Energy and Climate Change Committee
Written evidence submitted by Ann Gore (SMR117)
1. I am an individual, who has recently become concerned about the wification of our cities and of our countryside, as it is becoming clear I have no control over my exposure and absorption of the radio frequencies and of ever increasing EMF exposure. Smart meters are a significant part of this, and I have been struck by the ever gathering advice and representations being made by important agencies around the world in connection with this
2. These agencies/authors include, The American Environmental Academy, April 2012, The Bioinitiative Report of 2012 “The European Environmental Agency Jan 2013. Also the US Government Accountability Office July 2012, has also called for a revision of the safety standards. (see links listed below). There is also growing pressure for the ICNIRP guidelines, to be modified for greater safety.
3. In the US, class actions are underway against smart meters because of the health problems they have caused. France has banned wifi in schools. And there is an acknowledgement by the Council of the Europe Parliamentary Assembly resolution 1815 (2011) of the need:
“to ensure there are public places free from Electro-pollution in line with the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly: resolution 1815 (2011) “The assembly recommends that the member states of the Council of Europe: 8.1 In general terms: 8.1.1. take all reasonable measures to reduce exposure to electromagnetic fields especially to radio frequencies from mobile phones, particularly the exposure of children and young people who seem to be most at risk from head tumours. 8.1.4. pay particular attention to “electro-sensitive” people who suffer from an intolerance to electromagnetic fields and introduce special measures to protect them, including the creation of wave-free areas not covered by the wireless network”
4. The ES-UK society acts as a collector of information on this subject and is a registered charity which keeps an active log of symptoms and responses from hundreds of people in the UK and around the world. I have been informed by the society that there has recently been an increase in contacts from the public, raising the issue of their health response to wifi. Electro-sensitivity has increased since the introduction of wifi in 2000, and everyone thinks they will be immune.
5. Insurance companies tend to exclude cover for damage due to electro-magnetic fields, perhaps they understand the science. In a recent letter to my MP, the Dept. of Health likened the category of EMFs, being a possible 2B carcinogen, as the same risk as coffee. I found this disingenuous, as it totally fails to recognise the individuals ability to control their intake. I ingest very little coffee, I am forced to ingest far more EMF’s than I want to, especially from wifi. And as there are already so many different sources, from different companies and agencies, responsibility for any damage to health, may fall into the trap currently experienced by many sufferers from asbestosis (no-one seems to be liable if it can be shown, that exposure was probably due to working for more than one company.)
6. It is extremely important to take into account the likely exposure to wifi and mobile phones/masts for any person in a 24 hour period, as their homes, work areas and places of leisure are all gradually completely wified and mobile phone mast covered, without an opt out provision, and to act seriously in line with a precautionary principle. Wifi from smart meters should not be looked at in isolation. We are enduring an ever increasing massive experiment on our environment. (Issues re; how street and home architecture might act as an antennae, as not been looked out). Public consent gained by keeping the public ignorant is not true consent.
7. Any plans must recognise the possible ill-health effects, and make absolutely clear how people are going to be protected. Are own GPs have little training in this area. I was born in the 1950’s and have lived through the long long denial of smoking causing lung cancer, and the time it took to recognise the dangers of thalidomide, or asbestosis or fuel emissions. I believe that electro-pollution saturation will put all of these well into the shade, and the fact that I have recently become aware of some of the symptoms, means that we are probably at a turning point from safe-ish to unsafe use. (When I recently spoke with my MP on this issue I discovered I was the second person to do so.) This is a pollutant, and as it increases more and more people will be affected.
8) This is an edited version of a letter I have already sent into my local council.
www.es-uk.info Look at Ill Health from WI-FI : Ill Health from Wireless Smart Meters: My Ill Health from smart meters (This has some information on environment.) Also look at the Dec 2012 Newsletter.
ES-UK is a registered charity which keeps an active log of symptoms and responses from hundreds of people in the UK and around the world. Recently there has been an increase in contacts from the public, raising the issue of their health response to wifi. This is very much a growing problem.
Council of Europe:
http://assembly.coe.int/mainf.asp?link=/documents/adoptedtext/ta11/eres1815.htm
www.bioinitiative.org
The American Environmental Academy, (the first agency to recognise the Gulf War Syndrome.)
http://aaemonline.org/pressadvisoryemf.pdf
US:Government Accountability Office
http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/592901.pdf
http://www.eea.europa.eu/pressroom/newsreleases/the-cost-of-ignoring-the
http://www.radiationresearch.org/
http://wifiinschools.org.uk/resources/safeschools2012.pdf
http://ssita.org.uk/
February 2013