Electromagnetic sensitivity

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 The 1996 radiofrequency limits are long outdated, and with more and more impact studies that have been done in the past three decades proving, not suggesting, biological harm, there needs to be much tighter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

Current permitted levels of RF radiation violate Americans with Disabilities Act! Growing number of people have developed a disability - sensitivity to EMF aka Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS) aka EMR Syndrome. I am one of them. When I am close to wireless devices or cell phone towers I experience severe pain, fatigue, cardiac issues. It feels like you live in a microwave prison. You are tortured and unable to participate in the society, access goods and services without getting harmed. You can’t go to places that have WiFi or in vicinity of cell phone towers which is almost everywhere now: - Schools and offices - Doctor’s offices, hospitals - Public transportation - Hotels - Stores etc. I drive a 12-year-old car. You can’t turn off all wireless features in newer cars – satellite connection, radars detecting lines etc. It became extremely hard to find a home with low RF radiation levels. Every trip into “civilization” is a torture even with multiple layers of EMF protective clothing. A lot of children are becoming sensitive to EMF. Here is news story about a schoolgirl who became sensitive to WiFi in school. She committed suicide because she could not tolerate pain from WiFi anymore: Teen Allergic to Wi-Fi Commits Suicide, Parents Say https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/teen-allergic-to-wifi-commits-suicide-parents-say-223912154.html How many children and adults have to suffer or die, so that we finally take action on establishing limits for RF radiation that protect public health?! I have following suggestions on how to address man-made EMF induced health crisis: - Transfer responsibility for establishing safe EMF levels from FCC to HHS - Establish RF limits similar to Building Biology Institute – less than 0.1 μW/m² - Ban Smartmeters, 5G and any future Gs, WiFi in public places including schools - Repeal Telecommunications Act - Accommodate disabled with EHS by creating no-wireless radiation zones in every metro area – no cell phone towers/radio towers/Smartmeters/wireless devices - Ban Starlink until proven safe - Create guidelines on diagnosing EHS, provide education to doctors on this condition - Fund research on how to decrease symptoms of EMF sensitivity - Order Telecom industry to create a fund to pay for damages to victims harmed by wireless radiation.

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.

I am an individual whose life and health have been dramatically affected by EMF sensitivity. After exposure to a water damaged building, I became more sensitive to all forms of radiation. Symptoms have been: Insomnia, sensitivity to the sun, neurological and balance issues, numbness and tingling, nervous system dysregulation, heart palpitations, heat flushing, extreme brain fog, inability to be on my phone or laptop for long periods of time, and resulting loss of relationships and loved ones who didn’t believe because there is no mainstream credible education to support this reality. I was unable to work for two years and had to leave my home, largely relying on being outdoors as that was the only environment my body could tolerate. Riding in vehicles also became impossible. My hope is that this issue will be taken seriously and more medical education and regulation will exist. Sincerely, a person who has lost everything due to this issue.

QUESTION 2: PERSPECTIVE -- I am an individual who has suffered from EHS (elctrohypersensitivity) for almost 30 years. I was one of the first people to succumb to the negative health effects of computer and microwave technologies. I am now 87 years old, and was hit when I was 59 years old and in otherwise reasonable health. QUESTION 3: EXPERIENCE – In 1998 I came home from work in the movie industry and suddenly found myself overwhelmed with enormous EMF sensitivity. This sensitivity affected me at home, at work, and in travels. I became intolerant of travel by car, plane or train; any lights or radiation (even sunlight when I was at my worst); conductive metals; computers, microwaves, and cell phone technologies; etc. All of this was verified by many doctor, tests, and alternative practitioners over the years, with little relief other than Gabapentin and avoidance. After some years, I began to be able to tolerate a bit more for short periods of time. I am now able to live very carefully within a muted and controlled environment. My symptoms from EMF exposure come from cell phones, wiring, home electronics, and outdoor RF. They have included: severe asthma, indigestion, weight loss, great weakness, trembling, arthritic symptoms, inflammatory swelling, eczema, dizziness, forgetfulness, irritability, depression, and anger (all in my medical records). QUESTION 12: EVIDENCE – 1) There are several books published by people who are scientific researchers or who are themselves EHS and self-treated. These can be found online. Examples include "The Sensitive Patient's Healing Guide: Top Experts Offer New Insights and Treatments for Environmental Toxins, Lyme Disease, and EMFs" by M.d. Nathan, Neil; and books by Dr. Jonathan Halpern, PhD. 2) The field of building biology is aware of EHS and has a specialty in EMF testing and mitigations. 3) Surprisingly, real estate agents are also aware of EHS! Many more people are looking for homes that have less EMF and RF exposure these days.

