A physician reports a spouse's EMR syndrome and patients' responses to exposure reduction, advocates lowe…

In as much as the Department of Health and Human Services has issued a request for input from the public on the health impacts of radiofrequency radiation, I am submitting my request that the RF limits be revisited and lowered in view of thousands of papers and studies indicating the adverse effects of RF on human, animal and plant health. (See the BioInitiative Report https://bioinitiative.org/) I am responding both as the spouse of an individual with electromagnetic radiation syndrome (EMR Syndrome) and as a medical professional. I am a family and emergency medicine physician, MD, with more than 40 years of experience. I have watched my wife suffer for years when exposed to electromagnetic radiation. Just going to church and being exposed to the Wi-Fi there and and cell phones of other church members will cause my wife to have a headache and brain fog for several days that does not respond to any analgesics. We keep our house level of electromagnetic radiation below 100 micro watts per meter squared, as measured by our Safe and Sound Pro II meter. We did this by hardwiring our home and keeping our cell phones on airplane mode with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth turned off. in addition, we keep our cell phones under a Swiss shield protective cloth which reduces any radiation that the phones might emit. We have no “Smart” appliances, In this environment, she does not have headache or brain fog. Every time my wife leaves home she is harmed to some degree. When she leaves the house to go to church or store or anywhere else, she wears a shawl that is 50% silver fibers to try to minimize her exposure. This it helps to some extent, but she still has to be careful and not spend any significant amount of time near cell phone towers or individuals who are on their cell phones. We have opted out from a smart meter to keep the radiation level low in our home. If we were to be forced to have a smart meter on our home, we would almost assuredly have to move because the radiation level would be harmful to my wife. My wife has been evaluated by neurology, ENT, and primary care physicians. she has had an MRI of her head as well as other diagnostic studies. The only treatment that has been helpful is avoidance of electromagnetic radiation. There is considerable scientific literature on EMR syndrome. An excellent review article is “Wireless technology is an environmental stressor requiring understanding and approaches in health care” McCredden, et al., Front. Public Health, 19 Dec 2022, https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.986315/full EMR syndrome is now recognized as a disability and has an ICD 10 billing code W90.0 for exposure to radiofrequency radiation. As an MD, I have watched patients with chronic medical conditions, such as autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, endocrine diseases etc, fail to respond to appropriate treatment until they reduce radiation level by turning off their Wi-Fi and cell phone antennas. Once they do this, their body can begin to heal. I also have a daughter who has ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. My research in peer review literature shows that this condition is associated with exposure to multiple toxins including electromagnetic radiation. By hardwiring her house and keeping cell phones out of her room, as well as addressing mold toxicity, heavy metal toxicity, glyphosate and other toxicities, her loss of function has now stopped for over a year. Health effects on children is extremely important. Numerous studies have shown that higher exposure to RF impairs learning. This is one review article that sites multiple studies that show adverse effects from radiation on children “Health effects of electromagnetic fields on children” Jin-Hwa Moon, Nov 2020 Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics 62 (11):422-428. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341653064_Health_effects_of_electromagnetic_fields_on_children Studies also show a relationship with emotional and behavioral problems in children who are exposed to radiation. An example study is “Prospective cohort analysis of cellphone usage and emotional and behavioral difficulties” Sudan, et al, J Epidemiology Community Health. 2016 Dec;70(12):1207-1213. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27217533/ WiFi and cell phones must be prohibited in schools to maximize learning and minimize behavioral problems. In view of the extensive scientific evidence, I strongly urge the Commission to find that the current RF limits are insufficient to protect human, animal, and plant health. The limits should be lowered to reflect the overwhelming evidence that exists of RF harms. Sincerely, David K Calderwood, MD 1313 Shadow Ridge Dr. SE Huntsville, AL 35803 256-883-8022