All comment threads

I am submitting this comment in response to HHS’s Request for Information on Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs), Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation, and Wireless Radiation Exposure. I am responding from the perspective of a patient. I have experienced several health related issues that were improved by reducing exposure to wifi and cell phone usage: 1. Our family got wifi around 2015. We had employed ethernet cables for internet up until then. Around 2017 I noticed my A1C levels had increased to 5.7 (up from 5.2-5.3.) I was 58 years old at the time and attributed it to my increasing age. In 2022 my A1C reached 5.8 despite efforts on my behalf- use of supplements, intermittent fasting and dietary modifications to keep my glucose levels down and regular exercise. At the time a friend recommended getting rid of wifi in our home or reducing the amount of time it is turned on. We began only having wifi turned on when we were actively using it. In a short time, a matter of months, my levels returned to 5.7. Several months later, we moved from the city of Lancaster to a rural setting in the county. We continued only turning on wifi when actively using it. Between moving out of an urban area and reducing wifi exposure in our home, my A1C levels returned to 5.3 in a matter of three months!! A year or so later a large warehouse was constructed within a mile and a half of our home, and I noticed a dramatic increase in the number of "available" wifi accounts when signing onto our computer. Sadly, after a period of at least 6 months (when I'd had them checked again...) my A1C levels were returned to 5.7 and have tenaciously remained there over the past year. 2. I have rheumatoid arthritis. My right knee was becoming increasingly stiff and sore so that it was becoming difficult to walk. Someone asked if I was in the habit of "wearing" my cell phone. I daily wore the phone in my righthand, front pocket. I stopped carrying the phone on my body and the symptoms nearly disappeared! I still experience stiffness in all my joints whenever the wifi is left "on" overnight or all day in our house. It makes a remarkable difference in my ability to move and I also experience accompanying discomfort. I have begun educating myself about the effects of cell phone and wifi radiation on the body in the wake of these experiences, which demonstrated to me in a very tangible way the reality of the effects these unseen waves and energy fields have on the human body. I have particular concern for the most vulnerable of our populations: pregnant women and their babies, children, the elderly and the seriously ill. For your own knowledge and more information on research findings, I would recommend interested persons to read: "Electromagnetic Fields of Wireless Communications: Biological and Health Effects" by Dimitris J Panagopoulos. I support HHS taking an active role in examining the potential health and environmental effects of wireless radiation. Questions about human health should be addressed by federal agencies with appropriate expertise in medicine, biology, epidemiology, and public health, and the experiences of individuals and families who report being affected should be considered alongside the scientific evidence. I urge HHS to carefully evaluate these experiences and the scientific evidence, identify gaps in current research, give particular attention to children and other potentially vulnerable populations, and establish appropriate federal research priorities regarding wireless radiation and public health. Thank you for providing individuals and families with an opportunity to be heard.

Hello: Over the past 5 years, I've become aware of very big changes occurring around us, in areas concerning weather and patterns in the sky, and my and my husband's well being. We now witness, on almost a daily basis, "clouds" appearing in the sky that are obviously manipulated into patterns that could only involve man made frequency. I say this because I am 64 years old, and have lived in Southern California my entire life. Throughout my experience, clouds were white, fluffy, and moved with the air currents. Now, we see giant swaths of what look like tightly woven cotton balls across the sky. I have tinnitus ringing in my ears 24/7. My husband and I feel overstimulated, fatigued and our joints ache. Yes, some of this is normal for aging people, but not to this magnitude. Never in history have people been exposed to the level of emf and radiation on a daily basis as we are now, and it is clearly taking its toll. Sleep becomes difficult because of the feeling of vibration waves over our bodies. Other concerns are the fact that birds don't sing like they used to. I don't see as many bees, or butterflies. Throughout my lifetime, especially until young adulthood, we'd wake to the symphony of birds greeting the dawn. Bees and butterflies were abundant and doing their thing. We have to know that whatever we're doing to these creatures, we are also doing to ourselves. Our very existence depends on the pollination of bees. What are we doing here? To our babies, our grandchildren? The government operates under the consent of the governed, but nobody consented to this. Whatever the government is doing, or not doing, to ensure the safety of the American people is a huge question mark and worth scrutinizing because our lives depend on it. I for one demand answers and accountability.

