Smart meters

I am submitting my comments as an individual consumer. I first experienced physical symptoms of nausea when the agency I worked for installed several desk top computers for the secretarial staff in 1990. I was in Barnes and Noble and a staff person showed me how to operate a Nook. My reaction was immediate and I felt faint and almost collapsed. As more devices that use wifi and radio frequencies have come into use I have physical reactions to cell phones, tablets, smart meters, my husband's hearing aids, Wi-Fi signals within businesses, desk top computers in groupings such as in libraries or retail electronics businesses and singly in my husband's in-home office, electric grids in floor heated concrete slabs, underground electric service feeds to residences, high tension power lines, cell phone towers, routers that broadcast Wi-Fi to multiple devices within a home or business, security systems that use Wi-Fi, ungrounded knob and tube wiring in residences, electric and hybrid vehicles that have storage batteries, and in vehicles that use Sirius radio, Bluetooth, backup cameras, and other warning devices dependent on radar and radio frequencies. The most frequent and consistent physical reaction I have to EMFs and RFs is burning sensation that first begins in my hands and feet and then migrates to the skin surface of my entire body. More extreme reactions include nausea and disorientation and shortness of breath. These symptoms will occur within 3 to 10 minutes from the time of exposure. Removing myself from the physical presence of the source does not immediately lessen the painful sensations which can persist for 30 minutes or more from the time of exposure. Grounding my body by standing barefooted on the earth or in water will help the sensations diminish within 30 to 60 minutes. My most used method of avoiding the painful effects of being in the presence of EMF, RF, and wireless radiation is to avoid the physical locations in which those forms of radiation are present. I do not fly on airplanes. I have stopped going to entertainment venues in which the audience's use of cell phones is not prohibited. I do not visit certain friends who have smart houses wired with WiFi. I cannot drive a car any newer than 2011. My husband uses cell phone outside of house and uses computer when I am not home. We had our house rewired in 2019, removing the knob and tube and replacing it with metal wrapped cable and all grounded outlets. We have shielded one side of our house from a neighbor who has a smart wifi connected house. My strategy is to avoid, put distance between my body and the source, remove myself as quickly as possible from any environment with these forms of radiation, use a copper wired land line, depend on my husband to use the computer for internet connections and communication. He is the one writing these comments for me. For many years (1990 to 2019) I did not connect the occurence of these physical symptoms with radiation sources. In 2019 we had our house evaluated by an electrian and found that I had been exposed to high levels of electromagnetic radiation due to the knob and tube wiring. Since then I have been able to correlate symptoms with sources of radiation. The steps we have taken have reduced the frequency of symptoms within our home. I have asked for neurological examinations from Kaiser Permanente and clinicians there do not subscribe to the correlation between my experience of symptoms and exposure to radiation. I am writing this in the hope that my experience will add validity to the experiences of others like me.

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, parent, family member, caregiver, healthcare professional, researcher, advocate, concerned member of the public, or other]. I am all of the above. In October 2009 I started using a cell phone. It was low to moderate use. By the summer of 2010 I started to feel pain in my left temple where I would hold the phone. I would also get headaches, but only on the left side. This scared me so in general, I stopped holding it up to my head. I then started to learn about wireless radiation. I became pregnant by December of 2010 and then rarely used the phone. Then I completely stopped using a cell phone. It's 2026 and I still rarely use a cell phone with the exception of certain times while traveling, etc. I also still have intermittent pressure and pain in my left temporal area of my head. Now, when I hold the phone my hand gets warm and feels like it's burning still the next day, even with short term use. I'm pretty much scared to use a phone because of how it makes me feel. I also have educated myself all about wireless radiation and that's why I don't use wi-fi, a smart meter, or any wireless devices. It's horrible that we all have to live around it if we go out into public. The government needs to establish guidelines that will protect the public, instead of harming them, from wireless radiation. The only safe level is zero. Please stop putting money in front of people's health. Wireless radiation causes heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and neurological illness. It's one of the main factors in the dramatic increase in illness in our population. The answer lies in not searching for the truth, but facing the truth.