QUESTION 2: PERSPECTIVE -- I am an individual who has suffered from EHS (elctrohypersensitivity) for almost 30 years. I was one of the first people to succumb to the negative health effects of computer and microwave technologies. I am now 87 years old, and was hit when I was 59 years old and in otherwise reasonable health. QUESTION 3: EXPERIENCE – In 1998 I came home from work in the movie industry and suddenly found myself overwhelmed with enormous EMF sensitivity. This sensitivity affected me at home, at work, and in travels. I became intolerant of travel by car, plane or train; any lights or radiation (even sunlight when I was at my worst); conductive metals; computers, microwaves, and cell phone technologies; etc. All of this was verified by many doctor, tests, and alternative practitioners over the years, with little relief other than Gabapentin and avoidance. After some years, I began to be able to tolerate a bit more for short periods of time. I am now able to live very carefully within a muted and controlled environment. My symptoms from EMF exposure come from cell phones, wiring, home electronics, and outdoor RF. They have included: severe asthma, indigestion, weight loss, great weakness, trembling, arthritic symptoms, inflammatory swelling, eczema, dizziness, forgetfulness, irritability, depression, and anger (all in my medical records). QUESTION 12: EVIDENCE – 1) There are several books published by people who are scientific researchers or who are themselves EHS and self-treated. These can be found online. Examples include "The Sensitive Patient's Healing Guide: Top Experts Offer New Insights and Treatments for Environmental Toxins, Lyme Disease, and EMFs" by M.d. Nathan, Neil; and books by Dr. Jonathan Halpern, PhD. 2) The field of building biology is aware of EHS and has a specialty in EMF testing and mitigations. 3) Surprisingly, real estate agents are also aware of EHS! Many more people are looking for homes that have less EMF and RF exposure these days.

Please Find attached my full response to the Request for Information on Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs), Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation, and Wireless Radiation Exposure. This comment is submitted in response to the request for information on electromagnetic field exposure and human health, sharing a personal perspective as an individual with electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) for over 15 years. My comment discusses the profound impacts of both magnetic/electric fields and radiofrequency (RF) radiation on my daily life, my health symptoms experienced, and personal management strategies. Key recommendations include improving real-world exposure level transparency, lowering exposure standards especially for high risk individuals, recognizing EHS as a medical condition, and addressing cumulative exposure risks. Please reference the PDF attached for the full comment. Thank you for providing this opportunity to be heard.

Within 24 hours of smart meters being installed at my apartment complex, I began noticing the following adverse health effects: a constant headache, chest pain, heart palpitations and arrythmias, bizarre and frightening brain sensations, and insomnia. A friend brought over an EMF meter and it detected high-powered pulses of microwave radiation every three seconds inside my apartment all along the wall the bank of smart meters was on. I tried to reduce my exposure by moving my sofa and bed away from that wall, shutting off my Wi-Fi, and wearing a supposedly EMF-shielding beanie hat whenever I was at home (even in bed), and staying away from my apartment as much as possible. These actions did not bring about any changes in the adverse health effects I was experiencing, so three months after the smart meters were installed I gave up my apartment and move to a different state where smart meters hadn’t yet arrived. Within days of arriving at my new residence (which was a guest bedroom in my parents’ house), I could actually feel their Wi-Fi in my head. The sensations were physically uncomfortable, bordering on painful, in my brain and in my ears. I had visited my parents earlier that year, and stayed for an entire month, and their Wi-Fi hadn’t been a problem then. It was only after I’d been exposed to smart-meter radiation for three months that I experienced adverse health effects from Wi-Fi. My parents agreed to shut off their Wi-Fi for me, and only then did my symptoms from Wi-Fi and smart meter exposure slowly begin to resolve. Six months later I was mostly symptom free. After my recovery, I thought that as long as I didn’t have Wi-Fi at home I might be able to tolerate spending a few hours once a week in a Wi-Fi environment out in the world. So I resumed going to church, and for many weeks everything seemed fine. It wasn’t until the twelfth Sunday that adverse health effects from cumulative exposure began to manifest what began as a low-grade headache quickly grew in intensity and constancy, accompanied by wholly unpleasant and downright frightening brain sensations. My ears ached, and rang, and popped – just like what occurs with changes in altitude. Except my altitude wasn’t changing, and only my right ear popped, often in quick succession: pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop. In addition, my face burned, my chest ached, and I was extremely fatigued. I felt so exceptionally unwell I truly did not know whether I would even survive, let alone recover. Immediately after the onset of these adverse health effects, using my computer and cell phone became unbearable, causing an immediate worsening of the constant headache and uncomfortable brain sensations. Even being within twenty feet of where my parents were using their cell phones was highly problematic, and I only found relief by going outside so I could get farther away. It took six months of scrupulously avoiding all Wi-Fi, computer, and cell phone exposure for the worst of my symptoms to subside, leaving me with only a mild headache, a popping right ear, and uncomfortable brain sensations that are less frequent and less alarming. Two months later, shortly before smart meters were to be installed in my parents; town, I moved yet again, this time to a different state with a milder climate. I took up residence in a friend’s barn out in the country where I wouldn’t be exposed to smart meters, Wi-Fi, or cell phones. Even so, being in close proximity to basic electricity causes headaches and uncomfortable brain sensations, so I’ve had to find creative ways to prepare meals, provided lighting, and stay warm in winter. Even using a landline telephone was impossible until I got one that had a special radiation-free headset that delivers the sound to my ear via an air tube. I’ve lived in the barn for more than four years now, and my attempts to seek medical evaluation and treatment resulted in healthcare providers thinking I was crazy and wanting to do a psychiatric evaluation. The adverse health effects I experience rom various sources of EMF radiation has rendered me unable to earn any kind of income for over five years. Yet, I have been told I do not qualify for Social Security because they do not recognize EMF sensitivity as a disabling condition. It is only because I finally reached the age of 62 a few months ago and could start drawing my Social Security retirement benefits that I am not completely destitute. That and the generosity and kindness of friends (including the one who entered my response to this EMF RFI).

