Occupational exposure

Docket No. HHS-OASH-2026-0397 To Whom It May Concern; My full comment is attached as a PDF. This note summarizes it. I am a retired paramedic and firefighter with over thirty years of service. I worked in fire stations that had commercial wireless antenna arrays mounted on the building. I am not reporting an adverse health effect and I have no diagnosis to attribute to that exposure. What I am submitting is an exposure characterization and a research gap. Career fire service personnel do not visit the station, they live in it. They sleep there, in a fixed location, for twenty-four and forty-eight hour shifts, across careers measured in decades. Where a commercial base station sits on that building, the result is a continuous, fixed-geometry, decades-long exposure to a population that occupies the structure far more hours per year than an ordinary workplace and is unconscious for a large share of them. They fall under the general public exposure limit, which was built around a public assumed to be passing through. Under Section 704 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 their employer is barred from declining the installation on health grounds. In August 2004 the International Association of Fire Fighters adopted Resolution No. 15, asking the federal government for a study "with the highest scientific merit and integrity" contrasting firefighters housed in stations with towers against firefighters without that exposure. It committed the organization to set policy in accordance with whatever the study found. The study was never funded and no federal agency has conducted it. I held elected office in that organization on both sides of that date, and no study came. The federal fire service assessment answering that request, the U.S. Fire Administration's 2008 Executive Fire Officer paper, rests on an evidence base that predates the IARC Group 2B classification of 2011, the National Toxicology Program's finding of clear evidence of carcinogenic activity in 2018, the Ramazzini Institute's independent base-station-model replication in 2018, and the D.C. Circuit's 2021 holding in Environmental Health Trust v. FCC that the Commission failed to justify retaining its 1996 exposure limits. It has not been revisited in eighteen years. I am asking the Department to fund and conduct that cohort study, to characterize aggregate occupational RF dose across the fire and EMS environment, to assess the ambulance patient compartment as an RF environment with attention to implanted cardiac devices, and to recommend mandatory pre-activation and post-activation RF survey with disclosure to the personnel assigned to those buildings. The attached comment answers Questions 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 15, 16 and 17, with citations. Thank you for the opportunity to comment. Michael T. Wilson Carson City, Nevada Retired Paramedic and Firefighter

I am commenting as an individual, family member, and electrical engineer. My wife has developed an extreme sensitivity to RF emissions with increasing impact on her life. As an engineer, I have been able to validate this through direct experimentation. In a blinded fashion, I turned on the 5G cellular band on a modern iPhone on and my wife reported and rapid onset headache. I then turned off that band and she reported the headache went away. I did this multiple times, including experiments where I never actually changed the setting, and in all cases the headache correlated with turning on the 5G band and abated when it was off. This is a conclusive result that her physical pain is correlated to the proximity to a 5G radiator. In addition, when we are within line of sight to a modern cell tower, she will frequently experience pain and discomfort until we are a significant distance from the tower. This limits her ability to have a routine, pain-free existence and is particularly problematic for office work, travel, etc. These RF fields do not elicit the same response on me as I can directly attest when doing these experiments. My direct experience shows that certain individuals are much more sensitive to RF energy that others. To force someone to endure pain and discomfort simply because they are in a minority or that sensitivity is hard to identify and quantify is inappropriate and a violation of her rights as a citizen. I would strongly encourage additional, objective, blinded research on RF sensitivity as I described above to provide the necessary evidence to guide limits on wavelengths and power levels that are allowed to be used broadly.

I upgraded my router to 5gz wifi over the course of weeks i was finding i was not getting good sleep, i thought maybe it was the wifi? I turned off the wifi and my sleep improved. I tested this to make sure by turning it back on and my quality of sleep deteriorated. Since then i have abandoned wifi in my home to maintain better sleep and hardwired my home. i have read the work of Becker and a book of dirty electricity, i also have removed the LED lights from my home as they too were messing with my sleep. I have also changed to a job where no phones are aloud which has also helped my health and i get less ringing in my ears which i often get in town centers. The safe limits are based on heat and the idea that harms begin at ionizing radiation like switch is absurd when you consider the laws of physics and the electrical interference that will naturally occur within our bodies when nonnative EMF is introduced. There are thousands of studies on the harms of EMF on the BIOINITIATIVE website, it very clear that none native EMF is very harmful. I believe our institutions are captured by corporations and greed and have incentives to keep kicking the can down the road on this issue not to mention the governments interest in harvesting data and surveillance to the point i think even this survey will be rigged and we progress further with these toxic technologies.

