HHS-OASH-2026-0397-7061
https://www.regulations.gov/comment/HHS-OASH-2026-0397-7061

Thank you, Health and Human Services (HHS), for your Request for Information on Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs), Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation, and Wireless Radiation Exposure. This vastly overlooked health issue has negatively affected millions of Americans. My comments on this topic come from a few perspectives:

•	I served as a “well spouse” and caregiver for my husband, whose reactivity to EMFs was recognized in the early 2000s. 
•	I myself was injured by EMF exposures in 2012, around the same time that 4G came to our region and a WiMax community-wide WiFi system went live in our town. 
•	As a freelance journalist, I have researched and written about EMF health effects (see articles following comment) ¬— although my reactivity to EMFs has significantly limited my ability to work (I can no longer use computers directly and am dictating these comments via landline to a paid assistant who is typing and submitting them on my behalf). 
•	I have worked with and helped support non-profit organizations which educate the public about potential health risks of digital devices and EMFs. 

My husband’s case showed me some of the risks of EMFs. A hybrid car we bought in 2001 caused tingling in his feet until he shielded electronic areas of the footwells with a special metal. In 2002 a new laptop caused him irregular heartbeats; when he stopped using the computer his heart was fine. Entering WiFied buildings caused tingling, headaches, and other symptoms which diminished (but slowly) when he left those sites. Some medical help reduced these symptoms, but continued build-outs of wireless tech – forcing exposures on him even though he used no wireless tech himself – negated his progress, especially after the 4G rollout. 

In 2012, my own health crashed as 4G and a community-wide WiFi internet system went live in our town. While I'd sometimes felt headaches or burning sensations around devices before 2012, that year my reactivity to cell towers, WiFi, smartphones, and other devices became overwhelming. More and more quickly when exposed to wireless signals, I developed symptoms such as pressure headaches, brain fog, impaired speech, nausea, tinnitus, agitation, memory glitches, muscle pain, vision anomalies, and loss of coordination. My sleep was disrupted and I became extremely fatigued. I could no longer use computers and had to give up my work as a freelance writer. Some of my worst reactions occurred in doctors' offices as I sought solutions to my debilitated condition.

What helped me most was avoiding exposures. Luckily, our out-of-town home was and is in a relative dead zone, but when I started reacting to household electricity, I had to remove some faulty wiring and turn off half our circuits. Ever since, I've lived a low-electricity, no devices lifestyle. That and treating a few medical and genetic weaknesses have lessened my reactivity, but it has never gone away. If I get more than maybe two or three hours a week of wireless signal exposure, my reactivity again starts to increase. Taking anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories has helped me manage symptoms, but still, the best remedy I’ve found is avoidance of wireless signals and devices, even though this keeps getting harder.

Beyond the health issues due to EMFs, we now have many access issues. Neither of us can attend public meetings since almost all are held in WiFied spaces. Most travel facilities are WiFied and difficult for us to use. Schools, churches, hospitals, medical offices, libraries, and government offices are likewise difficult unless we can make quick in-and-outs (less than 5 or 10 minutes). Restaurants, theaters, and plane flights are too risky due to the longer times required to use them.

I am grateful that my family has accommodated us with device-free gatherings, but otherwise groups of people trigger reactions because they also tend to be groups of smartphones. COVID changed very little for us since by 2020, we were already accustomed to sheltering at home, keeping our distance from people and their devices.

My experiences and studies of this topic have convinced me that EMFs are biologically active and can harm people, plants, and animals at power levels well below those that heat biological tissues. Safety standards based on tissue heating need to be replaced with meaningful regulation of EMFs and restrictions on wireless radiation.

I am grateful that HHS is now examining this issue. I urge the Department to carefully review the health and environmental effects of wireless radiation, and ultimately take actions that will help to better protect the public and the environment from harm due to EMFs and especially wireless tech exposures.

Following these comments are two articles I have written about wireless tech. Included in them are references to scientific papers and other sources. I hope these help your efforts and look forward to the results.