Children & vulnerable groups

I do not want cell towers near my home or school due to the health concerns with EMFs. EMFs disrupt the voltage gated calcium channels of the cell and by doing so harms human health:

We are deeply concerned by the ample evidence of harm caused by radiofrequency radiation (RFR) to our own health and to public health in this country. Current exposure limits for RF radiation are based on numerous assumptions; however, research studies published over the past 25 years show that most of those assumptions are not supported by scientific evidence. Based on this abundance of scientific evidence we want strict laws to protect us and allow us to opt out of excess radiation, and provide local control for when and where to site infrastructure that causes radiation. We want better safeguards to limit RFR in all public spaces. We have personally experienced a reduction from symptoms of RFR exposure by turning off the wireless feature on our router and putting many our electronic devises on ethernet cables, and by reducing our cell phone use. The majority of the scientific literature related to RFR stems from cell phone studies. There is strong evidence that people who use a cell phone held directly to their ear for more than ten years are at significantly increased risk of developing gliomas of the brain and acoustic neuromas of the auditory nerve. There is also evidence that the risk of developing these cancers is greater in younger than older people. The May 2016 report from the US National Toxicology Program showing that rats exposed to cell phone radiation for nine hours per day over their life-span de- velop gliomas of the brain and Schwannoma of the heart (the same kind of cancer as acoustic neuroma) adds proof to the conclusions from the human health studies that radiofrequency radiation increases risk of cancer. While the strongest evidence for hazards coming from RFR is for cancer, there is a growing body of evidence that some people develop a condition called electrohypersensitivity {EHS). We are among these individuals that respond to being in the presence of RFR with a variety of symptoms, including headache, fatigue, memory loss, ringing in the ears, "brain fog" and burning, tingling and itchy skin. Some reports indicate that up to three percent of the population may develop these symptoms, and that exposure to smart meters is a trigger for development of EHS. Please find attached some relevant studies and references that relate to the dangers of RFR. There are thousands more listed at https://ehtrust.org/science/science-on-health-effects-of-cell-phone-and-wireless-radiation/?link_id=5&can_id=4e10ca07001c7ba173b2541d8c5cab8e&source=email-act-now-to-support-h3551-in-the-ma-legislature&email_referrer=email_3146404&email_subject=act-now-to-support-h3551-in-the-ma-legislature Please take the following actions to protect our family and the public from the dangers of RFR. • Governmental and institutional support of data collection and analysis to monitor potential links between RFR associated with wireless technology and cancers, sperm, the heart, the nervous system, sleep, vision and hearing, and effects on children. • Further dissemination of information regarding potential health risk information that is in wireless devices and manuals is necessary to respect users' Right To Know. Cautionary statements and protective measures should be posted on packaging and at points of sale. Governments should follow the practice of France, Israel and Belgium and mandate labeling, as for tobacco and alcohol. • Regulations should require that any WTD that could be used or carried directly against the skin (e.g., a cell phone) or in close proximity (e.g., a device being used on the lap of a small child) be tested appropriately as used, and that this information be prominently displayed at point of sale, on packaging, and both on the exterior and within the device. • IARC should convene a new working group to update the categorization of RFR, including current scientific findings that highlight, in particular, risks to youngsters of subsequent cancers. • Emerging human evidence is confirming animal evidence of developmental problems with RFR exposure during pregnancy. RFR sources should be avoided and distanced from expectant mothers, as recommended by physicians and scientists (babysafeproject.org). • Other countries should follow France, limiting RFR exposure in children under 16 years of age. • Cell towers should be distanced from homes, daycare centers, schools, and places frequented by pregnant women, men who wish to father healthy children, and the young.

