Electromagnetic sensitivity

I am father to two daughters that exhibit high sensitivity and adverse reactions to emf exposure, specifically cell phone, cell tower, and wifi router radiation. I am grateful that the HHS has invited public comment on this issue. As a high school physics teacher for over 30 years, I was at first slow to believe that wireless radiation could cause non-thermal biological effects in humans. The alarming symptoms experienced by my daughters, however, challenged my assumptions. I spent over $1000 on various meters so I could take my own measurements. I understand that there has been a lot of scientific research on this subject and that many studies conclude there are no harmful effects from cell phones or cell towers. My own experience and that of my family convinces me that this conclusion is false. Microwave radiation can definitely have serious effects on some people. In order to protect my family from wireless radiation harms we moved out of Chicago and now live in a semi-rural area on 2 acres. We use only wired internet devices in the home. We have no wifi router or bluetooth devices. The average microwave density in our home is now under 1.0 microwatt per square meter as measured by a Safe and Sound Pro II RF meter (see attached image). In contrast, the level in the high school where I teach averages 4.6, and in the eldercare facility where my son works around 18 𝜇W/m2. (See attached images) My eldest daughter began showing symptoms during her junior year at public high school in Chicago. When in the school building, which had a high density of wifi routers installed throughout, she would gradually feel more and more ill with nausea, brain fog, weakness, and bloody noses. These symptoms quickly abated when she left the building. Her high school counselor discounted her complaints and suggested she seek psychotherapy. She tried toughing it out, wanting to finish her high school diploma, but the continued high exposure only made her sensitivity increase. Eventually she had to withdraw and complete her diploma as a homeschooler. Meanwhile, my second daughter also began exhibiting similar symptoms. She was already being homeschooled but very active in Chicago community extra curricular activities – theater groups, art classes, park district programs, and martial arts. Sadly, because of adverse reactions to the radiation exposure in these facilities, she had to withdraw from these activities one by one. Similar to her sister, her reactions to RF include brain fog, fatigue, loss of speech, joint pain, and heart irregularities. While the move out of Chicago and the removal of sources of RF from our home was a necessary and effective remedy for my daughters, their lives are severely limited. High levels of RF, over 100 𝜇W/m2, are now becoming ubiquitous. My daughters must carefully limit time spent in stores, urban centers, medical facilities, even church and peoples homes. In person higher education is not possible for them. Radiation free employment is extremely difficult to find. Surviving emf sensitivity is not only logistically difficult but also expensive. In order to avoid the radiation from a smart meter, which emits intense short pulses of emf energy, I have to pay the electrical company a “manual read fee” of $115.77 each month. (See attached electrical bill) This adds up to nearly $1400 per year, a ridiculously unfair penalty. Another source of emf radiation which my daughters react to are LED lightbulbs. These devices produce what is known as “dirty electricity” in the home circuits. It is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to purchase incandescent lightbulbs. The current federal rules prohibiting the manufacture and sale of incandescent bulbs needs to be repealed. I am very concerned for the future. If the spread of high radiation levels continues at the current pace, opportunities for a healthy life for people like my daughters will shrink ever smaller. I urge the HHS to take seriously the potential harms of RF radiation and pursue more independent research on this important issue.

