Children & vulnerable groups

I am submitting comments about my lived experience when exposed to EMF and RF radiation from cell towers. I used to live in a garden apartment in a Colorado town for 9 years in good health until a cell phone tower was put up only 3 blocks away. Soon I experienced poor quality sleep, ocular migraines, occasional heart palatations with chest pains, & my tinnitus became unbearable all through the day. I moved across the state to a smaller town and another lovely garden apartment where I felt total relief from the previously mentioned symptoms and sidnificant reduction in my tinnitus "noise" for about 2 years. Then a cell tower was constructed 1 block away. Very soon (in a few weeks) my previous symptoms started up again w/ my tinnitus becoming quite unbearable and in addition to the previously mentioned health problems, my skin became extremely itchy, I started having nose bleeds and my lethargy was a daily burden. I moved again, this time to a more remote location, but with an almost hopeless feeling that I would be continuously pursued by this poisonous EMF and RF radiation anywhere I might go. Currently the nearest cell tower is 2 miles away. So far I still have ongoing tinnitus, but it is somewhat quieter. I still get very occasional ocular migraines and itching skin. It is clear to me that the distance I live from a cell tower adversely affects my health to some degree no matter what. This clearly means that these towers must Never be placed too near communities or schools because the RF radiation causes illnesses. Human bodies are NOT meant to withstand these harmful frequencies which cause internal health problems. Serious consideration Must be given to these problems and appropriate regulations have to be put in place. Please take these comments into very serious consideration. I am now a 77 year old woman who went from excellent health 7 years ago to a compromised health situation due to cell towers and their RF radiation being putup around me!

I am submitting comments about my lived experience when exposed to EMF and RF radiation from cell towers. I used to live in a garden apartment in a Colorado town for 9 years in good health until a cell phone tower was put up only 3 blocks away. Soon I experienced poor quality sleep, ocular migraines, occasional heart palatations with chest pains, & my tinnitus became unbearable all through the day. I moved across the state to a smaller town and another lovely garden apartment where I felt total relief from the previously mentioned symptoms and sidnificant reduction in my tinnitus "noise" for about 2 years. Then a cell tower was constructed 1 block away. Very soon (in a few weeks) my previous symptoms started up again w/ my tinnitus becoming quite unbearable and in addition to the previously mentioned health problems, my skin became extremely itchy, I started having nose bleeds and my lethargy was a daily burden. I moved again, this time to a more remote location, but with an almost hopeless feeling that I would be continuously pursued by this poisonous EMF and RF radiation anywhere I might go. Currently the nearest cell tower is 2 miles away. So far I still have ongoing tinnitus, but it is somewhat quieter. I still get very occasional ocular migraines and itching skin. It is clear to me that the distance I live from a cell tower adversely affects my health to some degree no matter what. This clearly means that these towers must Never be placed too near communities or schools because the RF radiation causes illnesses. Human bodies are NOT meant to withstand these harmful frequencies which cause internal health problems. Serious consideration Must be given to these problems and appropriate regulations have to be put in place. Please take these comments into very serious consideration. I am now a 77 year old woman who went from excellent health 7 years ago to a compromised health situation due to cell towers and their RF radiation being putup around me!

