Utility "smart meters" harm health

>
> I've sent the following to our local paper:
>
> To the Editor,
>
> Residents in our area are receiving a postcard from We Energies informing
> them, in small print, that We Energies personnel will be by soon to attach a
> radio-broadcasting “smart meter” to our homes. The purpose of this is to save
> WE Energies personnel from having to get out of their vehicle when they
> occasionally come by to read our electric meter, as they will be able to cruise a
> neighborhood and pick up the radio-broadcast information right from their
> vehicle.
>
> The meters emit a pulsed signal every 14 seconds, continually, that will
> saturate your body, your home and also your neighborhood, as they have a range of
> 1/4 mile. This in spite of the fact that only very occasionally will a truck
> drive by and pick up the information. This may appear “smart” to We Energies,
> but residents who allow these meters will pay a hidden price, as their health
> will be affected.    
>
> Epidemiological studies from Israel, Germany, Netherlands and Spain document
> a greater risk of cancers and symptoms classified as electrosensitivity (ES)
> for people who live within 400 meters of cell phone antennas. The frequencies
> for cell phone antennas range from about 800 MHz to 2 GHz and overlap with
> those of “smart meters,” which operate at 920 MHz.
>
> Symptoms include cognitive dysfunction, such as poor short-term memory,
> difficulty concentrating and problem-solving; as well as dizziness, vertigo,
> tremors, facial flushing, skin rashes; chest pressure, rapid heart rate or disturbed
> cardiac function, depression, anxiety, irritability, frustration, insomnia,
> fatigue, body aches, headaches, and tinnitus.
>
> Pulsed transmissions are the type that most actively disrupts brain function.
> For more information, please see http://tinyurl.com/55286a and also
> download Professor Andrew Goldsworthy's executive summary of the biological effects
> of electromagnetic fields at www.radiationresearch.org/research.asp/. Some
> important points include:
>
> 1. Well-replicated studies show that weak electromagnetic fields remove
> calcium ions bound to the membranes of living cells, making them more likely
> to tear, develop temporary pores and leak. (This "binding" is electrical in
> nature. This is why EMF and RF can disrupt it, disrupting calcium metabolism.)
>
> 2. DNAase (an enzyme that destroys DNA) leaking through the membranes of
> lysosomes (small bodies in living cells packed with digestive enzymes)
> explains the fragmentation of DNA seen in cells exposed to mobile phone signals.
> When this occurs in the germ line (the cells that give rise to eggs and sperm),
> it reduces fertility and predicts genetic damage in future generations.  
> This leakage can have all sorts of unwanted biological effects totally
> unconnected with their so-called thermal effects. These include allowing foreign
> materials, such as toxins, carcinogens and allergens to enter cells more easily.
> Also, the leakage of digestive enzymes through their internal membranescan
> damage the DNA, leading to the formation of genetically aberrant cells.When
> this occurs in the sex organs, there is a loss of fertility. Also,
> genetically damaged cells in any part of the body can be carcinogenic, although this
> may not become evident until later in life when the natural ability of the  
> immune system to deal with them deteriorates.    
>
> 3. Leakage of calcium ions into the cytosol (the main part of the cell) acts
> as a
> metabolic stimulant, which promotes the growth of tumors.  
>
> 4. Leakage of calcium ions into neurones (brain cells) makes them more
> inclined to transmit nerve impulses. This makes the brain hyperactive so that it is
> more difficult to get to sleep and we may get stress headaches, pain and other
> neurological symptoms. It also degrades the signal-to-noise ratio of the
> brain making it less likely to respond adequately to weak stimuli. This may cause
> attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. In adults, it may
> be partly responsible for the increased accident rate when people use cell
> phones while driving. You are four times more likely to have an accident,even
> with hands-free types.        
> Another effect of brain hyperactivity is to speed our reaction times to
> outside stimulation. However, because some of the nerve impulses are false, it
> tends also to cloud our thinking; we lose concentration and become more easily
> distracted.
>        
> Although electrically sensitive individuals experience symptoms upon
> exposure, others are likely to experience them gradually, as the biological effects of
> exposure are cumulative. We will have to pick up the pieces as people's
> health deteriorates, their ability to do work that requires concentrationdeclines
> and learning disability problems in children increase. It will be much more
> costly in the long run to deal with the health problems than it would be to take
> our time and consider a way to lessen exposures of this kind, such as by
> having these systems report over the phone line, via fiber optics or (at the very
> least) have the transmitter turn on only when the mobile data-collecting unit
> is at work in the area, then turn off again.
>
> No one wants to be put at a greater risk of developing cancer and people with
> ES certainly don't want to be exposed to more radiation. The money We
> Energy saves won't be worth the price we will pay.
>
> We Energies does not have a right to summarily inform us that they are about
> to fasten a radio-broadcasting unit to our home. They ought to be
> requesting permission. And we have every right to refuse.  
>
> I called the 800 number on the card we were sent and was told that we “had to
> ” have this unit attached to our home. When I replied that we certainly do
> not have to, I was put on hold. After a few minutes the employee returned
> and informed me that they will not attach this broadcaster to our home, but will
> read our meter as usual.
>
> In the best interest of your health, you may wish to do the same.
>
> Shivani Arjuna
> www.LifeEnergies.com
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