Exposure limits & oversight

Dear Secretary Kennedy and the OASH Policy Team, My name is Addison Hansen, I am 16 years old, and I live in Frost, Minnesota. Please accept the attached letter as my official youth submission regarding the Department of Health and Human Services’ Request for Information on Electromagnetic Fields (Docket ID: HHS-OASH-2026-0397). I am writing to you because my generation's future health is directly on the line. While your office is doing the right thing by opening this inquiry to investigate the dangers of EMF radiation, regional utilities are trying to build the massive PowerOn Midwest 765 kV transmission line project right through our communities. It makes no sense to rush and build the biggest high-voltage powerline project in our region's history at the exact same time the federal government is admitting we need to pause and study whether these EMF levels are actually safe for us. My peers and I will have to live next to this infrastructure for decades to come. In my attached letter, I am calling on you, Secretary Kennedy, to stand up for young people and ask grid operators to halt the PowerOn Midwest project until your department finishes this RFI and updates federal safety standards. Thank you for listening to youth voices on this critical health issue. I have also mailed the letter to your office by express mail, but it will not be able to reach your office in time for the deadline. Sincerely, Addison Hansen 45468 60th St, Frost, MN 56033 507-525-8024

I suffer from severe electro-hyper sensitivity and it has been debilitating. There is plenty of studies indicating that wireless radiation is detrimental to human health. Governments just have to be willing to look for it. North American safety standards for wireless radiation are way less stringent than Europe and around the world.

Subject: Public complaint about electrosmog in Italy and personal testimony on electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) I am writing to denounce the abandonment of Italian citizens in the face of exposure to electromagnetic fields and the lack of protection for people suffering from symptoms attributed to electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS). In April 2024, national exposure limits were raised from 6 to 15 V/m. There are also no uniform minimum safety distances from homes, schools, and sensitive sites. I call for greater public attention, transparency, and precautionary measures to protect health. My story began in July 2024, one month after a mobile phone antenna was installed directly in front of my home. Other installations are located about 250 metres from my home and 200 metres from my workplace, where I have worked for 18 years. I began experiencing severe pain in my left epididymis and big toes. For months, my nails stopped growing. Medical examinations and treatments did not resolve the problems. Antibiotic and anti-inflammatory treatments only made my symptoms worse. I also noticed a strong stinging sensation in my face whenever I approached my mobile phone. That was when I understood the link between my symptoms and the new antenna. When I tried to explain my suspicions and the scientific evidence I had found to doctors, my concerns were met with scepticism and ridicule. In desperation, I contacted the Italian Electrosensitive Association, which gave me guidance on investigating the situation. My home was already partly protected: during renovations in 2012, I removed all wireless devices and fully wired my internet network and alarm system. To see whether leaving my usual environment might help, I spent several days in an isolated country house in the hills, keeping my mobile phone switched off. My symptoms eased and disappeared; within two days of returning home, they came back. This experience strengthened my conviction that the possible environmental causes of my symptoms needed to be investigated more seriously. By late 2024, convinced that the new antenna in front of my home was responsible for the onset of my electromagnetic hypersensitivity, I was forced to leave my apartment and move into a small ground-floor flat in an attempt to reduce my exposure. In 2026, the antenna was upgraded to accommodate two operators. Despite environmental shielding and protective clothing, I continue to feel unwell, even at field levels I measure below 0.1 V/m. My workplace is also a source of distress because of Wi-Fi devices, wireless equipment, and a nearby antenna. I currently suffer from chronic pain, including pain in my left epididymis, severe insomnia, tinnitus, difficulties with concentration and speech, night-time cramps, photophobia, episodes of migraine, nausea, and dizziness. I also experience debilitating fatigue, intestinal problems, food intolerances, and significant weight loss. I am paying for numerous medical tests myself in an attempt to find answers and treatment. This condition has profoundly affected my life. I am a divorced father of two young children and can no longer share many everyday activities, holidays, school events, or sports events with them. I have had to give up my social life and many essential activities. The only place where I have experienced a marked improvement is the country house in the hills, far from sources of electrosmog, but moving there permanently is incompatible with my family responsibilities and work commitments. I asked the local council to halt new installations, adopt a municipal antenna plan, and prevent further expansion in areas that are already saturated, but my efforts have not achieved the desired results. For all these reasons, this is not merely a testimony of suffering but a firm call for legislative action. It is essential and urgent that the authorities introduce concrete laws to protect public health: national emission limits must be drastically lowered, well below current levels, and strict, non-negotiable minimum safety distances must be established from residential areas, schools, and sensitive sites. It is also essential to encourage and promote wired connections in public and private spaces, guaranteeing every citizen the fundamental right to live and work in safe environments that are protected and free from electromagnetic impacts. Finally, public healthcare must urgently provide appropriate scientific and medical training so that healthcare professionals are prepared to take people experiencing these complex problems seriously, putting an end to an unacceptable culture of ridicule and scepticism. We cannot continue sacrificing people's health at the altar of technological profit, leaving people with EHS invisible and without rights.

