Smart Meter Dangers

The dangers of Smart Meters have become a real concern among home owners. Smart Technology, Smart Grid, these are terms that are now part of our everyday language. But, what do they even mean?

For starters, SMART is an acronym that stands for Self Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology.

History of the Smart Meter

Smart Meters are among the first of these SMART technologies to be rolled out to the public. They are being used to measure the amount of electricity, water and gas that is being consumed in homes and businesses.

In 2009, the first batch of Smart Meters were installed in the US. They were part of the Smart Grid Investment Grant program that was established by Congress to ‘modernize the way the country transmitted and distributed its electricity’.

In 2015, roughly 18 million Smart Meters were installed in the United States. The funding to do this was supplied by the federal government.

By 2021, over 111 million Smart Meters had been installed, with 88% having been installed on residential properties.

Smart Grid

Smart Meters create what is being called the Smart Grid.

Before Smart Meters, analogue Meters were used. These Meters had no wireless capacity and needed to be read periodically by a real person whose job it was to come by your home and jot down your Meter reading.

You were then charged based on these readings.

In an effort to utilize technology to simplify these readings, real people were gotten rid of and Meters that transmitted data wirelessly back to the utility companies were installed.

They emitted a one way signal that was picked up by the utility company’s van when it was driving through your neighborhood.

Smart Meters function differently than the previous wireless Meters.

They send out two-way wireless transmission to neighboring Smart Meters. These transmissions are then sent to local nodes in the area. From here, they are sent to the utility company.

What this does is create a continuous grid of electromagnetic radiation in neighborhoods – aka the Smart Grid

Internet Of Things

This Smart Grid is the foundation for the Internet of Things (IOT). The Internet of Things is just as its name says, it is the electronic connection of physical things in the physical world to each other.

Smart Meters are part of making this connection work. Their wireless transmissions go from your fridge to your stove to your dishwasher to your washing machine to your blender…and so on. Usage data is collected and transmitted back to the utility company.

Smart Meter Radiation

Smart Meters emit microwave radiation, also called radiofrequency (rf) radiation.

Microwave radiation is biologically active radiation that is able to penetrate into our bodies. It is the same type of radiation emitted by cell phones and Wi-Fi.

By communicating with neighboring Smart Meters, a dense layer of of electromagnetic radiation is created.

Peer reviewed studies have linked electromagnetic radiation with cancer and DNA damage. The $30 million 2018 study conducted by the US National Toxicology Program determined that microwave radiation as emitted by cell phones caused cancer and DNA damage.

In 2013, a study was published that found that 97.6% of people felt they experienced adverse health symptoms after the installation of a Smart Meter on their home. Almost 45% felt that the Smart Meter caused them to become electrically sensitive.

Smart Meter Radiation Symptoms

Exposure to radiation can cause various types of adverse effects in people.

Some of the most common complaints when it comes to Smart Meter radiation exposure are:

• Tinnitus
• Heart Palpitations
• Insomnia
• Anxiety
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Skin Rashes
• Skin Burning
• Facial Flushing
• Needles & Pins in extremities
• Numbness
• Sinus Problems
• Nose Bleeds
• Menstrual Cycle Changes
• Eye Pain
• Hyperactivity
• Seizures
• Recurrence of Cancer

Daniel Hirsch, who is a retired director of the Program on Environmental and Nuclear Policy at the University of California, Santa Cruz, says that Smart Meters expose people to more radiation than even cell phones.

“…rather than the cell phone being 100 times more exposure than a Smart Meter, the Smart Meter turns out to be roughly 100 times more exposure than a cell phone.”

Mr. Hirsch’s findings are that with Smart Meter radiation the entire body is being bathed in the radiation, while cell phone radiation is more targeted towards the area of the body that the cell phone is in close proximity to.

Smart Meters Worse for Children

Children are a vulnerable segment of the population. Their bodies are smaller and still developing, which puts them at a greater risk when it comes to Smart Meter radiation.

Studies have shown the real dangers of Smart Meters and how the radiation seems to penetrate into children’s bodies deeper.

It can affect organs, such as the brain, in a more direct way than it can for adults.

A 2018 published study found that the highest body absorption rate for radiation was in the child model when it was exposed to Smart Meter radiation.

Radiation 24/7

Utility companies have continuously played down the amount of radiation pulses Smart Meters produce.

While they say the Smart Meters send the transmission of electrical data out maybe 3 or 4 times a day, researchers have found otherwise.

Bill Bathgate, who is an engineer and has studied Smart Meters, found that they transmit a sharp pulse every 3 to 7 seconds. According to Bathgate, “it’s constantly pulsing all day”.

When an investigation was done in the state of California, it was determined that Smart Meters could pulse up to 192,000 times a day.

Each of those pulses sends out a strong wireless signal, transmitting data to a neighboring Meter. Pulsed radiation can penetrate deeper into the body than non-pulsed radiation, according to several studies.

Even manufacturers are aware of the dangers of Smart Meters and the potential health risks involved with exposing people to this type of radiation continuously.

Itron, who manufactures Smart Meters, let shareholders know that there could be problems when it comes to their product.

“We may face adverse publicity, consumer or political opposition, or liability associated with our products…We may be subject to claims that there are adverse health effects from the radio frequencies utilized in connection with our products.”

How to Minimize Harmful Effects of Smart Meters

Our top recommendation for mitigating the dangers of Smart Meters is to use the So-Square. It can be affixed to the meter itself or to the opposite side of the wall that it is attached to. You can also use multiple So Square tiles for optimal protection.

References

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29143352/

https://www.smartgrid.gov/recovery_act/overview/smart_grid_investment_grant_program.html

https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=108&t=3

http://www.mainecoalitiontostopsmartmeters.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Exhibit-10-Smart-Meter-Health-Effects-Report-Survey2.pdf