W.E.E.P. News
Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution News
22 March 2010
Important research on electro sensitivity
From Dr. Magda Havas
Please watch this 7-minute video on youtube that I made yesterday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EI9fZX4iww&feature=channel
It provides unequivocal evidence that the radiation from a cordless (DECT) phone interferes with the heart. This video provides evidence that electrohypersensitivity is real, is physical, and may be life threatening.
It also shows that non-thermal exposure, at levels well below federal guidelines in most countries (0.3% of the 1000 microW/cm2), has biological and health effects.
Please share this video with your friends, family, and doctors as they are the ones who need to know about this to better help their patients.
-magda
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----- Original Message -----
From: Daryl Vernon
Sent: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 4:15 PM
Subject: written Submission re Bill 235, Energy Consumer Protection Act, 2010
To all members of the Standing Committee on General Government in consideration of
Bill 235, Energy Consumer Protection Act, 2010:
While the legislation appears primarily directed at landlord-tenant affairs as they touch on matters of contract and remuneration, we recommend its "protective" intent should be admissive of other aspects to tenant and consumer protection. After description below of some background precipitating our interest in making this submission before the Committee, further below please find some suggested legislative amendment.
Quite apart from one's view of the usefulness of "smart" metering and of landlord-tenant relations, the actual apparatus and system prevalent in Ontario has already proven dangerous to some, in regard to the recourse to radiofrequency for data transmission to and from the new meters. An ever increasing number of Ontarians are stricken with various degrees of what is commonly called 'electrosensitivity', some so severely as to be called 'electrohypersensitive'.
For these people, and in some learned opinion for everyone really, exposure particularly to unremitting microwave radiation, in drastic excess of natural background radiation, is endangering. Please permit some examples, personal acquaintance with which has led to our grave concern and involvement in such advocacy:
Someone we know well suffers epileptic seizures only after exposure to such radiation as emitted by cell phone towers and associated wireless. This has necessitated exclusion from all manner of regular activity because of ambient radiation levels, especially in urban environments, but increasingly in rural as well with e.g. the proliferation of wireless internet access.
New metering equipment adds to the 'electrosmog' load, harmful for at least such vulnerable people. Experience thus far indicates that the meters' possibly endangering wireless signal penetrates into one's home via wiring or wire housing. Such vulnerable people must shield themselves from such exposures, but cannot easily escape if their own homes are invaded.
Another electrohypersensitive Ontarian we know of, after activation of new metering equipment, suffers periodic involuntary urinary bladder reflex.
I myself, at our rented Toronto house of 20 years, since activation a few months ago of the new meters, suffer incessant Frey effect microwave hearing, a phenomenon not disputed in scholarly literature otherwise wrongfully dismissive of biological effects of such radiation at levels allowable in Canada.
There exists by now a decades-old massive international scholarly literature in dissent from this regime of permissiveness, such as deferred to by provincial health authorities in Health Canada's "Safety" Code 6. Such deference on health matters is not constitutionally required. But regardless, through amendment to this Act, at least this fraction of microwave imposition can be addressed by Provincial authority directly here and now.
A very useful compilation of science in dissent from that which prevails with Canadian federal authorities, was the 2007 Bioinitiative Report (over 600 pages, available also in summary form, via www.bioinitiative.org ). This report has led to significant legislative and administrative effect in Europe, especially the EU Parliamentary expression of serious concern that existing microwave standards are obsolete (see
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P6-TA-2008-0410+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN ,
see from item 21), and the French national health and environmental body, Affset, mandating changes starting last year. In Ottawa, it is expected that the Standing Committee on Health will shortly establish a subcommittee, with broad support stated already from four political parties, to re-examine microwave standards of Health Canada as depended upon by the provinces. The Procureur-Général of Quebec has backed one municipality there in a court challenge to reassert jurisdictional ability to dismantle microwave equipment otherwise governed federally through Industry Canada.
Utilities deploying "smart" meters throughout Ontario rely on assurances that their radiofrequency emissions fall well within the bounds of existing federal standards. But as so many now consider these standards obsolete in reliance on one crude measure of biological effect, thermally-based, any presumed determination of safety there from is suspect.
Since the aformentioned 2007 report, there has been very much more scholarly output attesting to the dangers of wireless. Very much material in more popular media has increasingly been published as well (e.g. well-researched Feb. 2010 GQ article by notable journalist, C. Ketcham,
http://www.gq.com/cars-gear/gear-and-gadgets/201002/warning-cell-phone-radiation ).
