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Day of Action Against Smart Meters Called
NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION CALLED AGAINST ‘SMART’ METERS AND GRID
Recent Fires in Illinois, Pennsylvania Add Urgency to Calls for Moratorium
WASHINGTON, DC- Citing thousands of instances of ‘smart’ meter fires, health problems, and violations of privacy laws, the National Campaign to Stop Smart Meters and Wireless Radiation Protection Coalition are calling for a National Day of Action on October 4th to demand an immediate moratorium on “smart meter” installations.
Recent Fires in Illinois, Pennsylvania Add Urgency to Calls for Moratorium
WASHINGTON, DC- Citing thousands of instances of ‘smart’ meter fires, health problems, and violations of privacy laws, the National Campaign to Stop Smart Meters and Wireless Radiation Protection Coalition are calling for a National Day of Action on October 4th to demand an immediate moratorium on “smart meter” installations.
‘Smart’ meters are digital devices that monitor utility usage and maintain continuous two-way communication between the customer’s property and the utility company. Utilities are replacing traditional analog meters on homes and businesses all around the country as a supposed energy-saving measure.
Campaign organizers say that these energy savings are failing to materialize, and point to the need for massive new data storage facilities, energy consumption of the meters themselves, and the need for frequent replacement as evidence that “smart” meters are not so “green.” They say smart meter mesh networks are in fact consuming significant energy as part of their routine operation, sending out pulses of microwave radiation day and night, and subjecting residents to health problems, increased risk of fire, rising energy bills, and even power disruption.
The wave of demonstrations in early October is timed to coincide with “GridWeek,”a conference being held in Washington, DC by industry and government proponents of the smart grid. In addition to Washington, DC, other demonstrations are being planned throughout the United States to coincide with the Washington event.
“We are calling for a moratorium on the installation of “smart” meters, and for utilities to remove existing “smart” meters already in place on homes and businesses.” says Joshua Hart, spokesperson for the Campaign, “Like any defective product, whether automobile, food or drug, these meters require an immediate product recall. Analog meters were safe, accurate, and lasted for 80 or more years. My grandmother used to say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Utilities and governments now need to take responsibility and fix the mess they’ve created.”
Coalition members protesting on October 4threpresent the nationwide groundswell of opposition groups from more than a dozen different states, challenging smart meters in a wide variety of regulatory and legal venues.
“Smart” meters emit strong bursts of microwave radiation that the World Health Organization labeled a Class 2b carcinogen in May of 2011. This is the same category as lead, DDT, and chloroform. The meters are widely reported to be impacting human and environmental health. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has warned people with a number of medical conditions to avoid them. Thousands of people have reported ringing in the ears, insomnia, headaches, dizziness, nausea, heart irregularities, memory loss, and anxiety after a smart meter was installed on their home. Despite this, utilities in many parts of the country are forcing smart meters onto private property and unlawfully disconnecting people’s essential services for refusing to accept a smart meter.
A series of 26 smart meter fires in Pennsylvania forced PECO to suspend further installations in August, and this has sparked inquiries in Washington, DC, Maryland, and other states. Problems with wiring, lack of UL certification, and unprofessional, shoddy installations have been suspected as causes of these and other fires, which have already caused millions of dollars in damages. Yet installations continue in many areas. Public safety advocates are demanding an immediate moratorium on these unsafe, untested devices.
According to a Congressional Research Service Report [February 2012], the Department of Energy determined smart meters can reveal people’s daily schedules, the use of individual appliances, whether they use certain medical equipment and other personal information. “Smart meters are an invasion of privacy. They are a detailed and warrantless information gathering devices attached to our homes and businesses,” said Ed Friedman lead plaintiff in a smart meter case that has been remanded to the Maine Public Utilities Commission after a victory in the Maine Supreme Court.
The National Campaign to Stop Smart Meters and Wireless Radiation Protection Coalition are urging members of the public to do the truly smart thing: plan your own event to demonstrate against ‘smart’ meters on October 4! See http://actiondaytostopsmartmeters.org for materials and more information on planning an event, and for locations and times of events being planned around the country and internationally.