Table of Contents of Enclosed Document "FCC / HHS Public Comment Anonymous" ======================================================== 1. My Perspective About some of my EMF sources, types, and durations of exposure My health experience Dental imaging and related health problems Evaluation and treatment sought Healthcare professionals’ clinical observations ======================================================== 2. Exposure Standards and Risk Assessment What technical changes would improve assessment, disclosure and mitigation? Measuring EMF exposure in the environment is not the same as measuring how living tissue responds to it over time. About spectrum analysis and proposed safety standards ======================================================== 3. Current and Proposed Research What are the highest-priority research gaps regarding EMF and RF exposure? Study imperative: RF, blood proteins, and blood–brain barrier findings ======================================================== 4. An Evaluation of a Personal Medical Experience Five Common Precursors to EMF Sensitivity 1. Physical Trauma to the Central Nervous System (CNS) 2. Exposure to Chemical Toxins 3. Exposure to Biological Toxins 4. Acute or Chronic Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields 5. An Impaired Immune System Six Actions to Promote Recovery 1. Reduce Exposure to Irritants 2. Rebalance Limbic System 3. Immune Support 4. Detoxification 5. DNA Testing 6. Dental Aspects Flawed Safety Guidelines and the WHO Report (Let's not have a repeat performance please.) ======================================================== CONCLUDING REMARKS FROM ENCLOSED PATIENT EXPERIENCE AND SUGGESTED RESEARCH As I said earlier, scientists characterizing the frequency as they do makes the issue so complicated: operating frequency, power density, specific absorption rate (SAR), electric- and magnetic-field strength, modulation and pulse characteristics, duty cycle, beam-forming, simultaneous exposure to multiple frequencies, duration of exposure, distance from the source, proximity to the body, and cumulative exposure. I’m more interested in biology and the living response, rather than chasing the endless wave. The truth is, distance will always be our friend. And the natural frequency of the Earth is the Schumann resonance near 7.83 Hz. Direct current, at the levels I’m talking about, feels like the closest thing to calm and restoration as we’ll ever get. Each cycle is part of a wave, and a signal can use on/off states—1s and 0s—to represent information. Binary is foundational to computing as we know it. These days, a signal may cycle trillions of times to carry information, and the demand for communication continues to increase. Imagine every individual wave is like softly punching your cat. At first, the cat thinks you are playing and paws back playfully. Then it becomes not so fun, and to make the punching stop, the fangs and teeth come out because it hurts and is causing harm. That’s the stage we are at, and eventually we are going to kill the cat. And is the scientific response might be, “Ah, it doesn’t really matter; we can build a better cat”? Some engineer is probably laughing somewhere, saying, “We already did that!” Good luck, y’all!

My health and wellbeing have been severely compromised the last three years due to emf’s. When I first noticed that I felt ill whenever I entered my house, I struggled for months to determine who would be wiling and able to assess why that was happening. Eventually I learned about building biologists, but shortly thereafter learned that none of them were in Maine. With the help of a building biologist in Virginia, I was eventually able to have my house assessed. I learned that the rf levels were extremely high. After getting rid of WiFi and operating firm Ethernet, I felt some relief for a month. Then suddenly my electric bill leaped from 200 per month to 1000. With another assessment, I learned that I have extremely high levels of dirty electricity. I lived with every fuse turned off for another year and a half to mitigate the problem. Eventually I sold that house and moved only to have a problem with dirty electricity again in the new house. Again I had another assessment done and was given suggestions to mitigate the problem. I am just beginning to implement some of the things he suggested. I have CLL, which has gotten steadily worse due to the emf issues I have had. I know that I and other EMF sensitive people are the canaries in the coal mine. We feel what others are experiencing also, but may not notice. I so wish that peoples’ health mattered more in our country than profits and venture capital,

