Wi-Fi & indoor exposure

I'm a 69 y/o resident of Portland, Oregon. In fall of 2019, I became aware that my behavior & energy levels had changed significantly. I can only describe it as a thick brain fog/zombie-like state. I didn't know why. Then, when checking my microwave oven for radiation leakage (it was leaking and I did get cataracts). I was shocked to find I was getting red warning readings whenever I approached the family room phone. This phone was a GE multiple handset phone using DECT technology. We had 7 of them spread throughout all 3 levels of our house in various rooms so that one could call someone in another part of the house and use it as an intercom system. All 7 handsets were emitting harmful levels of electromagnetic radiaton AT ALL TIMES 24/7! I know this because I invested in a meter to detect the amount of radiation. One of those headsets was on my nightstand, mere inches from my head where I was sleeping nightly for years. As soon as we disconnected the phones, the zombie-like condition and my brain fog vanished. Interestingly, around this same time I was walking around the outside of the house when I suddenly felt extremely nauseous, diizzy and began having pains in my head. I was next to our electrical meter. My EMF reader confirmed that it was emitting harmful radiation. PG&E confirmed it had recently switched out our old meter with a new SmartMeter. I asked to have it removed and have had to pay extra money every month since then because "they have to come by to read the meter". The point is, my body and brain had become sensitized/attuned to the frequency of the DECT phone. Consequences to me have been life-altering. I cannot use my cell phone. I cannot be near anyone else's cell phone that is "on" or too close to me without experiencing head pain (different from a typical headache), nausea, and dizziness. I have had to install Ethernet in my house because Wifi causes me physical pain. No more microwave oven. Basically, anytime I am surrounded by other people I am in pain from their cell phones (Ex: waiting rooms, grocery store lines, any group events, etc.). I have become largely homebound as a result. When going out, I have to wear a special cap to shield my head and lessen these effects. I feel head pain from the cell towers along the roads. When 6G rolls out, I fear I will not be able to go anywhere at anytime. The old safety limits are ridiculously high and harmful. Please lower the limits drastically into alignment with other European countries. It is long OVERDUE. You were ordered to a long time ago. There is no excuse for the delay; there are many, many of us out here living greatly diminished lives and suffering when we shouldn't have to. The limitations to my life also cause inconvenience to others, and though they may not feel the physical harm as I do, I know their bodies are being affected nonetheless.

I am a healthy person in my mid 60s. For the last 10 years, it's been increasingly difficult for me to engage in all the activities I enjoy, due the side effects that Wireless Radiation causes in my body. I am a scientist by training and have repeatedly observed how specific symptoms such as headache, elevated heart rate, increased blood pressure, insomnia, nausea and tingling skin sensations occur when I'm around wifi technology, and then dissipate when I leave wifi laden rooms and buildings. I have modified my home and work environments so there is no wireless radiation or smart devices, only wired connectivity, which produces measurable relief of my symptoms. The scientific literature on the physiological effects of EMFs and RF goes back to the 1950s when the military first conducted studies, and at this point consists of well over 10,000 published studies. The FCC safety guidelines are antiquated and inadequate, and there's an urgent need for these guidelines to be updated to incorporate scientific findings from recent decades. It is grossly negligent for the FCC to continue with their status quo, and to delay the implementation of more rigorous and accurate guidelines to protect public health.

