Are Smart Meters health hazards? Smart Meter radiation
emissions are both greater in volume and more frequent than
power companies admit, according to more and more
independent EMF specialists measuring them. And consumers
are getting concerned.
What Are Smart Meters?
Smart Meters are electric and gas meter reading devices
being installed all over the US as a first step in creating
a national smart grid. Designed to enhance energy efficiency
and make widespread adoption of renewable energy easier,
Smart Meters are radio transmitters that communicate data
from homes and businesses to the gas and electric company
through a matrix of radio signals. They allow people to
measure and monitor their own energy consumption in order to
reduce it.
Controversy about Smart Meters
Large groups of citizens are complaining that their
Smart Meters are over-billing them. Public meetings are
being held over the country to discuss this, and many cities
have come out in favor of a smart Meter moratorium until the
issue is resolved.
Smart Meters Health Risks
But now there are growing numbers of activists who are
protesting against Smart Meters for another reason. They
contend that the radio frequency (RF) Smart Meters emit is
harmful to human health. People living with the meters are
claiming mild to severe symptoms that are all over the
board: Concentration and memory problems, dizziness,
tinnitus, heart palpitations, headaches, sleep disruptions,
nausea, anxiety and behavioral problems in children.
People are especially concerned about certain groups who are
vulnerable to Smart Meter health risks, such as children
(who absorb radiation at a greater rate than adults),
electrosensitive people, people with pacemakers, and
chronically ill people whose immune systems are compromised.
Unclear Answers about Smart Meter Radiation Levels
Power companies seem to be unable to give consistent,
believable answers about either how frequently Smart Meter
radiation is emitted or what the peak power is of the
radiation signal at certain distances. Some representative
say the meters transmit RF six times a day; others, once an
hour. Independent RF specialists have measured them every 45
seconds, or even twice in a minute.
As for peak power of Smart Meter radiation signals, there is
even more confusion. Power companies maintain that the RF
transmissions are well within FCC standards, that they
transmit data for only a fraction of a second and are far
weaker than other everyday radio frequency emitters, such as
cell phones, cell towers and Wi-Fi.
Putting aside for a moment the debate over the safety of
even these “everyday” RF emitters, there’s reason to doubt
these assurances from power companies that Smart Meters are
safer than these other devices. Independent environmental
EMF consultants have found that peak pulses are far greater
in intensity than the “average pulse” that many utility
companies claim sometimes up to 1000 times more powerful
than a cell phone.(1) Because of the skewed and inaccurate
way in which they figure the number of pulses per minutes,
their figures of an “average” pulse is greatly reduced.
Indeed, assurances of utility companies are reminiscent of
promises that have been made over the years by plastics and
chemical manufacturers who initially claimed that what they
were producing was safe.
Thermal and Non-Thermal Effects of Smart Meter Radiation
But aside from any of this, what’s important to understand
is that the FCC safety standards are based only on thermal
effects of radiation, meaning: How high can radiation go
before the body tissues start cooking? Research has shown
that the thermal effects of microwave radiation are not the
only effects to be worried about. There are also non-thermal
effects of RF that are very disturbing.
One of the most informative reports written on the subject
is the Bioinitiative Report of 2007. Authored by 15
scientists, researchers and health policy professionals,
this report clearly documents evidence that numerous health
problems are created by exposure to RF, including DNA
breakage and cancer and this, at levels far below the FCC
standards. The report is recognized by the European
Parliament, the European Environment Agency, and the Breast
Cancer Fund, among others.
Smart Meters Often Don’t Comply with FCC Standards
An independent research team, Sage Associates, published a
report entitled “Assessment of Radiofrequency Microwave
Radiation Emissions from Smart Meters”. The conclusions of
the research team include the fact that smart meters often
may not even comply with Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) safety standards which, in themselves are insufficient
for measuring radiation levels in smart meters.
Set back in 1996, FCC standards were based on studies with
healthy 6’2”, 220 lbs men exposed for short periods of
time–very different from the situation with smart meters, in
which women, children and people in fragile health are
continuously exposed to the radiation, often from more than
one smart meter.
Furthermore, other sources of radiation (such as Wi-Fi, cell
phones, and other wireless devices, all present in today’s
homes) were not present in the testing. For all these
reasons, the report strongly cautions that smart meters are
not safe.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the National
Toxicology Program have also studied the effects RF on human
health. Their updated results are that, among other things,
RF can significantly increase the risk of glioma, a deadly
brain tumor.
Read more for further information about smart meter
research.
Protection Against Smart Meters Health Risks
There are no warning signs about health risks that come with
a Smart Meter. And at this point, you can’t opt out. But it
seems advisable, that if you have been suffering from any
unexplainable ailments since the installation of your Smart
Meter, you might want to look into finding protection
against the RF emitted by the meter.
Try any
Q-Link or
cell chip
for 3 months, absolutely
RISK-FREE If you do not feel Q-Link improves your
focus, energy, or well-being, simply return it for a full
refund.
Airtube headsets have
30 a day refund.