Electromagnetic sensitivity

I am very sensitive to EMFs. The smart meter of my home was right outside of my bedroom and caused huge flares in fatigue, joint pain, ringing in my ears. and more. I am so concerned about our world and our children. Most people don't have the awareness, knowledge, or resources to make changes, or are stuck living or working near towers, smart meters, etc. There are changes that can be made! Fortunately I could opt out of the smart meter program in my area (and pay more monthly). I have my home hard wired. But I have to take great care traveling, visiting friends and family, even when selecting a church or school for my children.

Personal Testimony and Call for Research and Protection for People Reporting Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS) Public Comment — HHS-OASH-2026-0397 To the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I live in Israel and have practiced complementary and integrative healthcare for approximately 28 years. I write both as a practitioner and as someone whose life was profoundly changed by a severe health crisis that I attribute to prolonged, cumulative exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMF). For years, my symptoms were mild and seemed insignificant. Then, within a few months, my health deteriorated rapidly. I experienced weakness, a choking sensation, elevated blood glucose, and other unexplained symptoms. As my condition worsened, I began noticing a recurring association between EMF exposure and my symptoms. I describe this through the “bucket theory”: drops accumulate unnoticed for years until the bucket overflows. For me, symptoms then appeared in an unbearable cascade, like a house of cards collapsing. During this crisis, I also developed severe multiple chemical sensitivity (MCS). About five years ago, the crisis affected multiple body systems. Alongside severe symptoms, I experienced measurable physiological changes: increased blood glucose, hemoglobin (Hb), blood pressure, and heart rate. My recovery continues today. My quality of life, daily functioning, and freedom of movement remain severely restricted. Ordinary activities require planning, environmental adjustments, and major sacrifices. From my own experience, the exposure–symptom connection is clear to me. I recognize that a causal relationship is not established scientific consensus. This gap between patients’ experiences and established knowledge makes rigorous, independent research open to new findings essential. People reporting EHS often describe similar experiences despite diverse symptoms. Reported responses may differ by frequency, exposure type, and over time. These patterns deserve investigation. I urge HHS to take the following steps: 1. Expand existing research: Support independent genetic, physiological, clinical, and epidemiological studies, collaborating with EHS researchers in Europe and elsewhere. 2. Investigate biomarkers: Examine and replicate findings concerning the nervous system, inflammation, and possible myelin damage, alongside blood markers, heart rate, blood pressure, and autonomic function. Identify reliable indicators and potential patient subgroups. 3. Study individual susceptibility: Investigate genetic and physiological differences that might explain reported reactions at exposures below current limits. 4. Reassess exposure standards: Study possible non-thermal effects and prolonged, combined exposure from multiple sources. 5. Review mobile-phone emissions and inform the public: In independent measurements I conducted about five years ago, I recorded 50–70 mW/m² near my phone. Today, during calls on that same phone, I measure pulses of 150–300 mW/m², peaks exceeding 1,800 mW/m², and readings above 2,000 mW/m² near newer smartphones, under broadly similar conditions. The 2012 BioInitiative Report discusses reported biological effects at 0.03 mW/m². These observations warrant investigating changes in exposure over time, reviewing standards, transparently informing the public, and developing safer communication technologies. Reference: BioInitiative Report (2012), Conclusions: https://bioinitiative.org/conclusions/ 6. Reduce environmental exposure and protect basic rights: Reconsider antenna deployment, including relocating transmitters away from residential areas, reducing small-cell and 5G installations, and promoting wired communication. Evaluate public warnings about mobile phones and other wireless technologies. Establish dedicated recovery spaces with electromagnetic exposure as close to zero as technically possible, minimizing both radiofrequency and power-frequency fields for people in severe health crises. Protect freedom of movement, health, and access to essential services, including for those who may develop sensitivity in the future. 7. Train healthcare professionals: Ensure respectful care, thorough medical evaluation, and support without dismissing patients’ symptoms. 8. Include people reporting EHS in research: Involve them in study design and research priorities. Lack of scientific consensus about causation does not justify disregarding symptoms, physical findings, or the need for appropriate medical care and research. I hope this initiative advances recognition, meaningful research, and practical solutions for people reporting EHS worldwide. I am willing to share my experience, provide relevant medical information confidentially with my consent, and participate in suitable studies. Thank you for considering my testimony.