The expansion of wireless radiation has caused many people to have serious health effects. Safety NEEDS to be a consideration with expansion into 5G and 6G and beyond. Personally, I used to have photographic memory up until my early 20s. Around 3G/4G and increased wifi exposure I went to having brainfog and memory issues on a constant basis and having difficulty forming clear thoughts/words/sentences at times. I do everything I can to reduce exposure... use 4g (turn off 5g) on my cell phone and use wired headphone buds or speaker phone for my calls, turn wireless off at night in my home, put a faraday cage to help reduce exposure from the Smart Meter... but it is impossible to avoid towers that come to neighborhoods without our say or knowledge or consent. And they are documented to mess with our cells (gated calcium channel effects) and cause anxiety etc. My own daughters 15 and 21 both suffer alot of unexplained anxiety that has increased SIGNIFICANTLY the past few years since 5G was introduced and I do believe there is a connection considering how much wireless frequencies /EMF they are exposed at school. No schools or homes or playgrounds should have wireless towers near them. There are OVER 10,000 studies worldwide showing the negative health effects of wireless radiation, and levels much lower than what the US deems allowable cause harm. I truly believe we will face a health crisis. See all the turbo cancers that have recently garnered attention may also be connected.

Independent experts concur that the 1996 RFR exposure limits remain ineffective because they were based on thermal heating of tissue, while ignoring lower frequencies. Studies based on thermal heating used a 200 lb male dummy and a water filled balloon for head exposure. Debilitating health effects occur at much lower frequency levels. Health impacts for pregnant women, babies, children and those working in fields with chronic exposures weren't considered. Fast forward thirty years, and the amount of RFR emitting devices and ambient RFR levels has skyrocketed. The proliferation of cell phones, cell towers, 5G, 6G, antennas, WiFi, smart meters, and other smart products is unprecedented. No federal agency has assessed/evaluated the impacts on human health and our environment by addressing these combined multiple exposures. Requesting public comment and subsequently amending exposure limits to ensure safety is urgently needed.Major areas of concern include: impacts on children, the environment, EHS individuals and the cumulative, involuntary exposure most people encounter every day.  As a grandmother, I'm extremely worried about the constant RFR exposure experienced by our children and its long term effects. Children are more susceptible to environmental harms as they are smaller physically and in the process of developing. Their skulls are thinner, allowing more radiation to penetrate. Many schools now default to wireless connectivity with no evidence of safety, subjecting our children to this invisible toxin daily. An increasing number of people experience Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity due to current excessive exposure levels. This involuntary exposure while navigating work and/or public spaces is impossible to avoid.  Many individuals through repeated exposure develop hypersensitivity and must actively avoid all exposures. Personally, I find airports intolerable. I experience headaches, vision problems and brain fog that lingers for hours. My home is hard-wired with ethernet cables and I keep my cell phone on airplane mode when not in use. Additionally, unless a state has enacted a no-fee opt-out, involuntary exposures include Smart Meters, which emit continuous pulsed radiation. The natural world is similarly affected. It is known that RFR radiation affects bees and migratory birds, disrupting their ability to navigate and forage effectively. Flora and fauna are known to experience die-offs in close proximity to cell towers. In 2021, Kent Chamberlin Chairman, Emeritus of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of New Hampshire concluded one of the key recommendations of the New Hampshire Commission to Study The Environmental and Health Effects of Evolving 5G Technology is that cell towers be placed no nearer than 1,640 feet from places where people live, work or recreate. This 500 meter setback should become immediate public policy. There should be an immediate moratorium on any new devices while safety studies are performed to evaluate the countless RFR emitting products already on the market.  European Union study finds children absorb more wireless radiation than adults across rangeof 5G frequencies - EHNhttps://www.ehn.org/5g-wireless-radiation-children-exposure 1 The FCC Is Supposed to Protect the Environment. It Doesn’t. https://www.propublica.org/article/fcc-environment-cell- towers-failures Environmental Procedures at the FCC: A Case Study in Corporate Capture (2022) 19 https://ehtrust.org/electromagnetic-fields-impact-tree- plant-growth/ 20 https://ehtrust.org/environmental-effects-of-wireless- radiation-and-electromagetic-fields/ 21 https://ehtrust.org/published-research-adverse-effect- wireless-technology-electromagnetic-radiation-bees/ 22 https://ehtrust.org/radiofrequency-radiation-effects-on- agronomy-agricultural-crops-and-crop-yields