We sincerely appreciate the effort to understand and hopefully combat the emf/emr problem. It has been approximately a ten-year journey for our family to find ways to lessen the effects of emf/emr on our members. Symptoms for one person include random shooting pain as we approach/drive past cell towers, pressure around the head and headaches, eye pain, stomach upset, and as the exposure accumulates this person has experienced seizure like movements in the head/neck/shoulder area. One so severe the head pulled back far enough this person could not see the road for a moment while driving. This happened near a cell tower with an active cell phone in the car which was why we began looking into the emf/emr experience for answers to the symptoms being experienced. We actually moved away from the city for healing for a length of time, then after spending 3 months back in the city the seizure movements and severe headaches returned. Another family member experiences lack of sleep, anxiety and head pain when exposed. Another individual deals with constant headaches as this person travels for work and is required to use the cell phone often. All three individuals have learned that keeping the phone off when possible, especially inside a vehicle, disabling bluetooth, wiring computer and placing on airplane mode, avoiding vehicles with high emf ratings, avoiding hotels with wifi/high radiation etc helps with symptoms. We have hired professional help to remediate our home, evaluate vehicles and have purchased the suggested meters to keep us aware of the levels of exposure we are subjected to in any given situation. We rely on the meters, calibrated with the professional meters used by those we have hired to remediate our home and vehicles. The problems seem cumulative and we are using the meters to find spaces where we can be as free as possible of the radiation or electric pollution. It is quite upsetting to escape to a campground or rural setting for healing purposes and then discover the natural places have also been affected by 5g installments or a tower emitting radiation from miles away. As secondhand smoke is a problem, the emf/emr pollution is much more of a problem. We work with integrative medicine practitioners in an attempt to avoid heavy metal contamination and are finding supplements to help especially with thyroid support and the muscle tension and headaches. Electrical substations also are sources of tension and pressure, not only for us but I have had a friend comment on the pressure felt when dining at a restaurant near one. Thank you for looking into this problem, it gives us hope that we may actually be able to find and live in a protected healthy area.

1. Who I am professionally: I am a licensed professional counselor and life coach practicing in Texas, mostly in DFW area. More EMF in multifamily residences. I lived in Ft Worth for 16 years and relocated to Dallas in 2025. I have rented an apartment in both cities rather than owned or rented a home. This is important to mention because from my personal apartment, I have been within range of as many as 25 other residents’ Wi-Fi sources. Which means I have been within range of the effects of the EMF from their wireless devices. My experience in the Ft Worth apartment homes was with high magnetic EMF and somewhat lower RF inside my unit. The most significant measurements for EMF are from my current apartment home in Dallas. At my current apartment, there are 11 smart meters located approximately 6 ft. from my bed mounted on the outside wall of the building and located outside the bedroom of the unit directly below me. The measured RF in my bedroom is higher than I’ve ever lived with before. They range from 600-1500 uW/m2 at the level of the bed and 400-4,000 uW/m2 at the level of the floor. Both of these values register either in the severe or extreme range for frequencies recommended for sleeping areas. The highest levels are in the living area. They range from 19,000 uW/m2 – 40,000 uW/m2 and are located over the location of the wi-fi device in the unit below mine. Other averages in the unit are from 400-24,000 in the living/dining areas. 2. What I have observed and experienced physically: First, I want to state that I have prioritized my health since I was 13 years old. Committed to exercise, healthy diet, outdoor activities, good choices for indoor activities, friendships, etc. I’ve lived a healthy life. I’ve had no need for regular prescription medications other than an occasional antibiotic when I was in my teens. I’ve been fortunate to sleep well, feel energized and motivated, and live a healthy mental/emotional life. Since the jump to 4G and especially 5G, and in the residences I’ve been living in, I’ve experienced the following: • Sleep disturbance • Anxiety (never before in my life had I experienced anxiety) • Restlessness • Cognitive slowing that is more noticeable when I’m home a lot. • Appetite reduction and general decline in interest for food. • Increases in cholesterol readings, A1C (even though I Never eat sugar foods), and unwanted weight loss. These are VERY unusual for me. 3. What I have observed professionally: My practice has focused and worked primarily with high-functioning adults, many of which are professionals. They range in age from 30-55. Most of them are committed to their physical, emotional, and mental health beyond that of the average person. My exposure to adults of all ages in a wide range of life stages and demographics offers me the opportunity to NOTICE common frequent signals that inform me about my clients and perhaps the population in general. Most of the clients that have reported the experiences below have also reported that they seem similar patterns in their friends and family. They recognize these in themselves and also in those around them. Since 2022, I’ve witnessed clients presenting with: greater sleep disturbances increase in relationship challenges and less ability to understand each other profound anxiety increase—prevalent throughout my practice greater sense of entitlement difficulty including the needs of others increased need for somatic calming exercises but less ability to remember them. I’ve also witnessed and observed more: mood impulsivity/less ability to self-regulate emotionally less memory about the previous session (even when it was the prior week) less ability to organize information and create structure for themselves I anticipate that the COVID shutdown precipitated/contributed to some of these, but even after the pandemic was over and people had been back to a normal schedule for some time, these observations have continued to escalate—more and more prevalently. What I observe in the youngest people: My exposure to the youngest of our population is not as frequent as with adults. What I’ve witnessed is a lack of or significant reduction of social skills. Play is impacted by lessened creativity and lessened spontaneity. 4. Precautionary Approach I have no proof that EMF/RF is responsible for my clients’ changes in behavior, nor for the physical and mental changes I’ve experienced—other than the concurrent timing of them. However, facts about 5G is that it brings wider frequency channels, more information per wave, more antennas signaling individual devices, and more “small” cells creating “densification” which is clearly changing the experience of exposure at close range—in homes, workplaces, apartment buildings. I urge HHS to find ways to reduce EMF exposure to below existing limits NOW.

