Project Censored 2013: #14 Wireless Technology a Looming Health Crisis

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Project Censored educates about the importance of truly free press for democratic self-government.  They expose and oppose news censorship and promote independent investigative journalism, media literacy, and critical thinking.

Founded in 1976 at Sonoma State University in California, they annually publish 25 top independent news stories that have been either ignored, misrepresented, or censored by corporate media; and they investigate hot topics in journalism and politics.

Story #14 for 2013 is ““Looming Health Crisis: Wireless Technology and the Toxification of America”.

Project Censored introduction to the article: “As a multitude of hazardous wireless technologies are deployed in homes, schools, and workplaces, government officials and industry representatives continue to insist on their safety despite growing evidence to the contrary. Extensive deployment of “smart grid” technology hastens this looming health crisis.

By now many residents in the United States and Canada have smart meters—which transfer detailed information on residents’ electrical usage back to the utility every few minutes—installed on their dwellings. Each meter has an electronic cellular transmitter that uses powerful bursts of electromagnetic radio frequency (RF) radiation to communicate with nearby meters, which together form an interlocking network. Such information can easily be used to determine individual patterns of behavior based on power consumption.

Utilities sell smart grid technology to the public as a way to “empower” individual energy consumers, allowing them to access information on their energy usage so that they may eventually save money by programming “smart” (i.e., wireless-enabled) home appliances and equipment to run when electrical rates are lowest. In other words, a broader plan behind smart grid technology involves a tiered rate system for electricity consumption that will be set by the utility, to which customers will have no choice but to conform.”

Read the story: James F. Tracy, “Looming Health Crisis: Wireless Technology and the Toxification of America,” Global Research, July 8, 2012.  

Stick it to the Man: Smart Meter and Wireless Warning Stickers—Order Yours Today!

From Stop Smart Meters!

Picture-1Due to popular demand, Stop Smart Meters! has created warning stickers to spread awareness about the hazards of ‘smart’ meters and other wireless technology.  Much appreciation goes out to Zavier Cabarga for the design work.

 

WK-StickerWhat you don’t know CAN hurt you!  By raising awareness with these visible and bold stickers, we hope to encourage people to take action to make their families and communities safer, and stand up for their rights.

The stickers are printed on high quality vinyl.  They are easy to peel, scratch-proof, weather-proof, sun-proof, and last outdoors for 3-5 years.

Disclaimer: It is your responsibility to ensure that you affix these stickers in a legal and safe manner.  Stop Smart Meters! is not liable for any misuse of these stickers. 

For sizes, cost, and ordering information go to: http://stopsmartmeters.org/2013/10/09/stick-it-to-the-man-stop-smart-meters-launches-smart-meter-and-wireless-warning-stickers-order-yours-today/

“FAT ERROR” Edison estimates smart meter bills

Originally posted in the Santa Barbara Review
written by Loretta Redd PhD 9/10/2013

A few months ago I received my monthly bill from Southern California Edison, and noted with equal parts suspicion and delight that the amount owed was $0.00.

Curiosity led me to check my newly installed Smart Meter which displayed a message among the flashing, repeating numbers:  ”FAT ERROR.”

I didn’t know whether the error was overweight or Edison was now monitoring my caloric intake via its microwave technology, but if it resulted in free power while my lights still functioned normally, who was I to call and report it? After all, they were the ones who insisted all this fail-safe, energy saving transmission be done without two-legged “meter readers.”

Today, a young technician in an Edison van came to my door, stating that my meter had to be replaced due to a “fatal error” message, resulting in the loss of transmission capability since June 26th.  That explained the zero sum billing, but I was curious as to what might have caused the Smart Meter to dumb down after installation.

His reply was refreshingly forthcoming.   Actually innocent in a way, because none of the upper level management at Edison, the Public Utilities Commission or the manufacturer whom I contacted admitted to knowing anything about the Smart Meters failure rate.

The technician went on to disclose, “These meters are failing left and right.  In fact, they’ve brought me and four of my buddies in from Indio to help with the replacement.”

“Really?” I noted with curiosity, sensing a story brewing, “And why do you think they’re failing?”

