Occupational exposure

I knew that AC florescent lighting made me ill in first grade in 1966. I only recently became aware that this sensitivity may be due to the amount of "dirty electricity" associated with these lights or it might be the flicker. 60 years after this first became a problem I was diagnosed with Post Trauma Vision Syndrome. I came home from school every day in first and second grade with a headache and begged my mother to teach me at home instead. My mother didn't know that home schooling was an option. The next similar sensitivity that I noticed was to microwave ovens. When my mother got one, I found I had to back away from it when it was in use because it made me feel overwhelmed. As an adult from 1986-1998, I lived off the grid with DC solar power. I found I could tolerate DC flourscent light perhaps because of the lack of flicker or perhaps because dirty electricity is not a DC problem. In 1998 a modified sine wave inverter began to be used in my house. My health began to decline and in 2003 I became mentally ill. At some point wifi came into my house. I didn't know what it was, my husband or eldest step son would have been the ones who understood that it was present when it was first installed. I recovered my mental health through neurofeedback in 2007 and became a neurofeedback coach. When my mentor who owned one of the most powerful cell phones on the market at the time handed me his phone to speak with clients, I would find having his phone near me overwhelming. In order to be more easily reached by my clients, I bought a cell phone in 2007, we now had a local tower 2-3 miles away from where I was living. Mine was not as powerful a phone. Less overwhelming than my mentor's cell phone, I could not have long conversations on my cell phone without being thrown off balance physiologically. My next cell phone a 3G phone seemed to put out slightly less radiation, but was still a problem. I began texting when I got this phone. I noticed that my thyroid reacted to texting. It seemed that the way I held my phone to text sends the radiation up to my thyroid. AT&T kept sending me notices that they were not going to support my 3G phone any longer and sent me a refurbished smart phone, but I could not tolerate exposure to the smart phone, so I kept using my perfectly good 3G phone until AT&T killed it. The best option I could find at that time was a flip phone which was frustrating to operate compared to my 3G phone. My house was developing a mold problem around 2003 that became severe in 2006. I am aware that there is research showing that mold produces more toxins when exposed to wifi. This maybe because mold produces toxins when it feels threatened as a means of self-defense. Mold appears to be able to sense wifi and perhaps other forms of EMR. This along with home construction techniques and tightening up of homes, maybe why mold illness is becoming more and more common. Being highly sensitive to EMR, mold, chemicals and LED lighting (which may relate to dirty electricity) I am using the inheritance I received when my parents passed away in their mid to late 90s to build a non-toxic mold resistant, EMR safe house. I have an EMR consultant and a building biologist consultant. All the electrical wiring in my new house is in MC cable. I decided I needed to avoid the most highly efficient HVAC equipment because of the high amount of dirty electricity produced by variable speed motors. All lighting will be incandescent because that is the only type of artificial lighting that I can tolerate, even there I have to use low wattage and shades. I am being careful as I select appliances to avoid dirty electricity, wifi and other forms of radiation. My computers will be hard wired as they are in my current rental house. My roof and stainless steel counters will be grounded. There will be a whole house dirty electricity filter on the incoming power. I am avoiding solar power because of the dirty electricity from inverters. I will be grid tied. This is an expensive project, I am so fortunate to be able to afford this because of inheritance. Due to having been somewhat chronically ill for 23 years now, and not as resilient as the average adult prior to becoming clearly ill, I would not be able to afford this house otherwise. There is a dramatic shortage of housing that meets the needs of the highly sensitive. I once met a homeless woman in a parking who approached me because she guessed correctly that I was highly sensitive to chemicals because I had worn a respirator into the store. Social services was unable to provide her with housing that met her needs. I brought her home with me to see if she could camp out at my place in a tent, but that didn't work for her. I had to live outdoors for 18 months in 2006-2007 due to my sensitivity, so I understood her plight. Our government needs to recognize that sensitivity to indoor environments is a significant aspect of the homeless crisis.

Increased cancer risk to people living around high power voltage lines, and cell towers. Drier skin, rashes, cancer. Big cities experience wave consolidation, where multiple 4/5G up to 71GHz consolidate and create locations where power can be increased many times over. In some cases you can even power a lightbulb over the air, and metal objects may appear magnetized, electro-staticity also increases. Same effects can be seen on IT workers within datacenters. Often just walking by server exhaust they may become electro-static charged, they experience dry skin, and rashes.

