Melbourne CBD Screening of GENERATION ZAPPED

Posted on July 22, 2018 by

GENERATION ZAPPED investigates the potential dangers of prolonged exposure to radiofrequencies (RF) from wireless technology; its effects on our health and well-being, as well as the health and development of our children. This includes links to breast and brain cancer, to its associations with increased infertility and genetic mutations related to autism and ADHD, to newly identified illnesses, such as electrical hypersensitivity (EHS).

Thursday, 26 July, 5.30–7.30 pm
WeWork, Bourke St, Melbourne

Screening followed by Q&A.

Tickets are pre-purchase only. Ticket sales close at 10 am 26th July

Click here to purchase your ticket.
Enter the promotional code Friends to receive 50% off the ticket price.

Come along to see GENERATION ZAPPED and have your EMF-related questions answered by Environmental Health Assessor, Lucinda Curran.

 

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Tasmania’s new electricity smart metering roll-out: Why opting out may be your wisest, and healthiest choice

Posted on July 14, 2018 by

On December 1, 2017, the Australian Energy Market Commission’s (AEMC) final rule determination, titled: “Expanding competition in metering and related services” came into force in Tasmania, SA, NSW, the ACT and QLD. The rule states that this is a framework which is designed to, “promote innovation and lead to investment in advanced meters that deliver services valued by consumers at a price they are willing to pay. Improved access to the services enabled by advanced meters will provide consumers with opportunities to better understand and take control of their electricity consumption and the costs associated with their usage decisions,”

This rule came about as a result of a request from the Council of Australian Governments’ (COAG) Energy Council that considered that the previous metering rule allowed and encouraged the continued installation of mechanical analogue meters, which they said had “only limited functionality”.

What this means is that over the next few years we will see a gradual replacement of the existing analogue electricity meters with so called advanced meters (also called digital or smart meters). These meters have the capacity to collect energy use data and send that back to the provider by a wireless network without the need for a meter reader going from house to house to collect that data. As for the uptake of advanced meters (smart meters), TasNetworks has estimated that presently (2017-2019) only about 4% of residential and 12% of small business customers have a smart meter.  By 2024-29, it is expected that this will increase to 31% of residential and 59% of small business customers. By 2029-34, it is expected that all energy customers will have a smart meter.

As a result of opposition to the mandated introduction of smart meters in Victoria [thank you to all those Victorians who stood up against aggressive Government and power companies’ threats and bullying – SSMA comment], including concerns over possible health impacts, the new AEMC rule gives Tasmanians (and in the other states mentioned above), the right to opt out, by contacting their energy provider (Aurora in Tasmania), stating that they do not want a communicating smart meter.

As mechanical analogue meters are no longer available, the opt-out provision obviously does not apply to new connections, homes undergoing major renovations requiring new wiring, homes having solar panels connected to the grid, faulty existing meters requiring replacing, and “maintenance” replacements where testing has indicated that an analogue meter is at risk of becoming faulty.

In these situations the only way the customer can avoid having a communicating smart meter installed on their premises is to notify by phone and in writing to Aurora that they wish to opt out and not have a wireless communicating smart meter (Type 4) but prefer a smart meter which is not enabled for wireless communications (Type 4A).

To opt out

  • For Aurora’s customers who wish to opt out, the number to ring is 1300 13 2003
  • The Aurora postal address (send by registered mail) for a written opt-out notification is: Aurora Energy Pty Ltd, GPO Box 191, Hobart, Tas. 7001

After advising Aurora, it is important to also put up a “Do not Fit a Smart Meter” notice on your meter box. Date the notice, laminate it for the weather and take a photograph of it.

Don Maisch PhD
July 11, 2018

Abridged:  To read the full report go here.

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Look out Victorian water customers – your utility may be rolling out smart meters!

Posted on June 29, 2018 by

It appears that water corporations have failed to heed the lessons learnt from the Victorian electricity smart meter debacle.

Nine out of seventeen water utilities in Victoria are contemplating, or have started, smart water meter rollouts.  The water businesses seem to be under the collective delusion that re-badging smart meters as ‘digital’ meters, ‘intelligent’ meters, or ‘data loggers’ will be the game-changer that allows them to avoid the Victorian electricity smart meter stigma.

Final pricing decisions handed down by the Essential Services Commission (ESC) for each of the corporations revealed an abundance of dubious claims made by water utilities about smart meters.  These include:

  • Digital metering will contribute to “efficiency savings and lower costs and customer prices”.

(Really? Perhaps the utility propagating this myth should read what the Auditor General had to say about Victoria’s costly rollout of electricity smart meters.)

  • Had “strong customer support for digital metering”.

(Does it? That’s news to us! SSMA also wonders if this utility has strong customer support for increased pulsed microwave irradiation of their properties and communities?)

  • Customers have requested digital water metering to enable them to “better monitor and manage their water consumption”.

(Exactly how difficult is it to walk out to one’s water meter to check usage?  Victorian electricity customers have hardly fallen over themselves to access on-line consumption data.  According to the 2015 technical study commissioned by the Victorian government, the capability included with Victorian smart meters to enable energy management via Home Area Networks “is rarely employed at present”.)

A snapshot in regard to the utilities in Victoria that are tangoing with smart meters follows: Continue reading →

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Top health expert reveals that 5G networks may pose serious health risk to all humans (and all species)

Posted on June 18, 2018 by

Experts believe that the next generation of smartphones will be ruled by 5G networks and this advanced technology is expected to open a new way by which people consume data. As ‘augmented reality’ and ‘virtual reality’ is slowly gripping the world of technology, high-speed seamless connections powered by 5G may bring about revolutionary changes in this arena.