• Wireless radiation disrupts lymphocytes by opening calcium channels (VGCC's) in cell membrane and increasing intraceullar Ca2+ (Puri et al, 2019, attached), thereby assisting bacterial and viral infections. • Cell phone radiation impairs DNA repair in lymphocytes https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/1 • After 30 days of exposure time, 1 h/day EMF exposure resulted in significant decrease in immunoglobulin levels (IgA, IgE, IgM, and IgG); total leukocyte, lymphocyte, eosinophil and basophil counts; and a significant increase in neutrophil and monocyte counts. These changes were more increased in the group exposed to 2 h/day EMF. Vitamin D supplementation in EMF-exposed rats reversed these results when compared with EMF-exposed groups. In contrast, 7, 14, and 21 days of EMF exposure produced nonsignificant differences in these parameters among all experimental groups. We concluded that exposure to mobile phone radiation compromises the immune system of rats, and vitamin D appears to have a protective effect. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27901344/ • GSM cell phone radiation microwaves under specific conditions of exposure affected human lymphocytes similar to stress response https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3165836_Nonthermal_GSM_Microwaves_Affect_Chromatin_Conformation_in_Human_Lymphocytes_Similar_to_Heat_Shock • As compared to the control group in the radar operators a statistically significant decrease in the total T8 cell count and a significant increase in the IgM level was found pointing to the radiation induced disorders in lymphocyte system. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2131394/ Read more on effects of wireless radiation and 5G on the immune system https://mdsafetech.org/immune-system/ Studies that shows that wireless radiation affects vitamin D and glutathione: • Marshall 2016 reported wireless radiation lowers vitamin D receptor (VDR) activity by changing the shape of the VDR, thus impairing VDR activity and its ability to bind with vitamin D, and that this effect peaks at just under 6 GHz https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Trevor_Marshall2/publication/305254443_Electrosmog_and_autoimmune_disease/links/5785e9a008ae3949cf546f52.pdf?origin=publication_detail (Wi-Fi uses 2.45 and 5 GHz, but just recently, WiFi using 6 GHz was introduced in 2020 https://blogs.cisco.com/networking/wi-fis-new-6ghz-spectrum-is-a-new-frontier) • Belpomme et al, 2015 reported vitamin D deficiency can result from inflammation caused by chronic wireless radiation exposure http://www.ehs-mcs.org/fichiers/1454070991_Reliable_biomarkers.pdf • Garaj-Vrhovac et. al, 2011 found that radar workers, after 10 years, had glutathione that was more than 50% lower than non-radar workers. “The glutathione concentration in the exposed group was significantly lower than in controls (1.24 vs. 0.53) whereas the concentration of malondialdehyde was significantly higher (1.74 vs. 3.17), indicating oxidative stress. Results suggests that pulsed microwaves from working environment can be the cause of genetic and cell alterations and that oxidative stress can be one of the possible mechanisms of DNA and cell damage.” Results were statistically significant (p<0.05). Average exposure levels for radar workers were no higher than 0.00000835 W/kg, or 8.35 E-6 W/kg, well below government exposure standards (FCC Whole Body SAR limit is 0.08W/kg average.) http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1438463910001069 (my highlighted copy attached) • Deluca et al, 2014. https://www.hindawi.com/journals/mi/2014/924184/ found reduced levels of glutathione and impaired detoxification ability in those with microwave sickness (EHS). Risk of EHS development was increased 9.7 times in individuals who are missing two genes GSTM1 and GSTT1, which are glutathione S-transferase (GST) enzymes that detoxify by conjugation with glutathione o a statistically significant lowered level of antioxidant/detoxification enzymatic activity of GST (glutathione S-transferase) in EHS compared to non-EHS (~1.9 in EHS vs. ~2.5 in non-EHS, p=0.000001, see Figure 5a) o a statistically significant increased level of antioxidant/detoxification enzymatic activity of GPX (glutathione peroxidase) in EHS compared to non-EHS (~24.9 in EHS vs. ~22.8 in non-EHS, p=0.012151, see Figure 5b)

I have electromagnetic hypersensitivity which was revealed in my former workplace when a wireless access point was installed within six feet of my desk. I began getting severe migraine headaches the day it was turned on. i didn't know it was installed and on at first. Took about a month or so before I figured out what was going on. It eventually forced me onto short term disability and then out of the job. Since then, my sensitivity has remained strong including instant migraines when cell phones are used nearby

I have EMF and RF sensitivity that cause me crippling fatigue, head pressure, tinnitus that is unbearable at times, and severe brain fog. Since moving across the street from a 5G tower, my quality of life has been deteriorating and I am continuing to get sicker. The symptoms have intensified since a smart meter was installed in my apartment several months ago. This is no way to live.