I am a Board Certified physician in practice for over 43 years. I have personally experienced and have many patients that have experienced detrimental effects with EMF radiation exposure. Headaches, brain fog, agitation, heart palpitations and insomnia are the most common complaints. It is extremely difficult to minimize and impossible to fully shield from the ever increasing amounts and intensities of wireless radiation that we are being exposed to without informed consent. I was threatened with being jailed many years ago by APS when I refused to let them install 4 "smart" meters 5 feet away from where I conduct my medical practice. Just recently, I had to take my newish car to several places at great cost to disable the multiple electronic signals being broadcast within inches of my head. It is becoming an increasingly difficult world to navigate for those of us aware of our EMF sensitivity. Sadly, so many many more are not aware of these signals being a causative or contributing factor to their medical issues. Independent studies must be done and citizens must be informed and given options on saying no to wireless radiation including cell towers, "smart" devices, wifi etc.

I am submitting this comment because we can no longer afford to ignore concerns about our ever-increasing exposure to RF and wireless radiation. My concerns come from my own experience and what I have observed in my family. I spend many hours each day working in my office, where I had a Wi-Fi router sitting on the floor immediately to my left. During that time, I experienced recurrent styes in my left eye, tinnitus in my left ear, left-sided breast pain, difficulty sleeping, nighttime headaches, and brain fog. After learning more about RF radiation, I purchased an RF meter and was shocked by the levels I measured. I began reducing my exposure by hard-wiring my computer and devices and eventually my entire home. My wired connections became more reliable, and over time, my symptoms disappeared. I understand that correlation alone does not establish causation, but rather than dismissing experiences like mine, I urge HHS to fund rigorous, independent research to determine whether there is a causal connection. We owe it to the millions of people exposed every day to find out. My concerns extend to children. I have observed changes in my son and nephews, including difficulties with concentration and focus, as well as changes in mood and behavior, associated with increased use of screens and wireless technology. Our children are growing up surrounded by wireless devices and infrastructure at home, in classrooms, on playgrounds, and throughout their communities. This generation may be among the first exposed to this level of continuous wireless radiation from the earliest stages of life, including during pregnancy. Yet technology has advanced rapidly while questions about long-term, cumulative, and developmental exposure remain. I urge HHS to take a comprehensive, independent, and transparent look at the potential health and environmental effects of RF radiation, including impacts on children and other potentially vulnerable populations, long-term and cumulative exposure, and potential effects on animals, plants, and the broader environment. Please listen to parents, clinicians, researchers, and people reporting changes in their health. Examine the full body of evidence, identify research gaps, and ensure that health recommendations and exposure guidelines keep pace with rapidly expanding wireless technology. We should not wait for another generation of children to grow up before determining whether we have adequately protected them. People deserve transparency, meaningful information about exposure, and the ability to make informed choices for themselves and their families. I urge HHS to act now: investigate the evidence, fund the research, listen to the public, and put public health first. Our children and future generations are depending on us to get this right.

