Smart meters

I am a resident of Hurricane, Washington County, Utah, diagnosed with electromagnetic radiation (EMR) syndrome / electromagnetic hypersensitivity. I ask HHS to treat wireless infrastructure and smart utility meters as a public-health issue, not only an FCC engineering issue.I use a landline and wired Ethernet and have shielded my home, yet I remain isolated. Symptoms include loss of balance, headaches, chest pain, anemia, elevated blood sugar, hypotension, increased heart rate, insomnia, worsening autoimmune problems, and repeated infections. Outdoor walking and medical visits are difficult. Hospitals I have used offer no low-EMF accommodations.I paid $228 plus $22 a month to opt out of the electric smart meter. That meter produced average wiring interference above 1,650 mV; an analog meter later measured about 20 mV, but I was charged $380 and $48 a month. The water district refused a medical opt-out. Neighboring meters and Wi-Fi reach my property.A cell tower was placed next to my home on Water Conservancy District land without notice or environmental review, then expanded to additional antennas and 5G. After activation in 2013, cell service fell from about four bars to none or one. The FCC did not investigate. Copper landline service is no longer maintained and is unusable.A visitor’s pacemaker failed on our tennis court but worked in our shielded home. My husband’s Inspire implant did not work at St. George Regional Hospital. Neighbors have reported cancers, heart attacks, and other illnesses they associate with the tower or meters. I do not claim proven causation; I ask HHS to investigate.Please support: updated non-ionizing exposure limits; independent pre- and post-market health testing; non-punitive analog/noncommunicating meters, including water; notice and health review before tower siting or 5G upgrades; wired phone and internet options; and low-EMF clinical accommodations.Rosemarie Russell, 854 W 3390 S, Hurricane, UT 84737

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 my own experience. I chose to write as wireless radiation has been affecting me since a SMART meter was attached to my house in 2015 without my explicit consent. We mitigated the best we could after I began suffering from severe headaches and heart palpitations. Both prevented me from getting restorative and rejuvenating sleep. In addition, I began noticing similar symptoms when using my cell phone and when using Wifi. The symptoms only got worse with the introduction of 5G. Again, we have done the best to mitigate and rely on Ethernet cables over using Wifi at home. It is now so bad that I wear protective clothing which doesn't seem to do much. I limit my time on the computer and rely on my landline phone when at home. It is proving difficult for me to fully enjoy my life without fear of being bombarded when out in public, eating at a restaurant, going to a movie theater, taking the bus, flying in a plane. I often feel trapped in my house. I support HHS taking an active role in examining the 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.