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Re: Public Comment on Request for Information on Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs), Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation, and Wireless Radiation Exposure Docket No.: HHS-OASH-2026-0397 To Whom It May Concern: I am sharing my experience as HHS considers whether research and federal safety standards adequately address exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs), radiofrequency (RF) radiation, and wireless technologies. In 2015, at age 33, I began experiencing blurred vision. I suspected my LASIK surgery from three years earlier might be reverting. I scheduled an appointment with Dr. J. James Rowsey, a pioneering refractive surgeon at St. Michael's Eye and Laser Institute in Largo, Florida. Dr. Rowsey helped develop laser treatments for myopia beginning in 1988 and previously chaired Ophthalmology at the University of South Florida. Following examinations, including a visual field test, he suspected a brain lesion. An MRI confirmed a pituitary tumor pressing against my optic nerve and causing blurred vision. Dr. Rowsey referred me to neurosurgeon Dr. Carrie Shulman, who trained at Walter Reed Medical Center, served as a U.S. Army neurosurgeon, and was Neurosurgical Director during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Her experience gave me confidence before surgery. During an office visit before my transsphenoidal endoscopic resection of the tumor, I asked Dr. Shulman whether she had any theories about its cause. Medical literature indicated that the causes of pituitary tumors were largely unknown, although some research suggested approximately 10% of the population might have them, often without symptoms. Dr. Shulman's response has stayed with me for more than a decade. She believed the next ten years would bring greater awareness of the potential health effects of cellphone radiation, comparing it to the evolving understanding of cigarette smoking and its consequences. She explained that cellphones emit RF radiation and expressed her personal belief that exposure could contribute to tumor development. She also shared her precautions: never holding a cellphone against her head during conversations, avoiding wireless earbuds, and keeping her phone in another room while sleeping. In the years that followed, as Dr. Shulman predicted in 2015, several studies raised questions about the potential carcinogenic effects of RF radiation. These included the U.S. National Toxicology Program's Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies in Rats Exposed to Cell Phone Radiofrequency Radiation (2018); Falcioni et al.'s Report of Final Results Regarding Brain and Heart Tumors (Ramazzini Institute, 2018); Carlberg and Hardell's Evaluation of Mobile Phone and Cordless Phone Use and Glioma Risk (2017); Choi et al.'s Cellular Phone Use and Risk of Tumors: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (UC Berkeley collaboration, 2020); and Mevissen et al.'s Effects of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Field Exposure on Cancer in Laboratory Animal Studies: A Systematic Review (2025). Notably, the 2018 NTP study reported increased pituitary adenomas in some RF-exposed male rats. Though classified as equivocal evidence, it still warrants further investigation. In 2017, the California Department of Public Health issued guidance acknowledging that studies raised concerns about possible links between long-term cellphone RF radiation exposure and certain cancers and other health effects. It recommended precautions to reduce exposure. Additionally, the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans (Group 2B) in 2011. Cellphone technology has benefited society over the past 30 years, transforming communication, business, information access, and emergency response. These benefits should not prevent investigation of potential long-term health consequences. I believe telecommunications companies and cellphone manufacturers should take a more proactive role in addressing potential health risks through independent research, technologies that minimize unnecessary RF exposure, and clear consumer information about possible risks and precautions. Through God's grace and the God-given skills of physicians like Dr. Rowsey and Dr. Shulman, I am here today to share my experience. Eleven years after surgery, I am thankful to report no recurrence of my pituitary tumor since 2019—seven years of encouraging post-op results. I respectfully encourage HHS to investigate long-term RF exposure, potential cancer risks, and effects on children and vulnerable populations, while examining whether existing safety standards and consumer disclosures adequately reflect these potential risks. Thank you for considering my experience. I sincerely hope it contributes to a better understanding of RF exposure and helps protect the health and well-being of the American public. Respectfully, Rich Fernley

I have been sensitive to EMF and computers for as long as I have been using them, 35 years. I am especially sensitive to Bluetooth and get headaches and my ability to concentrate and think clearly is disturbed when Bluetooth is in use near me. I am concerned about cell towers being close to homes and I feel smart meters should not be on homes as many people have very adverse effects from them. We pay a fee for the privilege of not having any smart meters in our home, what an unjust situation. I feel uncomfortable when I am near a parking lot where many electric cars are charging. I am deeply concerned that data centers, with their concentration of emf and radiation will prove very unhealthy in our communities. I have had iPhones, iPads, and computers for 35 years and find that with each new device, the negative effect of their emfs and radiation is quite increased. My clarity and healthfulness feels diminished after using these devices. I realize many people do not feel this, and that I am more sensitive in perception than most, however that does not mean that everyone isn’t being negatively effected, they simply may not perceive the effect. Research on the effect of emf, smart meters, cell towers, computers, cell phones and cordless phones must be seriously undertaken with regulatory action taken if manufacturers do not self regulate. Additionally the logarithms used in designing social media has a deeply weakening effect on individuals and especially children.