**Title:** Challenging the Consensus: Occupational EMF Exposure and Firefighter Wellness  Challenging widely accepted perspectives is never easy. In the mid-19th century, Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis discovered that childbed fever deaths plummeted from 18% to 1% simply by requiring doctors to wash their hands after autopsies. Yet, the medical community resisted his findings for decades, discrediting him until he died in an asylum. It took generations for Body Substance Isolation (BSI) to become universally accepted.  In 2026, challenging the consensus remains difficult. One critical topic is electromagnetic field (EMF) and radiofrequency (RF) radiation exposure and its detrimental health effects on firefighters and the general public. Because of the unique infrastructure of fire stations and the nature of the job, firefighters are chronically exposed to higher levels of EMFs from communication systems, station wiring, and nearby cell towers. Research suggests this long-term exposure may be linked to increased risks of mental health disorders, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.  The historical connection between electrification and health dates back to 1869, when Dr. George Miller Beard documented "Neurasthenia" (weak nerves), noting symptoms like fatigue, headaches, and heart palpitations. Beard observed that it primarily affected the educated classes—who, at the brink of the second industrial revolution, were the only ones with widespread access to electricity. In 1894, Sigmund Freud catalyzed a shift that reclassified these symptoms as psychological "anxiety neurosis," causing the medical community to treat it as an inherent human condition rather than an environmental issue. While Western psychiatry dropped the diagnosis, Asia and Eastern Europe never adopted Freud’s reclassification; neurasthenia remains frequently diagnosed there today as a sign of chronic environmental toxicity. Firefighters frequently experience these exact symptoms, often dismissing them as standard shift-work burnout.  Cancer is the third leading cause of death among firefighters. In 2009, Dr. Samuel Milham, author of *Dirty Electricity*, found that firefighters face elevated risks for various cancers, including leukemia, lymphoma, melanoma, and prostate cancer. Notably, respiratory cancers were not disproportionately elevated despite regular exposure to smoke. This discrepancy strongly points to alternative carcinogens, such as chronic EMF exposure from communication devices and station infrastructure.  Current human safety limits fail to protect first responders. There are two distinct categories of safety metrics: one for electronics and one for humans. Electronics standards are based on the principle of interference—recognizing that even a weak wireless signal can disrupt a device. Conversely, human standards set by the FCC and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) are strictly thermal. They only protect against acute tissue heating. This completely ignores the reality that our bodies operate on complex bioelectrical cell communication, leaving us completely unprotected against non-thermal biological interference.  Change is urgently needed. In 2021, the Washington D.C. Court of Appeals ruled that the FCC's existing RF safety standards were "arbitrary and capricious," mandating the agency to provide scientific justification for its extraordinarily high limits. Years later, the FCC has failed to adequately address this mandate, while telecom infrastructure continues to expand near fire stations, schools, and neighborhoods.  Immediate, practical solutions can be implemented at fire stations to create healthier environments. The most critical area to protect is the common sleeping dorm. Placing cell phones in airplane mode when turning in for the night drastically minimizes cumulative radiation exposure. Moving Wi-Fi routers out of sleeping quarters, removing unnecessary Bluetooth devices, and utilizing distance as a shield are vital first steps. Ultimately, we must operate under the Precautionary Principle: if an action or policy carries a suspected risk of severe harm to human health, protective measures must be enforced even if some cause-and-effect relationships are still being evaluated by the scientific mainstream.

Hello, I am writing the HHS concerning the impact that wireless technology has had on me. I am extremely sensitive to electromagnetic radiation. I am what was referred to 30 years ago as having “microwave sickness”. I stared experiencing symptoms such as; headaches, brain fog, dizziness, and horrible pressure in my head in late 2017. These episodes were so severe that I could no longer work outside the home. I tried to work from home, but I was so sick I could only work for a few hours a day. One day it seemed like everything was magnified. This was the day a smart meter was installed on our house. I spent a couple weeks arguing with the electric cooperative to get it removed. I was charged a removal fee and an additional monthly fee due to someone having to physically read my meter. The symptoms calmed down for a while. I was also mitigating what radiation I could. Then there was more towers and antennas installed within a 3 mile radius of our home. This made it impossible for me to function. I was unable to take care of myself. We then decided we needed to move. We moved to a rural area in Tennessee away from the suburb of Nashville we called home. Since we moved I have regained some of my life. However, it is becoming harder for me to enter cities where there’s more wireless technology. This limits me and my abilities. I’m currently unable to work. I am unable to drive to areas with lots of radiation without someone with me. I am unable to go shopping without someone with me. I have had to change doctors because I can no longer go to the cities where they are located. I have a hard time going to any healthcare provider because of the wireless technology used in their offices. I am unable to get a haircut due to the wireless technology in the salons. I’m unable to go to any type of entertainment; such as dinners out, concerts, plays, movies due to wireless technology. I can’t go to church or attend weddings or funerals because of the wireless technology. We’re no longer able to travel due to wireless technologies in places of lodging. There are so many smart devices that even when we try to do something in nature like hiking, seeing a waterfall, going to the beach, or site seeing, we can’t. Everyone around you has a smart phone, smart watch or wireless earbuds. Wireless technology has hindered me and my ability to thrive in life. Wireless technology has rendered me practically a hermit. We’ve spent thousands of dollars moving, mitigating wireless technology, apply protocols just for me to survive the environment we live in. Wireless technology has had a harmful impact on my health and quality of life.

I worked as an auditor and quality engineer where I carried my laptop most of my work time for 15 years. After 10 years working with the laptop I was diagnosed with breast cancer on my left side. I had it removed. 5 years later I was again diagnosed, only this time they found two different types of cancer, again, on my left side. After they removed the breast, they told me they had also found dark spots in the tissue. At that point I suspected my laptop as I had tested negative for the gene related to breast cancer.