See attached document

I am submitting this as a concerned member of the public. We have a right to know what we are being exposed to. Current wireless radiation (RF/EMF from cell phones, Wi-Fi, 5G/6G, smart meters, cell towers, and everyday devices) is treated as if it is fully understood and safely managed. It is not. People cannot give informed consent when the information is incomplete, outdated, or buried. What must be made public and easy for ordinary people to access: Real-world exposure levels (not just laboratory SAR numbers), including cumulative and simultaneous exposure from multiple sources in homes, schools, workplaces, and public spaces. Clear, plain-language disclosure of potential biological and health effects reported in the scientific literature, including effects at levels below current FCC limits, especially for children, pregnant women, and other vulnerable groups. Exact locations, power levels, and frequencies of cell towers, small cells, and other wireless infrastructure near homes, schools, and playgrounds—updated in real time and without requiring FOIA requests. Independent (non-industry-funded) research summaries and the full underlying data, so the public can see what is known, what is uncertain, and where the gaps are. Practical ways people can reduce exposure, and the option to choose wired alternatives without penalty or loss of service. No one should be forced into continuous, involuntary exposure without transparent information and meaningful choice. Public health requires the precautionary principle when the science is still evolving and the exposure is universal. Please prioritize full disclosure, independent research, and genuine consent over industry convenience. Thank you for opening this process.

It is long past time to make sure that we are all protected from electromagnetic fields and wireless radiation. Many studies have been done that show the damage can be severe, especially for higher radiation levels such as 5G. The next generation that is being proposed, 6 G and higher, will be even worse. Some people are more seriously affected than others, but already it is hard for those most affected to find places where they can be comfortable. I have several friends who are immediately affected by the presence of cell towers and other emitting devices. I myself get heacaches, but a couple of my friends have much more severe reactions. However, even those who are not aware of it are being affected. All these forms of radiation damage not only humans, but also domestic animals, wildlife, and even plants. It would be nice if industry was more capable of restraining itself or if education about the dangers wasn’t being smothered by monetary influences, but since that is not proving to be the case, we need laws and regulations to stop the increasing prevalence of radiation before we do further damage to ourselves and our planet.

Here is what I know: if you take even minimal steps to reduce wi-if in the school, kids will be calmer and healthier. If health risks that doctors/scientists and thousands of studies do indeed exist, then we owe it to our children. We are bioelectrical beings, and wi-fi and cellular signals interfere with our cell-to-cell communication. Studies show wi-fi causes the cell membrane to leak, which produces a very destructive free radical and can contribute to cancer. Wi-Fi also has been shown to interfere with melatonin's ability to clean up free radicals. Other damages shown in the 1000s of studies performed: compromising the blood-brain-barrier (which keeps toxins out of the brain); cellular communication interference; damage to cell metabolism; single-and double-strand DNA damage; loss of DNA repair capacity in human stem cells; reduction in free-radical scavengers (particularly melatonin); abnormal gene transcription; neurotoxicity; carcinogenicity; damage to sperm morphology and function; and effects on behavior. This causes real damage to accumulate, especially in the small bodies of children. U.S. wireless radiation standards (set 20 years ago) based on a 6-foot, 200 pound healthy male? Why have no field studies been performed on children - and the child brain overall absorbs twice as much radiation as that of an adult, and their bone marrow absorbs 10x that of an adult. The following experts have said: • Dr. David Carpenter, M.D., public health physician educated at Harvard Medical School: "RF penetration is greater relative to head size in children, and they have a greater absorption of RF energy in the tissues of the head at WI-FI frequencies because their skulls area thinner, their brains are smaller, and their brain tissue is more conductive than that of adults since it has a higher water content and ion concentrations….Thus it is important that all of us, and especially children, restrict our use of cell phones, and limit exposure to background levels of WI-FI.” • Dr. Keith Black, Neurosurgeon, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center: “In children, the microwave radiation can penetrate deeper into the brain, and their cells are dividing at a much faster rate so the impact can be much larger.” As a side note, WiFi systems in school districts are usually much higher in strength than home systems because they are designed to operate hundreds of computers simultaneously and can be up to three times more powerful than a phone mast outside a school. This will be the first generation ever to spend 6-8 hours each day for years in industrial strength WiFi environment. Dr. George Carlo, who was the cell phone industry's Director of Research and was hired to run their $28 million dollar, 7 year research program to find out if cell phones were dangerous, is now an outspoken advocate of informing the public and calling for more research. We all love wireless. It has connected us, made life so much easier, and has brought information to our fingertips. I know the ease of cell phones, and the money behind cell phone companies is a powerful entity to fight, but if Dr. Carlo did the right things, so can we. Please I beg of you: we need strong leaders who care about the health of our children to step forward and protect them. Thank you for your time. Lauren Heller 74 Green Street, unit 1 Brookline, MA 02446

I measured wireless radiation in people's homes for over ten years. During this time I was contacted by thousands of people whose health was suffering from over exposure. I can assure you this is a real problem. Unfortunately, many more people are not aware that this exposure is actually the source of their health issues. Please be diligent in your study of this problem. It could affect generations of citizens. Thank you.

