Letter from doctor over concern for installation of 'Smart Meters"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ January 4, 2010
My patients, Shivani Arjuna and her husband Dan Small, have asked me to write to you with regard to how Shivani is affected by exposure to communication frequencies and "dirty electricity" frequencies. They are deeply concerned that placement of one of We Energies' new, radio-broadcasting meters on their property would be harmful to their health, especially to Shivani's. I share their concern. People who are aware of experiencing symptoms as soon as they are exposed to radio (RF) and microwave (MW) frequencies are currently termed "electrically hypersensitive," or EHS. Shivani is electrically hypersensitive. However, these individuals are by no means the only people actually being affected by such exposure, as ample, rigorous research done over a period of several decades shows chronic exposure causes health damage to people who note no immediate symptoms. Please see, for example, the bibliography of reported biological phenomena associated with radio-frequency and microwave radiation compiled by the US Navy Medical Research Institute in 1971, with over 2,000 references., at: www.dtic.mil/cgibin/GetTRDoc?AD=AD750271&Location=U2&doc=GetTRDoc.pdf Also, please see the summary of EMF effects at: www.icswebsite.com/emf/emfissues.html with 62 more recent references. The immense proliferation of wireless technologies in the past few years has given rise to health problems that cannot be successfully treated medically, as medicine cannot remove the underlying cause, the exposure to radiation. Safety regulations of various nations vary widely regarding what level of exposure is supposedly safe. Unfortunately, most countries' regulations are still based on the old, inaccurate assumption that non-ionizing radiation is not harmful unless it actually heats body tissues. The fact that a given technology adheres to the present standards is meaningless in terms of its actual biological effects. Even an EPA spokesperson has stated that present U.S. standards are not protecting citizens from harmful radiation. Research shows harmful effects at levels far below what is presently allowed. Years of research also reveal a broad range of symptoms and diseases caused by RF exposure. This is hardly surprising, as the human body functions electrically from the cellular level on. Attached you will find a list of conditions caused by exposure to RF and therefore termed "radio wave sickness." There are probably more mechanisms underlying the damage done to health by manmade electromagnetic frequencies than we are presently aware of. (To date, the mechanism by which smoking tobacco causes cancer is unknown.) However, here is brief information regarding a few known mechanisms: o It is established from multiple, independent studies that EMR from ELF to RF/MW reduces melatonin in animals and human beings. Melatonin is not only vital for healthy sleep, it is the most potent, naturally produced antioxidant that helps to protect cells from genetic damage that leads to cancer, neurological, cardiac and reproductive damage, illness and death. o Exposure to intensities and field strengths that are extremely low cause a biological effect called calcium ion efflux. Calcium ion alteration of cells by EMR is linked to neurological degeneration, to cancer and many other health effects. The heart is also an electromagnetic organ, with an electric pulse initiating a cascade of calcium ions that cause the cells in the heart to contract and produce a heartbeat. Exogenous electromagnetic signals can interfere with this regular, electrical pulse leading to heart disease and heart attack of the arrhythmic kind. o Physiological changes that are bedrock indicators of allergic response and inflammatory conditions that are stimulated by EMF exposures include: overreaction of the immune system; morphological alterations of immune cells; profound increases in mast cells in the upper skin layers, increased degranulation of mast cells and larger size of mast cells in EHS individuals; presence of biological markers for inflammation that are sensitive to EMF exposure at non-thermal levels; changes in lymphocyte viability; decreased count of NK cells; decreased count of T-lymphocytes; negative effects on pregnancy (uteroplacental circulatory disturbances and placental dysfunction); suppressed or impaired immune function; and inflammatory responses that can result in cellular, tissue and organ damage if exposure occurs on a continuing basis over time. Mast cells are also found in the brain and heart, and this might account for some of the other symptoms commonly reported: headache, sensitivity to light, arrhythmias and other cardiac symptoms. o Many studies have shown that RF/MW radiation and ELF fields cause increased DNA strand breakage and chromosome aberrations. As was concluded by the authors of the Bioiniative Report (www.bioinitiative.org), it is unwise from a public health perspective to continue "business-as-usual," deploying new technologies that increase RF exposures, particularly involuntary exposures. Any company or industry whose products or operational methodologies cause involuntary exposure to RF radiation would do well to become more informed about these and other effects of such exposure, both to protect the public and to protect themselves from future liability suits. Though it is no longer possible in today's world to completely avoid exposure to communications frequencies, EHS individuals such as Shivani, need to live in a personal environment as clear of RF/MW as possible. This is recognized in Sweden, where the government creates safe working and living spaces for such individuals. In the U.S., EHS individuals have to do what they can to create their own safe living spaces. Certainly, these safe havens, on their own property, should not be denied them. I have been Shivani Arjuna's physician since 2002 and have noted how her specific symptoms and overall health have corresponded directly to her exposure to RF/MW radiation. Initially, she was experiencing incapacitating and life-threatening symptoms related to such exposure. At present, she is able to remain free of RF/MW exposure-induced symptoms as long as she remains in the safe home space that she and her husband have gone to considerable effort and expense to create. That she remains EHS is clear from how she responds to exposures when not in that safe environment. It is my opinion that the placement of an RF-broadcasting device connected to the wiring on this property would be extremely detrimental to Shivani's health and that it must not be allowed. Such a device connected to their wiring, whether at or away from their house, would cause RF to be broadcast from the wiring throughout their home. I suggest the alternative of asking them to take regular meter readings from their present meter and call or mail these to you, with a We Energies employee checking the meter annually or semi-annually to ensure accuracy. I look forward to your response and hope you will agree to this solution to ensure that Shivani's health be respected and protected. Sincerely, |