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 developed a strong EMF and RF hypersensitivity 2.5 years ago after becoming severely ill with late-stage Lyme disease, Babesia, Bartonella and other co-infections. I later found out I also have Autoimmune Encephalitis and Hashimoto’s Thyroid. I get a bad migraine and vertigo when driving past cell towers or a radio station. I limit my time on a cell phone/computer or start to get dizzy and migraine, as well. I think radiation, in general, contributed to my Hashimoto's thyroid that developed within the last few years, as well. I feel a "buzzing" sensation around my neck/chest when I'm on an electronic device. We turn our WiFi off at night because I can feel my thyroid or thymus gland buzzing while I'm trying to sleep, otherwise. Based on my own experience and from talking to other people with similar health issues, I've concluded that EMF's, WiFi, and 5G are hard on people with diseases of the central nervous system and immune compromised individuals, in general. I grew up in the 80's and 90's and wouldn't mind going back to a simpler time without Smartphones or WiFi. No one wants or needs 5G or 6G, for that matter! Thank you for allowing this opportunity for public comment.

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…)Sensitive to "dirty electricity" from building wiring, electronics, WiFi., broadcating utillity meters 3b. Nature, duration, frequency, and approximate timing (e.g., years):In 2002 I had severe symptoms that thousands of $ of medical test found no cause for. It turned out that electromagnetic exposure was the cause. We had to move to a country home with no cell towers, no broadcasting meter, no WiFi, etc. I cannot travel due to ubiquitous WiFi. 3c. Adverse health effect(s) experienced:Unbelievably severe insomnia. Pain in the left side of my head. Tingling and numbness in left arm and leg. Irregular heartbeat with episodes of sudden spiking of heart rate and blood pressure. Spasms when near electronics such as computers or store cash registers. At worst point, I could not walk and had to be taken to a clinic in a wheelchair. I felt as if I were made of paper. My husband checked at night to see if I was still breathing. 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:Symptoms began with irregular heartbeat, then suddenly got severe. Perhaps due to a cheese factory that was on our substation line (and should not have been) installing yet more equipment that dumped harmfl frequencies onto the line. 3e. Was medical evaluation or treatment sought? (Optionally:) Was there a diagnosis?Thousands of dollars of test were done, including MRI of my brain as brain cancer was considered likely. I also wore a heart monitor. Mainstream medical system could only tell me that I had preatrial cardiac syndrome. One chamber of heart out of synch due to electrical signal out of synch. They had no idea why. Thank God an alternative practitioner put me in touch with Dave Stetzer of Stetzer Electric, who tested our electricity and coached us re what to do. 3f. Were steps taken to reduce or eliminate exposure, and were there subsequent changes in the effects?Dave Stetzer coached us re what to do to make our home safer for me and sent us the first Stetzer filters he had created. All symptoms disappeared. But I cannot travel or spend much time in urban areas due to the eposure there. 3g. Any supporting documentation? This includes Scientific Reports, exposure measurements, or other relevant information:Our personal physician kept notes from the time he began working with us. My mainstream medical records also should confirm. 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 am a natural wellness practitioner. I became an activist and had a website on the issues for some time. Many, many files of the info. I shared there. Effects cover the gamut from insomnia and brain fog through type three diabetes, M.S. and cancer. This is not belief. The research is vast and unequivocal. B1a. Sources you experience as causing you Adverse Effects:WiFi, variable speed motors, cell towers, computers, "dirty electricity" on building wiring and water pipes, inverters... B1b. Sources you can sense, but don't seem to harm you: B1c. Sources you can use without sensing or being harmed:Laptop computer with ethernet connection, run on battery. Still some stress, but doable. B1d. Sources that seem to provide benefit (i.e., electrotherapy):Avoidance is the biggie. B2a. Health conditions you think may contribute to your sensitivity to EMFs including wireless:I am 82. Joints all fine. Stopped wearing glasses. Not taking any pharmaceuticals. No medical conditions. The only thing that might have contributed was metal in my teeth, which is now long gone. B2b. Health conditions you don't necessarily associate with your sensitivity to EMFs including wireless, but might be relevant:None. B3. For each subquestion please list up to 5 drugs or therapies or home remedies (if any) B3a. That you recommend, as they helped you tolerate or recover from EMF exposure:Installed Stetzer filters, removed grounding to water pipes, have no WiFi, no CFL bulbs, no variable speed motors, no broadcasting meter, more nutrient-dense diet. B3b. That you recommend, but you’re not positive that they help:none B3c. That helped you but you don’t recommend. (e.g., the benefit did not last long or the side effects were too harmful):none B3d. Treatments that had no effect:none B3e. Treatments that made your sensitivity worse:75+ B4. What is your age range?75+ B5. What year did you become aware of your sensitivity to wireless radiation or electromagnetic fields?2003 B6. What country, state, province, or major city were you living in when you first noticed your sensitivity to wireless or electromagnetic fields?Ozaukee County, Wisconsin, USA

