Smart meters

Wireless radiation has defined my existence and my families existence for at least the last 11 years. When we started noticing symptoms that turned off an on with exposure to wireless radiation we had to stop using electricity because it was provided only via a smart type meter which put out levels of radiation which prevented me from sleeping and from being within the house with out abdominal pain and cramping and head pain. My three children also experienced knee pain as well as various pains. The exposure we received from being in a social setting due to most people carrying cell phones and nearby cell phone towers made every social experience one that had swift and severe health consequences. Sometimes it would be effecting me for days after a several hour exposure. My employment possibilities were severely impacted, as was my social life and where I could live or travel! I am so disgusted with the lack of honer given to the thousands of studies that demonstrate the impacts to all life forms from wireless radiation. It is currently classified as a Class B probable Carcinogen, but that "Probable" designation is just to keep us from drawing the definite conclusions that science shows in relation to the increase of health outcomes especially since 2015 or so when most people started carrying a cellphone daily.

I submit this as an individual consumer and family member, relying on peer-reviewed research, federal reports, and court findings cited below (Qs 2, 3). Concern (Qs 5, 6): FCC's RF limits date to 1996 and address only short-term tissue heating, not chronic exposure, pulsed/modulated signals, multi-source cumulative exposure, or children's thinner skulls. In Environmental Health Trust v. FCC (D.C. Cir. 2021), the court found the FCC failed to justify that its limits protect against non-cancer harms, citing unaddressed evidence on children and long-term exposure, and remanded the issue. HHS, not FCC, should lead on the health basis for any standard. Evidence below current limits (Q12): NTP's $30M study (2018) found "clear evidence" of heart schwannomas and "some evidence" of brain/adrenal tumors in RF-exposed rats, with DNA damage reported in a follow-up (Smith-Roe et al. 2020). Italy's Ramazzini Institute independently found the same rare tumor at lower exposures comparable to cell tower emissions (Falcioni et al. 2018). IARC classifies RF-EMF as "possibly carcinogenic" (Group 2B, 2011). Reviews report oxidative stress (Yakymenko et al. 2016), reduced sperm quality (Adams et al. 2014), and DNA strand breaks (Lai & Singh 1995; REFLEX project 2004). Technologies changing cumulative exposure (Q13): 5G/small cells near homes and windows; Wi-Fi transmitting continuously in classrooms; smart meters installed on homes, often without real opt-out, pulsing near bedrooms; satellite broadband (e.g., Starlink) creating a new planet-wide RF source; networked cameras (e.g., Flock) on public poles with cellular modems and no resident notice; wireless earbuds transmitting inside the ear canal for hours daily, especially in teens; EVs producing low-frequency magnetic fields in cabins where children ride (IARC links this field type to childhood leukemia); AI data centers driving new high-voltage lines near communities; LED/"smart" lighting suppressing melatonin (AMA 2016) and adding RF transmitters with little safety study. Environmental effects (Q14): Thielens et al. (2018) found insects absorb more RF above 6 GHz, the direction 5G/6G are heading. Levitt, Lai & Manville (2021–22) reviewed reported effects on birds and insects, noting no federal environmental RF standard exists. Sensitive populations (Q11): Children, pregnant women, and implant recipients need separate risk evaluation. France restricted Wi-Fi for under-3 childcare settings in 2015. Disclosure (Q9): Residents deserve public antenna/exposure maps, advance notice before installations near homes and schools, clear device transmission labeling, and a genuine no-fee smart meter opt-out. Research priorities (Qs 10, 16, 17): Fund independent long-term cohort studies with real exposure measurement, especially in children; commission NTP follow-up at current 5G/mmWave frequencies; build a national RF/EMF environmental monitoring network; create an adverse-event reporting pathway; direct FDA to test consumer devices under realistic body-contact conditions. This research must be free of industry funding. Conclusion (Q18): We have deployed unprecedented, involuntary population-wide EMF exposure without proving it safe. Credible research has found cancer signals, DNA damage, oxidative stress, and reproductive effects. I ask HHS to investigate this independently and thoroughly, and prioritize human and environmental health over the pace of commercial deployment.

