot. These conversations will continue." Rep. Powers Hannley is a member of the AZ House Regulatory Affairs Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee, both of which cover aspects of the issues surrounding 5G raised in the forum.
The featured speakers were:
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Elizabeth Kelley who gave basic background on 4-5G and talked about policy in other states.
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Dr. Russell Witte (see above) who addressed radiation, microwaves and health concerns related to 4-5G.
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Domingo DeGrazia LD10 representative in the Arizona House and a Certified Information Privacy Professional, who addressed 5G privacy issues.
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Lois Pawlak, Midtown Tucson resident, who talked about neighborhood concerns because of the preemption that was built into HB2365.
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The question and answer session included cameo appearances by Ward 6 City Councilman Steve Kozachik and Valeri Marsh, who is affiliated with Scientists for Wired Technology.
Representative Powers Hannley gives introductory comments at the 5G Forum
In October 2020, Verizon announced that its 5G Ultra Wideband service, “the fastest 5G in the world” is live in parts of Tucson. Its service became available in the downtown, Historic Fourth Avenue, and University of Arizona areas. Read more here.
Starting in October 2020, Ward 6 Councilman Steve Kozachik has been voicing concern over the installation of small cell towers with no public notice or public engagement in his weekly Ward 6 newsletters.
He is asking Mayor Romero to write to state leadership to advocate for local control. He is also encouraging citizens to write to state legislators with their concerns about the installation of 5G small cell towers in their neighborhoods.
2019
In March 2019,Tucson neurosurgeon Dr. Hillel Baldwin and Jenny Baldwin co-sponsored a talk at the Tucson Jewish Community Center by Dr. Magda Havas from the University of Trent (Canada) titled "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Our Love Affair with Wireless Technology". Dr. Baldwin practices at the Carondelet Neurological Institute of St. Joseph’s Hospital and formerly served as Chief of Neurosurgery at Tucson Medical Center, Northwest Medical Center, and El Dorado Hospital. View the announcement, including the story of Jenny Baldwin’s electro-sensitivity resulting from overexposure to EMFs, here.
Also in March 2019, two additional educational events were held in Tucson, both organized by the Electromagnetic Safety Alliance and the Pima County 5G Awareness Coalition:
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A showing of the eye-opening documentary film Generation Zapped at the Loft Cinema
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A neighborhood public forum at the San Pedro Chapel titled “5th Generation Wireless: How Do Changes in Federal and State Policies Impact Our Neighborhood”. The forum was moderated by the Old Fort Lowell Neighborhood Association and included presentations by Elizabeth Kelley and Dr. Magda Havas, Tucson city planning and development staff, and Pima County zoning staff.
Both events were followed by discussion and Q&A sessions featuring Dr. Magda Havas and Sheena Syminton, MA, director of the Electrosensitive Society.
In June 2019, the Pima County 5G Awareness Coalition and the Electromagnetic Safety Alliance presented petitions to the Mayor, City Council, and Pima County Board of Supervisors opposing 5th Generation wireless deployments and asking for exploration of alternative options and of measures for keeping citizens safe from harm or injury. The petitions were signed by 400 local residents. While they received no formal reply, a small delegation met with officials individually for discussions.
In July 2019, in advance of the mayoral election, the Electromagnetic Safety Alliance sent a questionnaire to the four Tucson mayor candidates asking for their opinions about 5G. None of the candidates replied.
In August 2019, Elizabeth Kelley published an article in Medium entitled
“5th Generation Wireless - Isn’t it time for us to have a say?”
In October 2019, the University of Arizona’s Tech Launch Arizona, whose mission is to commercialize U of A–created knowledge, held a luncheon discussion “Opportunities in 5G: Applications, Users and Markets”, which brought together university researchers and a private sector representative from the company Freefall Aerospace (see below) to discuss the implications of new 5G technologies. Learn more here.
2020
In January 2020, the Electromagnetic Safety Alliance announced it is hosting ”EMF Medical Conference 2021: Prevention, Diagnosis and Treatment of EMF Associated Illness”.
The conference brings together leading physicians, clinicians and scientists to present the latest on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of EMF associated illness. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans to hold it in Tucson were shifted, and it is now a virtual conference open to a wide international audience.
