Li-Fi, fiber & alternatives

I am very grateful that HHS is giving Americans an opportunity to share our personal experiences and concerns about RF radiation and electromagnetic fields. I appreciate the willingness to listen to the public and investigate questions that may have been overlooked or insufficiently studied. I am 29 years old, and until the past few years, I had always been an exceptionally healthy, active person. I have been athletic my entire life and loved exercising, being outdoors, traveling, and challenging my body. I have also always eaten a very clean, healthy diet and have been extremely proactive about taking care of myself. I was able to live a very active and full life. I was not someone who had a history of chronic illness. That is why the change in my health has been so shocking. After I had COVID, my health changed dramatically. It felt as though my Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which had previously been dormant, suddenly "turned on." I was diagnosed with EBV a little over two years ago, and since then I have experienced debilitating chronic fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety, significant neck and body pain, and what I can only describe as a constantly frazzled nervous system. I went from being a very healthy and athletic young woman to struggling to work normal hours and participate in many of the things that once made me feel like myself. I do not claim that COVID caused my EBV to reactivate or that EMF caused my illness. I understand that my experience does not establish causation. However, I believe the dramatic change in someone who was previously so healthy deserves to be investigated, especially when multiple environmental factors may be involved. One thing I have personally noticed is that I seem to be sensitive to electromagnetic and wireless exposure. I have experimented with reducing my exposure in my home, and the difference has been significant enough that I feel compelled to share it. At night, I use a kill switch to turn off wireless and Bluetooth devices, including my Alexa and television. I use wired headphones instead of Bluetooth whenever possible, and I use a Faraday box over my smart meter. When I significantly reduce my wireless exposure, particularly at night, I feel noticeably better. My nervous system feels less overwhelmed and my body seems able to settle down more easily. I realize this is only my personal experience and that there may be other explanations. But I believe experiences like mine should be studied rather than dismissed. I would like to see more research into whether some people may be more sensitive to RF/EMF exposure than others, whether people with chronic illnesses may respond differently, and whether long-term, cumulative, real-world exposure is adequately represented in current research. While we are looking at environmental factors that may affect our health, I also hope we can investigate the bigger picture: highly processed foods, pesticide exposure and glyphosate, PFAS and other "forever chemicals," plastics, and the cumulative effect of being exposed to so many substances throughout our lives. I have always eaten very cleanly and taken care of my body, yet I am still exposed to environmental chemicals that are difficult or impossible to avoid. I would like to better understand what levels of these substances are actually accumulating in our bodies and what long-term, low-level exposure may mean for human health. I also hope there is continued independent research into microwave ovens, including both the radiation they emit and potential effects of prolonged proximity while they are operating. I understand that properly functioning microwave ovens are currently considered safe when they meet federal standards, but I believe it is reasonable to continue studying these questions rather than assuming everything has already been answered. I hope researchers look at cumulative exposure rather than studying every environmental factor completely in isolation. We are surrounded by wireless technology, pesticides, plastics, PFAS, food additives, and many other environmental substances daily. We need to understand what years of combined exposure may mean for human health, particularly for people who develop complex chronic illnesses. I am not asking for predetermined conclusions. I am asking for these questions to be taken seriously and investigated with rigorous, independent research. I am grateful that HHS is creating a place for people like me to share what we have experienced. The past two years have been incredibly difficult. I know what it feels like to have a healthy, active body, and I desperately want to get back to that life—to exercise, work, travel, have a family, and feel like myself again. I hope listening to patients and investigating these environmental questions can lead to better research, greater transparency, and a healthier future for all of us and the generations that come after us.

