In driveways and backyards across the country, utility
workers are busy replacing mechanical analog meters with new wireless meters
that communicate directly with utility companies, informing them of your use of
gas, electricity or water. Various reasons are given for the installation of
the new so-called "smart" meters: the development of a nationwide "smart
grid," the ability for the utilities to quickly identify outages and other
service problems, and even the opportunity for them to implement time-based pricing
structures.
Consumers are being told the meters could help them save money, but the truth is the real savings will accrue to the utilities themselves. Laying off all their human meter readers will certainly help increase their profits.
Consumers are being told the meters could help them save money, but the truth is the real savings will accrue to the utilities themselves. Laying off all their human meter readers will certainly help increase their profits.
But there is one aspect of smart meters that few people seem
to be aware of: it's the fact that smart meters emit high bursts of pulsed radiation
that can affect everyone, from unborn children to senior citizens.
Utility companies will tell you that the new meters put out
less radiation than a cell phone, which is only true if you take the bursts of
radiation and average them over time. The bursts themselves are quite strong,
and according to some experts, are amplified when they pulse through a home's
electrical system. And unlike a cell phone or wireless tablet, you can't turn
off a smart meter when you want; it pulses constantly, every day, every hour,
and sometimes multiple times a minute, depending on the model.
Recent studies linking exposure to wireless radiation (also
known as radio-frequency radiation, or RFR) have suggested a link between exposure
during pregnancy, and neurological and behavioral problems in offspring. In one
study conducted at Yale University, researchers showed that the behavioral
problems of exposed mice were virtually identical to symptoms of ADHD in
children.
Other researches have demonstrated that our own human nervous
system, which runs on tiny electrical-chemical signals, can be easily disrupted
by the strong, erratic, pulsing nature of wireless radiation, and that the
critical blood/brain barrier can be made more permeable in the presence of
wireless radiation signals.
So it's understandable that many families are making the
decision NOT to allow a smart meter to be placed on their home. For those who live
on Long Island, we have created Opt-OutLongIsland.com, a website with
information about smart meters and sample letters to help consumers opt-out.
As is often the case with many of the issues we work on, it
seems that technology has gotten far ahead of science. It will take many years
to do the studies to discover just how dangerous wireless radiation is. While
we wait for those answers, it might be a good idea to reduce our exposures
whenever we can. In fact, it seems like the smart thing to do.
