Reports cognitive impairment and marked sensitivity to wireless sources, compares symptoms with different…

Individual consumer / patient (age 59, Ashland City, Tennessee area) who has experienced symptoms associated with RF/EMF exposure from mobile phones, Wi-Fi, smart meters, and 5G. I am 59 years old. My cognitive decline began when I was 55. Prior to that I was sharp, owned and ran a complex and successful business on Maui, and had no difficulty learning or retaining information. Since onset I have experienced extreme brain fog, a severely compromised ability to perform basic problem-solving, and an extremely limited short-term memory that has made me virtually unemployable—I can no longer learn and retain new things. I have had an MRI and cognitive performance testing; the results indicated early-onset Alzheimer’s. These symptoms have improved dramatically in the last two years only after intensive healing protocols. This was not the case prior to roughly 2021. I have always been highly sensitive to EMF frequencies and Wi-Fi, and I am especially sensitive to 5G. Enabling 5G on my phones quickly makes me feel sick, and I can notice when I am near a 5G tower. For this reason I always disable 5G. I used an iPhone 7 for many years and upgraded to an iPhone SE (3rd generation) in 2024. With both of these phones I could feel the radiation. The longer I held either device, the more severe the sensation became. Both caused strong aching in my hand and arm; after prolonged use this often progressed to tingling and/or numbness. The symptoms were noticeable during ordinary use and worsened with longer holding times. In 2026 I upgraded to an iPhone Air. I have noticed a significant improvement: much less of the radiation sensation and substantially reduced hand and arm pain when holding the phone. I still notice some effect, but it is markedly milder than with the older models. I never hold any phone to my ear and always use speakerphone. Published SAR values (U.S. FCC, averaged over 1 gram of tissue, cellular transmission) for these models are approximately: iPhone 7: Head ~1.11–1.19 W/kg, Body ~1.14–1.19 W/kg (varies by specific model) iPhone SE (3rd generation): Head 1.20 W/kg, Body 1.20 W/kg iPhone Air: Head 1.19 W/kg, Body 1.19 W/kg (cellular-only) Despite the similar official peak SAR numbers, my real-world experience of reduced sensation and pain with the Air has been consistent. This suggests that other design factors (antenna placement, power management, or everyday transmission behavior) may matter for sensitive individuals. My wife and I both use our phones many hours a day; her job requires extensive phone use. To reduce overnight exposure I keep my phone at least two to three feet from my body while sleeping and sometimes place it in Airplane mode. We live in an apartment building. Our Wi-Fi router is located in the closet in my wife’s bedroom because that is the only place the cable enters the unit. She rarely can sleep past about 2 a.m. She then remains awake—though exhausted—from roughly 2 a.m. until 5 or 6 a.m., after which she falls back asleep until her alarm only out of pure exhaustion. The amount of make-up sleep is woefully insufficient. This chronic sleep disruption has been extremely hard on her overall health and has resulted in permanent bags under her eyes. I am concerned that prolonged close proximity to the router may be contributing. I am also very affected by smart meters. A bank of approximately a dozen smart meters (one for each apartment) is mounted on the exterior wall immediately outside my bedroom. The only mitigating factor is a walk-in closet between my bedroom and that exterior wall; the added distance makes the exposure more tolerable, but it remains noticeable. Combined with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 5G, and other sources, these create a continuous “soup” of RF/EMF exposure that warrants further study. I lived on Maui, Hawaii, through early 2020. Maui was one of the last counties in the U.S. to receive a commercial 5G upgrade, and 5G was not present there during the time I lived on the island. After relocating, my cognitive problems began around 2021–2022. Given my extreme sensitivity to EMF/RF, the timing of these symptoms relative to increased exposure after the move is concerning to me, even though I cannot prove a direct causal link. I am grateful that Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and HHS have opened this Request for Information to examine potential health effects of EMF and RF frequencies, including real-world experiences of sensitive individuals and cumulative exposures. Further research into device design differences, smart meters, residential Wi-Fi, and vulnerable populations is needed.