A physics teacher reports two daughters’ sensitivity to wireless exposure, withdrawal from school and act…

I am father to two daughters that exhibit high sensitivity and adverse reactions to emf exposure, specifically cell phone, cell tower, and wifi router radiation. I am grateful that the HHS has invited public comment on this issue. As a high school physics teacher for over 30 years, I was at first slow to believe that wireless radiation could cause non-thermal biological effects in humans. The alarming symptoms experienced by my daughters, however, challenged my assumptions. I spent over $1000 on various meters so I could take my own measurements. I understand that there has been a lot of scientific research on this subject and that many studies conclude there are no harmful effects from cell phones or cell towers. My own experience and that of my family convinces me that this conclusion is false. Microwave radiation can definitely have serious effects on some people. In order to protect my family from wireless radiation harms we moved out of Chicago and now live in a semi-rural area on 2 acres. We use only wired internet devices in the home. We have no wifi router or bluetooth devices. The average microwave density in our home is now under 1.0 microwatt per square meter as measured by a Safe and Sound Pro II RF meter (see attached image). In contrast, the level in the high school where I teach averages 4.6, and in the eldercare facility where my son works around 18 𝜇W/m2. (See attached images) My eldest daughter began showing symptoms during her junior year at public high school in Chicago. When in the school building, which had a high density of wifi routers installed throughout, she would gradually feel more and more ill with nausea, brain fog, weakness, and bloody noses. These symptoms quickly abated when she left the building. Her high school counselor discounted her complaints and suggested she seek psychotherapy. She tried toughing it out, wanting to finish her high school diploma, but the continued high exposure only made her sensitivity increase. Eventually she had to withdraw and complete her diploma as a homeschooler. Meanwhile, my second daughter also began exhibiting similar symptoms. She was already being homeschooled but very active in Chicago community extra curricular activities – theater groups, art classes, park district programs, and martial arts. Sadly, because of adverse reactions to the radiation exposure in these facilities, she had to withdraw from these activities one by one. Similar to her sister, her reactions to RF include brain fog, fatigue, loss of speech, joint pain, and heart irregularities. While the move out of Chicago and the removal of sources of RF from our home was a necessary and effective remedy for my daughters, their lives are severely limited. High levels of RF, over 100 𝜇W/m2, are now becoming ubiquitous. My daughters must carefully limit time spent in stores, urban centers, medical facilities, even church and peoples homes. In person higher education is not possible for them. Radiation free employment is extremely difficult to find. Surviving emf sensitivity is not only logistically difficult but also expensive. In order to avoid the radiation from a smart meter, which emits intense short pulses of emf energy, I have to pay the electrical company a “manual read fee” of $115.77 each month. (See attached electrical bill) This adds up to nearly $1400 per year, a ridiculously unfair penalty. Another source of emf radiation which my daughters react to are LED lightbulbs. These devices produce what is known as “dirty electricity” in the home circuits. It is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to purchase incandescent lightbulbs. The current federal rules prohibiting the manufacture and sale of incandescent bulbs needs to be repealed. I am very concerned for the future. If the spread of high radiation levels continues at the current pace, opportunities for a healthy life for people like my daughters will shrink ever smaller. I urge the HHS to take seriously the potential harms of RF radiation and pursue more independent research on this important issue.