Utility companies around the world are replacing electric, gas and water analog meters with pulsed radiation smart meter networks, which are costing us money, privacy, and our health and safety.
Smart Meters, (also called AMI, or OMR) eliminate meter reader jobs and are part of the “Smart Grid”, which is an expensive wireless system installed on our homes, businesses, and in our environment that customers pay for. It’s being installed without informed consent and without full disclosure of how they work, and what they can do with the personal data they collect. Customers report serious complaints about Smart Meters due to adverse health effects, privacy invasion, cyber-security risks, house fires, and overbilling .
The World Health Organization classifies RF as a 2B carcinogen, same as DDT and lead. Military studies here and here show pulsed radiation can cause serious health problems, including tinnitus, memory loss and seizures. Thousands of studies link biological effects to RF radiation exposure, including increased cancer risk, damage to the nervous system, adverse reproductive effects, DNA damage, and more. The top public health official in Santa Cruz County California prepared this report, confirming Smart Meters pose a health risk. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) sent this letter to the CPUC calling for a halt to wireless smart meters.
Read about customers smart meter health complaints, which include sleep problems, headaches, nausea, anxiety, heart palpitations, tinnitus and ear pain, concentration and memory problems, dizziness, immune, nervous and hormonal system impacts.
Vulnerable groups include people with EMF sensitivities, medical implants, compromised immune systems, children, pregnant women, seniors and the environment! If you have a pacemaker PG&E warns you to stay 6 inches away from a Smart Meter.
Smart meter installations are causing fires, explosions and burnt out appliances in homes across the US Canada and Australia. See the shocking compilation of reports: Smart Meter Fires and Explosions
There have beenwidespread reports of smart meter billing overcharges. Smart meters are also failing and needing to be replaced. In 2010, PG&E reported over 43,000 Smart Meter problems of one kind or another. A lawsuit filed was against PG&E in California.
Read customers Smart Meter Complaints about cost and other problems including interference. Time of use metering raises many concerns: The Need for Essential Consumer Protections
How they work
Utility companies are using our homes and businesses for their microwave networks! The electric meter operates around 900 mhz and 2.4Ghz. It constantly transmits and repeats data from 500 +/- homes in a mesh network, which includes collectors which repeat signals back to the utility via cell towers. Depending on where your home is located within the mesh network will determine how much radiation your meter transmits. PG&E finally admitted that the electric meters send an average of 10,000 pulses per meter per day, at a peak power of 2 1/2 watts and a maximum of 190,000 per day! You can hear the constant pulses in this video below, and see the damage to the environment.
Smart Grid proponents are expecting consumers will install a Home Area Network (HAN) and new smart appliances. Installing the HAN will allow the utility company to further monitor your electric usage and control the grid, by turning off certain appliances during peak use time, as they need.
FCC Protection?
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) RF radiation safety standards are for short term thermal effects (5 and 30 minutes), and are configured for a 6 ft 2″ 200 pound male. The meters are assessed for safety compliance in isolation, not in a mesh network, in which they are designed to operate, or in combination with multiple meters, or other sources of RF, such as wi-fi, DECT phones, cell phones, cell towers, baby monitor etc. Sage Associates study found the meters can violate FCC safety guidelines in the manner deployed and operated. In addition the meters can also violate FCC safety conditions. The new FCC chairman is a wireless industry leader, Tom Wheeler.