I am an individual citizen who has had several adverse health events from EMFs. I include information on behalf of my wife, who has also been impacted. I hold a Ph.D. in computer science (artificial intelligence, cognitive architecture), with an undergraduate background in computer science, math, and physics. I have also grown up in the medical research world as someone with a rare metabolic bone disease (X-Linked Hypophosphatemia, "XLH"), am comfortable reading many types of medical literature, and currently work in the healthcare sector. I am willing to be contacted by the DoH for further conversation on what I am reporting in this comment. I am not able to fit all relevant details in the space allowed. Background: My own symptoms are noticeably worse (but not gone) when my phosphorous is low due to my genetic condition. At first I attributed my symptoms to my XLH, until I learned I could remove them by removing EMFs. (My XLH doctor is interested in learning more about the potential links between electrolyte processes impacted by XLH and EMFs, but he has no time to look into it. My PCP only cares about cholesterol.) After years of living with reduced EMFs, my sensitivity is lower than it used to be, but it still impacts daily life. Most symptoms are immediate and subside when the source is removed, though often they take time to fully subside. Building Biology recommended EMF levels align w/ my own experience. Useful resources are emfdata.org and mdsafetech.org. a) RF (most kinds of cell signal, WiFi, and Bluetooth) a.1) Headache - At my most sensitive I could tell when some 5G phones received a text before they gave the notification, feeling the individual RF pings as sharp stabs in my head. - Some kinds of RF, especially some Bluetooth speakers, can give a slow-onset hyper-intense headache that persists up to 24hr even w/ Tylenol. a.2) Brain fog (difficulty concentrating or holding attention) a.3) Gut pain (short stabs) - More common with newer 5G phones a.4) Restless leg while falling asleep ("phantom itching") - Follows most kinds of EMF exposure from earlier in the day if I don't discharge before bed. - I can remove the feeling either by exercise (unreliable) or by grounding myself barefoot outside for 10-15m (very reliable). - The effect is reduced if I prop my torso up. - My hypothesis: EMF-induced clumped blood cells (rouleaux formation) lead to itching in contracting leg blood vessels as I fall asleep. Propping myself up increases blood volume in my legs and reduces the stricture effect. a.5) Insomnia (lack of feeling sleepy) - Even if there are no other symptoms, RF usually prevents/impairs feeling drowsy, even if in need of rest. - Turning on a wireless device reliably wakes me up, no longer feeling tired. a.6) Raynaud’s syndrome - If in the presence of lots of RF AND cold. Cold but no RF is usually no problem. a.7) Dread - My wife felt unexplainable dread whenever in a particular room. Once I disabled a smart-home garage door motor transmitter nearby, the feeling stopped permanently. b) Magnetic fields b.1) Headache b.2) Gut pain - With all RF features disabled on a Macbook Pro, being within ~6ft of it while charging induced instant, intense gut and head pain. On battery I could use it from ~3ft away. b.3) Ring-worm-like spots - Back when I used my Macbook point-blank, these appeared near where the Macbook lined up at my desk. They did not itch and did not move. The doctor prescribed anti-fungal cream, which I applied faithfully for months to no effect. Then I randomly changed my desk setup so that my laptop was higher relative to my abdomen, and then the spots moved to the new height and disappeared from the old. When I distanced the laptop using a USB keyboard the spots disappeared. c) Electric fields c.1) Headache (buzzed feeling) c.2) Tingling/cold feeling - Touch screens / fingerprint readers will usually induce this in my fingers. d) Dirty Electricity / EMI d.1) Headache + brain fog d.2) Digestive issues - When I used a USB keyboard for my work computer, my stool would be pale and contain undigested food. After I switched to an IR-remote keyboard, these symptoms disappeared (and headache/fog reduced as well). The tethered keyboard acted like an antenna for EMI from the ethernet connection to my laptop. - Other forms of EMF might induce this symptom as well, but I had already removed most of those from my home by the time I changed this variable. d.3) Panic attacks - My wife as an adult was diagnosed with anxiety/panic attacks and prescribed medications, which did reduce symptoms. She was able to wean off meds when we married and she adopted my low-EMF lifestyle. Later we moved to a house that had high EMI on its power supply, and we were able to repeatedly, controllably, instantly induce her old "panic" symptoms by toggling a circuit at the circuit panel, even if she didn't know it was being switched.

