Smart meters

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 from the perspective of a patient and concerned member of the public. I first noticed symptoms of EMF emissions around 2013 when my electrical co-op installed smart meters for 4 adjoining townhouse units on the wall of my end unit outside my bedroom at the head of where my bed was located. I began experiencing sleep disturbances, headaches, and tinnitus that diminished when away from home and returned when at home. I would occasionally have dizzy spells. I had bouts of disorientation sometimes while driving usual routes. My doctor found no reasons for these symptoms. Between 2015 and 2018 I worked for a church which, unknown to me, had a cell tower hidden in their steeple. While working for them, I would experience tinnitus and headaches at work and began to have more frequent dizzy spells at work and home. On occasion, I had severe attacks of vertigo and nausea at work that required medication and time off from work. I suffered something like a mini-stroke that resulted in awakening to severe disorientation one morning. My doctor found no heart conditions, clotting issues, or hypertension issues. After learning of the cell tower at work in 2018, I began to suspect EMF could be causing my symptoms. I quit that job and moved to a more rural part of the state to avoid the growing number of cell towers near my condo. My symptoms decreased and I bought an EMF meter to monitor my home environment. I hard-wired my computer, and eliminated all wifi from my house. My symptoms have improved significantly. I still suffer from bleed over from my neighbors’ wi-fi and from the power lines running in front of my house. I recently spent about 2 ½ hours shopping in 3 adjacent stores within 200 yards of a newly installed cell tower and suffered the first severe bout of vertigo and nausea since leaving my job at the church with a cell tower. Since moving, I have worked at two different jobs requiring constant communication over VoiP phone systems causing constant tinnitus and headaches. 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. The biological effects should be studied without limit to thermal effects. I would like to see ELF become an additional priority as the magnetic fields from power lines increase my symptoms as much as RF. With data centers bringing increased need for more power and high-power lines being forced upon residential areas in nearby Virginia, I am deeply concerned about a growing cancer cluster among school children in that state just over the state line from me. The data centers also bring concerns about extremely low frequency effects on pollinators, farm animals and people. There is little existing research on these effects. 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 for providing individuals and families with an opportunity to be heard. 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—for example, those like me with autoimmune thyroid disease and Lyme disease--and establish appropriate federal research priorities regarding wireless radiation and public health. Thank you for providing individuals and families with an opportunity to be heard.

1. & 2. I am responding as: an individual 3a. Type of wireless or RF/EMF sources involved (e.g., mobile phones, Wi-Fi, smart meters…) Mobile phones, mobile phone masts, Wi-Fi, smart meters, Bluetooth, etc. 3b. Nature, duration, frequency, and approximate timing (e.g., years): Approximately 20 years. 3c. Adverse health effect(s) experienced:My body tingled and itched. The itching was relentless. It continued throughout the night making it impossible to sleep. My skin cracked and was extremely sore. I had 3 or 4 baths every night throughout the night when most people were asleep. The condition was worse when the central heating was on. I was unable to tolerate it. Tingling of the spine which acted like an antenna and felt like I was being electrocuted. My skin also had serious burns, particularly my face, neck and lips. My lips felt like they were on fire and were so badly burned that they swelled up to 3 times the size. Massive stomach bubbling and pain at the same time in the early hours of each morning when nearby smart meters transmit and feed back their data, lasting over an hour. I have to press my skin hard to reduce the pain. It also causes rapid heartbeat and I had to sleep in the car. I even moved house to a rural area away from friends and family because of it after over 30 years at the same house. I have spent a fortune trying to recover my health yet most people refuse to believe this condition exists. Nothing I bought helps much other than avoidance. In fact, all my retirement savings have gone on trying to recover my health and rather than enjoying my retirement by visiting my son in New Zealand, this is something that I can no longer afford due to the amount of money I have spent. 3d. Time from first exposure to first appearance of adverse health effects; and did a change in exposure coincide with the onset of adverse effects: It began when my body had had enough and when family used more devices and neighbours got smart meters. I was also within half a mile of approximately 10 mobile phone masts, some had beams of intensity directed at the bedroom windows which i was able to tell when the rooms were tested with an EMF meter. 3e. Was medical evaluation or treatment sought? (Optionally:) Was there a diagnosis?Initially I sought medical advice as assumed I had scabies or shingles. There was never a true diagnosis. i was just prescribed steroid creams. i also sought advice from alternative practitioners and natural health doctors. 3f. Were steps taken to reduce or eliminate exposure, and were there subsequent changes in the effects?I bought a sleep canopy, grounding sheets, EMF protective clothing, EMF testing meter, vitamins, etc. i slept in various rooms in my house trying to find a safe area and even slept on the floor in my utility room! 3g. Any supporting documentation? This includes Scientific Reports, exposure measurements, or other relevant information: Additional Details you would like to share about your experiences of adverse health effects you believe to be associated with exposure to wireless radiation or EMF's: B1a. Sources you experience as causing you Adverse Effects:i get pains at the bottom left side of my stomach from a laptop that is using Bluetooth B1b. Sources you can sense, but don't seem to harm you:EMF's have given me tinnitus which I think is hearing the EMF's. B1c. Sources you can use without sensing or being harmed:Wiring the computer with an ethernet cable with the Wi-Fi turned off. B1d. Sources that seem to provide benefit (i.e., electrotherapy):Radionics therapy and wearing a Rezotone device help a lot. Applying Kombucha to the skin burns helps cool the skin. Blushield devices used to help previously but not any more and did not prevent the skin burns. B2a. Health conditions you think may contribute to your sensitivity to EMFs including wireless:Being prone to hayfever and allergies B2b. Health conditions you don't necessarily associate with your sensitivity to EMFs including wireless, but might be relevant:Tinnitus. Sore, burning eyes. Cataracts. Worsening eyesight. Flaky skin on the legs. B3. For each subquestion please list up to 5 drugs or therapies or home remedies (if any) B3a. That you recommend, as they helped you tolerate or recover from EMF exposure:Radionics. Rezotone. B3b. That you recommend, but you’re not positive that they help:Sleep canopies, grounding sheets and earthing mats. Homeopathy. B3c. That helped you but you don’t recommend. (e.g., the benefit did not last long or the side effects were too harmful): B3d. Treatments that had no effect: B3e. Treatments that made your sensitivity worse:65-74 B4. What is your age range?65-74 B5. What year did you become aware of your sensitivity to wireless radiation or electromagnetic fields?2006 or 2007 B6. What country, state, province, or major city were you living in when you first noticed your sensitivity to wireless or electromagnetic fields?Lancashire in the UK.