I have been electrosensitive for a few decades. I must wear shielding when I go out and can't have wireless or anything "smart" in my home. I can't socialize normally because I can't be around cell phones or wifi. I can't go in an ambulance or a public bus,train or airplane. I can't go the hospital and can't have surgery if I need it. Too much wireless radiation. It's a big problem that other people will increasingly experience. My cardiologist tested me with a cell phone & saw an increase in my heart rate.I also get arrhythmias, brain fog, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, headaches that land me in bed.I am very concerned about the effects on babies,children,all people. You know that wireless radiation is harmful. I am not going to attach studies.You have all of them you don't need me to show you. I am aware of the studies at ehtrust.org & mdsafetech.org. Our radiation exposure standards are less protective than most countries & are not protective at all. I want you to protect us and our environment (animals, insects and birds) from this pollution.I want you to maintain land line infrastructure & service for national security and health reasons.Children who use wireless phones before adulthood have a 4x higher rate of brain cancer according to the scientific literature. Yet most children now use cell phones and do not have land lines at home. People need to be made aware of what that is doing to their children, to our future, including to their fertility and the fertility of future generations, and to their lifespan and health. Protect children in schools. Stop irradiating babies and children, including in doctor's offices. Stop irradiating hospital patients. Study the exposures from medical devices like insulin pump therapy that is a 24/7 exposure, put a focus on these patients, be transparent, communicate findings to endocrinologists and other involved practitioners so that best practices can be determined and implemented without further delay. Use hard wired connections in schools and wherever possible in society. Start a nationwide program to measure individual exposure levels so that we know what people are actually exposed to from all these separate sources that add up. Investigate the exposure levels of employees required to use tech for work like store employees that are required to use a business cell phone and/or tablet throughout their workday and police officers who are required to wear wireless cameras over their hearts and laptops in their cars, &other wireless equipment on or near them throughout their shifts. What are the exposure levels for these people? Nurses too who are required to wear hospital cell phones around their necks, over heart, lungs and thyroid, above pregnant abdomens, that transmits to and from the nurse's station throughout their shifts. The FCC didn't approve the radiation from these extra phones. And these employees usually have a personal cell phone in their pockets. Even while pregnant. Measure the exposure of pregnant women and teach them how to minimize it. Make knowledgeable experts available to help citizens measure, understand and deal with this pollution. TEACH the public what the problems are and how to mitigate them. Teach children in schools so they understand what this is and how it works and how to use it safely (if there is a way to use it safely). END the use of technology that is known to be dangerous until it is shown/proven to be safe. Stop exposing people in nursing homes and other institutions like prisons. Follow the precautionary principle. Keep wireless out of schools, BAN cell tower placement anywhere near homes, schools, and businesses of any kind. And here is the big problem with cell tower placement - there is no place on earth where there is not life that can be harmed and we should be concerned about ALL life, not just human life. Animals, birds and even plant life is adversely affected. The bird population is declining rapidly. Birds roost on cell towers. It is a crime. EMR even causes an increase in mold and fungal growth and illness. It affects all body systems, every cell, and makes people very sick. People affected are often misdiagnosed because physicians do not recognize the cause since it is invisible and our government assures it is safe. Young adults have a massively increased rate of colon cancer. The most likely cause is radiation from growing up with laptops on their laps, wireless game controllers in their hands in their laps and cell phones in their pockets. NO ONE bothered to tell a generation that a laptop should not be closer than 8 inches from the body and cell phones should not be closer than 5/8" from the body according to the manufacturer's fine print. And they still don't know. And most doctors don't know. Stop denying that there is a problem. Stop playing games and do your job. PLEASE. This is a neglected crisis.

YESSSS!! Please, i plead with you all to investigate & update the 1986 Telecommunications Act for the sake of our children and all future generations.

I am commenting as an individual consumer and parent. My comment relies on peer-reviewed research, government reports, and a federal court decision, each cited below. The safety limits are almost 30 years old. The FCC set its wireless radiation limits back in 1996 and hasn’t updated them since. In 1996, about 44 million Americans had cell phones. Now nearly everyone does, and most of us also have Wi-Fi, smartwatches, tablets, and smart meters running all day [1]. In 2021, a federal appeals court ruled that the FCC acted “arbitrary and capricious” when it kept those old limits. The court found the FCC never gave a real answer to evidence of non-cancer health effects below the limits, especially for kids, and didn’t address long-term exposure or the environment [2][3]. There’s real science here (Q12) In 2011, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency (IARC) classified radiofrequency fields as “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” based on an increased risk of glioma, a malignant brain cancer, linked to wireless phone use [4]. In a study nominated by the FDA, the government’s own National Toxicology Program exposed rats to cell phone radiation. Male rats developed malignant heart tumors, and both male and female rats showed heart tissue damage. The lowest exposure level matched the highest amount allowed today for local tissue exposure from phones. The NTP said the tumors resembled ones reported in some studies of frequent cell phone users [5]. NTP also pointed out that 4G and 5G use different frequencies and signal types than the ones it tested. So the networks we’re all using right now haven’t been studied this way [5]. Kids deserve extra care (Q11) Children’s bodies and brains are still developing, and they’ll be exposed for a lifetime. The American Academy of Pediatrics has asked for limits that account for children and pregnant women [3]. The court specifically faulted the FCC for not explaining why it brushed off evidence about children [3]. What I’m asking HHS to do I’m not asking for the government to control what devices I buy. I’m asking for honest information and the freedom to choose. Tell the FCC plainly that the 1996 limits aren’t backed by current health science. Then have HHS, not the wireless industry, lead the health review the court ordered. Give us the facts. Radiation levels (SAR) and the minimum distance from your body should be on the box and at the store, not hidden in phone menus. Let people opt out. Families should be able to decline smart meters without penalty fees and ask for wired internet options for their kids at school. Neighbors should get a heads-up before antennas go up near homes and schools. Give communities a say again. Right now, local towns can’t consider health concerns when deciding where towers go. HHS should support restoring that local voice. Fund independent research. NIH should follow up on the NTP findings using 4G and 5G signals, with scientists who aren’t funded by the wireless industry. Share simple tips. Use speakerphone, keep your phone off your body, and use a wired connection when you can. HHS should share this as voluntary guidance, stated clearly. Until independent research shows this is safe for kids and lifelong use, the burden of proof should be on the technology, not on families. Thank you for asking the public about this. [1] Washington Spectator, “FCC & Electromagnetic Radiation” (2022): https://washingtonspectator.org/fcc-electromagnetic-radiation/ [2] Environmental Health Trust v. FCC (D.C. Cir. 2021), summary by Davis Wright Tremaine: https://www.dwt.com/blogs/broadband-advisor/2021/08/fcc-radiofrequency-limits-dc-circuit [3] Law Street Media, D.C. Circuit remand summary: https://lawstreetmedia.com/?p=12895 [4] IARC Press Release No. 208 (2011): https://www.iarc.who.int/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/pr208_E.pdf [5] NIH news release on NTP findings (2018): https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/high-exposure-radiofrequency-radiation-linked-tumor-activity-male-rats

