Homeowners say smart meters are damaging their health, causing chronic pain, hair loss and sensitivity to light

Wednesday, June 15, 2016 by: Daniel Barker
Tags: smart meters, health effects, electropollution

---

(NaturalNews) By 2014, smart meters had been installed in nearly 50 million American homes, and despite assurances by power companies that they are completely safe, many people are reporting serious health issues caused by them - and many experts believe that they can indeed pose a health risk.

These two-way electric meters, which transmit wireless radio frequency electromagnetic signals to and from utility companies, eliminate the need for meter readers and theoretically save customers money by monitoring and regulating electricity use.

Power companies say that smart meters are not harmful to humans, and if current trends continue, their usage will become the rule rather than the exception. 43 percent of American homes now have smart meters and the numbers are steadily rising.

But more and more people are experiencing a range of adverse health effects, including insomnia, hair loss, anxiety, chronic pain and a long list of other symptoms.

Power companies say smart meters are safe; experts disagree

Utility companies scoff at such reports, claiming that smart meters only send signals a few times a day, and that the RF signals are less dangerous than cell phones or microwave ovens.

Many qualified experts disagree with these assertions. One such expert is Dr. Ronald Powell, Ph.D., a retired U.S. Government scientist with a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Harvard University.

An article about smart meter dangers posted by The Heartland Institute quoted Dr. Powell:

"The RF/Microwave radiation from Wireless Smart Meters is particularly threatening to health because that radiation is so persistent and so powerful. [Com Ed and other] power companies like to fool the public by saying, 'Look these Smart Meters just transmit 6 times a day.' Well, that is just misleading. That may be how many times they transmit your data, but they are a relay station for all the other Smart Meters in the neighborhood. And they all interact with each other and send each other timing signals and all kinds of stuff...

"Furthermore, the power level of each pulse is about 1,000 milliwatts, placing Wireless Smart Meters among the most powerful RF radiators likely to be present in a residential environment."

Smart meters cause cancer and other serious chronic health effects

Other scientists agree that smart meters are not only capable of causing acute health problems, such as those described earlier, but can also lead to serious chronic illnesses, including cancer.

Dr. David Carpenter MD, a Harvard-educated physician and expert on electromagnetic fields (EMF), believes that smart meters pose significant health risks.

From TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com:

"Dr. Carpenter adamantly insists that there is no evidence whatsoever that smart meters are in any way safe for human beings. He goes on to say that there is, in fact, ample evidence that demonstrates 'convincingly and consistently' that exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RFR) at elevated levels for long periods of time increases the risk of cancer, damages the nervous system, and adversely affects the reproductive organs."

In the short video below, Dr. Carpenter expresses his deep concerns about smart meters:



With so many people reporting adverse health effects and so many experts agreeing that smart meters are indeed harmful, it's not surprising that public outcry against their use has been increasing.

Smart meter "opt-out" programs

Throughout the United States, concerned citizens have mounted campaigns against their use, and some have been successful - to a degree. In many communities, "opt-out" programs have been established in response to public concerns, but often it costs extra to keep the old technology.

Despite the extra cost of opting-out, such programs have been surprisingly successful in many places.

From a November, 2015 Baltimore Sun article:

"The Maryland Public Service Commission will consider this week cutting the monthly fee Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers must pay to opt out of having smart meters installed after the utility reported that the number of people opting out is more than three times what was anticipated."

If you have a smart meter in your home, ask your power provider if there is an opt-out program in your community. The serious health risk of having one far outweighs the extra cost of keeping your old meter.

Sources:
http://www.hometownlife.com
http://www.greentechmedia.com
http://news.heartland.org
http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com
http://www.globalresearch.ca
http://emfsafetynetwork.org/smart-meters/
http://www.baltimoresun.com
http://youtu.be/n7L21XOC2wA