QUESTION 2: PERSPECTIVE – I am a family member who has observed and helped manage my mother’s symptoms due to EMF since 1998. I also hold a PhD in conservation biology, which allows me to approach my mother’s illness from a scientific perspective. QUESTION 3: EXPERIENCE – My 87-year-old mother has experienced numerous symptoms since 1998, one of the first people to experience severe symptoms due to EMF starting in her 50s. It primarily affects her nervous system (asthma and jitters at best, physiological-based panic attack at worst) and mental acuity (brain fog, aphasia, “swiss cheese” memory). We know in part that her symptoms are due to EMF because, for example, she will be feeling fine and then start to experience jitters after a few moments of someone walking into a room – not knowing that they were wearing a smart watch but feeling the effects of the RF. At other times, she will start to feel a wave of pressure in her head -- when I measure the magnetic field next to her, I will find it at 2.0-5.0 (which is too high for her nervous system), and her symptoms will subside when the magnetic wave subsides. We have been to numerous doctors and health practitioners over the years in search for an answer. Very little is to be found – most MDs are unaware of the condition, and alternative practitioners are limited in the type of testing they can undertake. Despite this, she found that GABAPENTIN alleviated many of her symptoms over the years, and she is much better now than she was 30 years ago. However, gabapentin comes with its own detrimental effects, and has impacted her in other ways long term. I have also undertaken extensive home environment analyses with various building biologists and EMF experts across the country, and have become very facile both with meter measuring (all fields: electric, magnetic, and RF) and doing home mitigations with grounding and shielding materials for RF, magnetic currents, electric currents, and dirty electricity. The impact on the daily life for our family has been enormous and immeasurable. We live in a metropolis and moving to the countryside where there is less EMF is not an option. So, for example, my mother sleeps in the living room because every other room has too much EMF for her. I did not carry a cell phone until 2017, and cannot use my cell phone or laptop when in the same room with her (which has a huge impact on my work life). The location of cell phone towers, 5G corridors, and underground water that carries magnetic currents are all dictating where and how my husband and I can purchase a house. The list is lengthy on how every aspect of life is being determined by EMF and the lack of medical expertise or solutions. Her life and mine have been a long, challenging, and arduous road since there is little information or support for those who are EHS (electrohypersensitive). QUESTION 16: FEDERAL RESEARCH PRIORITIES - I am certain other commenters have provided more details on the technical aspects of home measurements and mitigations, as well as medical advances. I will add here the following: 1) My observation is that people who are immunocompromised or have a more sensitive constitution will be more sensitive to EMF and RF. There are also genetic factors that could predispose someone to being EMF sensitive. This is a huge research gap and opportunity given the current and swift advances in clinical genetics. 2) US medicine is still catching up to what is a very modern ailment, given the proliferation of computer and wireless technologies with little thought given to adverse health effects. EUROPE has better intel, research, and public health protections on EMF and RF than the US, and should be looked to more closely and seriously. 3) Social support is greatly lacking for EHS people. This is a sad, ignorant, and unjust state of affairs for a growing demographic that needs all the support and understanding it can get.

See attached file(s)I urge the responsible authorities to review the regulations concerning limits on non-ionizing radiation emissions, given the potential biological effects—effects that are documented in hundreds of thousands of scientific papers and are becoming increasingly apparent. I have experienced electrosensitivity since 2020; although I was initially unaware of the cause, I have been fully conscious of this issue since 2024. I currently study the subject and coordinate a group of over 100 Brazilians who are electrosensitive, experiencing a range of symptoms from mild to very severe. This is a real problem that requires in-depth study; however, there is already sufficient evidence to warrant lowering these limits, revising the regulations, and providing protection for the most sensitive and susceptible individuals—such as children, the elderly, and women, especially those with pre-existing health conditions.