I am submitting this comment in response to HHS’s Request for Information on Electromagnetic Fields (EMFs), Radiofrequency (RF) Radiation, and Wireless Radiation Exposure. I'm responding from the perspective of a concerned citizen who has experienced firsthand the effects of cell tower radiation. In 2015 I worked for 6 weeks in a building with a cell tower on the back. I had worked there previously, and noticed nothing for the first 4 weeks. But then I began to notice strange things. My feet would tingle as soon as I entered the building. I experienced extreme muscle weakness in my eyes, and would have to close my eyes despite not actually being sleepy. On several such occasions I felt electric shocks pass through me (dirty electricity from the equipment?). On one occasion I had the bizarre sensation that my chair dropped away from under me, then came back up and slammed me in the butt! I developed a hand tremor I'd never had before. For several months afterward I'd get sudden tremors racking my body, out of nowhere. I had frequent dizzy spells, felt weak and was afraid to drive long trips for fear of blacking out in my car. My swallowing reflex was slow on one side and I was afraid of choking. I developed weakness in my hip muscles and lower back (worst when the barometric pressure was low), and would feel like I was going to collapse. I also developed restless leg syndrome which has not completely gone away. This was a day job and just for 6 weeks. What happens to people who live near a cell tower 24/7? (Truly horrific things from what I've read -- one woman suffered 51 strokes, and for others it's a-fib, heart palpitations, chest tightness or outright heart attacks, not to mention headaches, dizziness, nausea, sleep disturbance, nosebleeds, and cancer.) Smart meter radiation (same type of radiation) has been shown to rip and slash the red blood cells of anyone standing near one for just 2 minutes, whether the person felt anything (e.g. tingling) or not. I've opted out of a smart meter, but have had bad experiences in homes with smart meters -- violently increased heart rate, or sudden exhaustion and hunger ("hangry" doesn't begin to describe it). This radiation is a serious threat to the health of all of us, and must be addressed. The experiences of all who have been affected need to be considered alongside the scientific evidence. Thank you for providing individuals and families with an opportunity to be heard. Sincerely, Debra Kohn dmk7779@gmail.com

