ORIGINAL COMMENT · UNEDITED TEXT
I am very grateful that HHS is giving Americans an opportunity to share our personal experiences and concerns about RF radiation and electromagnetic fields. I appreciate the willingness to listen to the public and investigate questions that may have been overlooked or insufficiently studied. I am 29 years old, and until the past few years, I had always been an exceptionally healthy, active person. I have been athletic my entire life and loved exercising, being outdoors, traveling, and challenging my body. I have also always eaten a very clean, healthy diet and have been extremely proactive about taking care of myself. I was able to live a very active and full life. I was not someone who had a history of chronic illness. That is why the change in my health has been so shocking. After I had COVID, my health changed dramatically. It felt as though my Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which had previously been dormant, suddenly "turned on." I was diagnosed with EBV a little over two years ago, and since then I have experienced debilitating chronic fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety, significant neck and body pain, and what I can only describe as a constantly frazzled nervous system. I went from being a very healthy and athletic young woman to struggling to work normal hours and participate in many of the things that once made me feel like myself. I do not claim that COVID caused my EBV to reactivate or that EMF caused my illness. I understand that my experience does not establish causation. However, I believe the dramatic change in someone who was previously so healthy deserves to be investigated, especially when multiple environmental factors may be involved.
One thing I have personally noticed is that I seem to be sensitive to electromagnetic and wireless exposure. I have experimented with reducing my exposure in my home, and the difference has been significant enough that I feel compelled to share it. At night, I use a kill switch to turn off wireless and Bluetooth devices, including my Alexa and television. I use wired headphones instead of Bluetooth whenever possible, and I use a Faraday box over my smart meter. When I significantly reduce my wireless exposure, particularly at night, I feel noticeably better. My nervous system feels less overwhelmed and my body seems able to settle down more easily. I realize this is only my personal experience and that there may be other explanations. But I believe experiences like mine should be studied rather than dismissed. I would like to see more research into whether some people may be more sensitive to RF/EMF exposure than others, whether people with chronic illnesses may respond differently, and whether long-term, cumulative, real-world exposure is adequately represented in current research. While we are looking at environmental factors that may affect our health, I also hope we can investigate the bigger picture: highly processed foods, pesticide exposure and glyphosate, PFAS and other "forever chemicals," plastics, and the cumulative effect of being exposed to so many substances throughout our lives. I have always eaten very cleanly and taken care of my body, yet I am still exposed to environmental chemicals that are difficult or impossible to avoid. I would like to better understand what levels of these substances are actually accumulating in our bodies and what long-term, low-level exposure may mean for human health. I also hope there is continued independent research into microwave ovens, including both the radiation they emit and potential effects of prolonged proximity while they are operating. I understand that properly functioning microwave ovens are currently considered safe when they meet federal standards, but I believe it is reasonable to continue studying these questions rather than assuming everything has already been answered.
I hope researchers look at cumulative exposure rather than studying every environmental factor completely in isolation. We are surrounded by wireless technology, pesticides, plastics, PFAS, food additives, and many other environmental substances daily. We need to understand what years of combined exposure may mean for human health, particularly for people who develop complex chronic illnesses. I am not asking for predetermined conclusions. I am asking for these questions to be taken seriously and investigated with rigorous, independent research. I am grateful that HHS is creating a place for people like me to share what we have experienced. The past two years have been incredibly difficult. I know what it feels like to have a healthy, active body, and I desperately want to get back to that life—to exercise, work, travel, have a family, and feel like myself again. I hope listening to patients and investigating these environmental questions can lead to better research, greater transparency, and a healthier future for all of us and the generations that come after us.