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 as a parent in Brevard County, Florida. My daughter began having severe migraines at age 9, during the COVID-19 lockdowns. When her school moved to remote instruction, she spent most of every day streaming online classes, working on a school laptop for hours at a time. During that period the migraines began and quickly became frequent and debilitating. For the past six years she has continued to struggle with these migraines, and adapting her environment to her sensitivities has become progressively more difficult. Her physician has diagnosed her with electromagnetic hypersensitivity. She cannot be near Wi-Fi routers at school, and she develops headaches in classrooms where laptops are in widespread use. This has affected her education, her ability to participate fully in ordinary school settings, and our family's daily life, as we continually work to find environments where she can learn without pain. Children today are exposed to wireless devices and networks for much of the school day, and remote and device-based instruction has made that exposure longer and more constant than in any prior generation. Families like ours have few places to turn for guidance, and schools have no federal framework for accommodating students who report these symptoms. 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. I also ask HHS to consider guidance for schools on accommodating students who report symptoms associated with wireless exposure. Thank you for providing individuals and families with an opportunity to be heard.

I am highly reactive to all forms of EMFs: cell phones, routers, satellite dishes, 5G towers, and more. It wasn't as bad with 4G, but once 5G came out, my world has shrunk. I can no longer travel anywhere. I have missed funerals and weddings of very close family. Exposure to EMFs gives me awful migraines within minutes of exposure to these sources, which can last up to 3 days. It is sooo hard finding a doctor in my area because most doctors are next to 5G towers and antennas. It is so frustrating. I have to drive extra miles to find a doctor who is far enough away from a 5G tower. My daughter is also sensitive, and I have one friend who is also sensitive to EMFs - it gives her tinnitus. I have another friend that has other awful symptoms as well. STOP THESE THINGS!!! And get them away from doctors' areas. Create Wi-Fi-free areas just like they have in Europe, for sensitive people like me. Europe acknowledges that this is an issue. And in certain countries, they create areas where there are no electric fields.

It took nine years to figure out the cause of the insomnia, memory loss, difficulty concentrating, tinnitus, nervousness, dizziness, headaches, body aches, and so on. Then, one day, life changed forever following overexposure to smart electricity meters. It was like a bombshell: a career change, the sale of a recently built dream home, a loss of bearings, and strained social relationships—not to mention the challenge of working when you are "allergic" to Wi-Fi. There is no doubt that EMFs are toxic and pose significant health risks to everyone.

I personally have been harmed, back in 2018 I became Electromagnetically sensitive, all that's been put out into the atmosphere with the cell towers, etc.my body started to react and it's been truly horrible. I cannot tell you enough of the personal physical and emotional anguish since and they all along that some people would not be able to tolerate it and their nervous systems, etc would become sensitive. Please Secretary Kennedy find out what is happening as well, where it's coming from, cell towers or satellites intermittent throughout the day and night very strong frequencies are being sent and affecting people. They make my body vibrate intensely and cause a lot of anxiety. I'm sure they are affecting people even if they aren't EMF sensitive , in a variety of ways. Please get to the bottom of it, expose what is going on and put a stop to it.

In France, they deployed cell towers throughout the country during the plandemic. They continue to roll out 5G. As for EMFs, I am extremely electrosensitive (EHS) and my life is a living hell. I am constantly exposed to electrosmog because I live in an apartment building. As for RF and exposure to radiation from wireless technologies, I’m being exposed to radiation from my neighbors’ Wi-Fi and from the smartphones of people in my neighborhood. A Linky meter is installed in every apartment. Going grocery shopping is hell: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, “unbearably loud music”—everyone has a smartphone. People are all brainwashed, in every public place. I’m chemically sensitive; I live in hell when I’m in an apartment building. The smells of chemical laundry detergents, pesticide spraying, all the perfumes, all the petrochemical industry odors outside. people are being poisoned by endocrine disruptors and they don’t know what they are, due to a lack of education and information. Yet the information is readily available. I have a medical certificate issued by the Occupational and Environmental Diseases Service diagnosing me with EHS and MCS. It’s completely useless to me! I have no hope.