EMF /RF exposure is making Americans sick. Studies are outdated and do not align with population growth and the fact that every household including apartments where the distance from each other is minimal and residents or homeowners all have cell phones , WiFi routers, smart meters , etc that add to the problem . My cell phone, my WiFi router, smart meter, etc all emit high frequency signals all day . I turn it all off at night but I still am affected all day everyday . When you consider how many people are walking around with cell phones. GPS tracking, WiFi devices in their hands , in their cars, that constantly ping cell towers the frequencies are astronomical . I am extremely sensitive to EMF/RF waves or frequencies that bombard me daily. My symptoms include daily headaches , nausea ,muscle cramps, fatigue , memory loss , cognitive decline , irritability, trouble speaking , weight loss , and sleepless nights every night. I feel electrical shocks , literally. I have uncontrolled muscle spasms and cramping and trouble with balance . There are 4 giant cell towers within 1 mile of my home and I’m sure those are the culprits along with everything else that’s provided by big tech companies. Does the dept of health and human services really know what is attached to those towers and whether or not it can be used for nefarious purposes. I purchased a EMF/RF reader and it’s reading is in the danger zone , all day . I try to stay away from windows and move to the most interior room to avoid the frequencies, but it’s everywhere. I have no safe zone anywhere. Sometimes , when going through an intersection, I get a very strong feeling of something that pulsates my brain that last about 4 seconds and is debilitating . Please do more testing on these towers, devices, routers, smart meters, cell phones, etc. that emit EMF/RF frequencies as they are making a lot of us sick. Satellites in the atmosphere also contribute to the abundance of electromagnetic RADIATION the American tax paying citizens are showered with on the daily. I have doctor reports and MRI’s showing a rapid decline in health due to the EMF fields . The reports and data regarding EMF’s are outdated and need to be re-examined, fast. Americans are not free. We are tracked and under surveillance, monitored and controlled by these anomalies . Please I’m begging you. It’s like being silently killed with no smoking gun and no accountability for anyone of these high tech corporations and their shareholders. I am 61 and have never felt anything like this before phones and towers . We should all go back to Ethernet and dial up phones .

Comment on Docket HHS-OASH-2026-0397 Perspective (Q1): Individual / adult educator in a community Lifelong Learners setting. Not a physician. I teach practical exposure-reduction, not products. Q8 — What should be disclosed People need plain-language facts at the point of use: phones are radio transmitters; distance drops exposure sharply; night-time household wireless can be switched off; wearables and routers add to the load even when you are not “on a call.” Federal consumer and school guidance should say that in one page, without a store attached. Q10 — Sensitive populations Exposure assessment should treat children, pregnant women, and those with implants or unexplained symptoms as groups that may need extra caution while the science is incomplete — not as proof of a single disease. Schools and childcare should have the option of wired connections and phones stored off the body. Q11 — Evidence below current U.S. limits IARC classified RF electromagnetic fields as *possibly carcinogenic to humans* (Group 2B, 2011). The National Toxicology Program reported tumor findings in male rats after long-term RF exposure. The D.C. Circuit in *Environmental Health Trust v. FCC* (2021) found the FCC had not adequately explained its decision to retain 1996-era limits in light of subsequent evidence on children and long-term exposure. Those three items are enough to justify a current HHS evidence review. They are not, by themselves, a diagnosis of any person. Q15 — Research priorities Highest gaps: real-world *cumulative* exposure (phone + Wi-Fi + infrastructure), non-thermal biological endpoints, pediatric and in-utero cohorts, and independent replication of NTP-type work at current waveforms (including 5G). Coordination: NIH for biology, FDA for device emissions and labeling, CDC for school/community guidance. Practical recommendation While agencies update the science, HHS can publish the same three habits already used in many public-health pages: increase distance, take the phone off the body, turn household transmitters down or off at night. That does not require a new standard to be finished first. Thank you for this opportunity to comment.

