Reject- Don’t Adapt to- ‘Smart’ Meters!

Families often react to traffic impacts as they do to EMF pollution from 'smart' meters: they adapt, withdraw, or migrate. This 4 year old girl living in Bristol UK suffers from respiratory disease from living next to 20,000 cars/ day.

A message from our Director, Joshua Hart:

Here at Stop Smart Meters! we get a lot of e-mails from people all over the country who are suffering ill effects from the wireless ‘smart’ meters on their homes.  Some have symptoms like nausea, dizziness, headaches, insomnia, and tinnitus.  Others are just worried about the health of their families, given the strong evidence that the meters exceed FCC safety standards for human exposure to microwave radiation.   Some are so sick they are forced to leave their homes entirely, representing an unlawful ‘taking’ of private property.   Often the worst affected are vulnerable people, many elderly, suffering from conditions that make them more susceptible to powerful wireless bursts 24/7.   It’s heartbreaking to hear hundreds of these reports, and to know that the state is allowing this to happen.

The other day someone mentioned that they had abandoned the room next to a bank of utility meters along their wall.  They just close the door and never use that room anymore.  People adapt to insult and injury and move on.  But there is a cost…

This kind of adaptation in the face of environmental harm reminded me of something.  In 2008, I ran a transportation research project at the University of the West of England in Bristol UK called Driven to ExcessOur research team found that people living on streets with more car traffic had significantly fewer local friends. Many would withdraw from the front of their homes because of traffic noise and pollution and spend less time on the street.    Humans are extraordinarily adaptive in the face of environmental assault- it’s something that allowed our species to survive through changing conditions over millions of years.

However, sometimes we need to not just accept things as they are and adapt to them.  Sometimes we need to react together- to have the body politic reject an unwanted technology just like a dangerous virus.   To stand together and say NO in one loud voice. We were never asked whether we wanted this and now we say NO!  Sorry if your shareholders are on the hook for 2 billion plus, but errr….no one ever asked us whether we wanted these things on our homes!  And they are OUR homes and businesses- NOT the utility’s.

Don’t just adapt to a utility company eroding the quality of your home environment.  Don’t live with a smart meter just because ‘they’ say you have to.  You have a right to your health.  And you have a right to keep your analog meter– at no extra charge.  Stand up for your rights- not just alone, but as a community.

If there’s a silver lining to the ‘smart’ meter madness, at least it’s a good excuse to knock on the doors of your neighbors and introduce yourself!

-JH, SSM!

This entry was posted in Citizen rebellion, Democracy, Environmental Concerns, Health studies. Bookmark the permalink.

9 Responses to Reject- Don’t Adapt to- ‘Smart’ Meters!

  1. ss says:

    Hi folks. I’m new to this issue… I do use cell phones and wireless routing– but I don’t have a microwave oven (never had) and am concerned about too much emf…

    PG&E is due to install the meters on our street any week now– is there any success refusing the installation so far? can we actually opt-out?
    thanks!

    • SS- The best thing you can do is to print out some info for your neighbors and go speak to them. You can use the info on our “Why Stop Smart Meters” page on the top right of this website. If there is agreement, declare your neighborhood a “smart meter free zone” put up signs next to all your meters, on lamp posts etc., lock up vulnerable meters so that the installers can’t access them. They will threaten you with electricity cut off and fines but these are idle threats and this has not happened to anyone. You just have to stand up for your rights and say NO! Watch for the trucks, make sure your neighbors have each others phone numbers and chase those bastards out of your neighborhood if they try to install. These are your homes and you have inalienable rights to safety, health, and privacy. Just say NO!

      • ss says:

        HI. Thanks for the reply. I just got off the phone with PG&E and I’m on the “opt-out” list– they SAY they’ll install the meters without wireless for those who want it. 866-743-0263 — though they’re waiting for approval to handle the opt-outs this way, and are the meters themselves a problem? or just the extra wireless that causes the fire hazzards and such? best, ss

        • Do NOT let them install a smart meter, whatever they say about switching off the wireless. We don’t know enough about what is causing the health problems. It may be something within the SM- like the switching mode power supply- that is causing the problem. Advice same as before- lock up those analog meters if you still have one!

  2. angel says:

    What affects do the “smart” meters have on hearing aids or pacemakers?

  3. Charyl Zehfus says:

    Also the FDA talks about interference from cell phones with pacemakers: http://www.fda.gov/Radiation-EmittingProducts/RadiationEmittingProductsandProcedures/HomeBusinessandEntertainment/CellPhones/ucm116311.htm

    And notice at a recent article that says INTERFERENCE is more of a hazard than cyber-security – that “Verizon’s website cautions people with pacemakers and other implantable medical devices to keep their wireless hand-held mobile more than six inches from their device and shouldn’t carry the phone in their breast pocket.” BUT smart meters emit unpredictable bursts and pulses in people’s own homes and wherever they may go, in unpredictable MIXTURES. NO ONE IS MONITORING this and the risks to people with implants. FIRST, they allowed the proliferation explode. Only now are they starting to say, duh, what about possible interference with implants.
    http://www.medcitynews.com/2012/04/wireless-medical-device-signal-interference-poses-greater-risk-than-hacking/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wireless-medical-device-signal-interference-poses-greater-risk-than-hacking

  4. Mark says:

    Thanks for the very protective article.

    See Dave Hodges The Common Sense Show and Deborah Tavares for other matters of importance.

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