I am submitting this comment to share my personal experience with symptoms that appeared to be strongly associated with electromagnetic-field and wireless exposure. A couple of years ago, I developed severe brain fog. It became so bad that I genuinely worried I was developing dementia. I occasionally teach classes and webinars, and I had to write out exactly what I planned to say because I could suddenly lose my train of thought, forget what I was discussing, and not know how to continue. Around the same time, my hair began falling out in clumps in the shower, with noticeable thinning around my hairline. I also developed severe low-back pain. It became so debilitating that I often needed help getting out of bed and getting dressed. I could walk after moving around for a while, but working became very difficult. I am self-employed and had to significantly reduce my schedule. I could no longer even walk my dogs normally. I tried many approaches and doctors to determine what was wrong. I used over-the-counter and prescription medications, physical therapy, bodywork, had an MRI, and underwent PRP treatment. My MRI did not show findings that seemed consistent with the severity of my pain, and nothing gave me any relief. Eventually, I came across information discussing EMF exposure and symptoms such as neurological problems, fatigue, and pain. I did not immediately assume EMFs were causing my symptoms, but I decided to investigate my environment. I hired a building biologist to measure my home and help reduce stronger exposures. One finding involved electrical interference in the wall directly behind the head of our bed. We turned off the breaker to that wall as we did not need electricity there while sleeping. I also turned off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on my phone and in my car. This was particularly important because I drive extensively for work. Before making these changes, I would often arrive at appointments with severe brain fog and fatigue and need approximately 30 minutes before I felt normal again. I also began turning off WiFi in our home at night before bed. This change was the most remarkable. Literally the next morning after the first night of turning off Wifi, the severe low-back pain I had experienced for approximately one year completely disappeared. I got out of bed normally and experienced zero pain. I could not believe it. This was even tested as about 3 weeks after we began turning off WiFi, one night my husband forgot to turn it off unbeknownst to me. That night I didn't sleep well and the next morning I could barely get out of bed again. Once he saw this, he became a believer and never forgot again. At the same time, my brain fog lifted dramatically. I could again have normal conversations without long pauses, losing my train of thought, or forgetting what I was saying. Looking back, I realized that my health deterioration began approximately one week after our home WiFi was changed from cable service to fiber-optic internet with a new wireless setup. I cannot prove which aspect of that change was responsible, but the timing and subsequent improvement after reducing electrical and wireless exposure were significant to me. I am substantially better today, but I still notice symptoms with certain exposures. I avoid using my laptop while it is plugged in. If I use it for too long, especially later in the day, my fingers can develop an intense burning sensation while touching the keyboard or trackpad. I have also noticed that my former back pain can begin returning after spending extended periods in environments with a great deal of wireless or electrical equipment. Several months ago, I spent most of a day in a hospital while my husband underwent surgery. By the end of the day, the familiar back pain was beginning to return. After leaving that environment, it subsided. I had also received a COVID-19 vaccination before these problems developed. I cannot say whether vaccination had any relationship to my later sensitivity, and I am not claiming that it did. I do believe the timing is worth documenting and studying. Before these symptoms, I also routinely worked with my laptop directly on my lap and gave little thought to cumulative technology exposure. I have since changed the way I use technology considerably. I am sharing my experience because the relationship I observed between reducing exposure and the improvement in my symptoms was profound. I encourage HHS to investigate EMFs, radiofrequency radiation, cumulative wireless exposure, and whether there may be susceptible individuals who experience neurological, musculoskeletal, or other symptoms at exposure levels considered acceptable for the general population. For people who experience symptoms like mine, this can significantly affect their ability to think clearly, work, drive, exercise, and function normally. I hope personal experiences like mine will be considered alongside laboratory and epidemiological research.

I’ve been a belive of this technology is dangerous to living beings. I did not let my daughter have a cell phone I Until she was older than most kids. I also dated a piolet who trained in sim for American Airlines. He would have personally changed after each time he teach classes in the sim. I think laying a computer on your lap cuts sperm. Electronics make kids angry messes with eyes. I’m sure it does damage to humans or any animals or birds exsposed to the towers or electronics. I’m old enough to know. When I was a kid I would get sick everytime I went to visit my auntie who lived in new London conn. It was a submiren base. When I went to California years later I got sick everytime I’ve stayed next to camp penialton and tgen I lived on Oahu was sick all the time as well. Some people belive others don’t. I know throw experience thatwifi electronics give off more radation make me sick.

I worked in a major FAANG company hardware lab that tested a popular device you speak to and developed severe EMF sensitivity working in this lab. My coworkers one had multiple Brian tumors and another one in his 30’s suddenly died. Many employees on this team developed health issues during their time working on these projects and didn’t attribute the high levels of RF and EMF exposure to be a contributing factor. I still suffer when around electronic devices over 12 years later and it’s a very hard health condition to not only manage but even describe to the public or health professionals because they will literally label you as a nut case or tinfoil hat wearing person rather than understand the gaps in our knowledge with EMF’s and biology and worse it’s incredibly hurtful and dismissive to someone who is suffering and laying in bed instead being with their family and a productive member of society. It’s very isolating without having reliable science that links exposure to harm. Our FCC guidelines are a joke compared to countries that take RF exposure seriously. The fact they haven’t been re evaluated in decades shows that the FCC controls policy and public safety isn’t take seriously. If you discount any EMF study that isn’t industry funded then you find over 72% of them find biological harm. And even more importantly we have no studies that replicate real life situations like a class room full of phones with a strong WiFi access point over the students heads and no understanding of the impacts on children. Thank you for taking the lead to shine a light and hopefully provide better science and understanding around this very serious issue.