Thank you for the opportunity to submit a comment. I absolutely oppose the 2-way wireless radiation emitting smart meters and digital meters that have been forced on Americans’ homes, including mine. Additionally I am very concerned about increasing levels of other sources of electromagnetic radiation and how exposure will affect all Americans, especially my family, as well as the enviroment. Over 1,000 peer-reviewed scientific studies have demonstrated serious adverse health effects from the wireless radiation coming from our cell phones, cell towers, and "Smart" meters radiating our homes 24/7. This includes DNA damage, infertility and reproductive damage, cardiac effects and arrest, neurological conditions (anxiety, depression, Alzheimers), immune system dysfunction, and cancer. Environmental Health Trust provides a list of scientific evidence on this webpage that I am including with my submission. https://ehtrust.org/send-science-to-the-fcc-govt-is-asking-for-evidence-you-can-help-now/ The FCC was sued in 2021 for failing to update their safety guidelines for human exposure limits that were established in 1996 when we were using 2G wireless technologies, not the 4G and 5G we have today. The lawsuit was successful, but now over 5 years later the FCC still has not responded to the court and is refusing to regulate the Telecoms. The reality is NO ONE is measuring our cumulative daily human exposure of EMF “electrosmog” coming from all of our current sources of wireless radiation including 4G/5G “mega” towers, 5G small cells, and the EMF pulsing Smart meters attached to our homes. https://ehtrust.org/in-historic-decision-federal-court-finds-fcc-failed-to-explain-why-it-ignored-scientific-evidence-showing-harm-from-wireless-radiation/ Because I am aware of the health risks, I have tried my best to create a safe healthy environment in my home. We do not have WIFI in our home and haven't for years. Instead we use hard-wired internet. We kindly ask anyone entering our home to please turn off their Cellular Data, Bluetooth, and WIFI on their phones and tablets as my husband and I do the same when we are in our home. Rarely do we need to use the internet on our phones but if we do, we do it quickly and away from our son and then once we are done, we make sure to turn it back off, immediately. We have asked our neighbors to apply faraday cages on their utility meters and they gladly obliged. We take all these measures, and I could go on listing more, because we are aware of the dangers. We do the best we can, to control what we can, knowing once we leave our house, it's a battle zone of cell towers and cell phones. I ask that HHS do everything in its power to better protect Americans from increasing sources of “electrosmog.”

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 healthcare professional, advocate, concerned member of the public, and citizen suffering from EMF exposure. I live in an apartment building and directly under my bedroom is the boiler room housing 60 smart meters for all the apartments and for the common areas of the building. ConEdison continually monitors the smart meters and wakes me up numerous times every night. The EMfF energy causes me to not be able to experience deep restorative sleep; I experience blood pressure, palpitations and sweating during the exposure. I recently retired from working as a Perdiem pharmacist because appropriate sleep is needed to be able to concentrate, dispense and verify prescriptions. HHS should require the energy companies to limit smart meters monitoring to daytime hours between 8am and 8pm. 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 would like to see prescription prescribing data comparing blood pressure med prescribing rates and insomnia medication prescribing rates during 2010 to 2019 before smart meters were installed and 2019 to 2027 after widespread smart meter usage. Guaranteed people are being diagnosed with blood pressure and insomnia that is being triggered by smart meter monitoring at night. Thank you for providing individuals and families with an opportunity to be heard.