1. & 2. I am responding as: an individual 3a. Type of wireless or RF/EMF sources involved (e.g., mobile phones, Wi-Fi, smart meters…) Mobile phones 3b. Nature, duration, frequency, and approximate timing (e.g., years):When people use their mobile phones to access cellular data, the initial signal is very strong while the phone is connecting to a tower. It is about 20 seconds long and gives me symptoms. This has been happening to me for six years. 3c. Adverse health effect(s) experienced:Wakes me up from sleep, heart palpitations, and headaches. 3d. Time from first exposure to first appearance of adverse health effects; and did a change in exposure coincide with the onset of adverse effects: 4 years. A change of exposure (to additional EMF) greatly increased the symptoms. 3e. Was medical evaluation or treatment sought? (Optionally:) Was there a diagnosis? Medical treatment was sought, but unsuccessfully. 3f. Were steps taken to reduce or eliminate exposure, and were there subsequent changes in the effects? Yes. This involved removing all wireless devices from the home and moving to a different house away from neighbors. Additionally, because of the proximity of neighbors' wireless devices, it necessitated sleeping in the basement. 3g. Any supporting documentation? This includes Scientific Reports, exposure measurements, or other relevant information: Apple iphones, when "wifi assist" is turned on, default to the cell tower for internet access. When I first started waking up 5x a night with heart palpitations, my baby in the other room would wake up 10 seconds later, screaming. This happened on the hour and the half hour. It turned out that this was directly correlated with our neighbor using her cell phone between TV programs. (She stayed up later than we did.) When she turned off "wifi assist" so her cell phone accessed the internet through her own wifi router, the night waking ended immediately. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning of realizing I had become EMF sensitive and eventually I had to move. Additional Details you would like to share about your experiences of adverse health effects you believe to be associated with exposure to wireless radiation or EMF's:I was mildly sensitive to EMF, but it was not enough to notice, until I moved to a different house. This house, we later learned, was bordering on the right-of-way of a high voltage power line (69kV). Additionally, a smart meter was installed after we moved in. After a pregnancy, I had a situation that required a chest CT scan, which, of all medical imaging, has the highest amount of radiation. I think this overexposure created the perfect storm to make me very EMF sensitive.