Elizabeth Kelley is the Executive Director of the conference, and it is co-chaired by Tucson neurosurgeon Dr. Hillel Baldwin and Dr. Magda Havas.
Click here and scroll down to the official video trailer to hear doctors' and researchers' stark words about EMF health effects ... and why physicians urgently need to understand them to help their patients in this modern world.
"I have personally seen the toll that EMF exposure is taking on patients, families, and communities, and I look forward to joining my colleagues as we discuss the peer-reviewed medical science and the clinical findings that will improve patient outcomes.”
Dr. Hillel Baldwin
Neurosurgeon, St. Joseph's Hospital
In April 2020 Tucson native and University of Arizona Professor Dr. Russell Witte gave a presentation on the “The Body Electric and Microwave Radiation”. In his presentation, he discussed the electric nature of the human body and described the wide body of scientific research on the adverse health effects of microwave radiation. Dr. Witte is Professor of Medical Imaging, Biomedical Engineering, Optical Sciences, and Neurosurgery at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. View his presentation here.
In May 2020, two Tucson start-up tech development companies, FreeFall Aerospace and ED2, joined together to form FreeFall 5G. Freefall 5G commercializes U of A-invented 5G technologies, including satellite and ground-based wireless antennas. Writes Sergio Cardona, former Raytheon engineer and CEO of ED2 “It’s amazing that two small companies, from Tucson, Arizona, can transform the way 5G communication gets rolled out and by default make us a 5G technology region”. Read the Tucson.com article about the merger here.
Illustration of FreeFall 5G’s state-of-the-art FreeStar5G antenna system.
The featured speakers were:
-
Elizabeth Kelley who gave basic background on EMFs and 5G.
-
Dr. Russell Witte (see above) who addressed radiation, microwaves and health problems related to 5G.
-
Domingo DeGrazia LD10 representative in the Arizona House and a Certified Information Privacy Professional, who addressed 5G privacy issues.
-
Lois Pawlak, Midtown Tucson resident, who talked about the lack of local control over 5G tower placement.
-
The question and answer session included cameo appearances by Ward 6 City Councilman Steve Kozachik and Valeri Marsh, who is the Executive Director of Arizonans for Safe Technology (see below).
Representative Powers Hannley gives introductory comments at the 5G Forum
In September 2020, Arizona State Representative Pamela Powers Hannley (LD 9) held an online public forum “5G and related health, privacy, preemption and blight issues”. The major 5G issues for Tucson were discussed: lack of local control over small cell placement, health impacts, privacy issues, and visual blight. A video of the forum can be found here.
Writes Rep. Powers Hannley "I have serious concerns about the health and privacy effects of 5G. Check out the videos. I learned a lot. These conversations will continue." Rep. Powers Hannley, who has a Masters Degree in Public Health, is a member of the AZ House Regulatory Affairs Committee and the Health and Human Services Committee, both of which cover aspects of the issues surrounding 5G raised in the forum. She indicates that, in these roles, she will continue to investigate the issues raised.
In October 2020, Verizon announced that its 5G Ultra Wideband service, “the fastest 5G in the world” is live in parts of Tucson. Its service became available in the downtown, Historic Fourth Avenue, and University of Arizona areas.
Starting in October 2020, Ward 6 Councilman Steve Kozachik has been voicing concern over the installation of small cell towers with no public notice or public engagement in his weekly Ward 6 newsletters.
He asked Mayor Romero to write to state leadership to advocate for local control. He is also encouraging citizens to write to state legislators with their concerns about the installation of 5G small cell towers in their neighborhoods.
2021
In February 2021 a zoom information session about 5G technology was held. University of Arizona Professor Russell Witte spoke about what 5G is and the public safety, privacy and property value issues. He also talked about the solutions for building a "better future for Tucson". Following, Professor Witte and Bradford Trojan of Safe Tech Tucson lead a Q & A session.
Here are the slides from the info session.
Tucson Mayor Regina Romero
In February 2021 Tucson Mayor Regina Romero,on behalf of the Tucson City Council and Tucson residents, wrote a letter to the Arizona State Legislature urging lawmakers to repeal HB 2365, the 2017 bill that limited Arizona cities' ability to regulate the installation of small-call towers in public rights-of-way.
Click to read the letter.
