Posted by EarthCalm Staff- Updated on 6/5/2021 to
Smart meters have been getting a lot of attention over the past decade, because it's been well established that they produce quite a bit more radiation than most people were ever made aware of.
Independent Research on Smart Meter Radiation
There is research out now stating that Smart Meters often may not even comply with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) safety standards. Also, the FCC standards themselves have recently been deemed insufficient for measuring smart meter radiation levels.
FCC standards, set back in 1996, were based on radiation studies done on healthy, 6’2”, 220-pound men exposed for short periods of time. This is very different from the actual situation with smart meters, in which women, children, and people in fragile health are continuously exposed to the radiation, often from more than one smart meter. Furthermore, the regulations only tested for thermal damage. This is a problem because the health risks, that current researchers are finding, are from non-thermal effects. Also, other sources of radiation (such as Wi-Fi, cell phones, and other wireless devices) were not present in the testing. Based on these reasons, independent studies strongly caution that smart meters are not safe.
Santa Cruz County Health Department Report
In January 2012, the Public Health Officer and County Counsel of the County of Santa Cruz wrote a report to the Board of Supervisors, outlining their analysis of health effects of smart meter radiation. The lengthy, detailed letter included numerous citations of evidence of health dangers from smart meters:
“…it is in the best interest of public health, safety, and welfare…to adopt the…ordinance implementing a temporary moratorium on the installation of smart meters in or on any home, apartment, condominium, or business within the unincorporated area of the County...”
UC Nuclear Policy Lecturer Report on Smart Meter Dangers
Yet another report regarding the hazards of smart meters was published by Daniel Hirsch, PhD, commenting on a Draft Report called “Heath Impacts of Radio Frequency from Smart Meters” written by the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST).
Hirsch points out that the report by the CCST doesn’t appear to answer the questions asked of it by the requesting elected officials. Also, rather than being an independent study, the CCST basically cut and pasted estimates from a brochure by the Electric Power Research Institute, an industry group—and that furthermore, those estimates were inaccurate. Indeed, he states that the cumulative whole-body exposure from a smart meter at 3 feet appears to be approximately two orders of magnitude higher than that of a cell phone, rather than two orders of magnitude lower. (View Dr. Hirsch's comments HERE.)
American Academy of Environmental Medicine Recommends Avoiding Smart Meters
Calling for immediate caution regarding smart meter installations due to radiation health risks, a letter published by the American Academy of Environmental Medicine cites a number of peer-reviewed, double-blinded, placebo-controlled studies in humans, and concludes:
“...significant harmful biological effects occur from non-thermal RF exposure, showing causality.”
It further states the opinion that the installation is irresponsible and calls not only for a moratorium on installation, but also immediate relief to those requesting it, including the return of analog meters.
The literature cited in the letter raises serious concerns about the levels of RF and ELF exposures emitted by smart meters. The board also states that the existing FCC guidelines for RF safety that have been used to justify installation of smart meters only look at thermal damage and are obsolete since many up-to-date studies show metabolic & genetic damage from RF & ELF below the level of intensity which heats tissues.
Other Studies on the Effects of Wireless Radiation
A comprehensive report published by 29 independent scientists, researchers, and health policy professionals from 10 different countries, the Bioinitiative Report documents clear evidence that numerous health issues are created by exposure to radiation from wireless devices.
An article in the scientific journal Pathophysiology in 2007 by C. Sage and D. Carpenter outlines in detail the reasons for concern about wireless radiation. They cite studies linking non-thermal radiation to:
• Leukemia
• Brain tumors
• Alzheimer’s and ALS
• Breast cancer
• DNA damage, breakage of blood-brain barrier
• Altered immune function
• Insomnia
• Memory and learning deficits
They conclude that:
“…The rapidly expanding development of new wireless technologies and the long latency for the development of such serious diseases as brain cancers means that failure to take immediate action to reduce risks may result in an epidemic of potentially fatal diseases in the future.”
Certainly, there is enough evidence at this point to warrant great concern. We need to see that people claiming to have health symptoms since the installation of their smart meters are actually the “canaries in the mine.” Symptoms in healthier and less sensitive individuals will probably simply take longer to appear.
If you are concerned about the smart meter on your home, please consider contacting your energy provider to have it removed. They will try to talk you out of it, but often, the option IS there.
Sources:
Health Risks Associated With Smart Meters (Letter) 2012 VIEW
The 2012 Bioinitiative Report (Web) Current VIEW
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