Furthermore...

Since the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research, said they would take unlimited comments (until December 12, 2016), I submitted the following written comment after giving my oral comment (here).

The evidence of harm is rather overwhelming.

I pray that 2017 is the year Analog Utility Meter Choice legislation is passed in Michigan, and anywhere else citizens are asking for a choice.

~

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This is in addition to my first comment, submitted at the December 5, 2016 call-in Listening Session.

Please invoke the precautionary principle in regards to the proliferation of wireless technology:  Precautionary principle - Wikipedia

"The precautionary principle (or precautionary approach) to risk management states that if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm to the public, or to the environment, in the absence of scientific consensus (that the action or policy is not harmful), the burden of proof that it is not harmful falls on those taking an action that may or may not be a risk."

Harm from wireless and electronic technology is becoming epidemic, as you witnessed on the December 5, 2016 Listening Session call, when 83% of the comments were about this very topic.

We Are The Evidence:  Home 

The numbers of people adversely affected by wireless and electronic technology continues to grow.  There are at least ten electromagnetic-hypersensitivity (EHS) "support groups" on social media (Facebook), populated by people like me, who have become sensitive to, and functionally impaired by, wireless and/or electronic technology.  Many of us became so severely ill that we questioned whether life is worth living.  Some of us take refuge and sleep in our cars, or in the woods, away from wireless and electronic technology.

At least one young woman has already taken her life after WiFi was installed in her school:  Parents of schoolgirl Jenny Fry are campaigning to have WiFi restricted in schools following her death

The "International EMF Scientist Appeal" to His Excellency Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, has been signed by 223 professionals from 43 different nations. These scientists have collectively published over 2,000 peer-reviewed papers on the biological and health effects of non-thermal electromagnetic radiation, and are calling for "more protective EMF guidelines" in regards to wireless and electronic technology.

Dr. Martin Blank, from the Department of Physiology and Cellular Biophysics at Columbia University, says, "We are scientists and engineers, and I am here to tell you - we have created something that is harming us, and it is getting out of control! Putting it bluntly, they are damaging the living cells in our bodies and killing many of us prematurely.”  EMFScientist.org 

STUDY - Electromagnetic hypersensitivity - an increasing challenge to the medical profession: Some people exposed to electromagnetic radiation, including the frequencies utilized by the new water meters, develop Electromagnetic hypersensitivity. While some cannot discriminate between an active radio frequency signal and placebo, others showed observable changes following exposure; reactions in the pupil, changes in heart rhythm, damage to red blood cells, and disturbed glucose metabolism in the brain:  Electromagnetic hypersensitivity--an increasing challenge to the medical profession. - PubMed - NCBI 

STUDY - Self-reporting of symptom development from exposure to radiofrequency fields of wireless smart meters in Victoria, Australia: a case series: Shows the most frequently reported symptoms to be insomnia, headaches, tinnitus, fatigue, cognitive disturbances, abnormal sensations, and dizziness, and pointed to the possibility that smart meters may have unique characteristics that lower people's threshold for symptom development:  Self-reporting of symptom development from exposure to radiofrequency fields of wireless smart meters in victoria, australia: a case series. - PubMed - NCBI 

Comments on the Draft Report by the California Council on Science & Technology “Health Impacts of Radio Frequency from Smart Meters,” by Daniel Hirsh, Nuclear Expert & Lecturer, University of California, Santa Cruz: Showing that smart meters produce between 50 & 160 times more cumulative whole body exposure than the cell phone:  Health Impacts of Radio Frequency from Smart Meters

Adolescents in the U.S. today have grown up with cell phones, and now their number one form of cancer is brain tumors:  Brain tumors now the most frequent form of cancer in U.S. adolescents

“In general, while the possibility of ‘non-thermal’ biological effects may exist, whether or not such effects might indicate a human health hazard is not presently known.” -  That quote is from the FCC Bulletin Questions and Answers about Biological Effects and Potential Hazards of Radiofrequency Electromagnetic Fields:  Questions and Answers About Biological Effects and Potential Hazards of Radio-frequency Electromagnetic Fields

“Not presently known,” means that they (the FCC) really doesn't know.  We have been jumping off the dock into dark water without knowing what was underneath!

Campanelli & Associates, P.C., anti-cell-tower lawyers in  New York   State , pose the question on their web site: Isn’t the FCC protecting us?  Their answer:   “No.  To the contrary, the FCC has employed, and continues to employ its power to assist the wireless industry…”  Isn't the FCC Protecting Us? 

FCC standards have been considered by some local government agencies as a "safety net" when in fact, they are not.

Microwave Electromagnetic Fields Act by Activating Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels: Why the Current International Safety Standards Do Not Predict Biological Hazard:  Microwave Electromagnetic Fields Act by Activating Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels: Why the Current International Safety Standards Do Not Predict Biological Hazard

Report of Partial Findings from the National Toxicology Program Carcinogenesis Studies of Cell Phone Radiofrequency Radiation in Hsd: Sprague Dawley® SD rats (Whole Body Exposures):  Report of Partial Findings from the National Toxicology Program

Reliable disease biomarkers characterizing and identifying electrohypersensitivity and multiple chemical sensitivity as two etiopathogenic aspects of a unique pathological disorder:  Reliable disease biomarkers

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine's view of smart meter microwave radiation and how they OPPOSE smart meters being installed on homes:  "Emissions given off by 'smart meters' have been classified by the World Health Organization International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Possible Human Carcinogen. Hence, we call for: (1) An immediate moratorium on 'smart meter' installation until these serious public health issues are resolved.  Continuing with their installation would be extremely irresponsible.  (2) Modify the revised proposed decision to include hearings on health impact in the second proceedings, along with cost evaluation and community wide opt-out.  (3) Provide immediate relief to those requesting it and restore the analog meters."