This is a copy of the comment I sent to the FCC. I reiterate it here for your agency. The same applies to HHS, which should be doing it's job, but has not been protecting us! ------ EMFs can and are doing harm to us in the US. Your job is to regulate industry and the devices they are placing in the marketplace, all around us, and in and on our homes. You have not been doing your job. All other countries around the world have set regulations on the amount of bad and heavy EMFs coming from cell towers, smart meters, cell phones, and other devices. How is it that this country is just a free-for-all giving a pass to anything the tech industries want to do? It is because industry owns our FCC. And we have had enough of it! I am not going to post any links of science or data for you here. You have the data. many have been telling you for years, decades! People are being harmed, and you know it! We could have functional devices, achieving all they are doing now, without utilizing these harmful frequencies. Your job is to protect us and restrict the harmful frequencies while allowing only those which are safer. DO IT!

I am submitting this comment as a concerned member of the public urging HHS to undertake a comprehensive, independent investigation into the potential human and environmental health effects of the rapidly expanding electromagnetic environment created by modern technology. My concern is not based on the assumption that every wireless technology has been proven harmful. Rather, it is that society has dramatically increased the intensity, density, duration, proximity, and variety of electromagnetic exposures while the long-term biological consequences of this cumulative exposure remain incompletely understood. Today, people can be exposed simultaneously and continuously to Wi-Fi, 4G/5G and future 6G infrastructure, cell towers and small cells, Bluetooth and wireless headphones, smartphones, smart meters, wireless cameras and security systems, wearables, smart-home devices, connected and electric vehicles, wireless medical devices, satellite communications such as Starlink, and the rapidly expanding infrastructure supporting AI and data centers. The central question should therefore not simply be whether each individual device complies with an existing exposure limit. HHS should determine whether current standards adequately address real-world, cumulative, lifelong exposure from multiple sources operating simultaneously. I respectfully ask HHS to investigate potential effects on: sleep and circadian biology; hormonal and endocrine function; reproductive health and fertility; pregnancy and fetal development; neurological and cognitive function; immune and metabolic function; oxidative stress and cellular signaling; DNA integrity, repair and epigenetic processes; cancer and other chronic diseases; and children and other potentially vulnerable populations. Research should specifically examine effects that may occur below existing exposure limits and should evaluate frequency, power density, modulation, pulsing, duty cycle, beamforming, proximity to the body, duration, and simultaneous exposure to multiple frequencies. HHS itself identifies these factors as important areas for investigation. I am particularly concerned about involuntary residential exposure. Smart meters, nearby wireless infrastructure, small cells, and other continuously operating devices can expose people inside their own homes regardless of whether they personally choose to use wireless technology. Americans should have meaningful information and reasonable options for reducing unnecessary exposure in their homes, schools, workplaces, and communities. HHS should also investigate the rapidly changing exposure environment created by 5G, future 6G, satellite networks, IoT devices, autonomous vehicles, wireless charging, electric vehicles, smart cities, and other emerging technologies before assuming that older exposure research adequately represents these systems. The investigation should extend beyond human health. HHS should coordinate with appropriate federal agencies to examine potential effects on wildlife, birds, insects, pollinators, livestock, plants, and ecosystems. HHS specifically requests information concerning environmental effects and wireless infrastructure near homes, schools, childcare facilities, workplaces, and livestock. Independent research is essential. Federal research should be transparent, independently replicated, and protected from conflicts of interest. Long-term studies should measure actual exposure rather than relying solely on estimates of device use. The government should develop standardized methods for measuring individual and neighborhood exposure and consider longitudinal health studies, environmental monitoring, occupational monitoring, disease registries, biomonitoring, and adverse-event reporting. I also urge HHS to improve public transparency. Consumers, parents, schools, workers, and communities should have understandable information about the emissions and realistic exposure characteristics of wireless devices and infrastructure. The scientific evidence contains established findings, conflicting findings, emerging research, and significant uncertainty. That uncertainty is not a reason to dismiss public concern; it is a reason to investigate more rigorously. We should neither assume that modern wireless technology is harmless nor assume that every health problem attributed to EMF has been scientifically proven to be caused by EMF. We should measure the exposures, study the biology, monitor health outcomes over time, investigate potential risks, and make the evidence publicly available. The unprecedented proliferation of wireless and electrically powered technology should be matched by an equally serious commitment to understanding its long-term consequences for human health and the environment. I urge HHS to make cumulative, real-world EMF/RF exposure and its potential biological effects a significant federal research priority.