MY NEIGHBORS AND ANIMALS ARE DYING I am SICK. My family members have been SICK SINCE more than a hundred UNREGULATED TOWERS WENT LIVE over our community. This has been a challenge for me to get anyone to help in my community. I wanted to share my story in hopes of helping others. My story is one of many in Terrebonne Parish. After multiple (9) 300-foot 5G towers were put over our homes, four 300-foot 5G towers were put over my home and animal sanctuary, and four 300-foot towers were put over my office. At the same time, smart meters were put on my home, along with those of every other Entergy customer. I began getting sick, very sick. It began in my petting area with heart palpitations, headaches, vomiting, ringing in my ears, confusion, bleeding gums, insomnia, nightmares, dizziness, anxiety, ears buzzing 24 hours a day, severe fatigue, muscle weakness, and more. I have now been diagnosed with radiation syndrome / EHS (electromagnetic hypersensitivity syndrome) caused by extreme exposure to radiation. Many residents are experiencing similar symptoms. Countless children are now suffering. Being a very healthy person my whole life, this has been a life-changing situation. I am usually the one helping others; now I need your help. I never thought this could happen until I was forced to face it by becoming sick. I'm not sure where this illness will take me. However, I must do all I can to protect my family and my community. Seven neighbors on my street and friends have died after the towers went live over their homes. Many other residents are also sick. My community is surrounded by towers that have no regulatory testing information, nor does our planning department ask for it, citing the FCC's outdated RF radiation guidelines. I became certified in RF radiation testing. I now test the towers and smart meters. I can confirm that the EMF (electromagnetic frequency) / RF (radio frequency) radiation being emitted is extreme for every single product, tower, and smart device I have tested. has been a fight to protect my family, my community, and myself, with EVERYONE CITING THE FCC'S OUTDATED RF RADIATION GUIDELINES. I had to learn all I could about this to protect my health and theirs. I've had to turn my home, where I have lived for 28 years, into an EMF-safe house (until I sell it), as well as my barn, which is surrounded by EMF material and protection. My bed is covered with EMF protection as well due to the radiation levels in my home. I now have to wear protective clothing all day. Leaving my safe area means becoming exposed due to the unbridled towers around me. I am a very private person. This is not easy to share, but if I do not ask for help now, many more innocent people will be sick, or they will die like my neighbors, my friends, and my animals. Since the towers went live, six of my horses have died instantly under the towers. All of my little animals have died. My 200-pound tortoises started going blind. I'm not sure where the daily radiation exposure will take me, so I thought now is the best time to ask for your help in making a change. THE FCC MUST REGULATE THE RADIATION, OR THE DEATH & DESTRUCTION WILL NEVER END. Technology is safe only if it is REGULATED.

