Smart meters are the way of the future. While streamlining lives they may do other things that are considerably more serious, and a lot less positive with possible long term consequences to your health. Before allowing a meter to be installed at your house there are some serious health concerns connected with these meters that you should be aware of.
Smart meters use Radio Frequency (RF) to transmit the information. RF are waves that oscillate within the frequency band used by cell phones, extending up to 400GHz. This means that it operates well above audio frequencies and just below infrared frequencies. They function like cell phones, continually ‘talking’ not only to the local cell phone towers but also other smart meters that are in the vicinity, in a technique referred to as a mesh.
Energy that comes from RF waves comes as electromagnetic waves, which is the basis of radios.
But you read radio and think ‘well that means that it’s safe for me right? I listen to the radio all the time, so it must be ok!’
Well, not really.
The World Health Organization classifies RF as a 2B carcinogen, same as DDT and lead. Military studies….show pulsed radiation can cause serious health problems, including tinnitus, memory loss and seizures. Thousands of studies link biological effects to RF radiation exposure, including increased cancer risk, damage to the nervous system, adverse reproductive effects, DNA damage, and more.
Did that get your attention?
RF waves don’t generally cause bodily harm to your skin, but they can cause internal cell damage and something called an RF burn. Behaving like microwave ovens they heat up your tissues and depending on the power density and proximity can pose a concern. These smart meters put out a significantly high power density that is much greater than that of your cell phone or household wireless router which aren’t near you all day.
“Tissue damage in humans could occur during exposure to high RF levels because of the body’s inability to cope with or dissipate the excessive heat that could be generated.”
–FCC
- The two areas that are most vulnerable are the eyes and testes due to lack of constant blood flow available to disseminate the heat.
“Laboratory experiments have shown that short-term exposure (e.g., 30 minutes to one hour) to very high levels of RF radiation (100-200 mW/cm2 ) can cause cataracts in rabbits. Temporary sterility, caused by such effects as changes in sperm count and in sperm motility, is possible after exposure of the testes to high-level RF radiation (or to other forms of energy that produce comparable increases in temperature).”
–FCC
These are much higher levels than what many individuals are exposed to – these studies referencing individuals who work near AM and FM radio and TV transmitter towers and cell phone towers. However, the question of long term exposure to RF waves, such as these meters will have – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, raises many unknown questions. Some homeowners have the electrical meters on the side of the homes, and in some cases they may be only a few feet from bedrooms and sleeping positions. This would create prolonged, exposure overnight, 8 hour or more, to very signifiant RF density levels.
One question can be how much energy an individual will be absorbing. Where will you meter be located? Is it near the first floor where you don’t spend so much time? Is it right outside your bedroom?
Vulnerable groups can be those who have medical and technical implants, like pacemakers, tinnitus, children, pregnant women and just the general environment around the meters.
Smart Meters have also been shown to mess with heart rhythms.
Please Note:
With no attempt to be a definitive or a complete source of information here are some of the issues and considerations that residents should know regarding smarts meters. Citizens4USR are not experts and aim to raise awareness, share information and keep readers alerted to the issues. Information will be added as available and additionally readers are invited to comment and share information – which will appear in comments and relevant information will be added to the post. There is a lot of information out there, and some of it comes from sources that might not be as factual or unbiased as they could be. Wherever possible articles and information have been sourced aiming for impartial, factual based information. As always – please be aware.
As always this is a case for homeowners to consider and weigh up the information. The pros and cons are considerable and don’t assume that because it is the way of the future it is right. Do your research and be an informed consumer.
For additional information, please check out the following links to completely inform yourself.
Hazard of RF Electromagnetic Fields
I think we should get a petition of all the residents in Upper Saddle River present this list to our mayor and our Council as our wishes to ban smart meters from our town entirely. If citizens opt out individually it will still affect others adjacent to each home. There is no room in this day in age with this kind of research and this kind of history that we should be settling for this. As other towns have done in other states we should do the same ban it completely from our town.
Interesting idea. We will draft a post and put it up and see where it goes. Thank you for the comment!
Being a broadcast journalist, a main concern for me has always been…How do we, the people, protect ourselves from the constant assault on our bodies by all the electromagnetic pollution coming at us from EVERYWHERE … through chemtrails, nanites, psychotronics, Wi-Fi, cell phones and so much more……Smart meters are just part of a much bigger threat…… We all must take charge of our health and find out how to best shield our our bodies and our homes….We cannot just wait for government officials to take action…action that may never come….. Activism is very important…but, also, please protect yourselves!!!!……..I have interviewed many experts on how to bes shield oneself……..I would be very happy to speak with anyone interested in the data I have gathered
Agree that we all need to be responsible for ourselves, we cannot rely on elected officials or business. This might be something worth investigating for a future post. Thank you for your comment.
a little knowledge is a dangerous thing
much of this article is about high intensity rf, which can cause burns but not cancer
this is irrelevant as smart meters and other electronics in your house do not produce anything near high intensity rf
studies of links between rf and cancer are at best inconclusive
most studies of normal rf exposure have yielded no cancer link
a few studies have shown a small correlation between brain cancer and very high levels of cell phone use
correlation does not imply causation
the who classification of 2b means that a cancer link is possible but inconclusive
other substances that have a classification of 2b include grilled food and pickles
ddt and lead are dangerous substances, but not because they cause cancer
rf exposure falls off exponentially with distance and is blocked by walls
smart meters are farther from you and shielded by more walls than other devices in your house
smart meters transmit infrequently, often just for a few minutes per day
courts have generally accepted that smart meters are not a health risk
take care
“Generally accepted that smart meters are not a health risk” – that shows that they are not in total agreement. While the level coming from the meters is much lower, walls do not fully stop the waves. If you have a meter near your bedroom, potentially near your bed, you are within the 6 foot radius in which the RF waves are emitted. These meters haven’t been around long enough to test the long term effects of RF. RF does cause burns but it has also been linked to cancer – whether it causes it or supports the growth of cancer, no one has the answers to. Even with the few studies that showed small correlation, yes, it may not be causation, but it could be the decision between having cancer and not having cancer for someone who is on the brink of naturally getting there.
As these meters haven’t been around long and there have been no long term studies in reports to low levels of RF 24/7 a day near a person, for 365 days a year, we are essentially willing to become guinea pigs for these meters. We have no knowledge as to what it could do do us, and for us, based on the conversations with others, we are not willing to take that risk. So respectfully, I disagree.
However, thank you for your comment and feedback.
science works by consensus, not absolute unanimity
the consensus is that rf does not cause cancer
studies have been done involving millions of people over a decade or more of time
all have found no link between moderate rf exposure and cancer
humans have been harnessing rf since the 1800s
cellular phones were commercialized in the 1980s
there is nothing special about the rf emitted by a smart meter
your cellular phone and wireless router are constantly emitting identical radiation
it is likely that you would get a significantly smaller exposure from a smart meter
you are free to take whatever position you want
why not base it on science though
provide real information from peer reviewed articles and cancer organizations
and stop conflating high intensity rf with the levels emitted from a smart meter
much of your article pertains to rf burns that a smart meter cannot cause
Interesting points but there does seem to be significant evidence that they aren’t harmless. Just depends on where you look. People can do their research and make their choice. You may be happy with them, but thousands aren’t. You might like to check what the American Caner Society says on the subject specifically:
If you are happy to be a guinea pig it is your choice, but some would rather ere on the side of caution.
Thanks again for visiting and commenting.