In 2017, Dr. David Carpenter MD, Dr. Magda Havas, and Dr. Lennart Hardell wrote letters to each of the utility commissions that oversee Duke Energy (emphasis added).
We, the undersigned, are scientists and health professionals who together have co-authored many peer-reviewed studies on the health effects of radiofrequency radiation (RFR). We are aware that the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is considering a proposed smart meter opt-out fee from Duke Energy. Smart meters, along with other wireless devices, have created significant public health problems caused by the radiofrequency radiation (RFR) they produce, and awareness and reported problems continue to grow. With Duke Energy being America’s largest utility provider and, consequently, having the largest potential smart meter implementation reach, it is imperative that the [] Commission […] be fully aware of the harm that RFR can cause and allow utility customers to opt out of smart meter installation with no penalty….
[W]e urge the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio to reject any fees or tariffs associated with smart meter opt-out and allow citizens to opt out without penalty.
Comparing Smart Meters to cell phones, they said:
• Smart meters operate with much more frequent pulses than do cell phones, increasing the potential for adverse health impacts.
• Smart meter pulses can average 9,600 times a day, and up to 190,000 signals a day. Cell phones only pulse when they are on.
• Cell phone RFR is concentrated, affecting the head or the area where the phone stored, whereas smart meter RFR affects the entire body.
• An individual can choose whether or not to use a cell phone and for what period of time. When smart meters are placed on a home the occupants have no option but to be continuously exposed to RFR.
They focused on the problem of electromagnetic sensitivity (EMS) also known as EHS.
While the strongest evidence for hazards coming from RFR is for cancer, there is a growing body of evidence that some people develop a condition called electro-hypersensitivity (EHS). These individuals respond to being in the presence of RFR with a variety of symptoms, including headache, fatigue, memory loss, ringing in the ears, “brain fog” and burning, tingling and itchy skin. Some reports indicate that up to three percent of the population may develop these symptoms, and that exposure to smart meters is a trigger for development of EHS…
There are a number of double-blind studies which clearly show that some people with EHS will develop symptoms when exposure to RFR is studied in a double blinded experimental protocol, in which the subject do not know whether or not the RFR is being applied. These individual are not suffering from a psychosomatic disease, but rather one that is induced by the exposure to RFR.
They emphasized three fundamentals:
The adverse health impacts of low intensity RFR are real, significant and for some people debilitating. We want to stress three fundamentals as your agency proceeds to consider a smart meter opt-out:
• The Federal Communication Commission’s safety standards do not apply to low intensity RFR.
• There is no safe level of exposure established for RFR.
• People around the world are suffering from low intensity RFR exposure, being at increased risk of developing both cancer and EHS.
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Letters February 3, 2017
Authors:
Dr. David Carpenter, MD, (Director, Institute for Health and the Environment, University at Albany, State University of New York)
Dr. Lennart Hardell, MD, PhD (Professor, Department of Oncology, University Hospital, Orebro, Sweden)
Dr. Magda Havas, BSc, PhD (Environmental and Resource Studies, Trent University, Canada)
https://smartmeterharm.org/2021/01/16/health-experts-urged-a-free-opt-out-for-duke-energy-customers/
