Resources – Page 7 – EMF Safety Network

Toward a Smart Meter RECALL!

Customers all across the United States have reported being harmed by utility smart meters. In Indiana, a mother of three small children can’t live in their home because a bank of smart meters gave her debilitating health problems. In California hundreds of customers have reported headaches, ringing in the ears, heart palpitations, sleep problems and more.

Customers report flames shooting from outlets, burned out appliances and fires after smart meter installation. Meanwhile in some states, the utility companies and their regulators response is to charge more money (opt-out fees) to avoid smart meters and they ignore the health and fire hazards.

The US Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) is a federal agency that will take complaints on utility smart meters from all US states.

Last year the CPSC recalled 1.3 million GE dishwashers due to “15 reports of dishwasher heating element failures, including seven reports of fires, three of which caused extensive property damage.”

If you’ve been harmed by smart meters or had safety problems call: (800) 638-2772 Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET

or submit your complaint by email.*

Here’s the information you will need to provide:

A description of the product;
The name of the manufacturer;
A description of the injury, or death, or the risk of illness, injury, or death related to use of the product;
The date or estimated date when the incident occurred or when you first became aware of the potential for the product to act in an unsafe manner;

You will also need to provide a description of who you are, for example, consumer, health care professional, a government agency; your name and mailing address; and permission to publish your Report on SaferProducts.gov. Finally your verification that the Report is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge, information, and belief.

Record the time and date of the call and the name of the person who took your complaint. Write down the receipt number they give you. Keep this information for your records.

Once the CPSC receives your complaint they will send a report back to you for your review and consent. It will then go to the manufacturer where they will have to respond in ten days. After that depending on the number of complaints the compliance office receives, they will decide if the products should be recalled!

* PLEASE NOTE: If you hope, or plan to file a lawsuit for damages there is a two year statute of limitations, so registering and providing a date of harm will start that clock. (If so, you might also want to consult a lawyer regarding timing)

Initial smart meter complaints sent by email to the CPSC were troublesome. Calls to the CPSC today (6/25/13) confirmed that the CPSC is taking reports on smart meter harms. If your complaint was rejected please persist and follow up with a phone call. Also we learned in order to reach a decision for a recall they may work with other federal agencies such as the Department of Energy, or the FDA. Be assured however that the CPSC is handling smart meter complaints.

Are EMF’s Affecting Your Health?

May is Electromagnetic Field (EMF) and Radio Frequency Radiation (RF) Injury Awareness month!

Do you feel ill, or unwell when you’re near cell phones, fluorescent lights, wi-fi, computers, or Smart Meters? Are you suffering from symptoms doctors cannot explain or help with? Do you feel more at peace when the electricity goes out? Some people: 1) are aware that electromagnetic fields and wireless radiation affect their health or make them feel unwell; or 2) have been injured by electromagnetic fields and wireless radiation; or 3) have electromagnetic radiation sickness.

Reducing exposure to EMF’s and RF, aka wireless is known to help improve health and well being.

Potential health problems

Sleep problems (insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, night waking, nightmares)
Stress, agitation, anxiety, irritability
Headaches, sharp pain or pressure in the head
Ringing in the ears, ear pain, high pitched ringing
Concentration, memory or learning problems
Fatigue, muscle or physical weakness
Allergies
Disorientation, dizziness, or balance problems
Eye problems, including eye pain, pressure in the eyes,
Cardiac symptoms, heart palpitations, heart arrhythmias, chest pain
Leg cramps, or neuropathy
Arthritis, body pain, sharp, stabbing pains
Nausea, flu-like symptoms
Sinus problems, nose bleeds
Respiratory problems, cough, asthma
Skin rashes, facial flushing
Urinary problems
Endocrine disorders, thyroid problems, diabetes
High blood pressure
Changes in menstrual cycle
Hyperactivity or changes in children’s behavior
Seizures
Recurrence of cancer

Studies

The State of California advises prudent avoidance of EMFs. A recent study from Finland found that prudent avoidance was the best way to restore health for people with “electrical sensitivity”. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization classifies EMF and RF wireless as 2B (possible) carcinogens, same as DDT and lead!

Simple safety steps you can take

Use a corded landline for phone calls, remove cordless DECT phones.
Use cell phones for emergencies. Do not carry a cell phone “on” your body, use a speakerphone.
Use a wired internet connection. Remove wi-fi. Ensure the router and computer wi-fi is turned off.
Remove Smart Meters and restore the true analog meter, not a radio off smart meter, not a digital analog.
Remove CFL’s and fluorescent lighting.
Sleep in an electricity free bedroom. Turn the power off at the breaker box.
Click here for more suggestions.
Read about how utility Smart Meters are making people sick. Click here.