Wifi, cell towers, and phone EMFs cause encephalopathy in me, and it is cumulative. With no recent exposure, my travel limit is 1 1/2 hours one way. It starts with word finding difficulty, and progresses to inability to form complete sentences and affects fine motor coordination to the point it is as if I am intoxicated. In early 2018, I traveled to a dentist 10 hours away, and was staying in a place w/ extremely high speed wifi. After being inside for a an hour, symptoms started. I had word finding difficulty. I could feel pressure in my head, and it got progressively worse. At first I wasn’t sure what was causing these symptoms. After sleeping there one night, I woke up having word finding difficulty, and my fine motor coordination was deeply affected. My head hurt from the pressure. I remembered the really fast wifi and wondered could it possibly be that. I drove out of town and grounded my feet to see if symptoms would dissipate, and they did, indicating it might be the wifi causing it. I drove back to the condo before my dentist appointment, and this time, onset of symptoms started as soon as I walked into the building. I grounded again before my dentist appointment to relieve symptoms. After my appointment, when returning to the condo, this time I felt the symptoms as I was pulling into the parking lot. It was accumulating. I had planned staying another night because of the 10 hour drive home but I knew I needed to get out of there and I cancelled my second night. On the drive home, I felt pressure in my head come on and then go over and over. I don’t remember how many hours into the trip I noticed this, but the interstate was lined with cell towers, and I noticed that the onset of symptoms was as I was approaching each cell tower, and as I drove farther away from each one, symptoms would dissipate. The symptoms got more intense the longer I drove. When I approached the last city I had to drive through the symptoms started to get extreme. Intense pressure, pain, and I felt like a drunk driver on the road. I started crying and trying desperately to get through the city and to the other side praying my symptoms would stop when I got through, and they did. After that I have never fully recovered. I avoid EMF’s as much as possible, but complete avoidance is impossible. The longer I am away from EMF’s, the more time I can go without symptoms upon exposure. At one point a few years in I thought perhaps I had recovered from it, and I wanted to test it, so I booked a hotel in Kansas City for two nights. The first full day I felt fine and I enjoyed walking paths and other things the city has to offer, but the second day I woke up and was lethargic, and not capable of really doing anything. I can no longer make the drive to Kansas City, where my doctor is so I had to start seeing him remotely because of it. I live in a barn loft in the country and have no wifi in the barn, and the metal barn blocks the wifi signal from the house, but I am exposed when I garden in the yard (that’s become my purpose because I can’t do anything else… I was a career prosecutor before). The house is remote enough there are no other wifi signals present. When this condition started, I could no longer obtain my CLE hours because they are all offered in hotel buildings with wifi and hundreds of cell phones. I started registering as non-practicing. The first few years I was hopeful I could overcome this condition and become active again, but a couple years ago I had to give up and changed my status to disabled. I have been looking for my own house for years, but can’t find one. Because of this condition, I require a house with no wifi signals from neighboring houses and no cell towers nearby. This requires a substantial amount of land, and preferably large trees surrounding the property because trees very effectively block EMFs. Housing has roughly tripled in price in KS for the type of properties I require, and even though I was frugal before I became disabled and saved as much as possible, I can’t afford what this condition requires for housing, so I am stuck here. I consulted Dr. Neil Nathan, who has treated people with EHS, and he told me the only thing he has seen work is for someone to get completely isolated and away from all EMF’s 100% of the time, and it can take a year or more before they recover. I have been unable to find such a place, but where I am is the best I can do. I have studied this for years in trying to regain my health. I believe it affects everyone adversely, just in varying degrees, and the vast majority of people are unaware that their brain fog, disrupted sleeping, word finding difficulty etc. are being caused by EMF’s. Even if they are made aware and start to suspect it, they are unwilling to give up exposure because of the addictive nature of the devices, and also the impossibility of avoiding exposure even if you are willing.

I read a case that I also sent as an earlier comment about someone mildening their EMF sensitivity through usage of Reishi mushrooms. I believe EMF sensitivity has to do with a mixture of the microbiome, mineral composition in the body, body pathways for transfer of various molecules and possibly as Gerald Pollack has mentioned Wifi might influence on EZ water (upcoming term in biology). This could be some of why people react differently at different times and to different frequencies and environmental exposure. Because they have different body states, at the smaller levels and compositions. There are also EMF fron different sources. Smart meters, power lines, routers, phones, "dirty electricity" as some call it from house wires, phone towers, power stations. People could react different to them at times. Sometimes the EMF can bounce around inside houses and electronics too and target in other ways. About EMF and mold. Mold grows or is inhibited by different frequencies. It is likely similar with other life forms and parts of life forms. Just like we can receive sunlight and it has influence on our blood sugar, nitric oxide, vitamin D levels, brain neurons and more. This means it is likely EMF can influence some "channels" in some people. Or that "frequency resistance" varies from person to person or by health state. Here are some suggestions that might help lower the EMF rates in society. - Better software can improve the call and data transmission without increasing EMF. Through using compressed data, codecs, agreements on "this data id equals that data", like putting together pre-made factory parts saves time and can be done from an instruction manual, some of this is already done but we might optimize and do it further across software. - Data that isnt in a rush to be sent, can be sent via wire when possible. - Cables can be shielded better. - We might be able to use radio frequencies that cause less issues in life forms, for example like how background radiation from space doesnt cause as much interaction seemingly. Here are some suggestions that might look into why some people are more sensitive than others and what can be done about it. - Comprehensive microbiome and mineral tests. I suggest to consult with specialized labs and maybe naturopaths too. As people reach out to them at times when the allopathic system doesnt help. It is possible that EMF is worse in people who have digestive issues, too many or too little of certain minerals. - Tests with mushroom exposure, to see if certain species helps people with EMF sensitivity feel worse or better. There might be help to find in anecdotes already shared online such as the one with Reishi mushrooms. LLMs could help search for it. And TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and Ayurveda (holistic Indian medicine) might have ideas for it. Also ancient European and Middle Eastern medicine might have ideas for it. - There is likely an overlap between the EMF and mold health issues since EMF influences mold growth.