CA firefighters are legally exempt from having small cells and macro towers built at their stations because of the documented, permanent brain damage it caused. Here is the link to the medical documents that were submitted to the FCC for public comment regarding the study and SPEC brain scans of these firefighters. The document was too large to include as an attachment, so please copy and paste the link. file:///Users/nakuin/Downloads/Written%20Ex%20Parte%20Comments%20NPRM%2025-276%201-18-2026.pdf Their symptoms and experiences start on page 31. Below is an excerpt from the study. “Their symptoms included: Headaches Extreme fatigue Cognitive impairment Anesthesia-like sleep where the men woke up for 911 calls "as if they were drugged. Inability to sleep Depression Anxiety Unexplained anger Immune suppression manifesting as frequent colds and flu-like symptoms Real-life examples of these symptoms are best briefly characterized by: 1) Firefighters got lost on 911 calls in the town they grew up in on several occasions. 2) In one instance, four firefighters sat in the rig in a stupor with the alarm sounding in the background, unable to remember how to start the engine. 3) A medic with 20 years of experience who had never made a mistake forgot basic CPR while resuscitating a coronary victim. The brain scans of these men revealed two things: Parts of the brain showed reduced blood flow known as hypoperfusion, suggesting compromised function in these particular areas. Other parts of the brain showed a pervasive hyper-excitability of the neurons, suggesting exposure to RF radiation was causing the neurons to continually fire in these areas without the benefit of rest. When neurons (brain cells) cannot rest, they ultimately die." If our firemen are exempt from this, our children and families should be too. This equipment does NOT belong at schools nor near homes.

In a classroom with a wifi router, my students and I were tired. I felt ill. Then, our district's internet system was hacked and we were without the internet for three months. My worst behaved and emotional special ed students calmed down. They became focused. Students no longer complained about physical discomfort. When the internet was restored the chaos and emotional issues returned. Now, we just returned from living in Netherlands. We were amazed to see the number of 5G, 6G towers/boxes. No wildlife, the plants were weak and sparse. As soon as we drove out of Netherlands and the concentrated radiation, we felt as if we just left a prison, we no longer felt oppressed. After a four day excursion in France, we discovered we HAD energy. A lot of energy. We began to pay attention. There was wildlife and the fields and gardens were prolific as opposed to Netherlands and Belgium. There were insects, too! We spent a lot of time in France because we felt restored there. We felt healthy and had energy. We were happy.

My name is Samantha Perez. Let me summarize my experience and how I have become Electrical Hyper Sensibility: I had been experiencing a certain sensitivity to mobile phones for years (mainly loud ringing in my ears and tingling in my hands when holding the phone, but nothing worrying), but in January 2023 I started feeling sick (with up to 14 different physical symptoms (cumulative over the weeks). The triggering cause: working for seven months underneath the photovoltaic panels we installed at home in June 2022 (my office is directly underneath them). In March 2023, I contacted the Spanish association for people with Electro hypersensitivity and I went to see a doctor in Barcelona (one of the few specialists in Spain), who diagnosed me with Central Sensitivity for EHS due to overexposure to EMFs (I also had a mobile tower close to my home impacting my bedroom directly). From April 2023 onwards, I took drastic measures regarding everything related to Wi-Fi/internet/electrical systems (switched off the photovoltaic panels, shielded walls, and carefully controlled my environment in terms of exposure to electromagnetic waves and electric and magnetic fields) and full body detoxification and strengthen my immune system. It took me over a year for the symptoms to gradually disappear. The symptoms are entirely functional: when I am exposed to EMFs, they appear; when I am not exposed for a prolonged period, they disappear. At present, I experience symptoms when exposed: fatigue, bloating, the metallic clicking sensation, discomfort in the lymph nodes, swelling behind the knee, loud ringing in my ears. But my life has become more limited, as I have to avoid certain places and specially phone towers. I became for life “allergic to EMF”. I urge a solution at least to avoid more people becoming sick without knowing. New tech can´t play with our health. Thank you.