7 Reasons to Never Use Smart Meters
7 Reasons to Never Use Smart Meters
By Gary Null, PhD
June 14, 2016 The Progressive Radio Network
In 2009 President Obama announced a $3.4 billion plan for the federal government to invest in a “Smart Grid” energy system. The investment plan, touted as big step forward in energy efficiency, aimed to provide homeowners with up-to-the-hour data on their consumption of electricity and other utilities using devices known as smart meters. It was argued that, by enabling customers to monitor their energy use in this way, they would be motivated to use less energy and lower their utility bills. In the years since, energy companies have replaced millions of traditional analog utility meters with smart meters. As of 2014, nearly 60 million smart meters are being used across the United States today. (1) The vast majority of these devices are installed in residential settings.(2)
Today, it’s become quite evident that the Smart Grid system has failed to live up to expectations. As reported in a recent Washington Post article, the emergence of this technology has done virtually nothing to reduce electricity use in the United States. (3) Even still, many states are requiring that residents use smart meters and it’s often the case that homeowners have them installed without being told about it. The advent of smart meters has sparked controversy around topics like privacy rights and cyber-terrorism. Perhaps worst of all, smart meters may be very harmful to human health.
Here are 7 reasons you should never have a smart meter in your home.
- Smart Meters May Cause Cancer
The radiofrequency waves emitted by smart meters and other wireless devices have been identified as carcinogenic in numerous studies. (4) A new study conducted by the US government’s National Toxicology Program found higher rates of brain and heart malignancies among rats exposed to cell phone radiofrequency waves. Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, remarked in an interview that ”the NTP report linking radiofrequency radiation to two types of cancer marks a paradigm shift in our understanding of radiation and cancer risk.”(5)
In addition, the World Health Organization categorizes radiofrequency waves as a Group 2B “potential carcinogen”. Materials including DDT, lead, and engine exhaust are also classified as Group 2B. (6)
- Smart Meters May Cause Numerous Health Issues
Even though the potential health effects of smart meters have been well studied, a few surveys and an expanding body of anecdotal evidence have revealed that smart meters may adversely affect human health. Ronald M. Powell, PhD., compiled a list of health conditions which smart meter users surveyed believe may be linked to exposure to non-ionizing radiation emitted by smart meters:
- Sleep problems (insomnia, difficulty falling asleep, night waking, nightmares)
- Stress, agitation, anxiety, irritability
- Headaches, sharp pain or pressure in the head
- Ringing in the ears, ear pain, high pitched ringing
- Concentration, memory or learning problems
- Fatigue, muscle or physical weakness
- Disorientation, dizziness, or balance problems
- Eye problems, including eye pain, pressure in the eyes,
- Cardiac symptoms, heart palpitations, heart arrhythmias, chest pain
- Leg cramps, or neuropathy
- Arthritis, body pain, sharp, stabbing pains
- Nausea, flu-like symptoms
- Sinus problems, nose bleeds
- Respiratory problems, cough, asthma
- Skin rashes, facial flushing
- Urinary problems
- Endocrine disorders, thyroid problems, diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Changes in menstrual cycle
- Hyperactivity or changes in children’s behavior
- Seizures
- Recurrence of cancer (7)
- Smart Meters are a Fire Hazard
Reports from around the world show that smart meters are prone to catch fire and even explode. (8) In the span of two years, the towns of Reno and Sparks, Nevada had 9 fires linked to smart meters, prompting the local fire chiefs to call for a probe of the safety of this wireless technology. (9) In 2015, thousands of residents in Stockton, California were rocked by the simultaneous explosion of dozens of smart meters caused by a power surge.(10)
- Smart Meters Leave Us Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks
Using smart meters opens up the energy grid to potentially catastrophic cyber attacks. For this reason Former CIA Director James Woolsey declared the installation of the Smart Grid to be “really really stupid”. (11)
- Smart Meters Pose a Threat to Privacy
Privacy rights advocates have expressed concerns over the invasive nature of smart meters. The Electronic Privacy Information Center lists the following potential privacy threats that come from smart meters.
- Identity Theft
- Determine Personal Behavior Patterns
- Determine Specific Appliances Used
- Perform Real-Time Surveillance
- Reveal Activities Through Residual Data
- Targeted Home Invasions (latch key children, elderly, etc.)