“Take Back Your Power”- a Sebastopol success!

Last night Josh del Sol, Canadian filmmaker presented his new film, “Take Back Your Power- The Smart Meter Agenda Unveiled” at the Sebastopol Center for the Arts in Sebastopol CA. About 160 people attended the event.

John Eder, Sebastopol City council member welcomed the crowd, introduced the film maker and moderated the discussion which followed the film. The panel included Cindy Sage co-editor of the BioInitiative 2012 Report, Michael Neuert EMF electrician, Take Back Your Power director, Josh Del Sol, and EMF Safety Network director Sandi Maurer.

Cindy Sage, co-editor of the BioInitiative Report, and EMF Safety Network advisor said, “The campaign against smart meters is an international movement that started right here in Sebastopol!”

The event was a fundraiser for the film. After expenses were paid, $2,600 was raised, with a pledge of more donations to come! Josh del Sol expressed his tremendous gratitude for the support for the film. “I’m so grateful to the people of Sebastopol and to the EMF Safety Network for pre-screening this important film here. The film is nearing completion and our intention is to share this empowering documentary with the world!”

Dave Hubert, local resident said, “The film, though 90 minutes long, had me glued!”

Three years ago one of the first smart meter forums was held at the very same building by Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo. At that time people were being forced to have the smart meters, and PG&E refused to remove them for people with health complaints. Much outrage was expressed.

This year comments and questions for the panel included why is this grid being rolled out worldwide; a local doctor said she is seeing many more patients with nervous system problems; and a suggestion was made to create a medical registry for people injured by EMF’s.

Special Film Showing in Sebastopol on Wed. April 17 at 7pm “Take Back Your Power: The “Smart Meter” Agenda Unveiled”

The EMF Safety Network presents a special pre-release screening of the film “Take Back Your Power: The “Smart Meter” Agenda Unveiled”, by Canadian director Josh Del Sol on Wednesday April 17 at 7pm. The film will be followed by a panel discussion, at the new Sebastopol Center for the Arts.

This eye-opening documentary feature film investigates the “smart” meter program being rolled out worldwide without the people’s consent. The film uncovers alarming issues about health, privacy, property rights, corporate fraud, and the unprecedented vulnerability of the “smart” grid. You will leave with a deeper understanding of the motives behind the agenda and proven solutions for coming together and co-creating a healthier world.

Following the film there will be a Q and A panel discussion moderated by Sebastopol City Council member John Eder. The panel includes Cindy Sage co-editor of the BioInitiative 2012 Report, Michael Neuert EMF electrician, Take Back Your Power director, Josh Del Sol, and EMF Safety Network director Sandi Maurer.

This is a great opportunity for people to learn why the City of Sebastopol and a dozen other cities and counties in California made Smart Meter installations illegal.

This event is a fundraiser for the film. Donations requested, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Take Back Your Power: The “Smart Meter” Agenda Unveiled

Wed. April 17 at 7pm

Sebastopol Center for the Arts (Veteran’s building) 282 High Street Sebastopol

Australia Smart Meter Forum: Wireless effects on health

From Stop Smart Meters Australia: “Nicole Bijlsma, author of Healthy Home, Healthy Family, a Building Biologistand founder of the Australian College of Environmental Studies, presented a moving account of the effects of increased electromagnetic radiation levels on the population and, in particular, on children. She said that our children are the “canaries in the mine”. Nicole pointed to overseas standards for radio frequency emissions which have been set at a fraction of our standards. She called for urgent action on smart meters, saying that smart meter emissions affect the population in their home, the one place in which children were able to rest and should be safe. Nicole said that already 30,000 papers have been produced on electromagnetic radiation in the last 30 years. “By the time the data is available [on smart meter effects], it may be too late.”

Harvard doctor warns against wireless hazards

The following is a letter sent to the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) from Martha R. Herbert, PhD, MD regarding wireless installations in LA schools.

TO: Los Angeles Unified School District

FROM: Martha R Herbert, PhD, MD

RE: Wireless vs. Wired in Classrooms

DATE: February 8, 2013

I am a pediatric neurologist and neuroscientist on the faculty of Harvard Medical School and on staff at the Massachusetts General Hospital. I am Board Certified in Neurology with Special Competency in Child Neurology, and Subspecialty Certification in Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

I have an extensive history of research and clinical practice in neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism spectrum disorders. I have published papers in brain imaging research, in physiological abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders, and in environmental influences on neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and on brain development and function.

