Accelerating smart meter deployment

Anna Clark Doyle. Dirigida a la Australian Energy Market Commission. 3 páginas

Submission Type: Rule Change
Reference: Accelerating smart meter deployment
Organisation: N/A
First Name: Anna
Last Name: Clark Doyle
Email:
Phone Number:
Comments: Australian Energy Market Commission

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to object to the acceleration of smart meter deployment in NSW, SA, ACT and QLD. Smart meters pose threats to human and environmental health, and also to security and privacy.

There is significant potential for smart meters to facilitate cyber attacks on power grids, which is extremely worrying, however the focus of my objection to smart meters in this submission is on the extremely concerning health implications for smart meter deployment.

I know of a number of people who have been unable to live in their own homes in Victoria because of debilitating symptoms they experienced after a smart meter was installed. This is not surprising given the extremely high level of RF (microwave) radiation that smart meters emit.

RF radiation has been repeatedly demonstrated to have harmful effects on the body and on other living creatures.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified radiofrequency radiation as a Class 2B carcinogen.

Since that time, more evidence of carcinogenicity has been found from both human and animal studies.

The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), a global standard for diagnostic health information for health practitioners, lists exposure to radiofrequency radiation as a classifiable condition.

Many eminent scientists and doctors have expressed concerns about the effects of RF radiation on people and the environment. For example:

An ‘International Appeal’, signed by 248 scientists, states that ‘Numerous recent scientific publications have shown that EMF affects living organisms at levels well below most international and national guidelines.

Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans. Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life.’

According to the 2020 Consensus Statement of UK and International Medical and Scientific Experts on Health Effects of Radiofrequency Radiation (RFR), ‘The main risks associated with exposure to such (wireless) non-ionising radiation in the peer-reviewed scientific literature include: increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damage, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being inhumans.’

Courts in different countries have made determinations recognising that RF radiation could be a health risk, even at exposure levels that complied withstandards.

Insurance companies have recognized the risks of RF radiation.

Further, Australia’s radiation standard is based on flawed science and does not protect the public.

International Commission on the Biological Effects of Electromagnetic Fields (ICBE-EMF has examined the relevant science and concluded that ‘Exposure limits for RF radiation are based on numerous assumptions; however, research studies published over the past 25 years show that most of those assumptions are not supported by scientific evidence.’

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity

A requirement for people to have wireless smart meters on their home would greatly affect people with Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity (EHS). EHS is an allergic-type reaction to exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs), including RF radiation.

It results in symptoms of mild to extreme discomfort and impairment, including:

headaches

sleep problems

fatigue

tinnitus

concentration and memory problems

nausea and digestive problems

skin redness and burning

pain

behaviour problems

depression

anxiety

and irritability.

These symptoms are consistent with biological changes that scientists have shown to occur from exposure. These include:

DNA damage

changes to neurotransmitters and hormones, including a reduction in melatonin changes to cell behaviour, including increased levels of heat shock proteins and calcium ion efflux breaches of the blood-brain-barrier cell proliferation and oxidative stress.

Please see the below link for further information:

https://bioinitiative.org/

I urge you to consider the human and environmental cost end the deployment of smart meters in this country, where people should be free to live healthy lives.

Sincerely,

Anna Clark Doyle