Letter to the Editor – Smart Meters
TO: The Douglas County Herald Editors and the Honorable Mayor and Council, People of Ava, Mo.
Regarding the April 14, 2016 issue and article entitled, “Meter Funding Exceeds Expectations; Council Approves Annual Appoint-ments”
Considering that we as a nation are heading into serious inflationary times and my position as a newcomer and prospective future home owner in this county, the article of 4-12-16 raises for me more than a little concern as to the quality of the future here for all of us.
I am not a lawyer so I cannot speak to all the multiple liabilities that present themselves with the installation and operation of these electronic meters also commonly referred to as “Smart Meters”.
Fire risk is one of the less well known problems. The serious documented issues of house fires, radiation related illnesses, cancers and electro-smog connected with electronic meters appear to offer opportunities for profitable future lawsuits for those so inclined. The costs of the lawsuits could and would make the property taxes go up because the property owners will most likely end up paying for them. With that in mind, knowing the costs of installing these new digital wireless meters is substantial, that their accuracy is debatable, and there is much controversy as to whether or not the readings serve to decrease power use, or simply to increase power costs to consumers I ask for extreme prudence in accepting this technology at this time. I would prefer judicious prudence, as many lives are involved.
In looking for some common sense about this issue, I came across this website:
http://stopocsmartmeters.com/what-is-a-smart-meter.html
“Smart” meters are part of the “Smart Grid” which is a taxpayer-paid revenue system. The Smart Grid will:
- Increase price of electricity to ratepayers.
- Ration services with punitive pricing structure and remote ‘off’ switch.
- Create the Internet of Things infrastructure for the benefit of third party vendors such as Cisco, Intel, Microsoft, Google, IBM, etc.
- Collect Big Data for government, NSA, police, insurance companies, etc.
- Blanket neighborhoods with a Class 2B Possible Carcinogen on the level with lead, DDT and chloroform.
- Create millions of hackable wireless data points with insufficient cyber security.
- Catch fire as the units are not built to withstand surges.
There is a bigger picture here worth thinking about.
Who pays for the Smart Grid? It is expected to cost upwards of $476 Billion. Who really benefits from these new meters? What are the safety points? Whose bottom line grows? The utility provider can benefit from the meters as they will be able to save money by the lay-off of their workers and meter readers.
They will be able to raise rates for the meters. Will they charge a fee for not having one of these meters?
Of note were the comments by the Mayor and Councilman Keith Jones about the California Institute of Science study that showed radio frequencies transmitted by the Centron are lower than a cell phone. That is a questionable statement. Some of these Itron Centrons generate up to 170,000 bursts of radiation per day. That’s more than a cell phone or a microwave, and each emission is much more powerful than what comes from a cell tower.
Concerns have been raised about the safety of electronic (“smart”) meters, mainly because they give off the same kinds of radio frequency (RF) waves as cell phones and Wi-Fi devices.
What are we getting into here?
Buyer beware. Especially in light of the newer findings of the “hidden” dangers to health and property from the “smart meter”. Case in point: I looked up the Centron Model manufactured by Itron mentioned in the article and found that it is technically a Smart Meter.
Here is some data taken from a May 24, 2012 article I found online:
“More than fifty international experts endorsed the following rebuttal [to the claim that electronic meters pose no risk to public health] . . . Non-industry funded studies have clearly demonstrated a significant increase in cancer cases among individuals who have suffered from prolonged exposure to low-level microwaves, transmitted notably by radio antennas. The effects were best documented in meta-analyses that have been published and that include grouped results from several different studies: these analyses consistently showed an increased risk of brain cancer among regular users of a cell phone who have been exposed to microwaves for at least ten years . . . In May 2011, after reviewing the published scientific literature regarding cancers affecting cell phone users, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified radiofrequency radiation as a 2B, possible human carcinogen . . . Therefore, caution is warranted because the growing variety of RF/microwave emissions produced by many wireless devices such as smart meters have never been tested for their potential biological effects.
Itron’s OpenWay Centron Smart Meter, assembled in S. Carolina, contains Accent’s AMIgrid2 chip (manufactured in China).” (Source: http://stopocsmartmeters.com/what-is-a-smart-meter.html)
Have we taken into account a bank of electronic meters as would be with an apartment complex, transmitting at intervals 24 hours a day? The frequency of transmission of a cell phone is 850 to 1900 MHz. The Centron according to their specifications is 900 MHz and the radio (cellular) Meter Transmission Unit = 450 to 470 MHz FCC — different than a cell phone in that the electronic meter transmits anywhere from every 5 seconds to 15 minutes. In a neighborhood there are overlapping spheres of transmission. All this creates “electrosmog”. There is no individual control for the meters; at least the cell phone you can turn off.
“Experts are saying smart meters are unsafe, harmful to the environment, and often inaccurate. They can interfere with personal privacy and security.” In summary, there is no scientific data to determine if there is a safe RF exposure level regarding its non-thermal effects.”
Source: https://www.scribd.com/doc/52614951/Reasons-to-Say-No-to-Smart-Meters)
A large national physicians association, American Academy of Environmental Medicine, issued a position statement opposing the installation of electronic meters based on forced, chronic exposure to wireless RF radiation as a known, preventable environmental hazard and risk to public health that should be prevented. Source: https://www.scribd.com/doc/52614951/Reasons-to-Say-No-to-Smart-Meters)
To date, forty-nine California municipalities, including ten counties, have criminalized the installation of, banned or taken out resolutions against electronic meters. Source: https://www.scribd.com/doc/52614951/Reasons-to-Say-No-to-Smart-Meters,
Center for Electrosmog Prevention, a California nonprofit corporation www.electrosmogprevention.org
Health risks include: pathological leak of blood brain barrier, neurological symptoms, cardiac & cancer risks, impairment of dna repair human stem cells.
Fire risk is one of the less well known problems with electronic meters. The oft quoted justifications are ‘accuracy’ and ‘safety’, however the first is debunked immediately with many reports of highly inflated power bills. Safety however has been not so well proven. Risks have been carefully concealed. This was evident in the documentary “Take Back Your Power”. Here we have the fire risk in greater detail. These meters generate revenue for power companies by collecting data, a huge industry. People report difficulties with the operation of appliances and the levels of pulsing and subsequent emission of RF radiation is up to 190,000 times per day creating a huge health risk. This is borne out by experts in the field of radiation risks. Additionally the meters come with a remote disconnect ability which, when put to use, cause arcing and subsequent fire risk.
There is more. Please, take the time become informed. Research the health and other risks and make an informed decision about them. If you don’t already have one, it is easier to prevent installation than it is to get one removed. I hope this letter is of service for you.
Sincerely,
Barbara Thomason,
Master of Fine Arts
Ava, Mo.
SOURCES
https://envirowatchrangitikei.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/an-expose-of-smart-meters-the-fire-risk-thatgoes-with-them/
http://smartmeterdangers.org/
(VIDEO) BUSTED: Smart Meters Emit Constant Microwave Radiation: WUSA9 News
Fire Risk – March 29, 2016
https://envirowatchrangitikei.wordpress.com/2016/03/29/an-expose-of-smart-meters-the-fire-risk-thatgoes-with-them/
Smart meters and RF Radiation in New Zealand – Smart Meter radiation has 35 kilometer range!
