FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Joshua Hart, Director, Stop Smart Meters!
January 12, 2011 josh[at]stopsmartmeters[dot]org
CCST STUDY LEAVES SMART METER HEALTH QUESTIONS UNANSWERED
Report Admits that Smart Meter Radiation “Continues to be of Concern”
San Francisco- A coalition of health and environmental advocates opposing radiation-emitting ‘smart’ meters today questioned the recommendations of a report released yesterday, calling the installation of 10 million wireless meters throughout California “a giant experiment on the population.” The California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) released a draft of their Smart Meter report yesterday- a response to Assemblymember Jared Huffman’s (D-San Rafael) request and question, “Are the FCC Safety Standards adequate to protect people from harm?”
The CCST report answers that the FCC safety standards are adequate for thermal impacts yet non-thermal impacts from radiation emitting devices like Smart Meters is still unknown. Despite this uncertainty, the report inexplicably gives the green light for continued installation.
Cindy Sage of Sage Associates, a professional environmental consultant who last week released a study showing that ‘smart’ meters likely exceed already high FCC limits on human exposure to microwaves, said “Installing millions of RF transmitters in peoples’ homes when we already have substantial scientific evidence about the risks of chronic, low-level RF is a risk not worth taking. Especially without any discussion, or disclosure to the public about trade-offs made without their knowledge or consent.”
The CCST study found that radiation from a ‘Smart’ Meter is forty times as high as a wireless wifi router, contradicting PG&E’s previous claim that the meters emit a minute fraction of the radiation of common household devices.
“Comparing wireless meters to other wireless devices that are voluntary, and which many people choose not to use is not a fair comparison to government-mandated meters that expose people in their homes 24 hours a day.” Sage says.
Stop Smart Meters!, the EMF Safety Network, and other groups opposing ‘smart’ meters continue to receive reports from hundreds of people experiencing health impacts after the wireless meters are installed, including sleep problems, headaches, tinnitus and nausea. The California Public Utilities Commission has received over 2000 complaints of health impacts. The CCST report failed to interview anyone reporting health symptoms, and neglected to cite peer-reviewed findings of non-thermal biological damage from low level RF emissions.
“The costs for having guessed wrong is likely to have enormous economic and public health consequences for Californians for decades to come,” Sage concludes.
More information: https://stopsmartmeters.org
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