Protect children from EMF.

The twenty-first century is marked with aggressive development of the wireless communications (satellite, mobile phones, Internet, Wi-Fi). In addition to thousand of satellites that deliver radio and TV signals, large satellite and base station networks secure intensive instant delivery of audio and video information. It is fair to say that that the entire civilization, both biosphere and mankind are exposed to continuous exposure of multitude of radiofrequency (RF) signals. It should be taken into account that the entire world population is exposed to exponentially increasing RF radiation from base stations and satellite antennas. While several years ago the potential hazard was connected with placement of mobile phones close to human head, today "smart phones" represent small, but powerful computers continuously receiving audio and video data. The largest group of users is the children and teenagers who "need" to communicate nearly 24 h a day. This is even more important because cell phones and tablets may be seen in the hands of children as little as two years in age. There is no way to assess and predict the potential damages of children brain, vision and hearing under exposure to RF radiation. The WHO precautionary principle and IARC classification must be applied in discussing the potential hazard of the use of today's and tomorrow's communication devices.

Congestive heart failure after treatment for Wilms' tumor: a report from the National Wilms' Tumor Study group.

PURPOSE: We determined the frequency of and risk factors for congestive heart failure following treatment for Wilms' tumor that included doxorubicin. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Flow sheets and medical records were reviewed to identify cases of congestive heart failure in a cohort of patients treated on National Wilms' Tumor Studies (NWTS)-1, -2, -3, and -4. The frequency of congestive heart failure was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. A case-control study was conducted to determine the relationship among cumulative doxorubicin dose, site(s), total dose of abdominal and thoracic irradiation, sex, and the frequency of congestive heart failure. RESULTS: The cumulative frequency of congestive heart failure was 4.4% at 20 years after diagnosis among patients treated initially with doxorubicin and 17.4% at 20 years after diagnosis among those treated with doxorubicin for their first or subsequent relapse of Wilms' tumor. The relative risk (RR) of congestive heart failure was increased in females (RR = 4.5; P =.004) and by cumulative doxorubicin dose (RR = 3.3/100 mg/m(2); P <.001), lung irradiation (RR = 1.6/10 Gy; P =.037), and left abdominal irradiation (RR = 1.8/10 Gy; P =.013). CONCLUSION: We conclude that congestive heart failure is a risk of treatment with doxorubicin for Wilms' tumor. Additional follow-up of those children treated on NWTS-4 will be necessary to determine if the decrease in dose to 150 mg/m(2) significantly reduces this risk.

Radiobiological experiment aboard the biosatellite Cosmos-690.

In 1974, the USSR launched the biosatellite Cosmos-690 equipped with a gamma-irradiation unit that carried 35 rats. On the 10th flight day, the rats were exposed to radiation at doses of 220 or 800 rads. During the subsequent 10 d, radiation injury developed in a space environment. Similar ground-based experiments were carried out to simulate space flight environment effects. The results obtained were studied on a comparative basis. The conclusion is made that effects of a short-term space flight, as long as 20 d, do not essentially modify the radiobiological effect.

Effect of weightlessness and of artificial gravity on irradiated lettuce seeds.

In our previous studies on board the artificial earth satellite Cosmos 368, the cosmic apparatus Zond 8 and the orbital station Salyut it has been demonstrated that space-flight factors (SFF) have a definite effect on poorly active biological systems, such as dry lettuce seeds. The technical possibilities on board the biosatellite Cosmos 782 (the availability of an on-board centrifuge) allowed us to obtain some new data concerning the mechanisms of the SFF effects. Irradiated seeds of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) were exposed in space flight for 22 days either to weightlessness conditions only or to a centrifugal field. Data have been obtained characterizing the cytogenetical and physiological processes in seeds of various series of the experiment. An attempt is made to analyse the role of individual SFF in the changes observed.

Radiobiological investigations in Cosmos 782 space flight (Biobloc SF1 experiment).

Several biological objects were flown in Cosmos 782 in order to investigate the effects of HZE cosmic particles and other environmental factors of space. Space flight results in chromosomic aberrations in lettuce seeds, decreased germination rate and increased frequency of abnormalities in tobacco seeds and decreased developmental capacity in Artemia eggs. In lettuce and tobacco seedlings, changes were observed not only in seeds hit by heavy ions but also in nonhit seeds. The results indicate that exposure to the space environment can induce important changes in biological objects and emphasize the usefulness of investigations carried out on organisms less complex than mammals.

Investigation of radiation sensitivity in mammals under long duration weightlessness.

Preliminary results of the radiobiological experiments carried out on the biosatellite Cosmos 690 with a radiation exposure unit on board are presented. The duration of the satellite flight was 20.5 days. On the tenth day of the flight 35 rats were exposed on board the satellite to 220 or 800 rads of gamma radiation. Comparison of data obtained in test and control groups of animals has shown that under the influence of space flight factors a somewhat more severe radiation injury develops than in on-ground conditions.