https://bioinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/sec19_2012_Fetal_neonatal_effects_EMF.pdf Pregnant women with laptops close to their belly receive more EMF for the child than safety limits allow. But less so if the laptop is on a table. "Induced electric currents were estimated for both the pregnant woman and the fetus. Statistical values of the averaged current density were evaluated for body tissues including the body of the fetus, and the grey and white matter of the brain of the mother; the mother’s cerebellum, the mother’s cerebrospinal fluid and mother’s muscle tissue. In each case, the larger exposure was generated by the power supply rather than the laptop operation. Levels of induced current substantially exceeded ICNIRP public safety limits, assuming close proximity of the laptop to the belly of the pregnant woman (for the fetus, between 182% and 263.7% of the ICNIRP standard); and for the woman (between 346.7% and 483.5% of the ICNIRP standard). Simple measures to distance the laptop during use (placing it on a table or desk and not on the body of the user) will result in significant reduction of ELF-EMF exposure and induced electric current in both mother and fetus..." On how to reduce extremely low frequency EMF exposure in incubators. "To allow what is an essential medical intervention for the growing premature baby, or the sick infant who needs exceptional care following birth, at least two possible solutions to reduce ELF-EMF levels are:  Designing incubators with the motor far from the baby (some incubators already have adopted this measure) and  Using ELF-EMF absorbing panels to shield the baby’s body from emissions (like Mu metal)." ... Nurses get EMF near incubators. High EMF influences baby heart rate variability. "Another paper showed that nurses are also exposed to high EMF while working near incubators [ Bellieni, 2002]. Bellieni et al [2008] reported that the exposure to high electromagnetic fields can interfere with the sympathetic nervous system in altering babies’ heart rate variability. Heart rate variability (HRV) of 43 newborns in incubators was studied. HRV is an index of Autonomous Nervous System activity. The study group comprised 27 newborns whose HRV was studied throughout three 5-minute periods: 1) with incubator motor on, 2) with incubator off, and 3) with incubator on again, respectively. Mean HRV values obtained during each period were compared. The control group comprised 16 newborns but exposed to no source of ELF-EMF; they were exposed to changes in background noise similar to those provoked by the incubator motor (to reproduce the conditions of the first cohort). Mean total power and the high-frequency (HF) component of HRV increased significantly and the mean low-frequency (LF)/HF ratio decreased significantly when the incubator motor was turned off. Basal values were restored when incubators were turned on again. Changes in background noise did not provoke any significant change in HRV. We therefore concluded that ELF-EMFs produced by incubators influence newborns' HRV, showing an influence on their 8 autonomous nervous system. More research is needed to assess possible long-term consequences, since premature newborns may be exposed to these high ELF-EMFs for months." ... "Existing FCC and ICNIRP public safety limits seem to be not sufficiently protective of public health, in particular for the young (embryo, fetus, neonate, very young child). The World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified both ELF-EMF and RF EMF (wireless radiofrequency) as Possible Human Carcinogens (Group 2B). New, biologically-based public exposure standards are critically needed. Common sense measures to limit both ELF-EMF and RF EMF in these populations is needed, especially with respect to avoidable exposures like incubators that can be modified; and where education of the pregnant mother with respect to laptop computers, mobile phones and other sources of ELF-EMF and RF EMF are easily instituted. It is not in the public interest to wait: A precautionary approach may provide the frame for decision making where remediation actions have to be realized to prevent high exposures of children and pregnant woman."