I am a senior woman and have been Electrosensitive for over 25 years, starting with a Nokia analog cell phone. The radiofrequency prevalance has made my life exceedingly challenging, to the point where I could no longer find places to rent that I could tolerate because of the proliferation of Wifi and other wireless pharaphenalia. That forced me to live in a van for the last 4 years, not my first choice, but a survival necessity.

Comment of the Coalition of Mothers, Rebekah Ricks, President and Co-Founder, Winter Haven, Florida, in Docket HHS-OASH-2026-0397. Our letter is attached. It responds to Questions 9 and 15(a) as numbered in the notice. Florida shows the gap. Florida now generally bars elementary and middle school students from using their own wireless devices during the school day (s. 1006.07(2)(f), Fla. Stat., as amended by Ch. 2025-109, Laws of Fla.). Our state has decided that a child's phone at school is a question of public policy. Yet the district's own wireless access points, which transmit whether or not a child's phone is off, are not addressed. We searched chapters 1001 through 1013 of the Florida Statutes and chapter 6A of the Florida Administrative Code and found no requirement that a district tell parents what wireless equipment operates in their child's classroom. A Florida mother can learn the school's rule on her child's phone. She cannot learn what is installed above her child's desk. Question 9. We ask the Department to recommend a short notice that schools and licensed child care providers post for parents, listing the wireless equipment in each classroom, when it operates, whether a wired option exists, and whom to call with questions. Disclosure makes no health finding. It treats parents as the decision-makers they already are in every other part of school life. Question 15(a). No federal agency publishes the number of transmitters within a defined distance of a school or licensed child care facility, and no federal agency has measured RF levels in an occupied American classroom. We ask the Department to make both a research priority, and to give particular attention to rooms serving the youngest children. We support the fuller comment filed in this docket by Protection of the Educational Rights of Kids (PERK), which addresses the remaining questions with primary-source citations. Prepared by Rebekah Ricks. Contact: rricks@thecoalitionofmothers.com.

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, cell phones 3b. Nature, duration, frequency, and approximate timing (e.g., years):Symptoms started in 2010 after we started using wireless printers in our home. So the duration was constant, all times while living in my home. In 2012 when I was diagnosed with EMF sensitivity by my environmental doctor, we removed all wireless devices from my home and used wired connections so I could have a safe haven. But exposures have continued in my office at work, in churches, stores, doctor's offices, etc to this present day. 3c. Adverse health effect(s) experienced:Neck pain, feeling of pressure in my body, and a clamping sensation in my upper throat that made swallowing difficult. 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:Immediate adverse health effects. Though it took years for me to connect the dots as to the cause of these symptoms. 3e. Was medical evaluation or treatment sought? (Optionally:) Was there a diagnosis?Yes, an MRI on my neck/thoracic region performed. Not conclusive. Also diagnosed with chemical sensitivites, and an eye condition (vertical heterophoria). In 2012 diagnosed with EMF sensitivity. 3f. Were steps taken to reduce or eliminate exposure, and were there subsequent changes in the effects?Yes, home remediation by removal of all wired devices from home. This relieved my symptoms. I requested working reduced hours in the office and more hours at home. This helped. 3g. Any supporting documentation? This includes Scientific Reports, exposure measurements, or other relevant information: none

