We have been so busy recently, between the FreeFrom Food Awards and the FreeFrom Skincare Awards, that a huge pile of ES news has accumulated in my in-box. I have just added a few of the weightier pieces to the electrosensitivity section of the Foodsmatter site but here is a random selection of other bits of news:

Coke & Pepsi remove Group 2B carcinogenic caramel colouring from their recipe.
Professor Olle Johansson points out that the 4-methylimidazole caramel colouring used in Coke and Pepsi has the same cancer classification (Group 2B) as radio frequencies. As Professor Johansson says:
The question then becomes, why would two companies that are certainly not known for being particularly health conscious voluntarily remove a Group 2B carcinogen from their formulation while governments, parliaments and health authorities world-wide – which promotes their concern for families and presumably healthy families – mandate every home, workplace and place of leisure and consumption must be inundated with a Group 2B carcinogen (electromagnetic radiation). I never thought I would trust Pepsi and Coke to be more concerned about my health and well-being than my own government…

Yes, mobile phones can interfere with DNA – also courtesy of Professor Johansson
Single strand DNA breaks in human hair root cells exposed to mobile phone radiation – International Journal of Radiation Biology

Abstract
Purpose: To analyze the short-term effects of radiofrequency radiation (RFR) exposure on genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) of human hair root cells.
Subjects and methods: Hair samples were collected from eight healthy human subjects immediately before and after using a 900-MHz GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) mobile phone for 15 and 30 min. Single-strand DNA breaks of hair root cells from the samples were determined using the ‘comet assay’.
Results: The data showed that talking on a mobile phone for 15 or 30 min significantly increased (p < 0.05) single-strand DNA breaks in cells of hair roots close to the phone. Comparing the 15-min and 30-min data using the paired t-test also showed that significantly more damages resulted after 30 min than after 15 min of phone use.
Conclusions: A short-term exposure (15 and 30 min) to RFR (900-MHz) from a mobile phone caused a significant increase in DNA single-strand breaks in human hair root cells located around the ear which is used for the phone calls.

Olvera, a Spanish town just outside of Cadiz, declares itself an ‘electromagnetic pollution-free municipality’. See here for the original report in Spanish – a translation below.

In Olvera, a beautiful town of Cadiz, the Councillor for the Environment, Jacobo Camarero, confirmed that the full City Council unanimously approved to declare the town a “Electromagnetic Pollution-Free Municipality”.
It is important to note that this decision was taken with the unanimity of the United Left party, but that it was also voted for by the Spanish Socialist Party and the Popular Party, as the link which harnessed and motivated the different political forces, is to ensure a safe and healthy environment to the citizens.
We can say openly and without fear of error, that there are no official records of municipalities, with the same kind of decision. We just know that in Cartagena and Murcia several villages in neighbouring federations called for something similar, as have many provinces of Spain, but have just not progressed.
As an extension of the news, Environment Councilman Jacobo Camarero said, “As our town is small, we do not have the typical problem of the tonnes of masts on the roofs, on the contrary, the urban landscape is adorned by a concrete tower with antennas installed which are illegal, and which we intend to remove it immediately.”

The Lethal Network of mobile phone towers which blanket Kolkata (Calcutta) in electrosmog.
A lengthy article in the Times of India, Kolkata describing the health effects of Kolkata’s forest of high emission phone masts.

In Kolkata, most cell sites emit radiation of nearly 100 watts. The government argues it has adopted the guideline of 9.2 watt/sq m set by International Convention for Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection as a safe limit.What it does not mention is that the norm is for exposure to radiation for 6 minutes a day.
“Also, for every 6-minute exposure, there is a 23-hour-54-minute cooling period. When exposure is for 24 hours, there is no time for the body to cool. Plain logic says it will cause immense harm,” pointed out IIT Bombay professor Girish Kumar, who has been studying effects of non-ionizing radiation for a decade. People living within 50 to 300 m of a cell tower antenna are more prone to ill effects of electromagnetic radiation. With 5,000-odd antennas in the city, lakhs of people are at high risk.
Read more here.

Can fetal exposure to mobile phone radiation cause  hyperactivity in mice – and by extension, in humans?
We have listed and given links to the several research studies related to this question on the FM site but  this article on the Health.com site covers the ground well.

And finally – maybe all too finally…. Electromagnetic radiation and  fertility. Yes, it appears that, if you are a bloke, sitting with you laptop in your lap or keeping your smart phone in the pocket of your trousers really may  reduce your fertility.  We already have a number of the studies listed on the FM site but there is a good article on the Jon Barron Baseline of Health site which covers the most recent of them.