From trees to poles
Xela means between 10 mountains. Quetzaltenango is a department rich in nature, unfortunately, all this wealth and beauty have been misused by the residents themselves and the governments, they excuse themselves with “progress” to cut down ancestral trees for the supposed well-being of the drivers, they cut their roots and weaken the ecosystem. Trees have been replaced by electric power poles and radio frequency antennas that are non-ionizing radiation, they are becoming more and more the order of the day, but what consequences can this bring to the health of the inhabitants of Xela?
So let’s see what the Ministry of Energy and Mines tells us regarding this type of radiation: “Non-ionizing radiation is a series of energy waves composed of oscillating electric and magnetic fields, which have very weak associated energies to break atomic bonds and ionize matter that, passing through living tissues, fails to directly damage deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
When analyzing the above, we start to think about how innocuous this energy can actually be if we look at the values found in different parts of Quetzaltenango, taking into account the exposure time and the length of each of the waves to which we are exposed, and the effect it would have on genetic or molecular changes in each living being.
There is an energy-wave table that tells us if they are safe or dangerous to health. We found that the energy waves allowed for a human being without causing molecular damage range from 2 mA/m2 to 8 mA/m2 for the general population, that is, they cannot have effects on health.
Knowing this information, Quetzaltenango differs by hundreds of milliamps. When making measurements at various points in Xela we find measurements of up to 1009 amps/m2 of energy, which affects not only our energy, but also affects the health of our systems and this makes us think about what is happening in our city.
We gave ourselves the task of taking a measurement in the city and it was evidenced in photographs that there are large energy waves in zone 9. In this place there is a shopping center where people have had effects on their health, there is a constant danger that requires investigation.
Health risks
Pollution near a telephone mast is high and continuous. So is the one caused by a mobile phone when it is in operation. In any case, using a mobile phone is optional, and once you are informed of the risks you can decide if you want to be exposed to the radiation it generates or not.
Due to this influence are derived: changes in behavior, delay in learning, variation of biological cycles and reaction to stress, etc. Depending on the exact points in the brain stimulated electrically, states of fear, anxiety, restlessness, irritability, apathy, anger, and even personality changes were caused, creating unusual behavior.
The neurophysiologist José Delgado, from the Ramón y Cajal Hospital in Madrid, managed to produce, among other things, behavioral changes such as aggressiveness and apathy in chimpanzees that had been under the influence of low-frequency magnetic fields. The brain is one of the organs most affected by extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields.
On the other hand, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the United States Federal Environmental Protection Agency, in its investigations, concluded that there are statistically significant risks of contracting different types of leukemia, cancer in the central nervous system, as well as lymphomas.
There are investigations that have concluded that there are “extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields, and that they are classified as possible human carcinogens, together with toxic chemicals known as biphenyls, polychlorides, formaldehyde, and dioxin.”
The environment is saturated with radio frequencies. The entire population is subjected to a greater or lesser extent to high-frequency fields: television antennas, radio (FM and AM stations, radio amateurs, radio taxis, firefighters, police, military, etc.), telephone antennas, Wi-Fi, mobile and wireless phones, radars, etc., which pose a growing threat to health and nature.
Currently. it is widely demonstrated that electromagnetic fields interfere with the biological processes of all living beings.
According to the results of these studies, any source emitting electromagnetic fields from low frequencies of power lines, transformers, computers, electrical appliances, etc., to the high frequencies of mobile telephony, Wi-Fi, mobile and wireless telephones, etc., can cause anomalous organic reactions of great impact in the exposed person, from general malaise, behavioral changes (depression, anxiety, memory loss, inability to concentrate…), to chronic fatigue, insomnia, fibromyalgia, vertigo, nausea, headaches, fatigue, pressure in the chest, ringing in the ears, etc.
People with a depressed (sick, elderly…) or developing (children) immune system are especially sensitive to electromagnetic fields and can develop medical disorders such as chronic respiratory infections, cardiac arrhythmias, blood pressure problems, uncontrolled blood sugar, dehydration, etc., but in general, any person can become sensitized if they are exposed intensely and/or have prolonged exposure to electromagnetic radiation.
In the country, we deserve a study to verify whether or not there are effects on the people who are in the vicinity of the antennas and electric power and telephone poles.
Fabiola Muñoz, Bachelor of Biological Chemistry, Master in Food Safety and Nutrition.