https://www.scielo.br/j/jmoea/a/hS9VJvKddrTsTtyqLrVdNZx/?lang=en "...While the maximum simulated psSAR values are below the recommended limits, it is observed that, in some classroom arrangements, the psSAR can be substantially increased (e.g., up to 26 dB in the back) comparing to just one student with his laptop. One objective of this study is to provide guidelines for the design of safer classrooms in the context of widespread laptop usage."

"Results When cell phones are held close to the head most of the energy (more than 80%) from the transmitting antenna is absorbed by the head. When the phone is used for virtual reality viewing, the head absorbs 50% of the energy. Discussion In summary, compared with adult models, children experience two- to three-fold higher RF doses to: 1) localized areas of the brain when a cell phone is positioned next to the ear; and 2) the eyes and frontal lobe when a cell phone is used to view virtual reality. These findings raise serious questions about the current approach to certify cell phones; particularly the use of the SAM. In 2012, the U.S. Government Accountability Office advised that the test system used to estimate human exposure Conclusions Our findings support reexamination of methods to determine regulatory compliance for wireless devices, and highlight the importance of precautionary advice such as that of American Academy of Pediatrics (2016). The Academy recommends that younger children should not use cell phones, and that prudent measures should be taken to eliminate exposure (e.g. using devices for amusement or education only when all wireless features are turned off – in “airplane mode”) or to minimize exposure (e.g. ..." https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0013935118302561?via%3Dihub

I AM EMF SENSTITIVE. I did not know this 12-15 years ago. Because my symptoms were 'vague' and I was not feeling well without any SOURCE to point to, the Doctors thought it was psychosomatic. And, my friends thought it was due to getting OLD. I had less energy, ringing in my ears, fatique, constant nose bleeds and headaches, and BRAIN FOG. INSOMNIA, Poor Eyesight. HEAT and SWELLING on my Right Forehead when USING my Ear Headset. This started when I UPGRADED my Cordless Phone to the HIGHEST RANGE on the Market, and also Bought a BLUETOOTH EAR HEADSET, which was also the STRONGEST RANGE and top of the Market. Then I went from WIRED Internet to WIFI, Because I thought it would be MORE CONVENIENT to have Internet over my large 1acre Property, anywhere I wanted to LOGIN MY TABLET, also the TOP OF RANGE and EXPENSE. Microwaves and my CELL CHARGING within 5ft of my DESK where I worked from Home. Within a FEW MONTHS of these 'UPGRADES' I could not FUNCTION as BEFORE, GENERAL MALAISE, with constant COLDS and FLUS. At the Time the Signal was 3G, then I bought My 4G Devices, and my SYMPTOMS got worse! Still NO CLUE what was MAKING ME SICK! Then I MOVED FROM MY HOME to a TOWNHOUSE less then 1 MILE AWAY from a CELL TOWER, and ALL MY SYMPTOMS got so Bad, that I COULD NOT GET OUT OF BED! I could NOt FUNCTION! At that time, I started learning about Electromagnetic Frequency and the RFR Sickness that other peoople were also EXPERIENCING. THAT IS WHEN I STARTED TO HEAL! I researched the PApers that Dr Martin Pall wrote about the 'Voltage Gated Calcium Ion Channels' I did one SIMPLE REMEDY. I UNPLUGGED!!!! I canceled my Home WIFI, Removd my Microwave, Stopped using the BLUETOOTH EarPiece, Went back to a ANALOG Phone, TURNED MY CELL PHONE OFF. and WIRED My Internet. Within a Few Weeks, my Symptoms LESSONED. The NoseBleeds completely STOPPED! The headaches only when I was UPSTAIRS at the Bedroom Facing the CELL TOWER. The Fatigue Lightened, my ENERGY Returned, and the BRAIN FOG that Felt like DEMENTIA, NOT NORMAL for a Young Person, Also went away. AFter Reading Dr. Carolyn Deans Research, I began Taking MAGNESIUM DAILY, sometimes 400 mg 3xDay. THEN my ENERGY and HEALTH returned!!!! I started learning about Fermented Foods that HEALED my Microbiome, because I was getting Sick so Often from the ElectroMagnetic Frequency POSOISONING. My Health and IMMUNITY Returned. I did NOT GET Sick Very Often! It has been 5 years that I've NOT BEEN SICK!!! Yes, I will get Symptoms from time to time, Especially when out in CROWDS, but I take