In 2001, Andrew and his newlywed wife moved into a newly constructed home. After about 6 months, they both experienced headaches and an intense fatigue everyday around 5-7pm, showed signs of discoloration under and around the eyes and burning on the skin. Andrew had became electrically sensitive (ES) to everything electrical in the home including cell phones, WiFi, bluetooth and outside TV/radio and cell towers. They began to suspect that the radio tower across the street might have been the cause. Electrical engineer and EMF specialist Charles Keen (emfservices.com) just happened to be driving from Florida through the state the following day. We began our discovery with him and learned about the wiring problems and code violations in our home in addition to the nearby tower radiation levels. For example, Charles found 9V of electricity in the bed which explained the crawling sensation on Andrew's face at night and fans, outlets, panels and other incorrectly wired devices created magnetic fields across the living areas. Repairing the home wiring helped reduce some symptoms, but it was too late. Moving at the 2 year mark to another home wasn't enough to eliminate the pain, headaches and fatigue from a different radio/TV tower or the electric fields from basic home wiring. We moved again to an apartment while looking for the 3rd home. Finally, after finding a home in 2006 that seemed to satisfy all the basic tower minimum readings, living in this new environment led to the discovery of even deeper home wiring issues and grounding problems that my body was becoming sensitive to. Despite seeing every medical professional available specializing in anything related to the symptoms, things became worse. Doctors tried heavy metal chelation therapy, UV blood treatments, Neurological testing, herbal and vitamin therapies, etc., etc. Finding his brother's dairy raw colostrum seemed to help the most, Andrew put up a website to alert others of this unique condition and its pitfalls. Andrew had also been hiring EMF experts like Karl Riley to come and troubleshoot the home wiring problems and had gradually acquired a number of meters and a personal preference to tracing techniques. Being ES, he was aware of some problems that were not being typically traced. His full time career as a professional musician (principal horn of the NC Symphony) became exceeding difficult to perform with this condition (around wi-fi, cell phones, poor electrical wiring) and in 2007 changed to teaching music at UNC at Chapel Hill. The ADA wasn't much support in helping substantiate his condition but through numerous meetings and presentations was able to work out an arrangement with management and tech staff to turn off the wi-fi emitters in his teaching locations. Around 2008, he began receiving calls related to the new radiation producing electric meters. Using his meters and skills learned to help himself, he began helping others reduce their pain by locating and shielding various sources of EMFs. He also led in depth multi-year campaigns petitioning the NC Non-Ionizing Commission, NC Utility Commission and NC legislature for an opt-out to smart meters (and against 5G), as well as other measures. By 2015, his group had successfully achieved a smart meter medical opt-out with Duke Power for Carolinians. With increasing demand from the Lyme and ES community, Andrew ended his major musical obligations and began a full time devotion to the Home EMF Tracing service in May of 2017. Andrew completed and received his Residential Electrician's Career Diploma from Penn Foster in May, 2019 and a Certificate of Completion (Honorary) for 206.2 Electrical Home Wiring from the International Institute for Building Biology & Ecology (BBE) in December, 2019. Started W-2 employment on Jan. 2, 2023 with Bonneville Electric (Carrboro, NC) as an electrician service technician He is also OSHA 10 certified has been a lab leader/teacher for the BBE Advanced Electromagnetic Radiation 302 course. May 28 2025: Passed both exams and now a licensed electrician / electrical contractor in North Carolina and West Virginia for single family dwellings. His tracing practice involves the latest meters and innovations to find the most difficult EMF's a home can hide. Current on the grounding system caused by improper neutral/case connections, appliances, ground/neutral connections, cableTV and water lines, are often disregarded and overlooked. Rewiring with MC cable and adding cut-off switches to lower electric fields that raise body voltage, panel diagnostics to find and remove contact current sources, removing Wi-Fi and installing ethernet and phone lines. Many Lyme, MS, EBV, mold and other chronic conditions have found great relief and improvement by removing EMF's from their home and essential for therapies to work. Latest interviews: https://homeemftracing.com Many others: https://homeemftracing.com/testimonials https://greenbanksafehaven.net

After wireless radiation increased in our home, I started having trouble falling and staying asleep. Most nights, I only got three to four hours of rest. At first, I didn’t know why it was suddenly so difficult to sleep, but I began to look into it. I felt tired all the time and had headaches every week. Good sleep is essential for our health because it helps our brain and body recover. We are surrounded by wireless radiation these days. There are Wi-Fi routers, smart meters attached to our house—ours is right outside the master bathroom—smart home appliances and devices, and of course, cell phones. It’s even hard to buy new appliances that don’t have these features. Now, we keep our phones in a different room at night. When we need to replace appliances, we look for ones that are not “smart.” Even with these changes, my husband and I still don’t get a full night’s sleep. We are working on hardwiring our internet and moving the smart meter away from our house. Taking the smart meter off is expensive because the power company only allows it if we pay to have the lines put underground. I don’t think this is fair, since it creates an unnecessary barrier. The power company’s smart meters are affecting our health, but we have to pay to remove them or deal with health problems. It feels like a lose-lose situation for us, but a win for big companies. I hope HHS will look closely at our experiences and the scientific evidence, find gaps in current research, pay special attention to children and other vulnerable groups, and set clear federal research priorities about wireless radiation and public health. Children are using devices at younger ages, and cell towers are often placed on schools, exposing their brains to too much wireless radiation. This should not have been allowed. Thank you for letting us share our concerns.