I am submitting this comment in response to HHS’s Request for Information on Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs), Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation, and Wireless Radiation Exposure. My partner suffers from "electro hypersensitivity syndrome" She can not be exposed to the field of cell phone towers WiFi or smart meters, because what happens is her nervous system locks up and she can (and does) experience heart palpitations, nervous attacks, loss of sleep, and even fainting. She can not go into the city for more than a couple of hours at a time. We have moved several times because of radiation fields or cell phone towers too close, and chose to live in a rural area far from development specifically for this reason. Until there are stricter regulations on the transmission power and pace of developing technology (mobile phones, Wi-Fi, smart meters, wireless infrastructure, wearable technologies, wireless medical devices, 5G, 6G, satellite communications, Internet of Things devices, smart homes, smart cities, autonomous vehicles, and other emerging technologies) I don't expect this to change. The 1996 radiofrequency limits are long outdated, and with more and more impact studies that have been done in the past three decades proving, not suggesting, biological harm, there needs to be much tighter regulation regarding the communications industry and the increasing “electro-smog” problem and the detrimental effects of short-term and long-term exposure to these fields. We used to be able to place the responsibility (though still unfairly) on the end consumer to know the risks of the technology they partake in, but no longer are people exposed to one or two electromagnetic fields at a time – we are now entering a time where people are often exposed to ten, twenty, even more fields at a given time, and often don't escape that exposure throughout the entire day. Given the breakneck speed of technological innovation and adoption in the past three decades, and those technologies should be held to a stricter standard in order to protect the health of the people who use them. Not everyone feels WiFi or cell tower radiofrequencies, though more and more do - and others, it has a destructive impact on their lives. We have friends who have kids with brain tumors from being near cell phone towers, and we have known so-called “antenna refugees,” hypersensitive to the frequency radiation. My partner, who is hypersensitive to EMF, had to move when there was a cell tower constructed nearby and saw significant health decline at that time, fourteen years ago. We bought a property in Washington State and we paid the utility company to remove the smart meter because she couldn't sleep. We had the neighbors reduce their WiFi signal because it gave us both headaches, and now AT&T wants to install a cell tower in our neighborhood which, if they do, will force us to sell our property and move again and find a new place free of signal which, in an increasingly electrified civilization and culture, is becoming more and more difficult to find. We need much stricter regulations regarding exposure limits for the general public, especially children, women and hypersensitive people. We need a broad action plan for keeping certain areas (“white-zones”) completely pure and clean of any EMF/electrosmog, where these people can go (without going into a fight-or-flight response or nervous system going haywire), and for minimizing exposure in residential areas. We need to stop blinding ourselves about the side effects of technology for the sake of the GDP and to reconsider the health of the people. We need change. 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. E

Since October 2015, I have experienced persistent auditory symptoms or nonconsensual neural auditory harassment and abuse, including hearing voices and sounds, along with sleep disruption and other symptoms. In 2017 I commissioned a private electromagnetic field and radiofrequency survey called H-SCADA. It recorded low-level magnetic field readings and radiofrequency signals in the 2.5 GHz range. These investigators doing these radio frequency scans using JM-20 PRO or similar detect anomalous frequencies around specific areas of the scanned individual. Researchers can then use frequencies identified during radio frequency scans to search the Federal Communications Commission FCC Universal Licensing System for names and phone numbers and attorneys associated with registrations linked to affected individuals. Multiple scanning reports with these RF frequencies have been admitted as expert evidence of US courts of competent jurisdiction. An attorney I had a consultation with based in California stated that ULS traces in his clients’ cases led to Elon Musk’s private companies, the Department of War, Palantir Technologies and AI development programs sponsored directly or indirectly through a puppet private partnership by the US government, from which his clients are settling out of court. I am also a mother. One of my twin daughters was born May 2014 with auditory neuropathy and wears bilateral hearing aids. I do not know the cause, and I am not aware of research examining whether electromagnetic exposure during pregnancy or early life could play a role in conditions like hers. I raise it because I would like the question studied. Could whatever started causing me to get harassed with microwave auditory effect; V2K/Voice of God weapon October 2015 have actually been set up when I was pregnant with her in 2014, causing her to be born with this hearing loss? I am including some links to studies in rats showing electromagnetic waves damaging cochlea of inner ear which can lead to auditory neuropathy. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25836770/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9442804/ https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lio2.231 https://news.miami.edu/stories/2018/12/findings-from-havana-embassy-phenomenon.html My concern is supported by the scientific record. The 2020 National Academies report identified directed, pulsed radiofrequency energy as the most plausible explanation for inner-ear and neurological symptoms among U.S. government personnel (the “Havana syndrome” cases), and a 2022 intelligence community expert panel noted “a dearth of systematic research” on how such signals affect humans. A 2018 University of Miami study of 25 affected embassy personnel found balance abnormalities and concluded the exposure responsible was unknown. Later NIH studies found no brain-imaging differences, which shows how much remains unresolved. Similar to the diplomats my daughter also suffered with balance and vestibular issues as well. I respectfully ask HHS to consider the following: 1. Establish a task force. Convene a time-limited task force or working group, led by HHS with FDA, NIH, CDC and FCC participation and independent clinicians, researchers and public members, to investigate civilian reports of unexplained auditory and neurological symptoms in people who believe they have been affected by radiofrequency or electromagnetic exposure. Its tasks should be to: • investigate the reports using standardized medical evaluation and exposure measurement; • hear from affected individuals and clinicians; • report findings publicly, including what could not be explained; and • recommend next steps, including research priorities and clinical guidance. 2. Fund independent research on auditory and nervous-system effects of low-level RF and ELF exposure. 3. Create a reporting pathway. Establish a way for the public and clinicians to document suspected exposure-related health effects, with clear coordination among agencies. 4. Clinical guidance and coding. Develop guidance for clinicians who see patients reporting unexplained auditory phenomena, including a standardized evaluation protocol and a working case definition. Support a request to the ICD-10 Coordination and Maintenance Committee (CDC National Center for Health Statistics and CMS) to evaluate whether a diagnosis code for anomalous health incidents (AHI) or Havanna Syndrome is warranted, so that affected patients, civilian and government, can receive documented care and coverage. 5. Coordination. Clarify which agencies (HHS, FDA, NIH or NIEHS, FCC) are responsible for evaluating these concerns, and how a member of the public can bring one forward. I would be glad to provide additional documentation to the appropriate staff on request. Thank you for considering this comment. Sincerely, Allison Ireland Auburn, NH contact@neuroethicsnow.org

Government has a fundamental duty to protect the public’s health and safety. That duty should come before industry convenience or profit. Laws and regulations governing electromagnetic fields (EMF), radiofrequency (RF), and wireless technology should be based on independent, up-to-date scientific review—not shaped or weakened by the industries they regulate. People should not have to bear potential health risks or losses to their homes and communities without meaningful safeguards. I urge lawmakers to establish clear, enforceable protections that: Require independent assessment of wireless facilities and devices, including cumulative exposures and sensitive locations such as homes, schools, and hospitals. Set exposure limits using transparent, regularly reviewed scientific evidence, with appropriate protection for children and other potentially more vulnerable groups. Require public notice, access to monitoring results, and meaningful opportunities for community input before facilities are approved or substantially modified. Preserve local authority to consider siting, safety, and community impacts. Provide a fair process for investigating and addressing documented effects on health, property use, and property values. These protections should be precautionary, transparent, and enforceable. When the evidence is uncertain, government should not simply assume that the public must accept the risk. It should require independent review, disclose the evidence, and put people’s health and homes ahead of industry interests.

