There is a smart meter in your future. One day, probably soon, a utility company employee will show up to replace your current electrical meter with a smart meter. Utility companies across the country are implementing smart metering programs at a rapid rate. Smart meters are an integral part of the Smart Grid concept promoted by President Obama and funds to assist utility companies install the smart meters were included in the President’s 2009 stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Although the utility companies, the President, and the Congress all demonstrate support for smart meters, there is a growing opposition to these meters. This opposition advises people to resist the installation of these meters on their houses for a bevy of reasons. These reasons fall into five general categories: potential health risks, privacy issues, security issues, loss of freedom issues, and overstated promises of the benefit of smart meters. This article will concentrate on potential health risk. It is important to understand that there is great disagreement over potential health risks posed by smart meters and health experts have joined both sides of the argument, some saying smart meter pose no threat and some saying the smart meters are very dangerous. How can we non-experts tell whether any of the health related warnings about smart meters are valid if the health experts cannot agree? Probably the best we can do is first become aware of the issue exists and then read about the issue to raise our knowledge level so we can make more informed decisions. This article seeks to raise your awareness of the possible dangers.
The smart meters use wireless communications to transmit data. Specifically the smart meter periodically, in 5 to 15 minute intervals according to utility companies, transmits electricity consumption data to the utility company via pulses of microwave energy or radio waves. Each smart meter on a house or business transmits data to a neighborhood network access point, which in turns retransmits the data to the utility company. Try to imagine your neighborhood with an invisible grid of invisible lines running from each building to a central point, perhaps up to two miles away. That is what it will be like once smart meters fully arrive. Throw in a few apartment buildings with each individual apartment having its own individual smart meter and you have a significant amount of microwave energy or radio waves moving through the neighborhood. Also, consider that the microwave energy or radio waves will travel in a straight direct line, “as the crow flies”, to the nearest network access point. This means microwave energy or radio waves passing through your house might not be limited to only that from the smart meter on your house; the microwave energy or radio waves from numerous other houses cold, and probably will, pass through your home as well.
The big question is whether this microwave energy from the smart meters poses a health danger. Unfortunately, there is no definite, clear answer to this question. The proponents and the opponents of smart meters make conflicting statements. However, neither side appears to have absolute proof of their statements. Furthermore, both sides appear willing to exaggerate or twist facts to make their case.
For example, the websites of such utility companies as San Diego Gas and Electric (sdge.com), CenterPoint Energy (centerpointenergy.com), and Pacific Gas and Electric (pge.com) cite studies that show one smart meter emits less electromagnetic energy than a cell phone. While that might be true, people’s exposure will not come from only one smart meter; instead, people potentially could be exposed to emissions from every smart meter in a two square mile area as the meters transmit data to the nearest network access point. The utility companies may be deliberately understating the emission danger by couching it in terms of exposure to one meter, while the utility companies’ own explanations of the smart meter system shows people could be exposed to emissions from many smart meters.
The opponents of smart meters, on the other hand, appear to illustrate the potential dangers with horror stories. These stories, with little detail such as names or locations, tell of people experiencing symptoms of prolonged exposure to strong electromagnetic fields. The symptoms include ringing in the ears, headaches, nausea, inability to sleep, nervousness, and paranoia. If these stories are true and if the symptoms really stem from smart meters, then it does appear the smart meters pose a danger. However, there simply is not enough information provided in these anecdotal tales to verify their truth. Hysteria and fear mongering appear to be the order of the day on most opposition websites. However, some, such as Electrical Pollution (electricalpollution.com), Teens Turning Green (teensturninggreen.org), and Earth Calm (earthcalm.com) have serious discussions of the possible smart meter dangers. They are a good place for you to visit in your search for awareness of the issue.
As a prudent person, you should weigh the competing claims about the health hazards. Try to read all you can on the subject – but with a critical eye. Do not believe everything you read or hear, but do not discount it either. You need to decide for yourself whether the smart meters pose a threat, and, if so, decide what you are going to do about it. Do you trust your utility company to put your safety ahead of its own interests? Do you trust your government to put your safety ahead of its own interests? If not, what are you willing to do? Are you willing to try to resist when your utility company comes to install your smart meter? The bottom line is the smart meters may pose a health risk – or they may be perfectly safe. Educate yourself about the potential health risks and then decide what to do to protect yourself and your loved ones. For years, we heard cell phones posed no danger; on 31 May 2011, the World Health Organization suddenly reversed course, issuing a report saying radiation from cell phones is a possible cancer risk. Will the same happen with smart meters?
Sources:
1. San Diego Gas and Electric Smart Grid Deployment Plan page
2. Centerpoint Energy, “How Smart Meters Work”
3. Electrical Pollution.com, “Transmitting Smart Meters Pose A Serious Threat to Public Health”
4. Earthcalm.com, “Smart Meter Radiation Risks”
5. CNN, “WHO: Cell Phone Use Can Increase Possible Cancer Risk”