We recently moved to a new home. We have a water smart meter inside our house. I contacted the utility company asking for an opt out option. They refuse to provide the option but did ask for further scientific information to help educate them on why homeowners want an opt out option. I provided a lot of info on the safety issues of smart meters, especially having one within the home. Children are most at risk as their bodies are still developing and growing. I have not heard back from the utility company. If there is a potential risk, a home owner should always have the option to opt out. Especially with a meter is inside the home.

Dear Department of Health and Human Services Officials, I am writing as the sister of a nurse whose health and life have been profoundly affected by exposure to man-made electromagnetic fields (EMF) and radiofrequency radiation (RFR). I have seen the toll these challenges have taken on her and her family. I urge you to take seriously the experiences of people reporting electromagnetic sensitivity and investigate the potential health effects of our increasingly wireless environment. My sister is an RN, BSN, with 19 years of experience in ICU, case management, and integrative wellness. She began to experience health issues after Wi-Fi was introduced in her ICU workplace and nurses were required to wear body-mounted wireless communication devices throughout their shifts. Wireless exposures also increased in her neighborhood around the same time. She began experiencing headaches, burning and ringing ears, head pressure, and a wired/shaky sensation. Her previously mild, intermittent supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) worsened dramatically, and she developed non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT). She subsequently developed mast cell activation syndrome. A day spent at a remote state park without cellular service or Wi-Fi brought striking relief from her symptoms. She repeatedly compared how she felt at the park, at work, and at home, and used an RF meter to assess environmental exposures. Sure enough, her symptoms and heart rhythm disturbances were associated with her increased exposure at work and in her neighborhood. Ultimately, she had to leave her in-hospital nursing career to protect her health. As her sister, it has been deeply troubling to see someone with so much medical experience, compassion, and dedication forced to make such life-altering decisions. She and her family made enormous financial sacrifices to find a place where she felt better. They purchased land and downsized to a small, older home near the state park, where they could reduce exposures and obtain an electric utility arrangement permitting smart-meter opt-out. Even with these sacrifices, finding a suitable environment was difficult and expensive. Many Americans simply cannot afford to leave their jobs, relocate, or purchase lower-exposure homes. No one should have to choose between earning a living and protecting their health, or between access to essential services and the ability to reduce exposures they believe are making them ill. Families should not bear the entire financial and personal burden of finding solutions to potential environmental health problems. I urge HHS and lawmakers to take the following actions: Investigate potential health effects. Support rigorous, independent research into non-thermal effects of RFR and extremely low-frequency electric and magnetic fields, including possible cardiac, neurological, oxidative stress, mast-cell-related, and metabolic effects such as insulin resistance. Reassess exposure standards. Review current safety limits in light of the full scientific literature, including research on biological effects beyond tissue heating, cumulative exposures, long-term effects, and vulnerable populations. Protect people in essential environments. Evaluate wireless exposures in hospitals, schools, workplaces, and residential neighborhoods. Provide lower-exposure spaces and practical alternatives for people reporting electromagnetic sensitivity, without requiring them to sacrifice employment, education, or medical care. Protect informed choice. Support reasonable smart-meter opt-out provisions and alternatives to unnecessary wireless technologies, where technically feasible, without undue financial penalties or loss of essential services. Listen to researchers and affected individuals. Invite independent scientists, medical professionals, and people reporting symptoms to testify. Review the BioInitiative Report (https://bioinitiative.org/) and consider inviting its contributing researchers and Andrew Marino, MD, PhD, to discuss research concerning RFR and electric and magnetic fields. I am also concerned about the implications for children and future generations. Wireless technology is increasingly present in schools, hospitals, homes, and public spaces. We need responsible investigation and evidence-based safeguards rather than assuming existing standards address every possible risk. I recognize that my sister's experience alone cannot establish scientific causation. However, her experience deserves serious consideration alongside the broader scientific literature. People reporting these symptoms deserve compassion, appropriate medical evaluation, research, and environments safe for their health. Please use your authority to ensure HHS thoroughly investigates these concerns, supports independent research, and develops evidence-based policies that protect public health without placing the burden of exposure avoidance solely on affected individuals and their families. Thank you

