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Will NAIS Cause Cancer? There are a number of reasons to dislike NAIS, but the latest is very concerning and is a serious health threat to any animal injected with the RFID chip. Since the chips have also been approved for injection into people the risk is even more frightening. The FDA approved the chip for implanting into humans without looking at any data related to potential side-effects. Recently a number of senior citizens had the chip implanted at a nursing home in Florida "for their own safety". However, if these reports are correct, they could have just condemned them. From the website www.antichips.com "As the AP will report, a series of research articles spanning more than a decade found that mice and rats injected with glass-encapsulated RFID transponders developed malignant, fast-growing, lethal cancers in up to 1% to 10% of cases. The tumors originated in the tissue surrounding the microchips and often grew to completely surround the devices, the researchers said. Albrecht first became aware of the microchip-cancer link when she and her "Spychips" co-author, Liz McIntyre, were contacted by a pet owner whose dog had died from a chip-induced tumor. Albrecht then found medical studies showing a causal link between microchip implants and cancer in other animals. Before she brought the research to the AP's attention, the studies had somehow escaped public notice. A four-month AP investigation turned up additional documents, several of which had been published before VeriChip's parent company, Applied Digital Solutions, sought FDA approval to market the implant for humans. The VeriChip received FDA approval in 2004 under the watch of then Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson who later joined the company's board." While some question the accuracy of these claims of cancer, it is still troubling. Since chips are being implanted into dogs and cats many wonder why we aren't seeing a big increase in cancer in these animals. Well there is an answer. First, the technology hasn't been around that long and there is no central reporting of cancer in pets like there is for humans. Second, the frequency is only triggered and emits radiation when scanned. This isn't that frequently, usually only when the pet strays. However, under NAIS there would be frequent triggers and it would emit the signal (read radiation here!) more frequently. Also, equine live longer than dogs, cats and mice meaning over their lifetime they would be exposed for a longer periods of time. Meaning that perhaps they wouldn't develop cancer until their later years costing owners even more money in their pet's declining years. In humans it would depend on how often the chip is scanned or triggered by external events, but that is a very concerning thing for them since the chip can be triggered by things like microwaves, cell phones and other devices. Since the chip for people are being marketed as a way to have a more centralized health record or a way to track them this could cause the device to be triggered more than our dogs and cats. Whatever your position on NAIS is this information should raise concerns. If the chip can potentially cause cancer in our animals is it worth any perceived benefit of NAIS? I personally have 2 dogs that love to roam and I swear they are related to Houdini and can escape any confinement. I considered having them chipped in case they were to lose their way home, after reading this information and listening to some experts speak on the chip I have decided that I will stick to the tags on their collars. I will not have them chipped and I certainly will not chip any of my horses. I do not want them to suffer from such a terrible disease as cancer. Of course this is all my opinion and lacking any long term studies to show that they absolutely do or do not cause cancer I would rather err on the side of caution because there is enough evidence to say that it is a possibility and there is not enough of any benefit to me to take any chances with my animals. I would say that is a call we all have to make for ourselves, but we all also have the right to make an informed decision and up until now that has been denied us. If NAIS is fully implemented and, as I have read elsewhere when does any governmental program not become bigger and more mandatory, we could all have that decision taken from us. So, back to the question will NAIS cause cancer? At this point the answer is possibly. Federal Register requesting your comments! Published in today’s Federal Register is the official notice and request for comments for NAIS-related documents National Animal Identification System (NAIS) official identification
devices with animal identification number, 4680–4681 [E7–1719] Note that this is an official comment period. Comment should be made within 30 days - do it ASAP: /Comments regarding these information collections are best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of this notification. Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by calling (202) 720–8958./ /Comments about any of these documents or other aspects of the NAIS may be submitted to USDA through the NAIS Web site e-mail address: animalidcomments@aphis.usda.gov or by mail to NAIS Program Staff, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737/ Facts about NAIS There is little know by the average person about a little program that the USDA is beginning to implement. The program is called the National Animal Identification System or NAIS. The program is being touted as a way to identify stolen animals, a way to protect our food animals from disease or a way to "assist" farmers with better services and governmental assistance. There is a great deal of controversy over the program and each person should fully investigate the plan and decide for themselves what their position is on the program. NAIS was created by USDA/APHIS/NIAA, the latter is a consortium of mega-agribusinesses who began planning this system since well before 1996. The program was in development before BSE was an issue in the United States. It was developed and pitched by large agri-businesses like Tyson, Cargill, Monsanto, National Pork Producers, and others with the sole purpose of gaining, expanding and ensuring the foreign meat export business. There is nothing within the NAIS program that will return stolen animals to their owners. The program is designed to track disease outbreaks and to gather info on all animals within the vacinity of the outbreak to erradicate any possibility of diseases spreading. At this time there is no database of individual animals not intended to enter the food chain or for personal use. The USDA's contention is that such a database is needed. Under NAIS, any property that houses even a single livestock or exotic animal, including horses, backyard trout ponds or parrot owners, will need to obtain a premises registration number. Each animal will need an individual identification number in the form of an radio frequency identification chip. In horses it will be inserted in the muscle of the neck near the 4 - 5 vertebrae. The exception to this mandate are large corporate farms and feedlots, that only need to register the lot as one and these animals do not require the chip. So anyone with 3 horses, one pet parrot, pet rabbit and 5 laying hens will need 10 individual tags. The USDA cannot or won't say how much it's going to cost any owner. In fact, they haven't done a cost benefit analysis. In addition to the cost of the chips, it will also cost to report the movement of each animal. Each time an owner goes on a trail ride, takes a mare to get bred or rides down the road they must file with the database and pay a fee. If you fail to do so within 24 hours, you will face a fine. To ride your horse off your property you will be required to write down the premises registration number of each property crossed and the individual animal id number of each horse you commingle with.
EXEMPTIONS
MANDATORY
The Department does not plan to issue 'alerts' to inform livestock owners of the requirements until April 2007, only eight months prior to the date when it will be mandatory to submit the GPS co-ordinates of one's home and the RFID of one's animal[s] to the USDA database. Cost
Even if you don't own a livestock animal, you will pay for the cost of the program through increased cost at the market. This is especially true once the small farmers are driven out of business and corporate farms control pricing. And you cannot just go out and buy a few chickens or a milk cow, they either won't be available for purchase or you will have to comply with the regulations. THOSE FOR AND THOSE AGAINST
Many state cattlemen's associations are backing this program. However, chances are their members aren't or that they are unaware of program. Each person that registers voluntarily is being taken as support for the program and being used as justification for making the program mandatory. Before you register your property make sure you understand the program and all of its implications.If you are opposed to the program there is much that you can do to stop its forward motion.
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