I happen to be a person who is affected by wireless radiation. When my 36 year old cousin was diagnosed with a Glioblastoma back in 2012 I fell into researching why a disease previously known in older males would suddenly show up in a young mother of two. One hypothetical that was proposed was RF. My cousin had worn a RF headset at her job and the tumor was on the radiating side. So as a young mother myself I chose to (out of an overabundance of caution) limit my family's exposure to cellular, wifi and blutooth in our home. If you've known and loved a person with glioblastoma- you'd do the same. It literally ruined that family- financially, emotionally, in every way possible. My family has gone without RF (and have chosen homes that naturally block neighbors RF signals and cell towers) since then. Nothing fancy really, just being cautious. Oddly enough, or maybe because I spend so much time avoiding it, I am now symptomatic to BT and wifi. It takes several hours of exposure but there have been times when water, electrolytes, and sleep don't touch a headache and inevitably I'll pull out my RF meter just to double check that a device hasn't reset itself and is unknowingly pulsing somewhere in the house. And a surprising amount of time that is just what has happened. We turn it off and the headache resolves. I'm absolutely bewildered by my ability to sense it. Unfortunately, my father this last year also passed from a Glioblastoma. A cell tower was placed across the street from their home several years ago and his bedroom window was in direct line of sight of the antennas. While the neurologist assured us there is no 'genetic' marker (outside of very rare populations) for brain cancers running in families, I can't help but wonder with my sensitivity and two family members passing if we will stumble upon evidence for one in a couple years. Some sign that we are particularly susceptible to the non native wavelengths around us. My big ask here in commenting is two part: 1) Encourage doctors/epidemiologsts to look for the patterns in families and take note of possible RF sources and 2) Give those of us who are sensitive easy ways to protect ourselves from RF: mandate or encourage simple On/off switches for RF on appliances, thermostats, mini splits, car stereo systems, security cameras, etc; encourage/enforce options for opting out of smart meters or encourage posting smart meters off the home/ not near bedrooms with utility companies; Give us accurate tools for locating cell towers and antennas (For example- antenna search dot com shows where the tower is registered (an address), not located. For the tower my father slept across from it says it is a mile away at the HOA building). If a family hoping to avoid living near a tower only looked at the website they would not know there was a tower there unless they had an RF meter. Please give enough credence to the possibility that there is 'possibly something going on here' that medical professionals don't immediately think we're nuts (and therefore driving people into the hands of the medical conmen who 'believe' them). I think what I ask is relatively simple and does not impede those who do want to partake in RF. I'm just asking that those of us who do want to avoid it at least have the ability and option of safeguarding our homes and families. Thank you.

I am writing to urge the Department of Health and Human Services to fully consider all available evidence and the real-world experiences of actual people concerning the health impacts of radiofrequency (RF) radiation, electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and wireless radiation exposure on children and adults, as well as the impacts of long-term and cumulative exposure on wildlife and the environment. As our federal health agency, it is the duty and responsibility of the department to protect the public. This requires reviewing research already conducted, undertaking any additional studies as needed, and then clearly informing everyone of the health effects of the radiation and EMFs we are continually being subjected to without our consent. It also requires regulation of all corporations and any other entities responsible for the introduction and spread of these harmful technologies. They must not be allowed to jeopardize our health for their profit (or for any other reason). This issue matters to me personally because of the proliferation of cell towers, 5G installations, "smart" meters and wireless devices everywhere which we cannot get away from. The human body was not designed to cope with the effects of such frequencies. I am experiencing increased sensitivities to RF radiation and EMFs. These exposures have caused vertigo, brain fog, insomnia and other negative health consequences for me and my family members.