I'm a journalist. NY Times published. My life has changed dramatically as a result of the proliferation of Smart meters, cell towers, 5G, etc. I unknowingly lived next to a neighbor who had a powerful HAM radio. I did not know the day he turned it on, but I ended up in the ER with afib the hour he started using it. I had no history of heart issues.. My assistant developed afib. We had to move our office as a result, and both of us have recovered. I later asked my neighbor what day he began using it, and he said, "I can tell you the exact day. It was the day there was an ambulance at your house." I can no longer live in a house with a Smart meter. I have a letter from a well-known integrative doctor stating this. He is alarmed at what he's seeing in his patients and states unequivocally that there are negative health effects associated with this technology. I cannot use a cell phone and don't own one. And our house has to be hardwired. I am not alone. I know so many people who have developed similar issues, particularly from Smart meters. We are ALL grateful to Mr. Kennedy for looking into this. Then again, you are fighting a very powerful industry. Please consider putting a halt to the unchecked expansion of a technology that has no third party longitudinal studies showing safety. Please consider allowing all of us to have a choice about whether we want Smart meters on our homes, cell towers in our parks and school yards, and a technology crammed down our throats that seems to have an interesting correlation with illness and increased cancer rates.

The ABC’s of EMF’s During my twenty-seven year tenure as a public school teacher, much changed: Chalkboards gave way to Smartboards. Pen and paper gave way to keyboards and screens. Attendance, grading, testing all transitioned from analog to digital. Instead of bookshelves, classrooms were furnished with carts. My classroom had two bulky rolling carts, each housing twenty WiFi laptops for a total of forty machines. These laptops became necessary for standardized testing, research, composition; their use was mandated. Of course, this level of use required bandwidth, vast quantities of it, and the hardware to support it. One morning, however, the electricity went out. My classroom of younger adolescents passed the time happily in the semi-twilight, keeping one eye on the clock because after a few hours of no power, school would have been dismissed for the remainder of the day. When the electricity came back online, a collective groan of disappointment arose—which was to be expected. One student’s reaction, though, was very different. Call him Declan, a pleasant enough kid who exhibited classic ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) behavior. Surprisingly, Declan did not bemoan having to stay in school for the rest of the day. Rather, he threw up his hands and exclaimed, “WHY did the power have to go back on? It was JUST SO PEACEFUL without it!” I have thought of his statement many times since, especially when considering the invisible, insidious effects of electromagnetic fields on the human body. Could Declan’s ADHD have been either caused or exacerbated by his daily immersion in the significant electromagnetic field required to sustain the school’s WiFi network and capability? Was he somehow more biologically sensitive than most?

In 2019 I was in perfect health and suddenly began to experience acute symptoms of tremors and muscle flinching at night, extreme fatigue, pain in hands when holding a phone, pain in chest when near a computer or remote control, interrupted sleep. After much consternation and searching for answers I learned Smart Meters were installed in my neighborhood in January of 2019 and I clearly determined that to be the source. I provided a doctor's medical verification to the power company to request an opt out meter. During the five weeks I waited for the meter after submitting the application, I was suffering so badly I called the power company multiple times to plead for the installation and this is not at all my nature. After I received an opt-out meter in July 2019, the tremors and flinching stopped immediately. But only after implenting MANY other mitigation measures I learned about from EMF advocacy groups (which took a lot of digging to find) did I experience nearly complete relief. But my health never returned to the full measure of stamina as before smart meters, and if I get a lot of exposure I start to have pains again when near devices and fatigue. Apparently the 7 months of smart meter exposure until I received an opt out meter in July 2019, and the ubiquitous presence of 5G, took a serious toll on my body. The EXTENSIVE measures I had to take to effectively mitigate include: a townhome neighbor was kind enough to install a smart meter guard; eliminating wifi router; turning off internet hotspot whenever not in use; turning off breakers in sleep area at night; shielding blankets; removing all battery powered gadgets and electronics from sleep area; always placing my cellphone on a table to scroll or make calls; placing devices in another room or turning them off when not using them; limiting time on devices. This last measure has affected my ability to work since my work required 8-10 hours on a computer and cell phone 4-5 days of the workweek. If I spend significant hours on devices (computer and phone) with wifi connected I start to get exhausted again. I can only surmise that untold millions are suffering without knowing the cause. And I am very greatly concerned about future generations. I am happy to testify or sign off on the complete truthfulness of these statements.