I am extremely concerned that there has been no legitimate research done on the short term or long term effects of EMF on our children or even on adults. With the advent of 5G, I fear the damage could be greater every day. Stop this running locomotive wino guardrails. I can’t submit any files because the the research is lacking. It’s not been done!

Personal Statement Re: EMF, RF, and Wireless Radiation Exposure: I am submitting this comment as a concerned citizen and someone who has been personally effected by wireless radiation. In 2009, in the middle of the day, there was a knock on our door. I opened it and it was a utility worker. He said he was going to switch out our meter to a smart meter and it would only take about 10 minutes. I said “Ok” and went about my business in our house. Almost immediately (within 24 hours) everyone in our house began having problems and unexplained health issues. We homeschool our kids and so we were home a lot. My 10 year old son began coming up to me, multiple times a day, complaining that his ears were buzzing and he couldn’t make it stop. My husband began complaining headaches, which progressed to migraines. I began having a variety of issues such as dizziness and racing heart. Our baby was noticeably bothered, crying and not sleeping—we all were having sleep disturbance. Trying to figure out why our family was falling apart suddenly took me on a long journey starting on the internet. I kept coming back to the day it all started and the utility worker who showed up at our door and the smart meter placement—I knew, intuitively, this is what had changed in our environment. After much research, which was more sparse at the time, it was apparent that we were suffering with commonly known effects of the smart meter. I have been told that at some houses, they place “collector meters” which collects data from the neighboring houses, and that these give off more EMF radiation than other meters. With our lives turned upside down, we eventually moved out-of-state and to a house with no smart meter—and our symptoms dissipated; yet we are now more sensitive to wireless exposures. We can tell when we are in wireless saturated environments. Places we used to enjoy, like the library, certain stores or restaurants near cell towers, malls, etc., are almost unbearable to stay at for any length of time. Even though our smart meter experience had a negative impact on our lives, we were able to make adjustments to everyday living which kept us healthier and more vital in the long run; things such as hardwiring our internet, keeping a wifi-free environment at home, using shielding on modems/routers when we travel, using cellphones only when needed (mostly keeping them off) and having a landline phone. We can see the difference it has made in our lives and our kids' lives, especially compared to other kids who are our kids' age who seem to have trouble with keeping attention and are generally more agitated. Yet we cannot live in a bubble. Traveling can make it difficult to control our environment. In one instance, when we were traveling, we were staying at an Airbnb and it felt awful there for ALL of us, despite unplugging the wifi router. I brought out my TriField EMF meter and the found where the exposure was. It was outside the house. The house was next to the highway with 5G antenna poles placed all along the highway. We were all bothered while there and couldn’t sleep. I got in the car and slept about a mile down the road and we left the next morning as soon as the sun came up. Going on this journey, I have spoken to many people about this issue and have heard so many stories, like mine, from a host of people; people who have been permanently disabled by wireless radiation—like those who were living in apartment buildings on the opposite wall of an entire panel of utility meters that were switched out with smart meters and can no longer function in society. I know some people who live like refugees because they can’t get away from wireless exposures, so they live in their cars. I have heard stories from longtime teachers who suffer in their classrooms and see the harm it is causing to the students, who became agitated, have headaches, and can’t think like they used to after wireless was introduced in their classrooms. The teachers try to decrease the exposures in the classroom, with limited success and without administration support. I respectfully request and implore you to reassess the exposure limits of all wireless devices and infrastructure and look at the effects it has on our health and well being as well as to the natural world. There are so many studies that show the harmful biological effects, going back many, many decades out of Israel, Italy, Russia etc. These, as well as the large body of more recent studies should be more than enough to light the way to what has been going on, more than simply looking at thermal (heat) effects. Please do the right thing for our citizens, our children, animals, pollinators, birds and our entire world and look at the large body of independent, biological studies on wireless radiation. Please also look at what other industrial countries have done to limit wireless/EMF exposure and protect their citizens. Thank you-