Upon the Committee's request, there is available for submission a selection from this enormity of topical scholarly opinion that would recommend legislative protection for vulnerable people regarding the wireless-dependent meters. It is regrettable that attention of some advocates on these matters was not drawn earlier to the legislative process for this Act. But please do not allow the tardiness of intervention to deter from investigating the matter more fully if appropriate, even requesting learned witnesses to speak before the Committee such as can be recommended.
While acknowledging that other Acts might be more general venues to address some such concerns, please consider the following from the current Act:
34 (2) The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations,
(a) exempting any person or class of persons from any provision of this Act, subject to such conditions or restrictions as may be prescribed by the regulations;
further to which it is suggested that explicit mention be made to facilitate exclusion or adapation of certain types of metering equipment involving radiofrequency transmissions that are expected to be harmful to consumers so affected;
compelling utilities to make available, where so required, alternate means of data transmission to and from meters not involving radiofrequency transmission;
and that the afflicted or affected consumer not be compelled to pay the cost of such alternate arrangements.
Currently, at least two electricity providers in Ontario are known to offer to move meters away from where it is considered harmful by the consumer, except that a substantial fee (e.g. $1000) is exacted from the consumer. The consumer possibly if inadvertently harmed by "smart" meter methods, should not be required to pay to escape possible danger. Many methods of conveying even the currently required daily meter readings are imaginable, from visual reading (capacity for which meters are legislatively compelled to retain) and even automatic telephone reporting, to actual shifting of the meters to safer locations. Please note that one Swedish study tracking studies of electrosensitives since the 1980s, shows that a linear increase in the proportion of sufferers is on track to attain 50% of the population by 2017. This is a major developing problem utilities would do well, with government enablement and encouragement, to address well in advance of this projected possible avalanche of associated suffering.
A respected third party might reasonably be required to certify any such electrosensitivity, although in our opinion anyone concerned should be able to opt out of a regime construed as possibly harmful. It should be noted that the current new metering systems involve antennae within the metering equipment acting as repeaters to convey electricity usage data to regional collectors, which in turn eventually communicate with a central facility, not necessarily wirelessly. Thus if a meter antenna, via amendment to this Act, is no longer permitted for safety concerns to transmit by microwaves an affected consumer's usage data, it should also be disabled from acting as a repeater as part of the wireless system. These systems seem able to adapt where there is an occasional lapse in repeater transmission. If a geographically contiguous bloc of concerned consumers are enabled to opt out, the utility should not be permitted to compensate by increasing the radiative ouput of neighbouring meters participating in the prevailing system, as that would possibly undo, via increased 'elecrtosmog', protection afforded the affected.
Related Ontario legislation, Electricity Act, 1998, contains the following, which might require reference in the current Act to enable our recommendations:
Prohibition re: discretionary metering activities
53.18 (1) On and after November 3, 2005, no distributor shall conduct discretionary metering activities unless the distributor is authorized to conduct the activity by this Act, a regulation, an order of the Board or a code issued by the Board or it is required to do so under the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act (Canada). 2006, c. 3, Sched. B, s. 2.
Definition
(2) For the purpose of this section,
"discretionary metering activity" means the installation, removal, replacement or repair of meters, metering equipment, systems and technology and any associated equipment, systems and technologies which is not mandated by the Electricity and Gas Inspection Act (Canada), by regulation, by an order of the Board or by a code issued by the Board or authorized by a regulation made under this Act. 2006, c. 3, Sched. B, s. 2.
Some relevant portions of that federal Act may be as follows:
METERS
9. (1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), where a contractor or purchaser intends to use or cause to be used a meter for the purpose of obtaining the basis of a charge for electricity or gas supplied by or to him, the meter shall not, until it has been verified and sealed in accordance with this Act and the regulations, be put into service.
(2) The director may grant permission for the putting into service, without verification and sealing or without sealing, of any meter or any class, type or design of meter on a temporary basis under such terms and conditions and for such period as the director stipulates.
(3) The director may grant approval for the putting into service, without verification and sealing or without sealing, of any meter or any class, type or design of meter.
Director's approval required for verification
(4) No meter shall be verified pursuant to this Act until it or the class, type or design of meter to which it belongs has received the approval of the director.
