English: A electrical ‘smart’ meter installed in a Victorian, Australian home. Issued by SP Ausnet. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
For some years I have been on the outside looking in, so to speak. A remote sort of observer with no inspiration to get excited. Unlike many other issues in which I am also an observer but passionate about such things as lies by governments and authorities regarding 9/11, AGW, global financial crisis and associated activities involving murder, mayhem and injustices, and more and more lies.
Suddenly, in the mail arrives a letter of intent stating – we are going to install a smart meter on your property next week. Now I am actually within and part of a scenario which is also arguably part of the world-wide movement to keep the public in “their place” and control their lives and very existence.
An extreme viewpoint?, yes but it seems to be very close to exactly that – serious control over the pricing and uses of electrical energy, remote control of our lives, almost.
Is there a question of choice? Absolutely not! To deny access to your own property to equipment installers is against some law which I am still researching. Normally free and welcome access is made to meter readers and fault service technicians without hesitation, rancour or argument.
But, in this case, all over the world there are disputes about the safety and control issues of smart meters. In some countries, they have been subject of reversal of “laws” allowing reversions to the old electro-mechanical devices. To say the least, the jury is out regarding the need, intrusion of privacy and safety issues of the smart meter.
However, here in Victoria, Australia, we are blindly going full-speed ahead with the forceful installation in all residences and small businesses, based on government edicts and mandates on the electrical distributors to install at almost any cost.
Why is this so? A proven inept government? An agenda from ‘on high’? Some real practical reasons? (I didn’t put that first because I am biassed), a vendetta against Ken McMurtrie? just joking, why is this a world-wide mandate? Why indeed!
There are several distinct issues:
- Reason(s) for updating the technology.
- Capabilities of the meters.
- EMF radiation and health.
- Costs.
- Civil Liberties, individual’s rights and sanctity of the private home.
- Paths for public to pursue justice.
Added 9th May 2013: On radiation -
All the individual areas are of concern and hopefully will be dealt with. There is so little detailed, reliable information about one of the factors, the emission pattern from a meter – peak levels, duration and frequency (how often) so I am seeking clarification. We learn about pulses as distinct from continuous radiation, where the peaks can be very high but during testing and reporting, become averaged out and confused by factoring in duty cycles.
There are conflicting reports about numbers of transmissions per day, ability of meters to interact with other meters, actual output power levels, local area networking and hub stations, etc., all of which influence the potential dangers. Too many unknowns!
There is argument about assessing health risk safe levels based on cell heating and a 6 minute time constant, the basis for the Australian safe levels, and direct damage without heating from the RF energy which is arguably probable at much lower power density levels.
This comment ref http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/smartmeter.html introduces the pulsing aspect.
There also are safety issues, like known cases of the smart meter failing and starting a fire, or exploding. Also, in a recent official filing PG&E confirmed that its smart meters can damage customers’ sensitive electronics. And the new meter is effectively a remote control device in charge of your house or business, allowing PG&E the option of unilaterally rationing or cutting power to a property when the corporation deems it useful for THEIR purpose.
But by far the most dangerous aspect is the way these wireless meters put our health at risk! This kind of microwave pulsing works differently than more-continuous cell phone radiation, and it’s much more dangerous. Many scientific studies have verified that this type particularly affects the brain, nervous system and hormones, disrupting the functioning of many body systems and causing very serious leakage of our blood-brain barrier, and that low-power broadcasts (such as from these meters) are even more damaging than higher-power ones. Typical acute symptoms include migraine headaches, insomnia, exhaustion, forgetfulness and confusion, tinnitus, tingling, nausea and vomiting, constant thirst, heart palpitations and increased blood pressure, limbic system disturbances such as severe depression or anxiety or crying jags, etc.–and a general reduction from prior levels of functionality. For some, the nervous and endocrine systems go into hyper-arousal (as with severe stress), ultimately leading to the collapse known as “burnout”. Careful scientific research has proven that cumulative exposure to this type of radiation also causes more and more DNA breaks, which—if experienced frequently enough—have the potential to be a factor in ultimately causing cancer. Our risk of developing serious symptoms (often referred to as “electrical sensitivity”) increases the longer our chronic exposure to this radiation continues—and, with the smart meter system fully in place, there will be no place to escape it night or day. Children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health problems are particularly vulnerable.The transmitting smart meters also typically add additional high frequencies directly onto home and building wiring. This additional high-frequency load is then re-radiated throughout the interior space. Scientific studies are finding that such high frequencies on building wiring are related to a host of health problems, similar to those described above. The Precautionary Principle—which says “Better safe than sorry”–is official policy in parts of the Bay Area; “better safe than sorry” should mean no wireless meters until it’s been independently proven that long-term exposure to them is safe.
Added 10 May 2013: (Information Sources and My Story) Revised 15th May.
Information sources:
Smart Meters in Victoria: Information and Concerns UPDATED
RF Radiation Assessment California/US – Sage Reports [See section below for information]
Briefly, my story so far: Actions taken, communications made & received.
Letter from United Energy foreshadowing meter installation.
Follow up from UE, letter giving installation date window.
Letter to UE advising nil consent to a smart meter.
Installed keyed cupboard lock on meter box door, also sign “Please NO Smart Meter“.
Reply from Jemena advising installation compulsory and would proceed.
“All smart meters being installed in Victoria are safe, Health authorities around the world, including ARPANSA and the World Health Organization, have examined the scientific evidence regarding possible health effects and, using prescribed exposure limits, concluded that the weight of evidence does not demonstrate the existence of health effects.”
