Massachusetts Utilities Continue Widespread Implementation of Smart/Wireless Meters Despite Poor Response to Recent Storm Power Outages & Continued Warnings By Medical Experts
BOSTON, Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Corporate and municipal utilities in Massachusetts continue building the wireless utility grid with new meters, distributed wireless antennae, (DAS), relay boxes, remotely operated transformers and other communications components amid increasing warnings from the medical community and despite lackluster performance in responding to power outages statewide.
Many utilities, including NStar and National Grid, have touted improved response times to outages as a key consumer benefit to smart meters and automated wireless meters. However, following Hurricane Sandy’s recent course through the Bay State, many residents were without power for more than twelve hours. For some, the power went out before the storm had even started. “There was barely any wind at all and no rain when we lost power,” said one resident of Bedford, “It was very strange – out for 12 hours, then
the next evening, it went out again.” Another resident in Andover, spoke of a losing power for more than 24 hours.
Ongoing Expert Medical Warnings
Additionally disconcerting is the utilities’ refusal to consider or accommodate customer’s legitimate health concerns given the myriad medical warnings about the pulsed, high frequency radiation that smart meters emit into resident’s homes:
1. The WHO’s (World Health Organization) classification as possibly cancer causing;
2. An open letter * signed recently by 54 Doctors (MDs, Medical Professors and PhDs, Oncologists, Radiation Engineers, and research professionals around the world) warning of the dangers;
3. The AAEM’s (American Academy of Environmental Medicine) warnings & statements;
4. Reports by Australian Associate Professor of neurosurgery Vini G. Khurana of adverse neurological effects at under 10 feet from the meters, the “safe” distance according to utilities;
5. The Austrian Medical Foundation has recommended a halt, pending further research;
6. The Texas Senate Committee’s recent acknowledged of health concerns after autistic children began to have seizures once a meter was installed.
“Patients are reporting the development of symptoms and adverse health effects after new wireless digital meters are installed on their homes,” says Dr. Amy Dean, President Elect of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine.
More and more people are complaining of ringing in the ears, headaches, agitation, heart palpitations, and insomnia after wireless meters have been installed. “Immediate action is necessary – Our research shows chronic RF and EMF exposure to be very harmful,” continued Dr. Dean. In some areas, ambient radiation levels in homes with meters was magnified 100,000 times.** The meters have also caused a spate of fires on homes throughout the US leading to investigations and legal battles, most recently in Pennsylvania and Chicago.
Lack of Savings in Results
Numerous new meters have appeared all over the state regardless of evidence emerging of lack of savings or positive cost benefit in this type of electricity load balancing. In the Crain’s Chicago Business article: ‘Smart grid test underwhelms’, it was stated that “In pilot, few power down to save money”, indicating that fewer that 9% of customers exhibited any amount of peak usage reduction and that the overall amount of reduction was “statistically insignificant.” The data came from a report by the Electric Power Research Institute. The report shows zero statistically different results compared to business as usual.
* Source: Joel M. Moskowitz, Ph.D.. Director, Center for Family and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of California; for full article and list of professional signatories .
**Source: Peter Sierck, Baubiologist, Industrial Hygienist and Principal of Environmental Testing & Technology, Inc.
SOURCE American Academy of Environmental Medicine. Link to this story here.
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Wireless smart meters are the “tip of the iceberg.” Another involuntary source of microwave radiation exposure is other people’s cell phones especially during public transit. Check out my most recent press release …
Secondhand Exposure to Cell Phone Radiation: An Emerging Public Health Problem?
Exposure to other people’s cell phone radiation on buses and trains can be considerable according to a newly published study.
http://www.prlog.org/12010018-secondhand-exposure-to-cell-phone-radiation-an-emerging-public-health-problem.html
Thanks for drawing attention to the public transit issue. I do my best to avoid riding the bus during peak hours for this very reason.
At off-peak hours, by contrast, I can usually find a seat far enough away from anyone with a wireless gadget that riding the bus is a viable option.
Of course, the elephant in the room here is proximity of wireless infrastructure (primarily commercial cell and wi-max antennas) to places where people spend large amounts of time such as residential areas, businesses, and schools. For someone who lives in an apartment building across the street from a low-mounted cluster of cell antennas, the involuntary microwave dose experienced while riding public transit will most likely represent a tiny fraction of their total involuntary exposure.
I have been laughing at all these claims made by the utility about SmartMeters preventing power outages, saving customers money, reducing overall energy being used, saving them money for remote disconnects and rotating outages (load shedding) for years. I know that what they say is all marketing hype.
The only time I ever remember rotating outages being implemented here in PG&E territory is when Enron created an artificial shortage to make millions off of consumers.
The day when rotating outages returns we are in very serious trouble, and guess what ?, it will not be the SmartMeters that will be doing the cutting of the power, that will be done in the substations .
When big storms are expected, the utilities often cut the power in advance to prevent damage to their transformers and switchgear, especially in underground vaults.
The utilities will often say that the power is out, but sometimes it is out because they turned it off on purpose, but don’t bother to tell their customers that.
I find it hard to believe that any utility will be installing SmartMeters during the aftermath of Sandy, they need to focus on getting the power back first.