American Academy of Environmental Medicine

The American Cancer Society's International Agency for Research on Cancer's view that cell phone radiation is "possibly carcinogenic," (and the radiation from a smart meter is compared to cell phones by the smart meter industry):  IARC Classifies Radiofreqency Electromagnetic Fields as Possibly Carcinogenic to Humans

Wireless Radiation Danger to Babies and Children (video of The Babysafe Press Conference): Wireless Radiation Danger to Babies & Children

The BioInitiative Report:  "...1800 or so new studies report abnormal gene transcription (Section 5); genotoxicity and single-and double-strand DNA damage (Section 6); stress proteins because of the fractal RF-antenna like nature of DNA (Section 7); chromatin condensation and loss of DNA repair capacity in human stem cells (Sections 6 and 15); reduction in free-radical scavengers – particularly melatonin (Sections 5, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17); neurotoxicity in humans and animals (Section 9), carcinogenicity in humans (Sections 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17); serious impacts on human and animal sperm morphology and function (Section 18); effects on offspring behavior (Section 18, 19 and 20); and effects on brain and cranial bone development in the offspring of animals that are exposed to cell phone radiation during pregnancy (Sections 5 and 18). This is only a snapshot of the evidence presented in the BioInitiative 2012 updated report."  Conclusions from the BioInitiative Report 2012

The "Electrosensitive Society" gives a brief history of this "illness":  

The term “radio wave sickness” was first used by Russian doctors to describe an occupational illness developed by large numbers of workers exposed to microwave or radiofrequency radiation. The symptoms were called “neurasthenic.” “Neurasthenia” was an older term for this group of symptoms, which was coined by an American physician, George Beard, in 1868, to describe a new type of illness that followed the building of the railroads and the telegraph system in this country.

The illness was particularly common among telegraph, and later among telephone operators. The term “neurasthenia” fell out of fashion in the twentieth century in North America, when this cluster of symptoms, or a large number of them, began to be referred to as “anxiety” symptoms, presumably of purely psychological origin. Illness by radio waves has been rediscovered, and is now classed with illness caused by electricity in general, under the term “electrical sensitivity.”

The Electrosensitive Society » History of ES and EMF 

Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D., Director, Center for Family and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, writes about Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity here:  

Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity 

Microwave syndrome or electro-hypersensitivity - historical background:   The microwave syndrome or electro-hypersensitivity: historical background. - PubMed - NCBI

Please invoke the precautionary principle in regards to wireless and electronic technology.  Please help protect those of us who already feel the adverse health affects from wireless and electronic technology.  Please help protect our children and future generations.

Most Sincerely,

Jeanine S. Deal

Knowledge Is Useless Unless It's Used

I love how Richard Kimberley, in his blog post titled "What You MUST Know," compares becoming electro-sensitive with a glass slowly being filled with drops of water:

"Imagine a glass under a dripping tap.  You are the glass and the drips are microwave radiation. As the glass fills up throughout your life, there’s no cause for alarm, no damage is perceived as being done.  However, once that glass fills to the top, the trouble is about to start.  The final drip overflows the glass and now we have a mess.  You can move the glass away from the tap, but only a little of the contents will evaporate.  One or two more drips, and we’re overflowing again."

Most people don't feel microwave radiation.  That is, until they do.  When their glass overflows.

Cell phones were no problem for me.  Until they were.  After several months of cell phone use, I started to feel pain and a burning sensation in my "phone ear."  My glass was overflowing.  So I stopped putting the cell phone to my ear, and the pain went away.  My body began to heal, and perhaps some of the water in my glass began to evaporate.

Just a few months after new gas meters were installation, I felt the first symptom of my glass overflowing again.  I didn't know microwave radiation emitting utility meters had been installed.  New gas meters are not called "smart."  But, I found out later, they do pulse microwave radiation over 600 times per hour, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, non-stop.  That's the same frequency as cell phones, by the way.

And the gas company wont remove the new not-smart meters unless we want our natural gas turned-off.  Permanently.

New symptoms of my glass overflowing were occurring, beyond just my phone ear hurting.  I describe some of my experience here and here.  Within a short period of time, I went from radiantly healthy, to achy all over, extremely exhausted, and more.  I was rapidly declining.

Several months later, I identified the problem as being the not-smart gas meters, and began to remedy the microwave radiation problem.  

It's been ten months now since we first blocked the radiation emitting from the not-smart gas meters.  I've also been turning electric breakers off at night, to cut down on the dirty electricity.  Though many of my symptoms have lessened considerably, not all symptoms are gone, and I still don't have the energy I had before not-smart gas meters were installed.  Maybe I never will.  But it is what it is.

Biological effects from microwaves and radiofrequency radiation have been known about for many years, and have even been researched by NASA.  But our governments seem to be run by large corporations and powerful utility companies, and they seem to be calling many of the shots.  At the expense of human health and safety.

"While human health and safety continue to be dismissed by many, growing scientific evidence is showing a dark side to cell phone, WiFi, smart meter and point-to-point technologies." ~ Dr. Albert Manville, Adjunct Professor, Johns Hopkins University

Is this the world you want to leave to your children's children's children?  One that cares more about profit than human health and safety?

Knowledge is useless unless it's used.

Thank you for reading ~ May all beings be blessed!

Some information:

• Beyond the Van by Richard Kimberely
• If you live in Michigan
• Naval Medical Research Institute: Biological Effects of Microwave and Radio Frequency Radiation 
• NASA - Electromagnetic Field Interactions With The Human Body: Observed Effects and Theories