{"id":"HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5546","number":"5546","name":"Frédérique Laffont","organization":"","posted":"2026-10-27T04:00Z","received":"2026-10-19T04:00Z","body":"My name is Frédérique Laffont. I am a French woman, born in 1967, and I have been living with what is commonly referred to as electromagnetic hypersensitivity, or electrosensitivity, for many years.\nI am submitting this testimony because I believe that the experiences of people affected by this condition deserve to be heard, taken seriously, and investigated through independent scientific research.\nIn 1993, France Télécom provided my partner and me with a Nokia mobile phone at no cost. At the time, we lived in Paris and worked in photography, film, and communications. My understanding was that this was part of an effort to assess how the public would respond to this new technology.\nAs my partner worked from home, I was the person who used the phone most frequently, both at work and in the car. I had access to it until 1999, after which I also used a mobile phone through a paid subscription for professional purposes.\nAround 2002, I installed Wi-Fi in my home.\nIn 2006, I began experiencing a range of health problems: tinnitus, circulatory problems, headaches, dizziness, digestive difficulties, sleep disturbances, unusually dry skin on my face, and unexplained itching.\nAt the time, I did not understand what might be causing these symptoms.\nOne day, a friend complained about the cables she needed for her internet connection. I suggested that she use Wi-Fi instead. She refused, explaining that she did not want to expose her three-year-old daughter, Jasmine, to it.\nHer response made me curious. I began searching the internet for information about the possible dangers of Wi-Fi. I came across descriptions of symptoms similar to mine.\nI decided to remove Wi-Fi from my own home and return to a wired internet connection.\nThe improvement was almost immediate. After nights spent unable to sleep, I was finally able to sleep again. The unexplained itching I had been experiencing also disappeared.\nApproximately three weeks after I had switched off my own Wi-Fi, my neighbour, who lived directly above me, installed his own internet router. Until then, I had been sharing my internet connection with him, so he had not needed to pay for his own subscription.\nHis new router was located directly above my bedroom, and he left the Wi-Fi switched on.\nWithin three days, my sleep problems returned. Once again, I was unable to sleep.\nI used my computer to search for nearby Wi-Fi networks and identified my neighbour's network. I contacted his partner and explained what was happening. They subsequently switched off their Wi-Fi.\nI then regained normal sleep.\nFor me, the sequence was striking: I had experienced an almost immediate improvement after switching off my own Wi-Fi; my sleep problems returned shortly after a new Wi-Fi source was activated directly above my bedroom; and I regained normal sleep after my neighbours switched theirs off.\nI understand that my personal experience cannot, by itself, establish scientific causation. Nevertheless, these events were clear and deeply significant to me. They have shaped my understanding of my condition and my need to avoid certain electromagnetic exposures.\nI have also experienced episodes of severe dizziness. I remember one occasion particularly clearly. I was speaking to my friend Laurence on a cordless DECT telephone when she told me that she was pregnant. I suddenly became so dizzy that I nearly fell.\nI have also repeatedly noticed changes in my tinnitus in relation to my surroundings. When I am near certain mobile-phone base stations, I perceive very high-pitched sounds. These sounds cease when I move away.\nMy condition has profoundly restricted my life. I avoid public events, concerts, cinemas, and restaurants whenever possible. Social activities can be difficult, and I have increasingly withdrawn from social contact in order to avoid suffering.\nI have also had to stop flying because air travel makes me suffer to much.\nI have noticed a striking difference between two cars. My own car is a petrol-powered Mercedes coupé from 2002. My husband's car is a Mercedes B-Class from 2008, with more electronic equipment, including an automatic start-stop system that switches off the engine when the car stops at a traffic light.\nOn longer journeys in his car, I suffer from severe pain in my knees and chest. I do not experience the same thing in my own car. These differences are part of what I have learned to pay attention to in my daily life.\nI now spend very little time in Paris. When I visit, I can generally manage for about two weeks, but no longer. This limitation affects my freedom of movement and my ability to maintain an ordinary social life.\nThank you for your attention. Let us hope that protecting the population, and above all children, will become a priority.\nFrédérique Laffont\nFrance","attachments":[],"attachment_inventory":true,"withheld":false,"source":"https://www.regulations.gov/comment/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5546","tags":["child-development","health-experiences","sleep-cognition","exposure-places","research-evidence"],"source_hash":"4671ec5b426b331fedcb8cec328a22a32b8f26c4eb499f5f3ac6d65d518f13c3","slug":"child-development-comment-5546","classification":{"id":"HHS-OASH-2026-0397-5546","body_sha256":"442a333eae0af7f8884ba874c4fddfbaebfd902fa6e997f50909d5944c5b7612","status":"ai_reviewed","primary_topic":"ehs","topics":[{"id":"ehs","evidence":" living with what is commonly referred to as electromagnetic hypersensitivity, or electrosensitivity, for many years.\nI am submitting this tes"},{"id":"wifi","evidence":"ns of symptoms similar to mine.\nI decided to remove Wi-Fi from my own home and return to a wired internet connection.\nThe "},{"id":"neurological","evidence":"the Wi-Fi switched on.\nWithin three days, my sleep problems returned. Once again, I was unable to sleep.\nI used my computer "},{"id":"access","evidence":"order to avoid suffering.\nI have also had to stop flying because air travel makes me suffer to much.\nI have noticed a str"},{"id":"optical","evidence":"emove Wi-Fi from my own home and return to a wired internet connection.\nThe improvement was almost immediate. After nights spent unable"}],"summary":"The commenter identifies longstanding electrosensitivity, describes sleep changes associated with switching household and neighboring Wi-Fi on and off, and reports tinnitus, dizziness and limits on travel and social activity while acknowledging personal experience alone cannot establish causation.","reviewed_at":"2026-10-27T23:26:06Z","review_method":"Full comment-text review with exact source evidence; attachments not reviewed","review_source_sha256":"54d828bb5a3430ac485ab171bea942dd0cd4fbaa7a9de8b7f181c2b0c8434dff","source_url":"https://rfsafe.net/hhs-comments/data/catalog.json","scope":"Original comment body; attachments excluded"},"forum_topics":["ehs","wifi","neurological","access","optical"],"primary_topic":"ehs","forum_title":"The commenter identifies longstanding electrosensitivity, describes sleep changes associated with switchi…"}