I recently accepted an invitation to review literature pertinent to a potential link between Autism Spectrum Disorders and Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMF) and Radiofrequency Radiation (RFR). I set out to write a paper of modest length, but found much more literature than I had anticipated to review. I ended up producing a 60 page single spaced paper with over 550 citations.

In fact, there are thousands of papers that have accumulated over decades – and are now accumulating at an accelerating pace, as our ability to measure impacts become more sensitive – that document adverse health and neurological impacts of EMF/RFR. Children are more vulnerable than adults, and children with chronic illnesses and/or neurodevelopmental disabilities are even more vulnerable. Elderly or chronically ill adults are more vulnerable than healthy adults.

Current technologies were designed and promulgated without taking account of biological impacts other than thermal impacts. We now know that there are a large array of impacts that have nothing to do with the heating of tissue. The claim from wifi proponents that the only concern is thermal impacts is now definitively outdated scientifically.

EMF/RFR from wifi and cell towers can exert a disorganizing effect on the ability to learn and remember, and can also be destabilizing to immune and metabolic function. This will make it harder for some children to learn, particularly those who are already having problems in the first place.

Powerful industrial entities have a vested interest in leading the public to believe that EMF/RFR, which we cannot see, taste or touch, is harmless, but this is not true. Please do the right and precautionary thing for our children.

I urge you to step back from your intention to go wifi in the LAUSD, and instead opt for wired technologies, particularly for those subpopulations that are most sensitive. It will be easier for you to make a healthier decision now than to undo a misguided decision later.

Thank you.

Martha Herbert, PhD, MD

Pediatric Neurology

Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging

Massachusetts General Hospital

Harvard Medical School

Boston, Massachusetts

USA

Click here for Dr. Herbert’s letter:Harvard MD on Wi-Fi Health Effects

BioInitiative 2012 Report: new urgent warnings on wireless and EMF public health risks

A new updated BioInitiative 2012 Report says that evidence for risks to health has substantially increased since 2007 from electromagnetic fields (EMF) and wireless technologies/radiofrequency radiation (RFR). The report reviews over 1800 new scientific studies and includes 29 independent science and medical experts from around the world. Cell phone users, parents-to-be, young children and pregnant women are at particular risk.

Summary of Key Scientific Evidence:

Evidence for Damage to Sperm and Reproduction
Evidence that Children are More Vulnerable
Evidence for Fetal and Neonatal Effects
Evidence for Effects on Autism (Autism Spectrum Disorders)
Evidence for Electrohypersensitivity
Evidence for Effects from Cell Tower-Level RFR Exposures
Evidence for Effects on the Blood-brain Barrier
Evidence for Effects on Brain Tumors
Evidence for Effects on Genes (Genotoxicity)
Evidence for Effects on the Nervous System (Neurotoxicity)
Evidence for Effects on Cancer (Childhood Leukemia, Adult Cancers)
Melatonin, Breast Cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease
Stress, Stress Proteins and DNA as a Fractal Antenna
Effects of Weak-Field Interactions on Non-Linear Biological Oscillators and Synchronized Neural Activity

Cell and cordless phones linked to cancer

Lennart Hardell, MD at Orebro University, Sweden says, “There is a consistent pattern of increased risk for glioma (a malignant brain tumor) and acoustic neuroma with use of mobile and cordless phones.” He further states:

“Epidemiological evidence shows that radiofrequency should be classified as a human carcinogen. The existing FCC/IEEE and ICNIRP public safety limits and reference levels are not adequate to protect public health.”

A dozen new studies link cell phone radiation to sperm damage. Even a cell phone in the pocket or on a belt may harm sperm DNA, result in misshapen sperm, and impair fertility in men. Laptop computers with wireless internet connections can damage DNA in sperm.

Based on strong evidence for vulnerable biology in autism, EMF/RFR can plausibly increase autism risk and symptoms. ” While we aggressively investigate the links between autism disorders and wireless technologies, we should minimize wireless and EMF exposures for people with autism disorders, children of all ages, people planning a baby, and during pregnancy,” says Martha Herbert, MD, PhD.

Wireless devices such as phones and laptops used by pregnant women may alter brain development of the fetus. This has been linked in both animal and human studies to hyperactivity, learning and behavior problems.

There is more evidence than we need

“The last five years worth of new scientific studies tell us the situation is much worse than in 2007 and yet people around the world have so much more daily exposure than even five years ago. Exposures are linked to a variety of adverse health outcomes that may have significant public health consequences.” (Editor’s notes)

“There is now much more evidence of risks to health affecting billions of people world-wide. The status quo is not acceptable in light of the evidence for harm.” David O. Carpenter, MD, co-editor Bioinitiative 2012 Report.