I’m negatively affected by emfs, rf and wifi signals. It causes me to have rapid heart rate, palpitations, brain fog, insomnia and headaches. There needs to be some serious investigations and restrictions put in place, especially for sake of our children. They are extremely vulnerable to negative consequences to their growing bodies and brains. Investigate smart meters too. Those are horrible for everyone’s health and safety.

See atta1. & 2. I am responding as: an individual 3a. Type of wireless or RF/EMF sources involved (e.g., mobile phones, Wi-Fi, smart meters…)Wireless mouse, cell phones, smart meters, Wi-Fi. Anything wireless. 3b. Nature, duration, frequency, and approximate timing (e.g., years):All wireless devices, every day for the past three decades or more. Also, living near high-voltage power lines for eleven years, ending four years ago (2011-2022) 3c. Adverse health effect(s) experienced:Too many to list...neurological, including panic disorder, arthritis, brain-fog, and poor sleep. 3d. Time from first exposure to first appearance of adverse health effects; and did a change in exposure coincide with the onset of adverse effects:Almost immediate after introduction of smart meters and use of cell phone. Later for wireless mouse and keyboard. High-voltage power lines after 2-3 months. Moving away helped almost immediately. 3e. Was medical evaluation or treatment sought? (Optionally:) Was there a diagnosis?Yes. Doctors deemed my maladies to be "panic disorder" and diagnoses of carpal tunnel and arthritis. 3f. Were steps taken to reduce or eliminate exposure, and were there subsequent changes in the effects?Wired mouse stopped hand/wrist problems. Keeping distance from cell phone and using Bluetooth (turned off unless in on a call) and no texting eased panic disorder. Keeping distance from smart meter helped with sleep and brain fog. Moving away from power lines helped me generally feel better. 3g. Any supporting documentation? This includes Scientific Reports, exposure measurements, or other relevant information:No Additional Details you would like to share about your experiences of adverse health effects you believe to be associated with exposure to wireless radiation or EMF's:I am very sensitive to all wireless devices. B1a. Sources you experience as causing you Adverse Effects:Cell Phone, smart meter, wireless mouse, Wi-Fi, being near high-voltage power lines. B1b. Sources you can sense, but don't seem to harm you:None B1c. Sources you can use without sensing or being harmed:None B1d. Sources that seem to provide benefit (i.e., electrotherapy):Wired, heated massager B2a. Health conditions you think may contribute to your sensitivity to EMFs including wireless:Tinnitus...really loud B2b. Health conditions you don't necessarily associate with your sensitivity to EMFs including wireless, but might be relevant:Unknown B3. For each subquestion please list up to 5 drugs or therapies or home remedies (if any) B3a. That you recommend, as they helped you tolerate or recover from EMF exposure:Distance from smart meter, eliminating wireless mouse, keyboard and internet on PC (fiber or cable instead). Limiting use of cell phone (no data at all, no texting, using basic flip phone and Bluetooth combo). Distance from cell towers. B3b. That you recommend, but you’re not positive that they help:Move away from cell towers (I can't afford that) B3c. That helped you but you don’t recommend. (e.g., the benefit did not last long or the side effects were too harmful):Drugs B3d. Treatments that had no effect:None B3e. Treatments that made your sensitivity worse:75+ B4. What is your age range?75+ B5. What year did you become aware of your sensitivity to wireless radiation or electromagnetic fields?Can't recall year...right after cell phones came out. B6. What country, state, province, or major city were you living in when you first noticed your sensitivity to wireless or electromagnetic fields?Galveston, Texasched file(s)

Since the electric meter was put on the home and the cell tower one street away from my home I have been suffering headaches dizziness balance issues falling ringing. Sleeping through the night has been taken from me. I have fallen down my steps for no reason and sprained my ankle, clumps of my hair are found around my home. I get up some times I'm walking slanted because I’m trying to balance myself. I have felt irritated and a sense of dread. But when I leave the home and get away from that tower I feel 100%better. I set up a tent on my deck in the backyard sometimes to get relief. Sometimes I feel a wave of nausea come over my body from head to stomach then it feels like my stomach turned over. it's awFul. If I could leave here I would please remove these things they are hurting me.

