{"id":"HHS-OASH-2026-0397-4505","number":"4505","name":"Victoria W","organization":"","posted":"2026-10-24T04:00Z","received":"2026-10-16T04:00Z","body":"Dear Department of Health and Human Services Officials,\n\nI am writing as the sister of a nurse whose health and life have been profoundly affected by exposure to man-made electromagnetic fields (EMF) and radiofrequency radiation (RFR). I have seen the toll these challenges have taken on her and her family. I urge you to take seriously the experiences of people reporting electromagnetic sensitivity and investigate the potential health effects of our increasingly wireless environment.\n\nMy sister is an RN, BSN, with 19 years of experience in ICU, case management, and integrative wellness. She began to experience health issues after Wi-Fi was introduced in her ICU workplace and nurses were required to wear body-mounted wireless communication devices throughout their shifts. Wireless exposures also increased in her neighborhood around the same time. She began experiencing headaches, burning and ringing ears, head pressure, and a wired/shaky sensation. Her previously mild, intermittent supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) worsened dramatically, and she developed non-sustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT). She subsequently developed mast cell activation syndrome.\n\nA day spent at a remote state park without cellular service or Wi-Fi brought striking relief from her symptoms. She repeatedly compared how she felt at the park, at work, and at home, and used an RF meter to assess environmental exposures. Sure enough, her symptoms and heart rhythm disturbances were associated with her increased exposure at work and in her neighborhood. Ultimately, she had to leave her in-hospital nursing career to protect her health.\n\nAs her sister, it has been deeply troubling to see someone with so much medical experience, compassion, and dedication forced to make such life-altering decisions. She and her family made enormous financial sacrifices to find a place where she felt better. They purchased land and downsized to a small, older home near the state park, where they could reduce exposures and obtain an electric utility arrangement permitting smart-meter opt-out. Even with these sacrifices, finding a suitable environment was difficult and expensive. Many Americans simply cannot afford to leave their jobs, relocate, or purchase lower-exposure homes.\n\nNo one should have to choose between earning a living and protecting their health, or between access to essential services and the ability to reduce exposures they believe are making them ill. Families should not bear the entire financial and personal burden of finding solutions to potential environmental health problems.\n\nI urge HHS and lawmakers to take the following actions:\n\nInvestigate potential health effects. Support rigorous, independent research into non-thermal effects of RFR and extremely low-frequency electric and magnetic fields, including possible cardiac, neurological, oxidative stress, mast-cell-related, and metabolic effects such as insulin resistance.\n\nReassess exposure standards. Review current safety limits in light of the full scientific literature, including research on biological effects beyond tissue heating, cumulative exposures, long-term effects, and vulnerable populations.\n\nProtect people in essential environments. Evaluate wireless exposures in hospitals, schools, workplaces, and residential neighborhoods. Provide lower-exposure spaces and practical alternatives for people reporting electromagnetic sensitivity, without requiring them to sacrifice employment, education, or medical care.\n\nProtect informed choice. Support reasonable smart-meter opt-out provisions and alternatives to unnecessary wireless technologies, where technically feasible, without undue financial penalties or loss of essential services.\n\nListen to researchers and affected individuals. Invite independent scientists, medical professionals, and people reporting symptoms to testify. Review the BioInitiative Report (https://bioinitiative.org/) and consider inviting its contributing researchers and Andrew Marino, MD, PhD, to discuss research concerning RFR and electric and magnetic fields. I am also concerned about the implications for children and future generations. Wireless technology is increasingly present in schools, hospitals, homes, and public spaces. We need responsible investigation and evidence-based safeguards rather than assuming existing standards address every possible risk.\nI recognize that my sister's experience alone cannot establish scientific causation. However, her experience deserves serious consideration alongside the broader scientific literature. People reporting these symptoms deserve compassion, appropriate medical evaluation, research, and environments safe for their health.\n\nPlease use your authority to ensure HHS thoroughly investigates these concerns, supports independent research, and develops evidence-based policies that protect public health without placing the burden of exposure avoidance solely on affected individuals and their families.\n\nThank you","attachments":["https://downloads.regulations.gov/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-4505/attachment_1.pdf"],"attachment_inventory":true,"withheld":false,"source":"https://www.regulations.gov/comment/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-4505","tags":["child-development","health-experiences","biology-metabolism","exposure-places","policy-standards","research-evidence"],"source_hash":"0d72d2a38f6effd35cb4c50d3a67d38964df1c980b3b32852b489907041484dc","slug":"child-development-comment-4505","classification":{"id":"HHS-OASH-2026-0397-4505","body_sha256":"2dc9b77cc489b19f8ba7e4fecb05cb71a2bee36570b08e5ce8e620a898529fac","status":"ai_reviewed","primary_topic":"occupational","topics":[{"id":"occupational","evidence":" She began to experience health issues after Wi-Fi was introduced in her ICU workplace and nurses were required to wear body-mounted wireless communica"},{"id":"cardiac","evidence":"sensation. Her previously mild, intermittent supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) worsened dramatically, and she developed non-sustained ven"},{"id":"neurological","evidence":"around the same time. She began experiencing headaches, burning and ringing ears, head pressure, and a wired/shaky sensation. Her previously mild"},{"id":"ehs","evidence":"eriously the experiences of people reporting electromagnetic sensitivity and investigate the potential health effects of our increasingly"},{"id":"access","evidence":" in her neighborhood. Ultimately, she had to leave her in-hospital nursing career to protect her health.\n\nAs her sister, it has been deeply troubl"},{"id":"smart-meters","evidence":"n an electric utility arrangement permitting smart-meter opt-out. Even with these sacrifices, finding a suitable environment was "},{"id":"standards","evidence":"tabolic effects such as insulin resistance.\n\nReassess exposure standards. Review current safety limits in light of the full scientific li"},{"id":"research","evidence":"nvestigate potential health effects. Support rigorous, independent research into non-thermal effects of RFR and extremely low-frequency elec"}],"summary":"The commenter describes a nurse’s worsening neurological and cardiac symptoms with workplace wireless exposure, resulting career loss and relocation, and requests research, revised limits, accommodations and fair smart-meter alternatives.","reviewed_at":"2026-10-24T20:09:12Z","review_method":"Full comment-text review with exact source evidence; attachments not reviewed","review_source_sha256":"f149a2bf8ddb4696b37b66ccdc70d4a5a15de73582b4b0a2c5835323f28c3c78","source_url":"https://rfsafe.net/hhs-comments/data/catalog.json","scope":"Original comment body; attachments excluded"},"forum_topics":["occupational","cardiac","neurological","ehs","access","smart-meters","standards","research"],"primary_topic":"occupational","forum_title":"The commenter describes a nurse’s worsening neurological and cardiac symptoms with workplace wireless exp…"}