Recognition of the Electromagnetic Sensitivity as a Disability Under the ADA
The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) is the Federal agency devoted to the accessibility for people with disabilities. The Access Board is responsible for developing and maintaining accessibility guidelines to ensure that newly constructed and altered buildings and facilities covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Architectural Barriers Act are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. In November 1999, the Access Board issued a proposed rule to revise and update its accessibility guidelines. During the public comment period on the proposed rule, the
Access Board received approximately 600 comments from individuals with multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) and electromagnetic
sensitivities (EMS).
The Board has taken the commentary very seriously and acted upon it. As stated in the Background for its Final Rule Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and
Facilities; Recreation Facilities that was published in September 2002:
“The Board recognizes that multiple chemical sensitivities and
electromagnetic sensitivities may be considered disabilities under the ADA if they so severely impair the neurological, respiratory or other functions of an individual that it substantially limits one or more of the individual’s major life activities. The Board plans to closely examine the needs of this population, and undertake activities that address accessibility issues for these individuals”.
Following its recognition of electro sensitivity and its declaration of commitment to attend to the needs of the electromagnetic sensitive, the Access Board contracted the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) to examine how to accommodate the needs of the electro sensitive in federally funded buildings. In 2005 the NIBS issued a report.
The link for the report:
http://web.archive.org/web/20060714175343/ieq.nibs.org/ieq_project.pdf
From Report (page 11):
Electromagnetic Fields
For people who are electromagnetically sensitive, the presence of cell phones and towers, portable telephones, computers, fluorescent lighting, unshielded transformers and wiring, battery re-chargers, wireless devices, security and scanning equipment, microwave ovens, electric ranges and numerous other electrical appliances can make a building inaccessible.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) notes that scientific studies have raised questions about the possible health effects of EMF’s. NIOSH recommends the following measures for those wanting to reduce EMF exposure – informing workers and employers about possible hazards of magnetic fields, increasing workers’ distance from EMF sources, using low-EMF designs wherever possible (e.g., for layout of office power supplies), and reducing EMF exposure times (11).
——————————–
Dafna Tachover
EHS Fight Back: http://ehsfighback.blogspot.com/
[…] by Dr. Bruno Bettelheim 4. http://mashvet.com/resources/dr-domore-video 5. TakeBackYourPower.net 6. Recognition of the Electromagnetic Sensitivity as a Disability Under the ADA 7. Adapted from EMF Safety Network 8. http://www.nescoe.com/uploads/Smart_Grid_Final_May_2012.pdf […]
[…] Source Source The other three are invisible to the naked human eye, but not to human physiology and other living organisms, including plant life! Let me ask, Can you see the wind? No! What you actually see are the effects of wind blowing, in most cases, i.e., trash, leaves, etc. being displaced and scattered, but you really cannot see the wind per se. You can feel it, though! You can see a tornado cloud formed by the wind, but wind per se is not visible to the naked eye. That is the analogy I like to use to explain Electromagnetic frequencies, Radiofrequencies, and Non-thermal radiation, which the microwave industry and its premiere professional association ICNIRP pontificate does NOT exist! However, ICNIPR acknowledges Thermal effects! Even though the human eye cannot see electromagnetic frequencies in most cases, they certainly exist; can be ‘seen’ using certain monitoring equipment specifically built to measure them [1-2]—so they are proven to be there! However and though unseen, their presence in the atmosphere is real, all-pervading and contribute to the sea of electromagnetic frequencies we constantly are being bombarded with – or, as some would say, mildly ‘electrocuted’ by! The current obsession with cell phones, iPhones, Smartphones and other microwave-propelled technologies, e.g., Wi-Fi, AMI Smart Meters, Routers, LAN networks, etc., create pollution few are aware of but all are affected by adversely. Please refer to my article Cell Phone And Microwave Information Consumers REALLY Ought To Know to understand what’s involved with cell phone activity and how it affects your body. Each time anyone uses a cell phone, or any tech product which uses microwaves to operate, electromagnetic frequency pollution (RF) is created that contributes to electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) [3] health issues, which become cumulative in the body until you cannot think and function properly. According to statistics, 3.2% of Californians; 9% of Germans; and 5% of the Swiss population complained of EHS! [4] Researchers estimate that approximately 3% of the population has severe symptoms of EHS, and another 35% of the population has moderate symptoms such as an impaired immune system and chronic illness (Havas, 2007). [5] That is the unknown side effect of unseen microwave activity pollution and EMFs/RFs, which often strikes out of the blue—or so it seems after prolonged cell phone and other electromagnetic frequency exposures for years—and then life becomes the nightmare you never thought it could be. Just ask anyone who has EHS! Are you aware EHS is recognized as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act? […]
[…] That is the unknown side effect of unseen microwave activity pollution and EMFs/RFs, which often strikes out of the blue—or so it seems after prolonged cell phone and other electromagnetic frequency exposures for years—and then life becomes the nightmare you never thought it could be. Just ask anyone who has EHS! Are you aware EHS is recognized as a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act? […]