The main demonstration in Washington DC begins at 10:00 am Oct. 4th at the GridWeek conference outside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place N.W., Washington, DC 20001. For other demonstrations around the country, see http://actiondaytostopsmartmeters.org
Campaign organizers say that these energy savings are failing to materialize, and point to the need for massive new data storage facilities, energy consumption of the meters themselves, and the need for frequent replacement as evidence that “smart” meters are not so “green.” They say smart meter mesh networks are in fact consuming significant energy as part of their routine operation, sending out pulses of microwave radiation day and night, and subjecting residents to health problems, increased risk of fire, rising energy bills, and even power disruption.
The wave of demonstrations in early October is timed to coincide with “GridWeek,”a conference being held in Washington, DC by industry and government proponents of the smart grid. In addition to Washington, DC, other demonstrations are being planned throughout the United States to coincide with the Washington event.
“We are calling for a moratorium on the installation of “smart” meters, and for utilities to remove existing “smart” meters already in place on homes and businesses.” says Joshua Hart, spokesperson for the Campaign, “Like any defective product, whether automobile, food or drug, these meters require an immediate product recall. Analog meters were safe, accurate, and lasted for 80 or more years. My grandmother used to say, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’ Utilities and governments now need to take responsibility and fix the mess they’ve created.”
Coalition members protesting on October 4threpresent the nationwide groundswell of opposition groups from more than a dozen different states, challenging smart meters in a wide variety of regulatory and legal venues.
“Smart” meters emit strong bursts of microwave radiation that the World Health Organization labeled a Class 2b carcinogen in May of 2011. This is the same category as lead, DDT, and chloroform. The meters are widely reported to be impacting human and environmental health. The American Academy of Environmental Medicine has warned people with a number of medical conditions to avoid them. Thousands of people have reported ringing in the ears, insomnia, headaches, dizziness, nausea, heart irregularities, memory loss, and anxiety after a smart meter was installed on their home. Despite this, utilities in many parts of the country are forcing smart meters onto private property and unlawfully disconnecting people’s essential services for refusing to accept a smart meter.
A series of 26 smart meter fires in Pennsylvania forced PECO to suspend further installations in August, and this has sparked inquiries in Washington, DC, Maryland, and other states. Problems with wiring, lack of UL certification, and unprofessional, shoddy installations have been suspected as causes of these and other fires, which have already caused millions of dollars in damages. Yet installations continue in many areas. Public safety advocates are demanding an immediate moratorium on these unsafe, untested devices.
According to a Congressional Research Service Report [February 2012], the Department of Energy determined smart meters can reveal people’s daily schedules, the use of individual appliances, whether they use certain medical equipment and other personal information. “Smart meters are an invasion of privacy. They are a detailed and warrantless information gathering devices attached to our homes and businesses,” said Ed Friedman lead plaintiff in a smart meter case that has been remanded to the Maine Public Utilities Commission after a victory in the Maine Supreme Court.
The National Campaign to Stop Smart Meters and Wireless Radiation Protection Coalition are urging members of the public to do the truly smart thing: plan your own event to demonstrate against ‘smart’ meters on October 4! See http://actiondaytostopsmartmeters.org for materials and more information on planning an event, and for locations and times of events being planned around the country and internationally.
The main demonstration in Washington DC begins at 10:00 am Oct. 4th at the GridWeek conference outside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place N.W., Washington, DC 20001. For other demonstrations around the country, see http://actiondaytostopsmartmeters.org
For more information:
http://actiondaytostopsmartmeters.org
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But Now we have arrived at the point of understanding the fire issue.
Though infrequent it is 100% disaster for the victim.
Additionally, based on the web portal access of the metering results, it is only a disadvantage to have the SM/Meter box attached to the side of a building, it does not offer anything but the opportunity to set the premises on fire.
I call for the removal of the meter boxes from the inside/outside of the buildings, and place a SINGLE MULTI-SERVICE meter at the Utility feeding transformer, be it up on the pole or on the ground serving the neighborhood.(Them Big Green Boxes you run across on sidewalks where there is Under-ground power utility feed.)