My dad ended up dying of brain cancer. He was left-handed and he got the brain tumor on the left side of his head near his ear where he held his cell phone and all of us are convinced that's why he got brain cancer. In many ways wireless radiation really ruined my life. I have MCS multiple chemical sensitivity and everybody like me has a lot of problems processing chemicals and a sensitivity to electromagnetism. Usually they display one of the two a little bit more than the other one, but both sensitivities are always both present and no one seams to knows why. I have to pick houses based on how far they are away from the cell towers. Trying to get at least 2 miles away is almost impossible now and I use this website called antennasearch.com to help me. I can't be in the room with wireless routers and I always plug in the ethernet of my computer to avoid Wi-Fi because it really hurts me. When I was younger, I didn't feel electromagnetism and slowly overtime It's become a huge problem in my life. I don't know if I just have heavy metal toxicity and it's resonating inside me or what happened. For all of human history humans were only exposed to background radiation and then we upped that by billions of times and expected that there was no consequence when there really was. The thermal threshold argument for wireless safety clearly doesn't apply to me because it ruined my life. In the future we can use quantum physics and entanglement to do all the things we're doing wirelessly but without the non-ionizing radiation that's hurting me so eventually we might grow out of this problem. I remember seeing people that were studying all of these worms underneath a giant leaf and how all 30 worms would curl and uncurl all together and the people studying it thought it was some mating ritual or some thing, but then they realized it was actually a radar tower and whenever it's spun around and was facing the worms from miles and miles away is when they all would curl up at the same time and then they would uncurl when the radar faced away from them as the radar dish turned around. Wireless technology creates a magical and convenient world, but unfortunately it comes with problems that nobody wants to acknowledge that eventually ruins your life like me or gives you brain cancer like my dad and kills you. Just because it's non-ionizing radiation doesn't mean that there isn't consequences from using it the way humans are and my life is proof of that. If we use quantum entanglement instead of non-ionizing radiation we can have infinite bandwidth at any distance and so the benefits of moving on from this technology to the next thing is really high. Just know that people with MCS multiple chemical sensitivity and electromagnetic sensitivity are not making this up in a psychosomatic way. In the real world people don't want to pretend that their life is ending. Their lifes are actually ending from the stimulus of chemicals and the stimulus of electromagnetism and society just pretends that they're making it up as if it's not true. We put cell towers on the sides of hospitals, churches, and schools, and this is a huge mistake. It's causing an invisible stress on the body and overtime it's destroying people at a massive scale. Society isn't going to give up the convenience and magic that comes with wireless technology so the answer is to just move to the next technology with quantum physics and entanglement. Using things like nitrogen vacancy nanodiamonds we can probably have room temperature quantum effects and changed the world forever starting in the next couple years. Here's my dad's obituary so you know I'm not lying... https://tucson.com/lifestyles/announcements/obituaries/article_231262e2-2d0e-11e9-ac12-c75c99f75ff8.html

As a Lived Experience Expert in EMF Sensitivity, I represent a growing population of patients sickened by our ever-growing blanket of EMF & RF exposure. For over two years now with the onset exacerbated by fiber optics installation and Smart Meter installation on my house, in addition to the endless Cell Towers in our neighborhood, my health declined drastically. Allopathic practitioners seem to lack knowledge to deal with this growing issue. So, seeking healthcare is useless. This growing concern includes the co-morbid conditions that sometimes present with EMF Sensitivity, like chemical sensitivity. The daily struggle to use devices like cell-phones or Wi-Fi connected devices is devastating. The remediation efforts in my own home have helped minimally with keeping symptoms at bay. They include Hard wire internet and a non-Wi-Fi router, and No Wi-Fi appliances. My symptoms include debilitating neurological, sensory, and physiological. In 2022 the National Council on Disability Framework included "#6.Provide mandatory industry guidance, including recommended policies, training and best practices, to address the needs of people disabled by exposure to low level chemical, electromagnetic, and other environmental exposures that preclude access to care and treatment at medical, dental and at other providers’ offices, hospitals, surgical centers, and other healthcare and healthcare–related facilities, as a result of their use of chemical, fragranced and other scented products, and also as a result of the usage of wireless communications and electrical technologies and other sources of non-ionizing radiation, which may trigger disabling and life-threatening cardiac, respiratory, neurological, and other adverse physical reactions. (Requires administrative action through HHS Office of Civil Rights, and further research concerning this matter should be conducted by the FDA, NIH, HHS, and HUD.)" The 2006 project of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS) with funding support from The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) reported that “There are a significant number of people who are sensitive to chemicals and electromagnetic fields. Surveys conducted by the California and New Mexico Departments of Health and by medical researchers in North Carolina found 16 to 33 percent of the people interviewed reported that they are unusually sensitive to chemicals, and in the California and New Mexico health departments' surveys 2 percent to 6 percent reported that they have been diagnosed as having multiple chemical sensitivities C. Miller and N. Ashford, "Multiple Chemical Intolerance and Indoor Air Quality," in Indoor Air Quality Handbook Chapter 27.8 (McGraw-Hill 2001). Another California Department of Health Services survey has found that 3 percent of the people interviewed reported that they are unusually sensitive to electric appliances or power lines. P. LeVallois, et al., "Prevalence and Risk Factors of Self-Reported Hypersensitivity to Electromagnetic Fields in California," in California EMF Program, "An Evaluation of the Possible Risks From Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMFs From Power Lines, Internal Wiring, Electrical Occupations and Appliances, Draft 3 for Public Comment, April 2001" Appendix 3.” The research already exists, and rather than waste money, let’s do more to protect the public with better updated FCC restrictions, and more stringent state and local laws that can expand on protecting the public, if they choose to do so. Consideration should be taken for all infrastructure to include the ability of those with medical issues to resolve them with low to no emf products like copper land-line availability options. Non-smart meters retained or installed with service fees outlawed, and notification services for tower installations within a two-mile radius of residents/busninesses. Restrictions on towers being in and near residential areas, and the protection of any already existing radio-quiet zones, with the consideration of providing one in each state.