In the current Act, re
34 (4) For the purposes of Part III, the Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations,
(g) governing suite meter specifications for the purposes of section 31, including prescribing,
(iv) criteria or requirements that must be met with respect to subclauses (i), (ii) and (iii);
(j) prescribing, for the purposes of section 32, the circumstances in which a suite meter provider is permitted or required to install suite meters, the properties or classes of properties where they may or must be installed and the consumers or classes of consumers to which the regulation may or must apply;
it is also urged that be included specific enablement to exclude wireless data transmission possibly endangering to some consumers.
Thank you for your consideration,
Daryl Vernon
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Smart Meter Danger in apartment buildings
Martin Weatherall
Stratford
Ontario
23 March 2010
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario
This is my submission to members of the Standing Committee on General Government in consideration of
Bill 235, Energy Consumer Protection Act, 2010.
Dear Committee Members
Smart Meters that are being installed in Ontario, use strong microwave radiation signals to send information about energy use, to electricity providers. Microwave radiation has many adverse health effects at exposure levels which are a fraction of what the Federal Government says is safe. The Federal Government bases their safety levels, simply on heating effects and they completely ignore biological effects on the brain, nervous system, DNA, blood and various other areas of the body.
The smart meter systems (using microwave radiation) that are likely to be installed in apartments throughout Ontario are already obsolete and should not be considered for any future use. This is because of the health harm that may occur to persons who will be exposed to radiation from them. The danger posed by microwave radiation is well known and well researched. The adverse health effects have been known for many years. It would be irresponsible for the Ontario Government to force large numbers of the population to be exposed to microwave radiation. A comparison of the danger, may be spraying all apartments in Ontario with small amounts of dangerous poisons, irritants, harmful emissions and dangerous gasses. These poisons may not harm people in the short term, but over a long period of time they are likely to cause a large amount of significant harm to health.
It is important for the Members of the Ontario Legislature and the members of this committee, to learn about the adverse health effects of microwave radiation, before this bill is considered and before a vote on the subject. The Government must not cause further environmental and health harm to the citizens of Ontario. Many of the modern diseases which are plaguing the world today have been scientifically linked to microwave radiation and other forms of electro magnetic radiation. Signals from apartment smart meters will not simply travel from the meter to the reception point, they are likely to travel on the electrical systems that circulate around apartment buildings and may harm the tenants by re-radiating inside the apartments.
Yesterday I was visiting an apartment in Stratford where the electrical meters (previously installed when the building was new) were located in a room next to the apartment. If, all of these meters were changed to 'smart meters' emitting microwave radiation, this apartment, and others nearby, may become unliveable. All humans are sensitive to electro magnetic radiation. The tremendous increase of electro magnetic radiation, because of wireless devices, is causing many people to become more sensitive and others are becoming electro hyper-sensitive. If the Ontario Government contributes to the amount of electrical pollution, it may be very difficult for some people in Ontario to live normal lives. Electro sensitivities, made worse by the Government installing smart meters may lead to huge legal claims against the Province. If many people develop significant illnesses because of exposure to electro magnetic radiation, the Provincial health system is likely to break down. Please do not under estimate the dangers posed by this new wireless pollution.
The cost to implement smart meters to all apartment buildings around Ontario will be huge, with little likelihood of any major energy savings. In coming years, as more knowledge about the health effects of microwave radiation emerge, there is a real chance that all these new 'Smart Meters' will have to be replaced with 'safe ones' again, at a huge cost. The government should not be experimenting with the health and safety of its citizens. If you do implement a plan to put meters in apartment buildings, you must ensure there is true value to the investment and that they are safe and do not emit radio frequencies or microwave radiation.
An important place to learn about the health effects of electro magnetic radiation is the scientific information contained in the Bio Initiative Report, which can be accessed at www.bioinitiative.org . Another location to find out about the dangerous mixture or electricity and radiofrequency pollution is www.powerwatch.org.uk . Canadian Internet sites containing information about the health effect of EMR include - www.magdahavas.org and www.weepinitiative.org .
Yours sincerely
Martin Weatherall
Co Director WEEP
(The Canadian Initiative to stop Wireless Electrical and Electromagnetic Pollution)
Web site www.weepinitiative.org e-mail contactweep@weepinitiative.org
To sign up for WEEP News: newssignup@weepinitiative.org (provide name and e-mail address)
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