Final word!
If the ANALOG Meter is an Antiquity!....So is the meter box on the side of your house!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And while we are at it, let us all sign up for AUTO-PAY with our respective UTILITY PIMPS and stop worrying about Electricity rates.
Though infrequent it is 100% disaster for the victim.
Additionally, based on the web portal access of the metering results, it is only a disadvantage to have the SM/Meter box attached to the side of a building, it does not offer anything but the opportunity to set the premises on fire.
I call for the removal of the meter boxes from the inside/outside of the buildings, and place a SINGLE MULTI-SERVICE meter at the Utility feeding transformer, be it up on the pole or on the ground serving the neighborhood.(Them Big Green Boxes you run across on sidewalks where there is Under-ground power utility feed.)
Final word!
If the ANALOG Meter is an Antiquity!....So is the meter box on the side of your house!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
And while we are at it, let us all sign up for AUTO-PAY with our respective UTILITY PIMPS and stop worrying about Electricity rates.
Health Experts from 20 Countries Caution About Smart Meter Risks
MONTREAL, Sept. 24, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Children may particularly be at risk of developing electromagnetic hypersensitivity or diseases such as cancer from overexposure to radiofrequency(RF)/microwaves emitted by smart meters and other wireless devices, say 54 experts who have authored hundreds of peer-reviewed studies on the health effects of electromagnetic fields.
"Adverse neurological effects have been reported in people who sustain close proximity to wireless meters, especially under 10 feet," says an open letter recently endorsed by the experts from 20 countries, including Yury Grigoriev, Chair of the Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.
Entitled "Smart Meters: Correcting the Gross Misinformation", the letter written by Dr David Carpenter, founder of the University at Albany School of Public Health, states notably:
"Wireless smart meters typically produce… millisecond-long RF bursts on average 9,600 times a day with a maximum of 190,000 daily transmissions… People in proximity to a smart meter are at risk of significantly greater aggregate of RF/microwave exposure than with a cell phone, not to mention the cumulative exposure received by people living near multiple meters mounted together, pole-mounted routers or utility collector meters using a third antenna to relay RF signals from 500 to 5,000 homes.''
"Many scientists and medical experts urgently recommend that measures following the Precautionary Principle be applied immediately — such as using wired meters — to reduce biologically inappropriate microwave exposure.''
Full text and list of the 54 experts : http://tinyurl.com/rfmeters
Summary by UC Berkeley School of Public Health: http://www.prlog.org/11978228
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1041159/health-experts-from-20-countries-caution-about-smart-meter-risks
MONTREAL, Sept. 24, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Children may particularly be at risk of developing electromagnetic hypersensitivity or diseases such as cancer from overexposure to radiofrequency(RF)/microwaves emitted by smart meters and other wireless devices, say 54 experts who have authored hundreds of peer-reviewed studies on the health effects of electromagnetic fields.
"Adverse neurological effects have been reported in people who sustain close proximity to wireless meters, especially under 10 feet," says an open letter recently endorsed by the experts from 20 countries, including Yury Grigoriev, Chair of the Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection.
Entitled "Smart Meters: Correcting the Gross Misinformation", the letter written by Dr David Carpenter, founder of the University at Albany School of Public Health, states notably:
"Wireless smart meters typically produce… millisecond-long RF bursts on average 9,600 times a day with a maximum of 190,000 daily transmissions… People in proximity to a smart meter are at risk of significantly greater aggregate of RF/microwave exposure than with a cell phone, not to mention the cumulative exposure received by people living near multiple meters mounted together, pole-mounted routers or utility collector meters using a third antenna to relay RF signals from 500 to 5,000 homes.''
"Many scientists and medical experts urgently recommend that measures following the Precautionary Principle be applied immediately — such as using wired meters — to reduce biologically inappropriate microwave exposure.''
Full text and list of the 54 experts : http://tinyurl.com/rfmeters
Summary by UC Berkeley School of Public Health: http://www.prlog.org/11978228
http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1041159/health-experts-from-20-countries-caution-about-smart-meter-risks
For more information:
http://www.prlog.org/11978228
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