Zinc, Vit C, and Elderbery for a Day or So, and I'm Well. The Biggest REMEDY to my Health was UNPLUGGING from the 5g Phones, Cordless Phone, BlueTooth HeadSet, and WIFI INTERNET. Going 'Wired' and Limiited Internet Use was my Discipline. My Family did NOT Understand, and was UNHAPPY that I did NOT VISIT their RFR Polluted Homes, but they SAW FIRSTHAND How Sick I got on my Visits, and they began to Understand. Though they STILL didn't BELIEVE that EMF SENSITIVTY is a 'Environmental Disease.' They, like the Doctors, think it is it JUST MY BODY, since the don't Experience what I do. It's been 15years now, and when I do visit they will TURN OFF the WIFI, or put a SHIELD in front of the ROUTER, so that I can sit AWAY from the Source and FEEL WELL to Visit with my Family in their WIFI Home. Now, I Drink Kombucha and Kefir, and Eat Kimchi, and REAL Fermented Pickles and Beets. I feel Well now. My Energy has Returned and I FEEL Young Again. My Skin an Body is not Aching like before. SIMPLE Life Changes for Health and Vitality!! The EPIDEMIC of UNWELLNESS in My Own Family is WideSpread, but NOW when I talk about HEALING EMF SENSITIVITIES they LISTEN! I want Secretary Kennedy to also LISTEN to the MANY others just like me.. This 'Sickness' is PREVENTABLE!!! Reduce Exposure to Radio Waves, and Cell Towers, DISTANCE from the RF Sources, and Keep DISCIPLINE to UNPLUGG to BE HEALTHY. Now, It is my Mission and Passion to TEACH People about EMF Sensitivity, and how to Strengthen their Microbiome. I learned from Teachers like Donna Gates, Donna Scwenk, Hannah Krum, who TAUGHT me how to make 'FOOD AS THY MEDICINE.' The World needs this Awareness for Healing. It is Possible to BE WELL! FIRST the AUTHORITIES must Acknowledge that EMF and RF is a External Health POLLUTION. Governement Agencies MUST Stop increasing 5G to 6G EXPOSURES!!! These RF Radiation are DANGEROUS and are SLOWLY KILLING People. MORE RESEARCH Please, and UPDATE the POOR TEST MODELS from 1950's and 1980's. Current Models are Drastically Needed to EXPOSE the TRUTH!!!! Thank you for Reading my Testimony. Respectfully Submitted, ~LV Hill

As a science teacher in a middle school building, my body was continuously bombarded by RF (microwave) radiation from the 25 lap tops, wifi router, all the cell phones, blue tooth, and other wireless devices for many hours daily. No one was checking the cumulative amounts of the radiation over long periods of time. No one tells you about the harm; the non-thermal effects of the radiation. I would get blurry vision, headaches, body aches, heart palipatations... the wireless printer was directly behind my desk chair. When I sat at my computer my head and neck were only one foot away. In 2014 my carotid artery dissected and I was diagnosed with some rare connective tissue disorder. Maybe the radiation contributed to or exacerbated the condition. I left my job because I can not control the amount of radiation I am exposed to in the school building environment. In my house, I can choose to use hard wired connections, turn off wifi and other sources. Unfortunately, our government does not protect its citizens from the toxic bombardment of RF radiation. We are forced to have smart meters on our homes, and you allow tech companies to install cell towers and 5G antennas in our right-of-ways. I can also pick up the wi-fi routers of all of my neighbors and have no control over that. We need setbacks of at least 500 meters. We need to be able to opt out of smart meters and have analog meters re-installed. Companies need to use the lowest possible amount of radiation, not pump out massive dosages for better service. Please put better protective regulations in place! Sincerely, Margaret Lynch