HHS Public Comment — Docket HHS-OASH-2026-0397 Questions 2, 3, 5–13, 15–18 I submit this comment as an individual with approximately 14 years of lived experience with electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS/EMR-S) and as a licensed clinical social worker. Q2–3: Personal Experience and Health Effects For approximately 14 years, I have experienced symptoms associated with electromagnetic exposure, including sleep disruption and inability to sleep, burning skin, skin redness and mottling, intense pressure around my head as though it were in a vice, squeezing sensations in my chest, heartbeats that feel erratic, and difficulty concentrating. These experiences have affected my sleep, ability to use my home, work, finances, independence, and daily life. At times, I have felt driven to sleep in my car rather than remain in an environment where I was experiencing symptoms. These are significant effects on my life, not abstract concerns. HHS should take reports of EHS seriously, investigate symptoms under real-world exposure conditions, and provide practical assistance to affected individuals. Q5–8, 12–13, 15–16: Standards, Exposure, and Research Independently review whether current exposure standards adequately address long-term and cumulative exposure, real-world conditions, and potentially susceptible individuals. Compliance with existing limits should not automatically end investigation of reported symptoms. Research should evaluate multiple simultaneous sources, exposure patterns over time, and conditions in occupied homes and everyday environments. Include the National Toxicology Program's radiofrequency studies and the Ramazzini Institute study in a transparent evaluation of the evidence. Identify research gaps and prioritize independent research into EHS and practical exposure-reduction options. Q9–11(g): Disclosure, Surveillance, and EHS Residents deserve understandable information about wireless sources in or near their homes, including their characteristics and operating patterns. HHS should support privacy-protective reporting of symptoms and exposure circumstances and explicitly consider people with EHS among populations who may uniquely experience adverse effects. URGENT: SMART METERS AND INVOLUNTARY EXPOSURE Communication-enabled utility meters deserve specific, urgent attention. They may be installed on or immediately adjacent to homes, leaving residents little control over exposure. Because utilities are essential services, people may face fees, barriers, or penalties for requesting an alternative. For people with EHS, this can mean having a wireless transmitter at home without a meaningful ability to opt out. HHS should investigate meter transmission characteristics, real-world indoor exposure, placement near occupied rooms, and cumulative exposure alongside other wireless sources. Work with utility regulators to promote transparent disclosure, feasible non-wireless alternatives, fair accommodations, and protection against unreasonable fees or loss of essential service. This lack of choice requires action now, not research alone. EVERYDAY PRODUCTS AND THE RISK OF SOCIAL EXCLUSION The problem extends beyond utility meters. Cars, appliances, and an increasing range of everyday products incorporate microprocessors, electronic circuitry, and wireless technologies that people with EHS may have difficulty tolerating. As wireless technology becomes embedded in more necessities, finding usable products can become increasingly difficult and expensive. People may face the frightening prospect of being progressively pushed out of ordinary social life because transportation, household equipment, housing, and other necessities become inaccessible. What are people with EHS supposed to do as everyday life becomes harder to access? HHS should investigate these barriers and promote transparent product information, practical accommodations, and affordable alternatives. People should not be expected to withdraw from society or bear the entire burden of finding workable options themselves. Q14, Q17–18: Environmental Effects, Coordination, and Accountability Coordinate among FDA, NIH, CDC, and relevant regulators. Examine environmental effects and establish clear responsibility for follow-up. Research and standard-setting must be transparent and independent, with safeguards against conflicts of interest, regulatory capture, and undue industry influence. After approximately 14 years of living with these effects, I am asking for more than acknowledgment that further research is needed. People experiencing EHS need practical help now, alongside independent research and meaningful protections. No one should have to choose between essential services and a reasonable opportunity to reduce unwanted exposure. Please treat EHS as an urgent public-health, accessibility, accommodation, and consumer-protection issue.