“Not sure,” he replied, “but they’re made by Landis + Gyr, which is a pretty good company;  only these E130 FOCUS meters were all manufactured in Mexico.”   He explained that the failures were a result of spikes in the readings.  “Rather than a consistent pattern of 3, 6, 4, 6, 3, 7,” he said, “there would be a sudden spike of something like 22,000, so then an error message is transmitted to the main frame.”

After hooking some wire connectors to his laptop computer, he replaced the meter ‘face’ with one made by Itron, which interestingly had a prominent “USA” stamped on the front label.  After the technician departed, I started a Google search for information and began calling around the black hole of gargantuan corporations to find someone willing to discuss this problem.

The Public Relations officers from neither Landis +Gyr nor from Itron returned my inquiry. But my computer search uncovered that Landis + Gyr has produced over 300 million meters in over thirty countries, employs over 5,000 people and has sales of $1.5 billion.  They indeed have a “manufacturing high volume” plant in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

On the Itron website, interestingly, they heralded the joining of Itron with Landis + Gyr for “Product Integration Projects” such as the “Data Unification and Synchronization System,” which connects the communication technology of Landis with the systems analysis of Itron.  Titans of industry joining forces for a global installation of new energy data-transmitting  systems…

and we thought the NSA was big.

Indeed, when I checked the meter of a friend in Goleta, I found the Itron symbol at the top, and the Landis + Gyr at the bottom.  It wasn’t labeled “USA,” so I’m not sure of its manufacturing origin, but hopefully it won’t suffer from the Mexican meltdown problem or Fatal Error disruption apparently plaguing our area.

I use the term “meltdown,” because in my research, I came across not only the usual conspiracy articles on Smart Meters’ electromagnetic fields frying our brains and resetting our pacemakers, but an entirely different problem in Pennsylvania (PECO Energy,) where overheating and melting had occurred as a suspected result of arcing and spiking.  To my dismay, these were SENSUS meters, made by General Electric, and their installation had been stopped in 2012 while they replaced 1.6 million residential and commercial meters.

Whoa. Now we’ve got non-transmission for months at a time, and potential for fire as well??

I was relieved and pleasantly surprised when, by the end of the day, representatives from both the California PUC and SoCal Edison had returned my calls.

Ironically, I received my electric bill in the mail while waiting for those calls.

Total amount due:  $84.41.  On page 1 of my 10-page Edison bill, the “Summary of your billing detail” included the two prior months of meter readings in the amounts of $42.49 and $41.92.

Oh well, so much for “free” electricity…but how would they possibly know the number of kilowatt hours I had used, if in fact the meter had not been functioning since June 26th?  While Mr. Miller from the PUC insisted that the front page of the bill clearly stated this was an “estimate,” I insisted otherwise, and read him the text verbatim.

Finally, on page 5 of 10, in small italic type, the word “estimated” appeared for the first and only time.   The estimated amount owed for each month, according to Mr. Miller, was based on prior years’ use.  If you are a new owner, I’m not quite sure what they use as a baseline.

I thought it was weird that the two months’ estimates would be close but still different, even when SoCal Edison was completely guessing the kilowatt hours I would have used.  In fact, I was out of my home for most of July…but without transmission of electrical data, how on earth could I ever prove a lower usage?

Indeed, how can the consumer challenge the amount owed, or verify any of this data anymore?

I would suggest we pay closer attention to the “new technology” which was purported to be a “self-management tool” for us in energy usage and conservation.  I hope my life is never so boring as to have sufficient time to go “online” and monitor my electrical usage, but I admit that I’m more inclined now than ever.

What really troubles me is that The Gas Company slipped an announcement into last month’s billing that they, too, would soon be attaching “smart meter” technology to their existing system.  I haven’t inquired about the risks of “spiking” with pressurized gas lines, but it could just give “fatal error” a whole new meaning.

Smart Meter Film- Take Back Your Power- Watch NOW!

Take Back Your Power, Josh Del Sol’s full length documentary film on Smart Meters is now available to watch online (72 hr. rental) or purchase.

