ORIGINAL COMMENT · UNEDITED TEXT
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 am responding from the perspective of an individual and parent, concerned for each of us, for all of us, and for the natural world.
When I hold my cell phone, whether texting or talking, for any longer than a couple of minutes - I experience a sensation like an electrical current wherever it is in contact with my body. If the duration is longer, these sensations travel up my arm, or spread across my ear and skull. This has been happening ever since I purchased a smart phone (a good many years ago). I did not have these experiences with my first Nokia phone. When I am traveling, camping, or staying in places where cell phone signals are not as available, and where there is no wifi, there is a noticeable difference in my sleep, and my mind is often calmer and clearer. Over time, I have become increasingly avoidant toward my phone, simply because my physical experience of it feels like harm.
When these symptoms first began, I actually read through the instructions/disclaimer that came with my smartphone (in the tiniest print imaginable). It was recommended that your phone remain 5 feet away from your body to avoid using it in a way that may not be safe. This is not how people use their phones: they live in our hands, in our pockets, and against our head and ears. I don't think it is a leap to expect that any risks are greater to the smaller, still developing, bodies of our children.
We as a country seem to have lost our desire to balance risks & costs with technological development and profit. There is a palpable sense that most people in the tech industry have stopped valuing individual human life, and moreso just want reliable consumers. They make products (including apps and the devices themselves) that are addictive, and now are all but required for many to participate in education, banking, and business. Tech leaders talk about the benefits, but don't seem to care one bit that they are not often experienced by the wider public without significant costs to the basic health and quality of life of children and adults. Under the guise of improving life, digital systems are constructed and implemented primarily for massive profit without any real public consent. Data centers devour water, land, natural habitats, communities, and electricity, and cell phone towers are placed wherever they can be as laws are pushed that would prohibit any protest by homeowner, landowner, or collection of voices. This is not a direction of care or consent. It is a steamroller forward over whatever is in its way.
I support HHS taking an active role in examining existing and potential health and environmental effects of wireless radiation. Questions about human health should be addressed by federal agencies with appropriate expertise in medicine, biology, epidemiology, and public health, and the experiences of individuals and families who report being affected should be considered alongside the scientific evidence.
I urge HHS to carefully evaluate these experiences and the scientific evidence, identify gaps in current research, give particular attention to children and other potentially vulnerable populations, and establish appropriate federal research priorities regarding wireless radiation and public health.
Thank you for providing individuals and families with an opportunity to be heard.