Re: HHS-OASH-2026-0397 Questions 2, 3, 9, 13, 15 and 18 I am submitting as an individual with firsthand experience of adverse health effects I believe are strongly and reproducibly associated with RF/EMF exposure. My background includes doctoral-level training in a health science and professional experience in telecommunications research and development. My symptoms began after I started working around RF/EMF-emitting telecommunications equipment. Previously healthy and athletic, I developed shingles, musculoskeletal pain, sleep disturbance, urinary frequency, recumbent pressure-related pain and metal sensitivity. About three years later I moved from a rural area into a newly built suburban home and my health declined dramatically. I developed chest pain, palpitations, dizziness, heat intolerance, tinnitus, profound fatigue, brain fog and severe insomnia. My resting heart rate rose from about 70 to 90, yet during exercise sometimes failed to rise appropriately, leaving me dizzy and winded. Eventually I could no longer continue school or work. Extensive medical evaluation, conflicting diagnoses and tens of thousands of dollars did not restore my health. For nine years I spent nearly every waking moment trying to regain my health and my life. RF/EMF was initially only one possible stressor I investigated among many. I obtained several RF/EMF meters, mapped sources in my home, turned off Wi-Fi and a cordless phone, and discovered exposures I had not known were present. My efforts culminated in a move to a remote property chosen partly because it had little or no cellular service. Other environmental factors changed too, so this was not a controlled experiment. Over the following years I progressively recovered and became far more tolerant of heat, foods, chemicals and ordinary stresses, although city trips could still trigger relapses. Years later the wireless environment around my rural home changed. Cellular service became detectable where previously there had been essentially none. A new cell tower went up, my fixed wireless internet provider changed equipment, and a neighbor installed Starlink. My previous syndrome returned severely. My heart rate and blood pressure increased by just under 30%. I developed rhythm disturbances, brain fog, tinnitus and profound insomnia. At one point I was unable to sleep for eleven consecutive days and was taken to the emergency room. I built an RF-shielding enclosure and confirmed with an RF meter that RF readings inside were substantially reduced. I repeatedly observed my systolic blood pressure fall from around 140 toward my baseline of about 110 under reduced-exposure/shielded conditions. These are personal observations, not a controlled study, but sufficiently repeatable that I no longer regard RF/EMF as hypothetical. To this day I sleep without heat or electricity through snowy winters because that low-exposure environment allows me to sleep. This year, after recent work on the nearby tower, I began experiencing pressure, discomfort and visual changes in the eye and surrounding region on the side of my head nearest the directional antenna serving my rural internet connection. Those symptoms abate with shielding that my meter confirms reduces RF levels. HHS should investigate long-term cumulative RF/EMF exposure, short-duration peak exposures, and factors that may alter individual susceptibility, including heavy-metal burden. Biological effects can depend on intensity, duration, repetition, recovery and repair. Policy should not assume repeated exposures are independent or that cumulative exposure is irrelevant. Long averaging periods can hide important peaks. Average the energy delivered by a bullet over thirty minutes and its average power looks trivial, while the real-world millisecond impact can be deadly. The body experiences exposure as it occurs, not as an arithmetic average. Standards must address both cumulative dose and instantaneous peak exposure. People are simultaneously exposed to cell towers, Wi-Fi, satellite systems, fixed wireless internet, smart meters, Bluetooth, smart appliances and personal devices. Who measures aggregate exposure where a person sleeps and works? Who is responsible when independently regulated sources combine? Consumers need a practical right to know. One night, seeking somewhere relatively RF-free, I stopped beneath what I only later realized was a camouflaged cell tower. Camouflaged towers should be clearly labeled wherever people pass nearby. Wireless devices should have an obvious indicator showing when transmitting at low, medium or high power. I cannot tell HHS which transmitters, or combination of transmitters, were responsible for what I experienced. That is precisely the problem. RF exposure has become ubiquitous, dynamic and largely invisible. Policy must measure and disclose cumulative exposure and give individuals the information needed to reduce avoidable exposure.