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…)WiFi 3b. Nature, duration, frequency, and approximate timing (e.g., years):Nine months and almost dead. 3c. Adverse health effect(s) experienced:Motion Impairment; Digestive Disruption: Senility; Diminished ability to Hear; Blurrerd Vision. The PTSD is gone after eight years. 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:Three months after first exposure flu like symptoms emerged and a great tiredness ensued. Due to nine months of radiation my hair turned white and much fell out. 3e. Was medical evaluation or treatment sought? (Optionally:) Was there a diagnosis?WiFi was found to have been on for nine months causing these problems. . 3f. Were steps taken to reduce or eliminate exposure, and were there subsequent changes in the effects?WiFi when found to be ON was immediately turned OFF after nine months of exposure. I am still recovering after nine years. PTSD and Senility are both gone and the hair is normal. 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: B1a. Sources you experience as causing you Adverse Effects:WiFi Cell Phones Cell Towers B1b. Sources you can sense, but don't seem to harm you: B1c. Sources you can use without sensing or being harmed: B1d. Sources that seem to provide benefit (i.e., electrotherapy):Compatible healing frequencies B2a. Health conditions you think may contribute to your sensitivity to EMFs including wireless:Only sensitivity to EMF which has injured my hearing, vision and at times digestion and mobility. B2b. Health conditions you don't necessarily associate with your sensitivity to EMFs including wireless, but might be relevant:None. I had perfect health before. 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:Chiropractic adjustments and Acupuncture B3b. That you recommend, but you’re not positive that they help: B3c. That helped you but you don’t recommend. (e.g., the benefit did not last long or the side effects were too harmful):I am still putting DMSO in the eyes to restore sight to the 20/20 that I had before. B3d. Treatments that had no effect: 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?2005 or so B6. What country, state, province, or major city were you living in when you first noticed your sensitivity to wireless or electromagnetic fields?I noticed first in a hotel in Pagosa Springs,CO where they proudly said they had just installed WiFi. I had to leave after one night. Similarly in a hostel in Argentina about a year later.

I have experienced the adverse health effects of EMFs exposure on myself. Example 1: Time ago I had an hour long phone conversation. During the conversation I held the cell phone close to my right ear almost all the time. For the next three days I experienced an inflamed bloated red ear and swollen glands in the neck. I did not seek medical attention. The symptoms faded naturally over time. I became concerned about the potential long term health effects of that exposure. I started using either wired or Bluetooth earphones to talk on the phone. I try to keep the cellphone away from the body as much as possible. Example 2: I have a Wi-Fi router in the home. If I stay close to it longer than 30 or 40 seconds I start feeling dizzy. As soon as I move away from it the dizziness disappears. I imagine there's scientific research about the negative health effects of EMFs exposure. Personally I do not need to see any scientific proof of it, because I already know that EMFs exposure can have adverse health effects. I have personal direct experience of the issue. I know there are people particularly sensitive to EMFs exposure that unfortunately experience harsher symptoms compared to the symptoms I had. Urban environments concern me the most because of the high concentration of EMF emitting devices like cell towers and antennas. I urge the current administration to consider any reasonable measure to limit the exposure of people to EMFs, hoping that public health will be considered (as it should) of higher priority over profit. Thank you for your attention.

I am an emf-sensitive person, my 10 year old is also sensitive. Traveling in hotels in the US has become difficult, we never can stay in a top floor rooms or neither of us will sleep. We toss and turn and feel like we're vibrating, it's terrible. We travel with wifi kill-switches when renting air bnbs for family vacations and sometimes need to move beds away from walls, after locating the routers in each space. In addition to the massive sleep disturbances, I'm not sure I understand why other entire countries do not allow WiFi in childcare centers and schools and in the US there are no rules/regulations protecting our children. I was shocked when moving to my state and seeing 5g towers in most public buildings-public schools, community centers, police stations, why? I am unable to have my child participate in our local community center programs because I will not subject him or myself to parking alongside a 5g tower-nausea and headaches ensue. I appreciate some states, like New York, passed a bill that a tower couldn't be built a certain distance from schools where children are learning and spending so much time of their childhoods. Can the US mandate this for all states, our children need to be protected! Thank you, thank you for taking the time to look into making these much needed changes in public spaces so those of us who suffer with the headaches, nausea and massive sleep disturbances can be helped. We've chosen to home school because there is no way my son could sit through an entire school year, year after year, with the constant wifi (why can't the rooms be hard-wired?!) and the public school in our neighborhood has the largest 5g tower in its parking lot. Why?! Again, thank you for looking into this, taking a look at how other countries are doing this differently and with caution (as we have NO long term safety data, why are our kids the guinea pigs?).