My first experience with cell phone was with my ex-husband, who was so sensitive to the radiation that he couldn’t have it any where near his body or he would experience pain, redness and swelling. We opted out of smart meters as they were introduced and kept a wired internet. That was 20 some years ago and since that time I have continued to opt out of all wireless and Bluetooth gadgets, wire my internet and cellphone at home and keep my phone on Airplane mode when I am out and do not need to use it. When I do have to turn my phone on or use WIFI I can feel the energy sometimes immediately- heat, pressure, headache. I believe people get used to the feeling of being radiated and cannot distinguish it from a radiation pollution free environment. It is nearly impossible to find a place like that. We are being over-exposed to non-native radiation and the average person has no idea of the dangers or consequences nor do we have much of a choice as to that exposure.

1. & 2. I am responding as: an individual 3a. Type of wireless or RF/EMF sources involved (e.g., mobile phones, Wi-Fi, smart meters…)Wi-fi, mobile phones, smart meters, LED lights 3b. Nature, duration, frequency, and approximate timing (e.g., years):I am involuntarily surrounded by all of the above all of the time. When I am out in public most people have cell phones bouncing signals in every direction. When I am at a school or other official building, I am surrounded by wireless signals. When I am at home, I am surrounded by smart meters (my own and my neighbour's). Almost all places now also have LED lights instead of incandescent. 3c. Adverse health effect(s) experienced:Headache, irritability, severe fatigue, brain-fog, heart pain, right leg and hip pain (router is near my leg). 3d. Time from first exposure to first appearance of adverse health effects; and did a change in exposure coincide with the onset of adverse effects:In about 2020 the adverse health effects became strong and consistent. The roll out of 5G coincided with the symptoms. 3e. Was medical evaluation or treatment sought? (Optionally:) Was there a diagnosis?Yes. No physical reason was found for the symptoms. 3f. Were steps taken to reduce or eliminate exposure, and were there subsequent changes in the effects?Yes. I hardwired my home technology and wear shungite jewellery. I also do NOT own or use a cell phone. Every light bulb in my house is incandescent instead of LED. 3g. Any supporting documentation? This includes Scientific Reports, exposure measurements, or other relevant information: Additional Details you would like to share about your experiences of adverse health effects you believe to be associated with exposure to wireless radiation or EMF's:It also affects my husband and daughter greatly. My husband has skin radiation dermatitis and so does my daughter. Fatigue is also prominent with my husband. We also noticed wireless affects our moods in negative ways. B1a. Sources you experience as causing you Adverse Effects:Cellphones Cellphone Towers Smart Meters Wi-fi LED lights B1b. Sources you can sense, but don't seem to harm you:Plug-ins/outlets B1c. Sources you can use without sensing or being harmed: B1d. Sources that seem to provide benefit (i.e., electrotherapy):Rife frequencies, orgone energy B2a. Health conditions you think may contribute to your sensitivity to EMFs including wireless:Previous seizures. B2b. Health conditions you don't necessarily associate with your sensitivity to EMFs including wireless, but might be relevant:N/A B3. For each subquestion please list up to 5 drugs or therapies or home remedies (if any) B3a. That you recommend, as they helped you tolerate or recover from EMF exposure:Shungite, orgone energy, hard-wire all tech, holy Basil. B4. What is your age range?55-64 B5. What year did you become aware of your sensitivity to wireless radiation or electromagnetic fields?2019. B6. What country, state, province, or major city were you living in when you first noticed your sensitivity to wireless or electromagnetic fields?Alberta, Canada