I am reporting our experience of adverse health effects and its effect on our lives as individual consumer, patient and family member. 11 years ago my teenager developed sensitivity to mobile phones, Wi-Fi, smart meters and wireless infrastructures. She became aware of it gradually. She had a party trick where she asked her friends to turn their cell phones on or off while her eyes were closed and she would tell them which it was with 100% accuracy. It did not stay benign, however. Her school’s infrastructure was wireless, classrooms had full complements of chromebooks, and all her classmates had cellphones on. My daughter began to have headaches, heart palpitations, irregular breathing, nosebleeds, pain, brain fog, exhaustion, and an inability to string sentences together in the school environment. She was an excellent student who enjoyed school. My husband is a high school physics teacher so bought quality meters to measure various frequencies in different environments. All of our daughter’s symptoms correlated to exposure to high levels of RF/EMF. We started spending a lot of time in large parks, at Lake Michigan, camping, and her symptoms would ameliorate and she would be her normal strong energetic self. We got her a full work-up at her doctor’s but everything came back normal. Her heart irregularities were so concerning, we took her to Lurie Children’s Hospital - a premier children’s hospital in Chicago but got no answers. There was nothing structurally wrong with her heart, and she was told to increase her water and salt and decrease her stress for the palpitations. Her symptoms developed to the point that she could no longer tolerate being in the school building. She had to withdraw from her high school in her second semester of senior year and was unable to graduate with her class. At home, we wired our computers, turned off our wifi router, kept our cell phones on airplane mode, and hired building biologists for anything we were missing. I also developed headaches, fatigue, and brain fog in buildings with wifi, including doctors’ offices and hospitals. My cheeks flush and tingle and feel like they are sunburned. When I return home, I feel exhausted. When I use my cellphone, my hand aches. The difference is that I can still function in these environments as long as I am not in them all the time. In addition, by the time I became sensitive to RF/EMF radiation, I already had my education, work experience, and had experienced a full life. All this happened in Chicago. Unfortunately, Chicago put 5G on so many intersections, that we found ourselves housebound. A second daughter also started to develop sensitivity in her early teens and started having to drop out of all her many activities. We moved semi-rurally. We use a landline at home and wired computers. We love our tech but it has to be wired. We pay $115.77 every month EXTRA on our electrical bill in order to OPT OUT of a smart meter. That’s almost $1400 extra every year because we have an unrecognized disability. The health ramifications have been life altering. It is very difficult to peel back any symptoms even living in a house with low levels of RF/EMF. We have to buy older cars without bluetooth or other accessories and I don’t use gps on my phone when I travel. I keep my cellphone on airplane mode and check in at different times during the day. Our cellphones are older models with less radiation and do not always support updated apps so we are unable to access our banking app for example. Currently, my 2 affected children are both young adults. Neither one can spend time near cell-towers, high power lines, people with cell phones on, 5G, buildings with wi-fi infrastructure. This has severely impacted their daily lives as well as their ability to have friends, find employment, and pursue education. It is very difficult to access dental and medical care as they cannot tolerate the long appointments. They cannot travel or spend time with their grandparents in retirement centers. Their employment prospects are dismal. They can work from home with wired computers but this still means complete industries are closed to them. In addition, many places require you to work in person before working remotely. Besides being a huge loss to them individually, it is also a loss to the nation of smart, hardworking young people who can’t contribute to the economy or the community. My other children volunteer, work, are Eagle Scouts, in community theater and bands, attending college - all activities denied to my 2 who have been made ill by high levels of RF/EMF. Medical practitioners need accurate information, as do school counselors and mental health practitioners, schools and communities that include children need to know about the adverse health effects of high levels of RF/EMF radiation. The testing of safe levels needs to address children and women as well as how the devices are actually used, including the length of time.