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.

My life has undergone a drastic change since the analog meter was removed from my home. I was suddenly overcome with a headaches, nausea and an inability to concentrate. Another member of my family had to constantly take naps and a third member suddenly experienced a rise in blood pressure readings. When the symptoms showed no signs of subsiding, I contacted my electric company and asked for the opt-out option. I naively believed that for a charge of 15 dollars a month, I would receive my analog meter back. No such luck! The company had a digital meter put onto my home (for a fee of about 44 dollars.) All my family members felt immediate relief when the smart meter was removed from our home. It soon became clear, however, that the non-smart digital meter was also causing us health issues. I phoned our electric company, again, and begged them to remove the digital meter and return our analog meter. They replied that the digital meter has no "RF" and is, therefore, no different in safety from the analog meter. No matter how many times I told them that I was experiencing a downturn in my health, they kept repeating that the safety profile of the digital meter is no different than the analog meter. When I called an EMF professional down to my house, (another 1,000 dollar fee), he confirmed that the dirty electricity from several outlets in my home were so high, they "maxed out" his meter! I had no choice but to spend thousands more dollars (about 3,000 dollars) on EMF protection, and, although, the problem has improved, it is still there. The meter has become a daily struggle in my life, and I, now, think of my life in terms of "before the meter" and "after the meter." I was in middle of writing a book before my analog meter was removed from my home, and even with EMF protection, I haven't been able to conclude the book due to fatigue and trouble concentrating. And to think that I am being fined 15 dollars monthly for a meter that is making me sick! Many people cannot afford expensive EMF protection or may not even connect their symptoms to their meters! I could only imagine how many other families are suffering. When I go outdoors, I often feel a metallic taste in my mouth. This sensation only started after smart meters were put in my area. On days of humidity, the sensation is very strong. Just for the record, none of my family members have sensitivity to Wi-Fi or 5G. But we fear we may develop sensitivities due to the digital and smart meters pounding us all day. Please HHS! Please help! It is the job of the electric company to supply electricity, but as a resident of my home, I should be the one to decide the medium through which the electricity enters my home. We are a family that spends extra money to buy organic produce and high quality supplements, and it feels like all our efforts in the health arena is being negated by the digital meter. Please help! I want to finish writing my book. I want to be able to concentrate and I want to live a normal life again.

I am the webmaster of https://familiesforsafeandethicaltechnology.org/ for the last 11 years in Eugene , OR and 10 years before that in Seattle with SUMA-NW (Safe Utility Meter Alliance - Northwest) representing 100's of people in Washington State and Oregon who oppose wireless Smart Meters, Cell Towers, 5 G Towers and all forms of wifi. Many of are members have been severely sick with EMF sickness. This can include dizziness, anxiety, insomnia, cancer,edema as outlined here: https://familiesforsafeandethicaltechnology.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/flyer-MS-ES-re2.pdf I had to spend 75K dollars to turn my house into a Faraday cage so I could live in it. There are two 5G towers at 50 and 70 Meters from my house. see https://familiesforsafeandethicaltechnology.org/faraday-cage/ Now it is .1 Microwatts per meter squared inside my house for the EMF radiation. Outside my house it is 2,860 Microwatts per meter squared registering extreme on the https://safelivingtechnologies.com/products/safe-and-sound-pro-ii-rf-meter-non-rechargeable-discontinued.html RF Meter. Note more than 1000 Microwatts per meter squared is extreme. More than 10 Mirowatts per meter squared is severe. One of the members in our group was three times in two months in the ER Riverbend Hospital in Springfield, OR. Another Member has a tumor on their brain. Wifi is just like cigarettes half a century ago. It was touted as totally safe and doctors smoked in the office. Now we know better and need to totally stop Wifi everywhere. All this is said on the film: https://vimeo.com/227169236 Take Back Your Power. As mentioned in our about us: https://familiesforsafeandethicaltechnology.org/about-us/ Please hear us before we are all sick from this dreadful WiFi. Thank you for listening!!!!! victor odlivak eugene, OR