Tinnitus arrived the day the neighboors had the AMF-antennas installed in their houses, which I did not know untill the day after. 8 years later, I still have tinnitus, but after 5G coverage started, I started having an additional, darker tone, so now I have 2 different ones. I really could not believe this had to do with EMF exposure, but experiencing like a spear through my brain when one of the neighboors plugged in their electric car charger and hearing a car-charger-park like thousends of screams (I did not manage to have a conversation because of how it affected my brain) I finally had to admit this was a cause to my health problems. I experience pains in my head and in my body, brain fog, difficulties finding words, fatigue, anxiety and heart pulpifications after exposures to wifi, Bluetooth, 4G, 4G+, 5G. We now have had wifi 6 at work installed, along smart heating owens, the latter 50 cm from my desk. I teach middle school, and sometimes there are 28 active computers in the room, along a smart TV or a projector using Bluetooth and an access point placed on top of the entrance door. About 50 meters from our school is a cluster of at least 3 5G antennas. Most ceiling lights have also been changed info LED, they give me immidiate headaches. At home I have no wifi, I am now using my cell phone through a cable. The blue light is turned down as much as possible, and I have a protective shield across the screen. I also turn on the flightmode when I have the phone in my hands. I never use it to my ear. A few hours after coming home from work, the health issues weakens. In the beginning, before I turned off the wifi, and while others were living with me in the house (using their own phones), I also had major sleeping disturbances. If I ever take an electric taxi, my joints and muscles start hurting after a few minutes.

I'm an individual of middle age who has experienced issues with mobile phones and WiFi for many years. I thought it was normal until I started to connect the dots. A couple of years ago I contacted an Environmental Consultant and Electromagnetic Radiation Specialist and he diagnosed me with Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity. My symptoms include head pain, tingling, redness/flushing, burning, fatigue, nausea, and difficulty concentrating. Due to my WiFi sensitivity, I've disabled WiFi and hard-wired my electronics. I keep technology to a minimum. Recently, I had to enable the WiFi to install a new router/modem combo. It was only on for about a half hour but my head felt like it was in a vice. When I finally disabled the WiFi again, the relief was almost instantaneous. My fingers burn if I'm using the computer while it's charging. I installed a landline so that I can use the phone without headaches, but because landlines now operate on VoIP, I have to limit that time as well. I would not let the electric company install a "smart" meter because of the health risks. I think everything "smart" is really dumb because of the EMF and RF exposure. It is getting harder and harder to find a safe place. I recently heard about a woman with such severe EMF that she committed suicide because she couldn't find a safe haven. It is very sad. Now these data centers are going up everywhere, too. I wish the government would do something to prevent this “smart” technology from taking over and destroying our lives and making us sick because whether people have symptoms or not, it is killing all of us!

I discovered many years ago with the help of my physician that I am extremely EMF sensitive. I had chronic anxiety, digestive issues and atopic dermatitis that would not resolve with any known medical interventions. It was not until my doctor recommended that I try turning off the wifi (which was located on my desk) that my issues began to resolve. I actually had what looked like a radiation burn on my torso that finally went away within 24 hours of turning off the wifi router. We then permanently left the wifi off and returned to ethernet cable for our entire household. Within about 72 hours my digestive issues, chronic anxiety, panic attacks and difficulty sleeping fully resolved. Occasionally we have to use our wifi and if we forget to turn it off at night my anxiety and insomnia instantly returns.

