Canadian News reports an 81 year old’s refrigerator failed minutes after a Smart Meter was installed.
According to the article, his fridge was working fine, until the electric surge burned it out when the meters were swapped.
The installation company denied the blame. They offered no apology, and no financial compensation. Reports of similar problems can be read here.
Deborah Tavares, a leader in the nationwide Refuse Smart Meter movement, who owns property in Southern California, secured a metal locking ring around her analog meter to protect it from being replaced with a ‘Smart’ Meter. She also changed the lock on the cabinet where the meter was enclosed. Many people have taken similar action to protect their analog meters. Today, however, Southern California Edison (SCE) cut off both the cabinet lock and the analog locking ring, forcibly installing the new meter. Deborah said, ” This is tyrannical take over, a technocracy takeover- we are at war!”
SCE has been ordered to provide a delay list by the CPUC, but they have not complied.
Amy O’Hair investigates and measures pulsed radiation from a bank of 42 utility ‘smart’ meters installed below an apartment bedroom. The clicks you hear in the video indicate a transmitting pulse. The FCC safety standard for radiation exposure is for 30 minutes only. There are no long term safety standards for continuous exposure this couple now lives with. Resident Tom Rossi told Amy his wife has “weird, violent dreams”.
When asked what one thing he would say to PG&E, Tom responds, “I don’t want to be part of your experiment”.
“Smart Meters, Dirty Electricity and Disease” offers a simple explanation of dirty electricity and interviews Dr. Sam Milham, physician, epidemiologist and author of “Dirty Electricity” who talks about this in relation to the “dumb meters”.
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
On July 28, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) ordered utilities to install Home Area Network (HAN) devices and activate the second 2.4 ghz microwave antennae in the electric Smart Meter in 5000 CA homes. (P. 4 ” The decision orders PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E to each file a Tier 3 advice letter advice letter within four months to develop Smart Meter Home Area Network implementation plans specific to each. The plans must include an initial rollout of service to up to 5000 Home Area Network (HAN) devices that would allow HAN activation for early adopters upon request. … The full rollout shall require smart meters to transmit energy usage data to the home so that it can be received by a HAN device…”)
The industry/government partnered concept is that all new appliances will contain microwave antennas to operate in conjunction with the HAN, alerting consumers about their power consumption. What they don’t tell you is this HAN device will give utilities direct access into your home to turn on, or off your appliances, to control your electric use. What is not advertised is how the utilities will market data they collect from you to interested third parties, nor how microwave radiation was known to make people sick, is known to make people sick, is making people sick, and is now classified as a class 2B carcinogen by the WHO.
Will the utilities warn these 5000 homeowners of the health and safety risks of microwave radiation? NO they won’t. Will they investigate to see how near to the HAN or wireless meter people in the home sleep? NO they won’t. Will they inquire about age or immune sensitivity prior to installation of the HAN? No they won’t. Will they inquire about the use of other wireless medical devices? No they won’t. Will they disclose how often these microwaves will be transmitted, to and from the meter, HAN and appliances? No, they won’t. Will they prove that constant exposure to microwave radiation throughout your home is safe? No, they won’t. Meanwhile appliance manufacturers are gearing up to sell all new appliances with microwave transmitters to work with the HAN.
This directive to microwave 5000 homes was announced at the CPUC meeting, shortly after dozens of California ratepayers passionately implored the Commission to halt the radiation rollout. Speaker after speaker shared how the wireless meters were making them sick and even homeless. The first speaker stated that since the new meter was installed he was having headaches and President Peevey told him to talk to PG&E who were in the room and that they would help him. (really?) The last speaker stated he would help anyone who wanted to remove the meter and send it back to PG&E in pieces and he did not care if it was against the law, that he would do time for it.
Following pubic comments, Commissioner Simon expressed his disappointment in the industry and called on those who economically benefit from the technology to show up at public comments to educate the public domain (see 1:34:00 on the above referenced webcast) He said, “the public comment is very one sided…it puts me in a somewhat precarious position.”
President Peevey also stated his frustration over those opposing the meters and said, ” I think it’s kind of sad, that we had so many people here this morning talking to us about how this technology will allow people to know when they are doing their wash, and all that kind of stuff and they all walk out and have no interest in hearing us adopt something [privacy and security rules] that is fundamentally what they seek. It’s extremely frustrating, but I guess that goes with life in the fast lane and public service…” Then he laughs. President Peevey is ignoring the main reason people are speaking at public comments and asking for immediate relief, to have meters removed because they are making people sick.
The next opportunity to speak to the Commissioners is on August 18 at 9 am at the CPUC in SF. (505 Van Ness Ave.) Prepare a one minute statement. Bring a few friends- It’s going to take hundreds of people showing up and demanding a halt to this program.
Today a Wellington installers truck was effectively blocked and rendered incapable of deploying PG&E Smart Meters for several hours by a local Anchor Bay woman, Annie M.
Annie has been instrumental in educating her area about the hazards of the new PG&E wireless utility meters. She is in recovery from severe EMF sensitivity, and moved to Mendocino County this year to take refuge in a lower EMF environment. Talking about the incident she said, “I don’t want anyone else to feel like I did. While I am still feeling good, I want to do what I can to help people. I didn’t know what else to do.”
Mendocino County has banned Smart Meters by ordinance, however PG&E is disrespecting the law and deploying meters throughout the county.
The homeowner, who’s driveway the truck was blocked into called on the Sheriff to report the illegal meter installations and they were told to file a written complaint online. However, later the Sheriff warned Annie M. that blocking the truck was considered entrapment, although PG$E and Wellington declined to press charges.
The CPUC could prevent these confrontations by ordering a moratorium on the installation of the unpopular meters. 45 cities and counties in California have called for a moratorium and a dozen have banned them. At what point will the CPUC honor their mission to ensure safe utility service and regulate the utilities? For now, it’s the people vs. PG$E. This is a shameful situation.