Our story: smart meters were being deployed in my residential area. Option given for installation and acceptance on a notification flyer. 1. Date of Installation 2. If resident refuses they will be held accountable for reading their own meters monthly, providing their data to Pud AND will be charged $15 or $25 for submitting their requested information in one format vs another. Must be done monthly. So for us I must be home ( im not only spend 6mos there) each moth. Service wil be cut off if information/payment not received. 2. The utility company is using us as an unpaid employee and dictating the days of the month I must be home to participate in their new Smart Meter policy. Reasons I do not want A threatened by requiring my time and Pay $'s to provide requested data B. Additional EMF into home/access to other device data .... Bluetooth C this is yet another example of technology/EMF coming to our homes without our agreement and No benefits yet we are paying for it. The impact is more financial in this example yet is a clear display how a residence is given a choice "to comply" orelse! Same approach with the larger devices, cameras, cell towers, satellite, now Data Centers. My gosh, even out electric toothbrush has EMF remittance. The cell phones just upped the wall plug in unit to 20 Watts, up from 5. Who is adding up all these EMF fields in a home to know if safe and then do the same outdoors. Its the total compared to what each human is able to "respond" to levels remain unknown

My name is Staci Howard. I'm 36 years old, but in my late twenties I started experiencing many health issues. I went from a very health wife and mom of two young children, to an anxious, hurting women that couldn't get answers. I saw multiple doctors, they all told me that my labs were great and I was healthy. I wasn't experiencing good health, however. I not only was struggling with mental health struggles like anxiety, panic attacks and depression, I was also having many physical symptoms. I was battling headaches, pain in my leg and arms, flushed cheeks, jaw pain, brain fog, miscarriages, trouble sleeping and other things that would come up here and there. I wasn't getting any answers, my health was getting worse and my husband was concerned. One day I realized that when I was carrying my cell phone in my jean pocket, my leg pain increased. I also noticed that my arm pain and headaches were also worse with cell phone use. I had no idea this could happen, but I reached out to a professional in the holistic health space and she confirmed that it can happen. As we dove into this subject, we looked around our apartment and realized we lived under power lines, above six smart meters, wifi in our apartment and the apartments around us and many cell towers within a short distance from our home. This realization was completely overwhelming and my parents graciously allowed our family to move in with them, they lived rurally and they completely changed their lives around for us. They turned their wifi off, which, interestingly enough, I reacted to when my mom turned the wifi back on without my knowledge. I felt completely drained and defeated, I remember crawling onto the couch overwhelmed, having no idea that she had turned it on and not realizing why I was responding in the way I did. I hardly left their home for a month, I finally started to slowly adventure back out into the world, realizing that places like the church building and the library were toxic to me. My tongue would start tingling, I would get light headed, feel nauseous and have extreme brain fog. We all ended up moving even further from city life, moving to Eastern Oregon where we had more sunshine and less wireless radiation exposure. We don't have wifi in our home, I didn't have a cell phone for over seven year, just recently getting one due to my children being older and me needing to be able to be reached easier. It took over a year until I could sit through an entire church service again, often needing to take breaks and go outside. I still react going into the library, or if I'm at church very long I feel, what we call "wi-fried". Headaches, rosey cheeks, tingling tongue, light headed, brain fog... they are all still realities of being in wireless environments. Having my home base safe, allowing healing is what has allowed me to heal as much as I have, I believe it's why I've also been able to have three more healthy babies. My husband also feels a difference between high wireless spaces and our home, he gets brain fog and headaches as well. It's been a long journey, I'm thankful that I can handle being in the community as much as I do, because I know not everyone can. I "budget" my time, knowing if I have church and a meeting in one week, I may not take my kids to the library that same week... or different things like that. I have missed out on many things, I've had to quit volunteer work because I couldn't handle that much wireless exposure. In my experience, schools are the worst. I had take my son to an event at a local public school and I could hardly stand being in the building. It's my belief that food dye and wireless radiation are the two biggest issues in our schools today, with the behavioral issues we're facing, I firmly believe eliminating wifi and other wireless from schools would help these kids an amazing amount. Thank you so much for looking into this! I believe it will be life changing for so many.

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!