I have been sensitive to EMF for about ten years. I have very specific, severe symptoms when too close to a router (especially the newer ones), microwave, smart meters. I have spinal cord damage and once experienced a serious electric shock and my neurologist says these may explain my sensitivity. I have other health issues (age 75) and do not attribute them to sensitivity to electromagnetic radiation. I am careful not to misattribute. I can prove objectively that my sensitivity is real. For instance, I can locate a router on the floor in the apartment above me. If they put it on a table, I am okay. Visiting a friend, I started having symptoms, and asked if there was a router nearby and there was. I use a wired keyboard and mouse and can use a computer that way, though after a few hours I will have burning sensations in my hands. I have an IPhone 8 and keep cellular date, wifi and bluetooth off unless I need to check GPS or texts once/day. My first symptoms, oddly are cramps, a kind of cramps I don't get with any other trigger. In fact all my EHS symptoms are specific to that problem. The cramps are followed by burning sensations, chills throughout my body, chest pressure and adrenal surges.This can last days in some cases. Sensitivity appears to be cumulative (rain barrell effect) and I try to avoid getting worse. I have trouble finding housing. Cell phones on subways are starting to be an issue. But housing is the hardest since I am a renter in apartment buildings.

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 exposed person, parent, and concerned member of the public. My daughters and I have reactions to EMF radiation. Near 2019 the first smart meter was installed on our house in Tobyhanna PA. it was mounted on the outside wall of my daughters' bedroom, and near my own bedroom. My daughter and I started having trouble sleeping. She was moving around a lot at night, waking up from nightmares and crying in her sleep. She also went back to having accidents even though she was well past potty training. My other daughter started having headaches and previously had not had headaches. I started having lots of night sweats, nightmares, my feet would turn red and burn, the flesh would feel hot to the touch. Over time the burning spread to my hands too, they would turn red and then start turning purple. In time this discoloration spread farther up my legs and arms. As much as possible I did NOT wear shoes because encapsulating my feet intensified the burning. I couldn't sleep with a blanket over my feet for the same reason. I stared sleeping with an ice pack on my feet but once it got warmed I couldn't sleep because of the intense burning. I had an increase in migraines, and trouble breathing. We bought a cover for the smart meter and this helped with the symptoms that effected our sleep. I went on a very strict diet that also seemed to help. February 2021 we moved to Springville PA it has a small spread out population. At this new house the smart meter was on the garage on the opposite end of the house from the bedrooms and symptoms died off even more. The only days I had much burning was when I would be in town a few hours on errands or visiting friends. We got a new neighbor and I started having trouble sleeping again, I told my husband, "Something has changed" that I was having night sweats and nightmares. We soon found that there was a new wireless internet account. We have moved again and like in Mehoopany PA a small town and some symptoms have come back being so close to peoples wireless internet, smart meters, and 5G towers. We went back to having wired internet because of the negative effects had on all 4 of our sleep. There have been times when I was in a new area and thought there must be a 5G tower near by because I will immediately get a surging migraine or the burning will start or intensify, and then I see a tower. When we have visited family in Chesapeake, VA my one daughter throws up and gets bloody noses, and my other daughter and I become congested and nauseated, and I have trouble breathing. Other symptoms that we think come from EMF's are vertigo, ear ringing, feeling of being stabbed all over with pins, numbness, intestinal pains, diarrhea, feelings of agitation or anxiety. I support HHS taking an active role in examining the 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.

