{"id":"HHS-OASH-2026-0397-0574","number":"0574","name":"W Meck","organization":"","posted":"2026-09-23T04:00Z","received":"2026-09-22T04:00Z","body":"I am submitting this comment in response to HHS’s Request for Information on Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs), Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation, and Wireless Radiation Exposure.\n\nI am responding from the perspective of a patient.  I am currently 75.  Around 2011 I experienced tinnitus in my right ear only.  I consulted an ear, nose, and throat doctor, who sent me for an MRI.  He said that one sided hearing loss could be caused by a tumor.  The MRI revealed that I had an acoustic neuroma.  These tumors are usually benign, but if they grow, they can require invasive surgery which can result in hearing loss, facial paralysis, and more.  These tumors take up to 10 years to form.  I started using a cell phone around 2001.  From the beginning, I believed that my tumor was caused by cell phone use.  I'm right handed, its my right ear, and I held my phone up to that ear for long periods of time talking to people long distance with that phone.  I was unaware of the radiation coming from cell phones.\n\nAt first I had an MRI with contrast yearly for 7 years.  That contrast was gadolinium which is a heavy metal.  I now regret complying with that requirement because of the possible health ramifications from heavy metals.  Current medical research indicates that the contrast is not required for MRIs of acoustic neuromas and my current doctor agrees.  Initially, it was very frightening to have a tumor in my head and I experienced anxiety about the possibility that invasive surgery might be required. \n\nWhen my tumor was diagnosed, the medical literature did not show a relationship between acoustic neuroma and cell phone use, but it does now.  Initially, my doctor did not attribute the tumor to cell phone use.  My current doctor does.  Yet, the general public continues to use these phones and to give them to their children to use with little understanding of the possible health consequences.  Now I often tell people about my tumor and the fact that research has proven that they are caused by cell phone radiation.  The public needs to know this and our government needs to protect American citizens from this danger, especially vulnerable children.  I do as much as I can to avoid exposure to radiation which is very difficult in a world where 5G is everywhere, xrays are often recommended, smart meters are forced on American citizens, etc.\n\nI was an academic librarian when I started to lose the hearing in my right ear.  That loss affected my ability to hear students who asked questions at the reference desk and to hear students during my presentations to classes.  I have difficulty hearing people speak when there is a great deal of background noise and this affects my relationships and ability to communicate.  I must position myself with my good ear closest to the person speaking in many situations in order to hear conversation.  Sometimes I stop trying to hear.\n\nFortunately, as soon as I stopped holding the phone up to my ear, my tumor stopped growing.  I have been watching and waiting for years now.  My doctor believes that my tumor will not grow and I can avoid surgery.  Others are not so lucky.  I have seen patients at support group meetings who have experienced facial paralysis as a result of their surgery.  \n\nI object to being exposed to more and more unchecked radiation in the world that we live in and believe that it is unconscionable that our government has not protected its citizens from this danger.  Data centers are springing up everywhere exposing the public to more and more technology and radiation.  Technology companies should have to prove that their products are safe prior to putting them on the market.  Instead, citizens are injured and must prove that the technology caused their injury.  How many of those children now using cell phones will have tumors like mine in 10 years or cancerous tumors as a result of cell phone radiation?\n\nTherefore, I wholeheartedly support HHS taking an active role in examining the potential health and environmental effects of wireless radiation. Questions about human health should be addressed by federal agencies with appropriate expertise in medicine, biology, epidemiology, and public health, and the experiences of individuals and families who report being affected should be considered alongside the scientific evidence.\n\nI urge HHS to carefully evaluate these experiences and the scientific evidence, identify gaps in current research, give particular attention to children and other potentially vulnerable populations, and establish appropriate federal research priorities regarding wireless radiation and public health.\n\nThank you for providing individuals and families with an opportunity to be heard.  I am very lucky that my tumor has only taken my hearing in one ear and has stopped growing.  Others will continue to experience these tumors until the health of American citizens is prioritized and companies are required to prove that their products are safe before they can sell them.","attachments":[],"attachment_inventory":true,"withheld":false,"source":"https://www.regulations.gov/comment/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-0574","tags":["cancer-tumors","child-development","health-experiences","exposure-places","research-evidence"],"source_hash":"03d4d159ded33c70d94ec1614ea4a10a661f0f2cd0a02cfab0b91abe9c3462b7","slug":"cancer-tumors-comment-0574","classification":{"id":"HHS-OASH-2026-0397-0574","body_sha256":"da3c427529367bdef03dfac6eb02b03173e5e52f8a3f7fa0728697d5eda55a0c","status":"ai_reviewed","primary_topic":"cancer","topics":[{"id":"cancer","evidence":"acoustic neuroma"},{"id":"neurological","evidence":"hearing loss"},{"id":"access","evidence":"affects my relationships and ability to communicate"},{"id":"occupational","evidence":"hear students who asked questions"},{"id":"children","evidence":"vulnerable children"},{"id":"standards","evidence":"prove that their products are safe"},{"id":"research","evidence":"identify gaps in current research"},{"id":"smart-meters","evidence":"smart meters"}],"summary":"Reports an acoustic neuroma and hearing loss attributed to cellphone use, describes occupational and social effects and monitoring, and requests public education and stronger protection for children.","reviewed_at":"2026-09-23T15:03:52Z","review_method":"ChatGPT full source-text review of September 23 11 a.m. export","review_source_sha256":"e07bb890bb09c1f9b07876bbb3e75a329a1ed447560688fecd62dea6e7b8e662","source_url":"https://rfsafe.net/hhs-comments/data/catalog.json","scope":"Original comment body; attachments excluded"},"forum_topics":["cancer","neurological","access","occupational","children","standards","research","smart-meters"],"primary_topic":"cancer","forum_title":"Reports an acoustic neuroma and hearing loss attributed to cellphone use, describes occupational and soci…"}