My response is in reference to wireless technology, or RF/EMF sources, that include Wi-Fi, smart meters, and wireless infrastructure. I am a residential customer of the Northern California utility provider, Pacific Gas & Electric Company. The Smart Meter rollout in my city began in November of 2010. Having read various publications detailing some alarming concerns with various aspects of Smart Meter technology, I chose to defer installation and instead take advantage of the opt-out option and retain my original analog utility meters. I paid the $75.00 opt-out fee, as well as the recurring $10.00 monthly meter reading fee, which I believe was charged for a period of one or two years. From 2010 to 2024, I continued to enjoy trouble-free service from my two analog meters, which are attached to the exterior wall of my garage. In November of 2024, and without my consent, the utility replaced one of my meters, assuring me that the unit was not a Smart Meter. I'm assuming the utility declined to classify the meter as a Smart Meter due to disabling radio transmission function. Within one day of installation, each time I was near the new meter I experienced debilitating, dizzy spells, causing me to stumble and become disoriented, followed by fatigue and "brain fog." I also experienced dizziness and brain fog inside my home, requiring bed rest for a period of 2-3 hours after exposure. Since the utility had assured me that they had not installed a Smart Meter, I spent several months trying to find some physical reason that might explain the sudden onset of my symptoms. As a last resort, I decided to do some research on the Alcara digital meter that had been installed. To my dismay, I found that the digital meter replacement was in fact a Smart Meter. Even more troubling was the fact that my meter was replaced even though I had chosen to opt out, and had paid the additional fees to keep the analog meter. After enduring several months of dizzy spells, brain fog, shortness of breath, fatigue, heart palpitations, and inability to perform activities of daily living, I contacted the utility company and requested that the meter be replaced. After some persistence, the utility company agreed to remove the Smart Meter and replace it with the analog dial unit. After the meter was replaced, I experienced immediate relief of all symptoms. In addition to Smart utility meters, I experience uncomfortable and disabling effects from various other sources, as well. I become dizzy in various locations of the grocery store, as well as in medical offices. I am unable to shop in my local department store, where they use ESLs (digital price tags), for more than 15-20 minutes before experiencing severe dizziness and disorientation. Removal from the source does not provide immediate relief of symptoms, which can continue for several hours after exposure. The effects from EMF, RF and wireless radiation exposure are severe. Symptoms include severe dizziness, brain fog, fatigue, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations, all of which can last for as long as 2-3 hours post exposure, during which time I am bedridden. The closest description I can think of is the sensation of an eggbeater in your head, scrambling your brains. I do what I can to protect myself. My telephone is a wired landline. I do not use a cell phone, and have no idea what communication options will be available to me when AT&T succeeds in eliminating wired landline telephone service. As far as electronic equipment, my computer and peripherals are all wired. I have, unfortunately, lost access to a wired internet connection through my phone line as ISPs in my area no longer support a wired modem option. My current modem/router emits Wi-Fi signals, requiring that I limit my computer use to no more than 2-3 hours. In an effort to mitigate exposure intensity, I have limited speed, or power level, to no more than 300 Mbps. I am unable to withstand prolonged exposure to any device that uses a wireless connection. In order to protect the health of my pet, I also declined to have a microchip inserted in her body. I have not sought medical intervention, other than mentioning the condition to my physician. The only solution to protecting my brain and my body from this "attack" is to remove the offending technology; considering today's all-consuming dependence on wireless technology, with options becoming fewer and fewer each day, this is, of course, impossible to achieve. This is radiation exposure and worse, and this fact must be recognized as a real danger to humans and animals. It is my strong belief that constraints on this technology must be implemented, the health impacts must be accepted and communicated, and for those who suffer with the condition (possibly falling under ADA protection), options must be made available.