Wireless radiation has impacted my life and my family's life in the most deleterious ways imaginable. It started 27 years ago when I first tried to use a cell phone. Head pain, ear pain, heating of my ear and facial tissue, memory loss and brain fog began for me, then in 1999. Over the years my symptoms have gradually worsened. At first I could use a cell phone, but only to send text messages. Then, I had to move to a rural area, away from cell towers, and could only send texts with the phone on a "selfie"-stick. By 2015 I was keeping my cell in a faraday bag 99% of the time. By 2020 I had to get rid of the cell phone entirely, which is challenging at minimum in today's world, and dangerous at times given the lack of safe alternatives, such as payphones which no longer are available. For example, when I'm not at home and close to a landline, schools cannot reach me if my children are hurt or sick or there is any kind of emergency. When we travel, (and we like to go camping every summer), I cannot call a tow truck or a police officer if there's an emergency. Now that my children are teens, they want to have a cell phone. Unfortunately I have to have them keep their phone in a faraday bag at all times and they can only use it when they are far away from me, or at least 45 feet away from our house at the edge of the yard! If their friends come over, they have a hard time understanding they have to turn their cell phones off. Their parents don't trust someone who won't let their kids keep in contact with them by cell phone, which means my kids have fewer friends and social events. I am not able to go to my daughter's STEAM Bowls, where she's always selected to compete, nor to her awards ceremonies, when she is honored for her academic achievements. I tried to attend my grand daughter's band concert, and could not stay in the auditorium with all the cell phones around me. I am unable to wait in doctors' or dentists' offices. I can't pick up my daughter's eyeglasses for the same reason--every person is holding/using a cell phone in the waiting area. I no longer am able to work out at the gym--I have to quickly put on my sneakers and head for the door, getting my work out by walking around outside, because everyone inside the gym is using a cell phone. I cannot use or be around any wireless devices, such as wireless printers, laptops, or tablets. Police officers and firemen make my head hurt very badly with all their wireless devices. I can't see a doctor because their whole office is under wifi and they are always using a wireless laptop and phone, as well. I was given an MRI by a well-meaning but obviously uninformed neurologist and spent 4 months with severe headache, memory loss, tinnitus and insomnia. The worst part is the total isolation that this is pushing me into, unable to go out and among my fellow human beings. I shudder to think what would happen if I ever need to go into the hospital. My doctor tells me "This is not what I believe, but, the medical consensus is that this (EHS) is not real. So I can't help you. Insurance won't pay for it." For 27 years I am shunted out of society and left to survive without any support or treatment. I have even developed early onset Alzheimer's, which is inevitable for people with EHS, because we cannot avoid being exposed to EMR in public, nor at home, from neighbors' wifi and nearby cell towers. Exposure causes brain inflammation, amyloid plaques, tau tangles, Alzheimer's. The link between EMR and neurological degeneration must be investigated. We need SIGNIFICANT investigation into the dangers of wireless radiation, NOW. I worry about my children, my grandchildren, and all the people of the world being exposed to harmful electromagnetic radiation. There is research proving that EMR negatively affects biological life on all levels, from military research into microwaves and ELF to the work of John O. Becker in his book, "The Body Electric," & recent research. And PLEASE stop allowing the military-industrial complex to cover up the harm that EMR (electromagnetic radiation) is wreaking on society! And all of the people suffering from EHS (electro-hypersensitivity), as a result of the blanket of EMR that is everywhere today, should be protected and given accommodations so that we can access public places again. Just like blind and deaf and wheel-chair-bound individuals, we need to be able to enter government offices, go to the doctor/dentist, ride on the bus or take an airplane, or even eat in a restaurant or go to the store. Today, with private and government entities pushing people to use cell phones for everything (and often denying service to those who won't or can't), the EMR is nothing less than ubiquitous and many of us are suffering terribly because of it. We need studies to see if more and more people will become electro-hypersensitive and what harm is being caused to humans and biological life. Please help us! Sincerely.