I am a Family Physician practicing and licensed in Illinois with 38 years of experience. Personally, I notice that if my wifi router is on, I do not sleep as well so I have to turn it off at night. Since a smart meter was installed at our home I also notice my sleep has been worse. We were never notified when the smart meter was installed nor given the option to opt out. I have treated many patients who are sensitive to EMFs and cannot be around them which leads them to lead very isolating lives. I've seen the studies that show EMFs cause an influx of calcium into cells thus depleting ATP stores. I've seen the studies showing that cell phones placed near the skull/ear increase the temperature and glucose uptake of brain cells all the way to the center of the brain, thus making them look like cancer cells. I've seen and heard neurosurgeons who report more acoustic neuromas and other brain tumors on the side where cell phones are used. Please investigate the health effects of EMFs, Wifi, Cell towers and cell phones so we can come up with safety guidelines that are reasonable. Please be aware that powerful industrial lobbyists will try to influence and subvert real scientific debate and research on these issues. The health and well being of this generation and the next few depends on what you can do to help safe guard our health from any harms imposed by EMFs.

We need to clamp down on the EMR created by private companies for their profit and not with our safety in mind. This includes involuntary exposures like smart meters, dirty electricity, and any involuntary appliance or transmitter that generates EMR. These signals are causing illnesses that cannot be proven scientifically because no one looks for or documents 'problems' when revenue loss could happen if they find them. Please tell me why we are so inundated with cell towers and transmitters regardless of whether or not we need better signals or want them. From my home I have direct views of a huge cell tower, why is it necessary to add extra transmitters to towers and on our light poles. I bought a tester and everywhere in my home it reads 'extreme' and blinks with no wireless phones installed and the router turned off. I cannot escape extreme signals. And I do not know how to protect my grandson, daughter and myself from these signals. We should be able to turn off the signals so we can sleep in peace and rest our bodies. We have no choice in the matter. There is no recourse other than moving and who can afford that, and even then, it is hard to find a safer location. There needs to be limits that are safe. There needs to be studies done to set safe limits by an unbiased group who is not 'bought' by these private companies. You wonder why cancer is exploding. This is just one of the problems that needs fixing. So, fix it. Give proper guidelines and limits based on these unbiased studies to the companies and let them figure out how to accomplish their goals without hurting citizens. WE NEED TO REDUCE CURRENT EXPOSURE BEFORE IMPLEMENTING ANY NEW TECHNOLOGY AND AT THE COMPANIES EXPENSE. TAXPAYERS CAN'T TAKE ANY MORE INCREASES FOR COMPANY PROFITS.

Wi fi has ruined my life, primarily by causing afib and insomnia. My internist did every test in the book to find cause over 10 years, and could not find cause (i had many CTs and tons of blood tests) but one day we had a storm which shut down the local grid for 3 days. ALL MY SYMPTOMS DISAPPEARED. I connected the dots and did away with all smart devices and all wi fi, and am cured after 15 yesrs! But I have to live as a hermit in a basement to shield from cell tower radiation . Also I have to avoid crowds of people with smartphones on, or I will develop sever heart issues. I cannot go to church; I cannot go out to eat. I cannot fly. I developed severe tachycardia at my Aunt's funeral (from the phones) My internist confirmed the cause. I nearly died from wi fi and smart meter radiation. Note: I am Harvard educated in science and have taught science at the university level. I studied in Britain on a Marshall scholarship and taught at a university there. I was admitted to Harvard on a full fellowship. I had no symptoms prior to the introduction of radio frequency radiation. I suggest the establishment of radio frequency free zones for persons like me; we are hundreds of thousands in the US alone and millions worldwide.

My first experience with negative EMF effects started in my early 40's, when I moved into a new residence and shortly thereafter noticed major insomnia. After 3 months or so, I came across inforamtion referring tothe EMF as a potential cause. On a whim, as I had nothing to lose, I implemented one step. To unplug my Wifi Router at night. That same night I slept very soundly . Surprised I tried it agan the following 2 nights. Same results. Then purposely did not unplug the next coule nights, insomnia returned. That simple N=1 was all I needed. I now turn off the Wifi every night. The I graduated to have the wireless ( Smart Meter) removed. More improvements. Needless to say, I have read all I can and done what is feasible and practical to avoid and or block Non-native EMF exposure.