I don’t have any scientific evidence to share but can share the short version of my story. Ever since I was exposed to mold in our home and with a combination of traumatic events and stress on my nervous system, I have been hypersensitive to electronics and certain electrical wires. Symptoms include/have included brain fog, metal feeling in teeth, numbness in hands when using iPhone, a static-y feeling in my neck, and overall screen fatigue. It makes productivity difficult to say the least. At my worst, I could feel my husband’s phone ring before anyone even heard it buzz. I can tell when a home has Alexa. I couldn’t sleep in the master bedroom of one home because I’d wake up with night sweats and a headache—turns out the electric wires entered from that corner of the house. I slept in a different room from then on and had no problems. Long car rides are difficult with blue tooth, even when it’s supposedly off. Ear buds make me feel like I am under water. The list goes on but know the effects of EMF/RF/etc are very real and I wouldn’t wish my “superpower” on anyone.

Dear HHS Representatives, Thank you for inviting public participation in this important conversation! I am a New York City resident, artist, and founder of **1-800-EARTH**, an emerging initiative dedicated to humane innovation, environmental responsibility, and making technology more inclusive of people with different sensitivities and accessibility needs. I am writing to share my personal experiences, explain how they inspired my passion for more human-centered technology, and express my hope for a future in which technological innovation and human well-being advance together. **My Personal Experience** I experience brain fog and tingling sensations in my hands, particularly during computer and cellphone use. I have noticed that these symptoms improve when I spend time away from my screen and keyboard. I recognize that these symptoms can have multiple possible causes, and I do not wish to assume that electromagnetic exposure is responsible. However, these experiences have made me deeply interested in understanding how technology affects different people and how we can better accommodate individuals reporting environmental or electromagnetic sensitivities. My experiences have also helped inspire my work toward developing and supporting technologies that prioritize accessibility, comfort, human well-being, and environmental responsibility. I believe that people reporting these sensitivities deserve to be heard respectfully, supported with practical options, and included in rigorous, independent scientific research. **Learning From History and Preventing Unnecessary Harm** History reminds us that our understanding of the health and environmental impacts of widely adopted technologies and chemicals can evolve over time. DDT, for example, was once used extensively before its serious environmental consequences became more widely understood. I am not suggesting that cellphone radiation has been demonstrated to cause the same harms as DDT. Rather, I believe this history illustrates the importance of remaining open to new evidence, continuing independent research, and taking reasonable steps to prevent avoidable harm. My hope is that we can identify potential risks early, evaluate them scientifically, and develop thoughtful solutions before unnecessary harm occurs. **A Collaborative Vision for Technology** I deeply appreciate the extraordinary possibilities that modern technology has created. My intention is not to oppose telecommunications companies, wireless innovation, or technological progress. Rather, I believe researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and individuals with different sensitivities can collaborate to develop technologies that accommodate a wider range of human needs. I would welcome greater attention to: - Affordable and accessible wired internet connections alongside wireless options. - Devices that can function offline or with wireless transmissions disabled. - Clear, accessible consumer information about electronic devices and electromagnetic exposure. - Continued independent research into potential health and environmental effects of radiofrequency radiation and other electromagnetic fields. - Inclusive product design that considers people with sensory sensitivities, disabilities, and different accessibility needs. - Opportunities for constructive collaboration between technology developers, public health researchers, and the communities they serve. **Innovation Through Inclusion** I believe that making technology more inclusive can create opportunities for innovation, entrepreneurship, and responsible economic development. Supporting sensitive individuals does not have to come at the expense of technological advancement. It can inspire new products, services, and design approaches that benefit a broader population. I am particularly interested in a future where people have meaningful choices about how they connect, communicate, work, and interact with electronic devices. My hope is that technological progress will increasingly be measured not only by speed, convenience, and connectivity, but also by accessibility, human well-being, environmental stewardship, and quality of life. **An Invitation to Collaborate** I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to this discussion and hope HHS will continue encouraging thoughtful scientific inquiry and collaboration across communities and industries. As the founder of 1-800-EARTH, I would welcome opportunities to contribute ideas and participate in collaborative efforts toward more humane, accessible, and environmentally responsible technology. I want to work **WITH** researchers, policymakers, and the technology industry, not against them. After all, isn't the true purpose of phones and communication technology to bring people together? :-) Thank you for your time and consideration!