- Provide Accidental Invasions
- Activity Censorship
- Decisions and Actions Based Upon Inaccurate Data
- Profiling
- Unwanted Publicity and Embarrassment
- Tracking Behavior Of Renters/Leasers
- Behavior Tracking (possible combination with Personal Behavior Patterns)
- Public Aggregated Searches Revealing Individual Behavior (12)
- Smart Meters are Undemocratic
Smart meters have been forced on millions of Americans without their consent. Requiring this technology to be used without first engaging in a democratic debate over its merits undermines the political process.
- Smart Meters Are Costly
Despite claims to the contrary, the use of smart meter technology may actually be increasing utility bills. A recent survey of more than 400 people, most of them in California, revealed that 35% of respondents noted an increase in utility bills after the installation of a smart meter.(13) In addition, lawsuits have come about as a result of alleged overcharging by utility companies after installing these devices.(14)
A Call to Action
Even a brief examination of the evidence reveals that smart meter technology is dangerous, undemocratic and offers little to no benefit for the average American.
The organization known as Stop Smart Meters! provides the following tips for homeowners with analog meters who would like to prevent the installation of a smart meter and for those individuals who already have a smart meter installed:
For homeowners with an analog meter:
- Do not allow smart meter installers on your property. Call police if they trespass. Form a neighborhood watch.
- Send a certified letter to your utility refusing consent to install
- Secure analog meters behind lock and key
- Refuse to pay opt out fees. Hundreds of thousands are refusing to pay fees to keep their analogs in California and elsewhere, and while PG&E in CA has threatened disconnects, they have yet to carry out this threat, simply for refusal to pay “opt out fees” currently in dispute.
For homeowners with a smart meter:
- Revoke consent via certified letter to the utility and set a deadline for removal of existing smart meter.
- Demand that the meter be removed. Do not take no for an answer. It is your home and your authority- not theirs. Assume everything the utility says is a lie.
- Do not be fooled by a digital “radio off” meter or an analog meter with transmitting equipment in it. Ask them to confirm in writing that the meter is a “non-electronic electromechanical analog meter.”
- If a utility continues to insist on their illegal trespass, people have had their smart meters removed by a qualified professional and replaced with purely electromechanical analog meters. (Note that this may result in a disconnect depending on the sanity of your utility). You can purchase a reliable analog meter online here.
- Keep your distance (pets and plants too!) from all transmitters. Find out about shielding methods as a last resort. Avoidance is best. Be aware that cell phones, cordless phones, wi-fi routers, microwaves, and baby monitors also emit carcinogenic radiation and their use should be curtailed and eliminated. Get wired!
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The outcome of pending legislation in New York and several others states will play a key role in deciding the fate of smart meters in the coming years. It’s critical that you contact your local legislators and demand an end to this risky technology. The following link allows you to search for your local legislators:
http://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/
Visit the following websites for more information on how to put an end to smart meter technology:
http://www.electrosmogprevention.org/smart-meter-resources-links/smart-meter-activism-state-by-state/ (contains a state-by-state list of local smart meter activists)
Endnotes
- http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=108&t=3
- Ibid
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/01/29/americans-are-this-close-to-finally-understanding-their-electricity-bills/
- http://www.bioinitiative.org/report/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/RFR-11_28-research-summary.pdf
- http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/health/cancer-study-radiation-cellphones.html?_r=1
- http://www.bioinitiative.org/report/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/RFR-11_28-research-summary.pdf
- http://emfsafetynetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Symptoms-after-Exposure-to-Smart-Meter-Radiation.pdf
- http://emfsafetynetwork.org/smart-meters/smart-meter-fires-and-explosions/
- http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/09/16/fire-chiefs-call-for-smart-meter-probe-after-blazes/15751373/
- http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2015/03/30/stockton-smart-meters-explode-after-truck-causes-power-surge/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=15&v=MAid1bS8t9U
- https://epic.org/privacy/smartgrid/smartgrid.html
- http://emfsafetynetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Wireless-Utility-Meter-Safety-Impacts-Survey-Results-Final.pdf
- http://www.smartmeters.com/lawsuit-filed-against-pgae-for-smart-meter-overcharges/
