Dozens of enthusiastic schoolchildren from Jackson Hole, Wyoming created videos about how to use a cell phone safely, and why safe cell phone use is important, by participating in the Environmental Health Trust’s (EHT) “Get Wired” Safer Cell Phones Youtube Video and Poster Contest. Winners will showcase their videos at Jackson’s Teton County Library on Monday, May 23, from 4 pm to 5 pm.
Spearheaded by volunteer stay-at-home-mom Renee Glick, on EHT’s behalf, with the approval of the Teton County School District and the Jackson Town Council, children throughout the K-12 Jackson Hole community participated in the contest. Winners were announced in late April, and each received a “cool” YUBZ retro headset to plug into their cell phones and help minimize personal exposure to potentially dangerous microwave cell phone radiation. YUBZ helped sponsor the event by accepting Glick’s invitation to provide fun, age-appropriate headsets to winners from each grade in every K-12 school throughout the district.
“I get my own Y-U-B-Z!” declared six-year old Taylor Glick, who, inspired by her mom’s efforts, entered the winning video for the kindergarteners at Wilson Elementary. Taylor’s little sister, preschooler Ryan Glick, though not a contest participant herself, was nonetheless equally excited. “I learned the word ‘radiation!’” she exclaimed.
Little kids aren’t the only ones learning about radiation, as the winning video from four Wilson fifth graders makes clear. Tait Bjornsen, Kirsten Wuerderman, Kamryn Lunde and Emery Rheam’s video features a grandma scolding the grandpa because he wasn’t using his cell phone safely.
“I was really surprised,” said Kirsten. “I didn’t know cell phones could cause radiation. The most important thing I learned was that you should really not use cell phones the way people normally do.” Fellow Wilson students Eric Woodson and Sophia Ortega entered winning drawings for first and fourth grades, respectively.
Over at Journeys Elementary, two third-grade girlfriends, Dylan Kling and Whitney Ball, teamed up with Dylan’s first-grade brother, Ridge Kling, to submit their winning video of original lyrics and dance–inspired by Michael Jackson’s “They Don’t Care About Us”– which criticizes failed fine-print government and industry cell phone safety warnings.
“I don’t want a cell phone until I am at least 12,” said Dylan. “Yeah,” said Whitney, “but it’s so cool that they make headsets like these, and it makes cell phones safer too.” “Yeah, this headset is awesome,” Ridge agreed. “I like the design.”
EHT’s founder, Teton Village resident Dr. Devra Davis, an internationally recognized leader on the science behind the dangers of cell phone radiation, applauded the students’ creative leadership. “Young people are particularly at risk from the dangers of cell phone radiation,” Dr. Davis warned.
Author of Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family (Dutton, 2010), a groundbreaking, in-depth investigation into the history and science of the dangers of cell phone radiation, Davis features prominently in breaking national national news on the topic.
“I knew cell phones gave off radiation, but I didn’t know how serious it was over a period of time,” said Jackson Hole High School (JHHS) sophomore David Gilmore, who teamed up with fellow sophomores Garrett Spencer, Sky Roney, and one other student, to submit the winning video “Brain Tumor.” Summit High School’s Sean Coleman worked with Josh Franz, Zak Bagley and Vivian Eden from JHHS to submit their winning video, “Cell Phone Effects.”
“It’s really surprising that cell phones might cause cancer,” said another JHHS winner, Morgan Comey, who, along with freshman Dalton Goodrich and junior Marlowe McGuire, submitted the video “Don’t Sleep With Cell Phones.” “I’m so stoked,” said McGuire. “I never win anything! This is so cool!”
In March, national media attention focused on new studies presented in the Journal of the American Medical Association showing that cell phone radiation excites the brain. In the studies, a team of researchers found that just 50 minutes of cell phone radiation significantly affects brain function and metabolism of glucose—the brain’s main fuel—in those parts of the brain that receive the most cell phone radiation.
Also taking place on May 23, 2011, a think-tank of experts organized by Gazi University and EHT will convene at a workshop in Istanbul, Turkey to share explosive independent studies on cell phone radiation.
saferphonezone.com
EHT in the News:
Cell Phone Study A Wake-up Call for Prospective Dads
Can Mobile Phones Cause Brain Tumors?
Featured Video:
Dr. Devra Davis with Professor Nesrin Seyhan