I write this as a person who has not been able to be a part of society for the last 9 years. Not able to grocery shop or go anywhere there is a mobile phone tower, any Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or someone using any digital device because of the pain and harm it causes my body. The pain is felt immediately when someone comes near me with any digital device. I can feel it before I see it. Therefore have not been able to work or do usual activities and as a result have been forced to live in a rare place with no RF frequencies and NO LIFE. The difference in health and pain levels is enormous. I know someone who cannot even use a computer to fill this comment out as she has to live with no power whatsoever. Our whole lives have been taken away from us due to other people using digital devices and what I see as absolutely no regulation due to the $$$ being made at our health's expense. There have been enough studies for decades and enough researchers, scientists and doctors speaking about the harms but they are silenced. I have not been able to live in my own home due to the 100's of towers and devices nearby trespassing into it and being assaulted. I understand the safety testing fake person mannequin SAMe is based on a man weighing more than 4 times than I do. This is a big deal and fake science used by the industry for illusion of safety. This certainly does not protect children. You also do not get any disability or care help or acknowledgment of disability impairment from bodily assault. What we do get however is to be an outcast and excluded from society. Please remove all digital wireless technology as it is very harmful to all life. Thank you! See attached file(s)

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 parent, as a person negatively affected by RF and a concerned member of the public. I am also an elected official for my small town. This last year I realized that I am negatively affected by RF and EMF. I had been sleeping for six year with a smart meter on the outside of our bedroom wall and though I am a very healthy individual, this has negatively affected my body. I can feel in my body when there is strong WIFI as it makes my body feel anxious and uncomfortable. My sleep is negatively affected by WIFI. I frequently have headaches when I go out in the public and am around strong WIFI. It takes me a couple of hours to recover. Places like Target are untenable with the strength of their WIFI. Air travel is very difficult. We had to sell our electric vehicle because it was negatively affecting my body. We have cut back on our WIFI at home and have put shielding between ourselves and our smart meter. I am trying to live wisely but still be part of our modern world but it is hard with all the increasing infrastructure. Even if we take measures at home, our neighbors do not which is discouraging. My children are exposed to wireless radiation all day while at school. They come home exhausted and have to spend the rest of the day recovering. Scientific studies have shown that wireless radiation is a toxin and causes oxidation on the cellular level. Many of my friends now have cancer and thyroid disease in their 40s. Their children have ADHD, autism and emotional problems and I believe it is because all of our bodies are being bombarded from RF and EMF everywhere we go. I am also concerned by the rise in Parkinson and dementia that I am seeing in our general population. Websites: https://doi.org/10.1590/2179-10742025v24i3288526 https://www.cureus.com/articles/66244-an-exploration-of-the-effects-of-radiofrequency-radiation-emitted-by-mobile-phones-and-extremely-low-frequency-radiation-on-thyroid-hormones-and-thyroid-gland-histopathology#!/ There should be laws against building homes and offices next to phone towers and phone towers being erected near schools. 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. The strength of a nation depends on its youth and having a healthy population and I believe our nation's strength and vitality is compromised by this hidden assault of EMF and RF. Thank you for providing individuals and families with an opportunity to be heard.

i have a nurse friend that has been diagnosed with AlS and has to be in a wheelchair. Stetzerizer readings are normal in her outlets. Her home was built with digital meter placed right in her patio door entry at eye level so that every time she walks in and out of her doorway she gets emf'd. Using a meterk meter inside the house wall with the meter on the backside have unsafe levels reading high from the digital meter. The builder ran the digital meter connection under a concrete porch and maybe why her outlets read normal. But on wall inside and probably down the the sides of her house outside where beam is communicating with neighboring meters high emf. The husband and wife neighbors have passed away. Her electric bills are over $400.00. There is a major problem where they are installing digital meters. There needs to be a safer distance away from high traffic areas like doorways. My daughter has 2 smart meters outside on wall shared with the bedroom. But on the wall of the room where two children sleep in a bed on that same wall with the meters. Not enough distance to be safe. Electric companies are charging lot extra to allow opt outs. This lady is dying and living with what is probably killing her. Even if she does opt out from digital meter she still has that beam from neighboring meters running down the side of her house. need to not charge extra to have safe installation. she's paying $400 a month now and says she can't afford more. Something so wrong. She's a lovely person and doesn't deserve having to live in a toxic house due to a meter location.