Take Back Your Power

Utility companies are replacing electricity, gas and water meters worldwide with new generation “smart” meters at an unprecedented rate. Take Back Your Power investigates the benefits and risks of this ubiquitous “smart” grid program, with insight from insiders, expert researchers, politicians, doctors, and concerned communities. Transparency advocate Josh del Sol takes us on a journey of revelation and discovery, as he questions corporations’ right to tap our private information and erode our rights in the name of “green”. What you discover will surprise you, unsettle you, and inspire you to challenge the status quo.

Dr. Ronald Powell: “Smart Meters are a community concern”

Dr. Ronald M Powell, PhD in applied physics from Harvard wrote:  Biological Effects from RF Radiation at Low-Intensity Exposure, based on the BioInitiative 2012 Report, and the Implications for Smart Meters and Smart Appliances

This is an important document to read and to bring to policy makers.

Dr. Powell’s Biological Effects Chart was produced from a review of the medical research literature on the biological effects of electromagnetic fields (BioInitiative.org). He concludes the following five points:

  1.  The current FCC Maximum Permitted Exposure (MPE) limits are so high that they provide no protection for the public from the biological effects found in any of the 67 studies.
  2. New biologically based RF exposure limits proposed in the BioInitiative 2012 Report are 1 million times lower than current FCC limits and would protect against the biological effects found in nearly all of the 67 studies.
  3. A single Smart Meter on a home can produce RF exposure levels that caused the biological effects found in either most or many of the 67 studies, depending on the distance from the Smart Meter.
  4. A single Smart Appliance in the home can produce RF exposure levels that caused the biological effects found in nearly half or fewer of the 67 studies, depending on the distance from the Smart Appliance. Multiple Smart Appliances in a home multiply the total exposure.
  5. A single Smart Meter on a nearest neighbor’s home can produce RF exposure levels that caused the biological effects found in many of the 67 studies. A given home may have one to eight nearest neighbors, each with a Smart Meter, multiplying the total exposure in the given home.

“Smart Meters are a community concern, not just an individual concern.”-Ronald Powell, PhD Applied Physics

The section on neighbors meters, and how smart meters are a community concern is especially relevant as policy makers decide how to proceed with solutions.  Here’s an excerpt of his paper:

A Single Smart Meter on a Neighbor’s Home Can Produce RF Power Density Levels Shown to Cause Biological Effects

For some locations in a given home, the distance to a neighbor’s Smart Meter may be less than the distance to the resident’s own Smart Meter. Thus, a neighbor’s Smart Meter may be the principal source of radiation for some locations in the given home. The Biological Effects Chart shows that a single Smart Meter can produce RF power densities found to cause biological effects even at distances greater than 20 meters, and certainly up to 100 meters. And the number of neighbors within that range can be large. A given single-­‐family home in a residential community may have one to eight nearest neighbors, and even more next nearest neighbors, all within 100 meters (328 feet) of a given home, and each with a Smart Meter.

The problem of exposure from the neighbors’ Smart Meters becomes more serious as the distances between adjacent homes, and thus the distances between adjacent Smart Meters, get smaller. So, generally speaking, residents of townhouses will receive more radiation from their neighbors’ Smart Meters than residents of single-­‐family homes. And residents of apartments will receive even more radiation from their neighbors’ Smart Meters, depending on the location of the Smart Meters in the apartment buildings.

So Smart Meters are a community concern, not just an individual concern. To resolve the problems of RF exposure for a given home, it will be necessary to address all of the Smart Meters near that home. Smart Appliances, too, contribute to this concern. While, individually, they have a lower RF power output than a Smart Meter, the Smart Appliances of neighbors can also increase the RF exposure in the given home.

Fortunately, some states have offered an individual OPT OUT from the installation of a Smart Meter. While such an OPT OUT is very helpful, and is definitely the vital first step, the data on biological effects discussed here suggest the limitations of such an OPT OUT in resolving the problem of excess radiation from Smart Meters. There is no substitute for a roll back of all Smart Meters at the community level, or higher.”

“There is no substitute for a roll back of all Smart Meters at the community level, or higher.”-Ronald Powell, PhD Applied Physics