I am an individual who has moderate to strong sensitivity to electromagnetic field radiation being emitted by cell phones, 5 g towers, and any large electrical fields. I experience heart irregular rhythms, skin rashes, generalized anxiety and sleep disruption. I ask for immediate research by HHS for short and long term safety studies to be conducted for humans and ecosystem. I ask for new public health policies that control location and installations to be implemented, based on the independent research findings.

I am 66 years old and have been quadriplegic for 50 years. My RF symptoms encompass all systems in the body: neurological, respiratory, urinary, digestive, and cardiovascular. I was diagnosed by a very well-read medical doctor in 2007 after almost dying from a 900 MHz DECT phone that I was exposed to. Respiratory failure, kidney failure, heart failure, bleeding, inability to even sit up. It's truly a miracle that I survived. I started becoming reactive to wireless frequencies in 2007 when I had a DECT phone installed in my place of business. It took me a long time to figure it out but I finally figured it out. I got rid of the phone and recovered. In 2009 my husband got a wireless Router for his laptop. We didn't know that it was utilizing RF, just like the DECT phone until I started having all my symptoms again. We removed the router and I recovered once again. In 2011 they put a smart meter on my house. Again I had no idea it was the same thing until I got sick with the exact same weird symptoms. We tried to get the meter uninstalled. They wouldn't uninstall it so I joined a class action suit against Oncor in Texas. I was able to have it removed after 2.5 years of litigation but by then I was very ill. I no longer am able to work because of the extreme sensitivity to wireless frequencies. I don't have a cell phone. I don't have wireless routers or wireless anything in my house and I have two shielded rooms: my bedroom and my office. I have to do this because I live in a suburb where everybody has wireless everything and I'm sick if I don't stay secluded. I'm glad to see that RFK Jr. is taking the telecoms on because this is very serious for some of us. What's sad is that Oncor knew in 2011 that this was making people sick. A short story to illustrate how I know this is factually true: After I discovered that the smart meter was what was making me sick again, I thought it was going to be a simple call to my electric company and tell them that I have a diagnosis of EHS, that RF makes me terribly ill, and that I need my analog meter back. They told me no, that they can't do that because it's part of a mesh network, but they would send somebody up from Dallas that "does this sort of thing." When I heard that I thought, "Well they know what's going on with me and they're going to take care of it." What happened couldn't have been further from the truth. My local guy showed up with the guy from Dallas and his technician. The first thing he did was ask where my meter was and he went out there with his laptop, which had a little antenna on it. When he came back in, he asked, "What's on the other side of that wall from the meter?" and I told him, "A bathroom." He said, "Can I go look?" and I said, "Yeah." He took his laptop in there, came back out, and I said, "Is everything okay?" He said, "Yeah. I'm just glad it's not a bedroom." Anyway we were talking and he asked me, "Do you have allergies?" I told him yes, that I had a lot of allergies, and he said, "Yeah we find people that have trouble with radio frequency also have a lot of allergies." He said, "I know this stuff is real." He said "we have people all over Dallas having problems with the smart meters." As they were leaving the Dallas guy said that they would "turn it down" and I was thinking, "Oh that's great, that'll probably help." Unfortunately it did not help, not even a little. In fact I don't even think they did anything at all because their mesh network needed to work. Anyways as they were walking out the door my local guy says, "Well don't we need to go back out there and turn it down?" The technician laughed and he said, "No we can do that from Dallas." Needless to say I suffered unnecessarily for 2.5 years until I was able to get my analog meter back after the lawsuit settled. By that time I had lost my business, my marriage, and my faith in humanity. I believe the telecoms have known this for many, many years and they chose to do it anyways for a buck. Truly despicable.