HHS Public Comment — Docket HHS-OASH-2026-0397 Questions 2, 3, 5–13, 15–18 I submit this comment as an individual with approximately 14 years of lived experience with electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS/EMR-S) and as a licensed clinical social worker. Q2–3: Personal Experience and Health Effects For approximately 14 years, I have experienced symptoms associated with electromagnetic exposure, including sleep disruption and inability to sleep, burning skin, skin redness and mottling, intense pressure around my head as though it were in a vice, squeezing sensations in my chest, heartbeats that feel erratic, and difficulty concentrating. These experiences have affected my sleep, ability to use my home, work, finances, independence, and daily life. At times, I have felt driven to sleep in my car rather than remain in an environment where I was experiencing symptoms. These are significant effects on my life, not abstract concerns. HHS should take reports of EHS seriously, investigate symptoms under real-world exposure conditions, and provide practical assistance to affected individuals. Q5–8, 12–13, 15–16: Standards, Exposure, and Research Independently review whether current exposure standards adequately address long-term and cumulative exposure, real-world conditions, and potentially susceptible individuals. Compliance with existing limits should not automatically end investigation of reported symptoms. Research should evaluate multiple simultaneous sources, exposure patterns over time, and conditions in occupied homes and everyday environments. Include the National Toxicology Program's radiofrequency studies and the Ramazzini Institute study in a transparent evaluation of the evidence. Identify research gaps and prioritize independent research into EHS and practical exposure-reduction options. Q9–11(g): Disclosure, Surveillance, and EHS Residents deserve understandable information about wireless sources in or near their homes, including their characteristics and operating patterns. HHS should support privacy-protective reporting of symptoms and exposure circumstances and explicitly consider people with EHS among populations who may uniquely experience adverse effects. URGENT: SMART METERS AND INVOLUNTARY EXPOSURE Communication-enabled utility meters deserve specific, urgent attention. They may be installed on or immediately adjacent to homes, leaving residents little control over exposure. Because utilities are essential services, people may face fees, barriers, or penalties for requesting an alternative. For people with EHS, this can mean having a wireless transmitter at home without a meaningful ability to opt out. HHS should investigate meter transmission characteristics, real-world indoor exposure, placement near occupied rooms, and cumulative exposure alongside other wireless sources. Work with utility regulators to promote transparent disclosure, feasible non-wireless alternatives, fair accommodations, and protection against unreasonable fees or loss of essential service. This lack of choice requires action now, not research alone. EVERYDAY PRODUCTS AND THE RISK OF SOCIAL EXCLUSION The problem extends beyond utility meters. Cars, appliances, and an increasing range of everyday products incorporate microprocessors, electronic circuitry, and wireless technologies that people with EHS may have difficulty tolerating. As wireless technology becomes embedded in more necessities, finding usable products can become increasingly difficult and expensive. People may face the frightening prospect of being progressively pushed out of ordinary social life because transportation, household equipment, housing, and other necessities become inaccessible. What are people with EHS supposed to do as everyday life becomes harder to access? HHS should investigate these barriers and promote transparent product information, practical accommodations, and affordable alternatives. People should not be expected to withdraw from society or bear the entire burden of finding workable options themselves. Q14, Q17–18: Environmental Effects, Coordination, and Accountability Coordinate among FDA, NIH, CDC, and relevant regulators. Examine environmental effects and establish clear responsibility for follow-up. Research and standard-setting must be transparent and independent, with safeguards against conflicts of interest, regulatory capture, and undue industry influence. After approximately 14 years of living with these effects, I am asking for more than acknowledgment that further research is needed. People experiencing EHS need practical help now, alongside independent research and meaningful protections. No one should have to choose between essential services and a reasonable opportunity to reduce unwanted exposure. Please treat EHS as an urgent public-health, accessibility, accommodation, and consumer-protection issue.