This study covers EMF from powerlines, electrical wiring, appliances and hand-held devices; and from wireless technologies (cell and cordless phones, cell towers, ‘smart meters’, WI-FI, wireless laptops, wireless routers, baby monitors, and other electronic devices). Health topics include damage to DNA and genes, effects on memory, learning, behavior, attention, sleep disruption, cancer and neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s disease. New safety standards are urgently needed for protection against EMF and wireless exposures that now appear everywhere in daily life.

A new suggested RFR precautionary level

A reduction from the BioInitiative 2007 recommendation of 0.1 uW/cm2 for cumulative outdoor pulsed RFR down to something three orders of magnitude lower is justified in 2012 on a public health basis. A precautionary action level of 0.0003 uW/cm2 to 0.0006 uW/cm2 is suggested.

Applying a ten-fold reduction to the ‘effects level’ reported in short-term studies or studies on adults is intended to compensate for the lack of long-term exposure in a particular study, or to adjust for using adult studies in considering children as a sensitive subpopulation.

We hold their future in our hands

Acknowledgements for the report go to the “many independent scientists, researchers and experts who have labored, some for decades – many of whom are no longer with us – to bring this body of science into the public arena.”

Cindy Sage, Co-Editor of the report extends gratitude to her husband and family and “to Avery, Drake, Ford, Jenner, Luke, Solei, and all the children whose trusting faces remind us that we hold their future in our hands.”

Maternal Exposure to Magnetic Fields During Pregnancy in Relation to the Risk of Asthma in Offspring

The conclusions of the Li et al paper support an association between a mother’s magnetic field (MF) exposure during pregnancy and asthma in children born to those mothers. Here are some of the conclusions of the study.

“Our findings provide new epidemiological evidence that high maternal MF levels in pregnancy may increase the risk of asthma in offspring.” Children born to mothers who had a median daily MF exposure during pregnancy between 0.3 milligauss (mG) and 2 mG had a 74% increased risk of asthma. Children born to mothers who had a median daily EMF exposure during pregnancy over a 2 mG EMF had a 3.5-fold increased risk (a 350% increased risk) of asthma.

This study shows a statistically significant increased risk for asthma. Every 1 mG increase of maternal EMF level was associated with a 15% increased risk of asthma in the child. 1.15; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.04- 1.27). A dose-response is shown for increasing maternal MF during pregnancy and asthma in the off-spring.

Comments

This study is one more that underscores the importance of limiting exposures to elevated magnetic field (EMF) during pregnancy. There are so many studies that now document EMF exposures (using the all-inclusive EMF to cover both ELF-EMF and RF) to be potentially neurotoxic and genotoxic, we should actively be limiting indiscriminate and persistent exposure of families and their children to avoidable EMF.

Li et al previously published a study linking miscarriage to intermittent ELF-EMF exposures of 16 mG. A few years ago, Divan et al reported that maternal use of a cell phone during pregnancy was associated with increased risk of behavioral and learning problems in children of these mothers by the time the child was in primary school. Whether it is the ELF-EMF component, or the RF component of cell phone exposures isn’t known (it may be one or both). Whether it is a function of the exposure level on the fetus in-utero, or something about the mothers’ immune status as affected by the cell phone emissions is not known either. Johansson has published extensively on EMF/RF effects on the immune system.

Sage and Johansson published a paper in Bioelectromagnetics showing that cell phones and PDAs can produce excessively high ELF-EMF exposures when worn in the ON mode (on a belt, in a pocket, close to the body). These exposures were on the order of tens to hundreds of milligauss. Since the study did not discriminate between magnetic field exposure (EMF) and the possible presence of ‘dirty electricity’, (which Sam Milham and Magda Havas have reported to be associated with asthma in children), dirty electricity’ may be an important but unmeasured factor here. Future studies really need to address the ‘dirty electricity’ component of EMF.

Both ELF-EMF and RF are now classified as possible human carcinogens by the WHO IARC.

People need better information on EMF and health risks, so they can make educated choices about limiting exposures, if they wish to. People also need better informed decision-makers when it comes to new technologies that emit ELF and RF on a persistent and repetitive basis, so entire communities are not exposed to involuntary EMF exposures in daily life. There is more than sufficient evidence now to actively review where such exposures come from, what the alternatives are, and commonsense ways to improve the living environment (homes, schools, offices, healthcare facilities, etc) by making more informed choices.

Cindy Sage

[Cindy Sage, MA is the Science and Public Policy Advisor for the EMF Safety Network, Co-Editor Bioinitiative Report

Category: Resources