1. & 2. I am responding as: an individual 3a. Type of wireless or RF/EMF sources involved (e.g., mobile phones, Wi-Fi, smart meters…)Wi-Fi, cellphones, 'Smart' meters, roadside antennas 3b. Nature, duration, frequency, and approximate timing (e.g., years):I have been having noticeable and increasing adverse reactions to wireless radiation for about 15 years 3c. Adverse health effect(s) experienced:I get heart palpitations, severe headaches, dizziness, nausea, and neurological impairments when exposed to wireless technology, as well as physical pain on direct contact. 3d. Time from first exposure to first appearance of adverse health effects; and did a change in exposure coincide with the onset of adverse effects:Had been feeling some physical discomfort off and on around exposure to cellphones for several years, mostly headaches and pain running up my arm when touching a cellphone. When a bank of 'Smart' meters was installed on the side of the apartment building where I lived, within less than 30 feet from where I slept, my reactions worsened and became disabling. 3e. Was medical evaluation or treatment sought? (Optionally:) Was there a diagnosis?My primary doctor suggested some years prior that he thought I might be electromagnetically sensitized, but I didn't take him seriously. By the time I recognized that I was injured, he had retired, and I no longer had a doctor familiar with the effects. I briefly had a doctor who recognized the problem and helped alleviate some of the effects with craniosacral therapy. 3f. Were steps taken to reduce or eliminate exposure, and were there subsequent changes in the effects?I began sleeping under a shielding canopy and started wearing a hat with non-conductive shielding fabric in it, which reduced the exposure to some extent. I eventually became homeless, and for a while I was able to stay in a 'quiet zone' in a rural area, where there was no wireless connectivity, and I felt a lot better, though heart and neurological effects never fully went away. I was unable to stay in that area and ended up back in an urban area, where I again am forced to spend most of my time under a shielding canopy, and my health has gotten worse again. 3g. Any supporting documentation? This includes Scientific Reports, exposure measurements, or other relevant information:I have since seen a number of scientific abstracts on RF radiation effects that match my experience. When I was in the rural area I rarely measured RF above 0.0005 mW/m2, maybe up to 0.0012 when an airplane or helicopter flew over, but in the urban area where I'm staying currently those measurements are many thousands of times higher. Inside the house where others use Wi-Fi and cellphones, and there are several 'Smart' appliances, I measure at best 0.9 mW/m2 when I keep some distance, but usually it's at least 1 to 3 mW/m2. In front of the washer and dryer, even when they're not running, and even though they are not connected to any devices, I measure up to 55 mW/m2 standing in front of them, and as much as 138 mW/m2 when I touch the machine. Additional Details you would like to share about your experiences of adverse health effects you believe to be associated with exposure to wireless radiation or EMF's:Since being injured by the exposure to the bank of 'Smart' meters I've become increasingly housebound. With ever more antennas being installed throughout the city, I could no longer move freely around my neighborhood without getting sick. I stopped being able to ride any public transportation, not even paratransit for people with disabilities, because the radiation from cellphones, walkie-talkies, and other wireless tech used by drivers and other passengers increases as it bounces around inside the metal vehicles that act like Faraday cages. I've become trapped under my canopy, and have not been able to find safe, accessible housing because of other people's use of wireless technology, be that housemates or neighbors, or even businesses whose Wi-Fi penetrates the walls to where I've been able to find temporary shelter. B1a. Sources you experience as causing you Adverse Effects:All wireless technology, but especially Wi-Fi hubs and routers, cellphones, roadside antenna arrays, especially small cell antennas that are closer to the ground. B1b. Sources you can sense, but don't seem to harm you:There are no wireless sources whatsoever that I can be near without being harmed. I can be around LF from my wired laptop and air purifier, but have to keep some distance, and after a while get a headache regardless. B1c. Sources you can use without sensing or being harmed:I can not use any wireless sources without being harmed. I don't notice wired tech if it's at a distance and I limit my exposure time. B1d. Sources that seem to provide benefit (i.e., electrotherapy):There are no wireless or other EMF sources that I experience as beneficial or therapeutic.

I have a long history, medically documented of severe EMR Syndrome, (www.emrsyndrome.org). It is difficult for me to go out. I have trouble walking due to a mobility impairment. The neighbor’s WiFi, wireless security systems, especially the newer ones, exacerbate my disability. The smart meters are especially difficult for me because our houses are so close to each other. I cannot tolerate using a computer and have asked Pennsylvanians for Safe Technology to submit my comment. Please work for a safer FCC guideline, for analog meters and to allow me to keep my landline, it is my lifeline. I am isolated. At a time when everyone has a communication device strapped to their fingertips, I am not able to do that, and they are planning to take away my only way to communicate with those outside my house, my landline. With my disability it is so unthinkable to not have a way to communicate, to make a simple phone call, even in an emergency. Here are a few medical references to support my case: • a 2025 review: Panagopoulos DJ, Yakymenko I, De Iuliis GN and Chrousos GP (2025) A comprehensive mechanism of biological and health effects of anthropogenic extremely low frequency and wireless communication electromagnetic fields. Front. Public Health 13:1585441. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1585441. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1585441/full • Panagopoulos, D. ed. (2021). Electromagnetic fields of wireless communications: Biological and Health Effects. CRC Press. http://dx.doi.org/10.1201/9781003201052. • 2021 petition to HHS/FDA: https://manhattanneighbors.org/alert-petition-filed-for-imminent-hazard-rulemaking-by-the-u-s-department-of-health-and-human-services-hss-over-fcc-wireless-technology-exposure-guidelines/