In response to the Request for Information announced by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on September 17, 2026, the Advocacy Team at Children’s Health Defense (CHD) is submitting this comment to address growing concerns that the rapid expansion of wireless infrastructure and technology is outpacing our understanding of the harms it may pose to health and the environment. The FCC regulates communications and technology, but HHS and its agencies have the public health and scientific expertise needed to evaluate the health effects of wireless radiation exposure. The FCC’s current radiofrequency (RF) guidelines were established three decades ago in 1996— with no updates since. Wireless technology and the densification of wireless infrastructure has increased dramatically since the standards were first established. Yet the FCC has not provided the public with an adequate justification that its RF radiation guidelines are protective of public health in today’s highly dense exposure environments. CHD has heard directly from and worked with several people that have experienced significant health issues they associate with wireless radiation exposure. In Pittsfield, Massachusetts, lawyers working on behalf of CHD represented residents who reported serious health effects directly following the installation and activation of a cell tower in their neighborhood. Many of these individuals were forced to leave their homes as a result, often without meaningful notice or opportunity for community input. It is of utmost importance that these experiences are not dismissed as they warrant serious and independent scientific investigation. We have also heard from numerous parents concerned about the growing presence of wireless devices and screen-based technology in schools. Screen use and wireless connectivity have become a normal part of the school day, exposing vulnerable children to this invisible toxin. This is the first generation of children who will experience cradle to grave exposure. We must not wait for another generation of children to grow up before determining whether existing protections adequately address long-term, cumulative, and developmental exposure. CHD also works with practitioners who report treating patients experiencing symptoms of Electromagnetic Radiation Syndrome (EMR-S). Symptoms include headaches, nausea, dizziness, brain fog, heart palpitations, insomnia, tinnitus and more serious diseases like cancer, neurological issues, and infertility. These individual experiences may be a warning of the widespread public health crisis that may result from the continued, uncontrolled deployment of wireless infrastructure and technology must not be dismissed or excluded from consideration. Furthermore, their experiences give us important insights into potential areas of scientific investigation.. Federal preemption presents an additional concern because it prevents communities from considering the health and environmental effects of wireless radiation exposure . Communities deserve transparency and a meaningful opportunity to raise legitimate concerns about infrastructure that may affect their neighborhoods and create unavoidable long-term exposure to wireless radiation. CHD urges HHS to support independent, transparent scientific investigation on the health effects of RF radiation exposure, including impacts on children, pregnancy and fertility, long-term consequences, cumulative exposure, and environmental impacts. Research should be independently funded and free from industry influence. We cannot assume that the FCC’s RF radiation guidelines established in 1996 adequately protect public health, simply because they remain in place. Wireless technology itself, the densification of wireless infrastructure, and the nature and duration of exposure have all changed dramatically since the guidelines were adopted 30 years ago. Our scientific understanding must keep pace. Our children should not be the guinea pigs for this nationwide experiment. We urge HHS to investigate the evidence, identify the research gaps, and fund the independent science necessary to determine whether existing protections are still relevant and adequately protect public health. Sincerely, Stephanie Locricchio Senior Advocacy Manager Children’s Health Defense Michael Kane Director of Advocacy Children’s Health Defense