The 5G dilemma continues

Even though 5G network will provide a much faster connection than 4G, a section of health experts believes that the hazards which may be caused by the updated service are unknown, and sometimes it may turn potentially dangerous.

It should be noted that various research conducted on mobile phone radiations have fetched mixed results. Even though many studies have ruled out the possibility of health hazards due to mobile phone radiation exposure, some extensive studies have hinted that older wireless service generations may result in various types of cancers, heart disorders, and reproductive issues. However, the health hazards which may arise due to short radiations of 5G is hardly been studied.

5G connection makes use of millimetre waves (MMWs) to transmit data, rather than microwaves which are being used in previous generation networks.

Putting the entire globe at risk?

Dr Joel Moskowitz, a public health professor at the University of California, Berkeley reveals that millimetre waves could pose serious health hazards among the general public. In an exclusive talk with Daily Mail Online, Joel Moskowitz revealed that the fifth generation cellular technology is experimenting on the health of all species on our planet.

“The deployment of 5G, or fifth generation cellular technology, constitutes a massive experiment on the health of all species. Since skin contains capillaries and nerve endings, MMW bio-effects may be transmitted through molecular mechanisms by the skin or through the nervous system. 5G will use high-band frequencies, or millimetre waves, that may affect the eyes, the testes, the skin, the peripheral nervous system, and sweat glands,” told Moskowitz to Daily Mail Online.

The health expert also added that millimetre waves used in 5G networks will make many pathogens resistant to antibiotics.

Nirmal Narayanan.  Abridged from an article in the International Business Times.

Australia’s trajectory towards 5G was cemented earlier this year with “reform” to legislation aimed at ensuring telecommunication companies can upgrade mobile coverage and install fast broadband services “without the delays imposed by protracted development approvals processes”. 

Despite strongly articulated comments from some respondents – including from Stop Smart Meters Australia – raising concern about health impacts, the Government has proceeded with ten of its proposed 24 changes to legislation.  The Government claims that it is “discussing further with stakeholders the other amendments proposed as well as other issues raised in the consultation process” (Consultation Information, Outcomes tab).

However, it appears that some stakeholders are deemed worthier of engaging with than others – as SSMA has not been part of these discussions!

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‘My smart meters are giving me headaches’: Man calls for investigation into the devices

Posted on May 17, 2018 by

Ever since he has had two smart meters installed in his home, John Lawn has been having headaches.

And now Mr Lawn, from Sheringham, has called for an investigation into the possible side effects of the devices and the radio waves they emit.

Mr Lawn, 65, said: “Whenever I’m in the same room it seems I’m in their way.

“I’m in quite a bit of discomfort, actually.

“It may be just that I’m one in a million, but it’s something that should be looked into.”

The meters use radio waves to allow remote readings to be taken from gas and electricity meters.

Mr Lawn said he has had suffered headaches since his meters were installed last week.

He said he no longer felt comfortable inside his home because of the headaches.

Mr Lawn said the start meters were installed by SSE, and when he challenged them over their side effects, they advised him to contact North Norfolk District Council to assess the devices.

But an SSE spokesman said Public Health England (PHE) research showed smart meters were no danger to health.

The spokesman said: “A study carried out by PHE shows that exposure to radio waves from smart meters is one million times less than international health guideline levels and is much lower than that from other everyday devices such as mobile phones and wi-fi equipment.”

And Robert Cheesewright, policy and communication director from Smart Energy GB, said: “Exposure to radio waves from smart meters is one million times less than international health guideline levels.”

But Mr Lawn’s calls have echoed growing concern over the devices.

A nationwide campaign called Stop Smart Meters has been launched, with its proponents criticising not only the alleged heath effects, but issues including costs, privacy and the risk of the devices being hacked by an outside source.

One campaigner, JV Tolentino, has started a petition on 38degrees.org.uk, which so far has gathered more than 21,000 signatures.

He said: “‘Smart’ meters emit a continuous stream of pulsed microwave radiation, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“These fields are intensely bio-active and affect the people and natural ecology in and around each home as well nearby.”

Stuart Anderson, North Norfolk News

-What has been your experience of having a smart meter? Have you suffered any ill-effects such as headaches, and you believe your smart meter may be responsible?

Email stuart.anderson@archant.co.uk

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Full-body scanners to be installed at Australian domestic airports

Posted on May 15, 2018 by

New security measures announced in the 2018-19 Federal Budget include the deployment of body scanners at major and regional Australian airports.  Although the Government’s press release omitted to indicate what sort of technology will be used, Fairfax media claim the scanners will use full-body X-ray computed tomography (CT) technology.

Currently, body scanners are only located at Australian international airports.  The full-body scanners at these terminals use non-ionising millimetre-wave technology.  According to the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development’s Millimetre-wave Body Scanner Health and Safety information sheet the penetration into the human body from the high frequency used in the millimetre-wave body scanner is “lower than from most other exposures encountered in daily life”.  The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA), in its infinite wisdom, claims that these scanners – which use extremely high frequency radiofrequency radiation in the gigahertz bands – do not pose a health risk to passengers or operators.  ARPANSA is equally sanguine about full-body X-ray backscatter scanners, although this technology has lost favour elsewhere.  No mention is made on its website of how it views CT full-body scanners.

Selection of passengers at Australian international airports for current full-body scans is random.  It is unknown whether this policy will be extended to domestic airports.  Australian Business Traveller claims the new full-body scanners will replace the current metal detectors at many screening points.

Unlike policy in countries such as the USA, where passengers can usually request a pat-down to avoid a full-body scanner, refusal to be scanned in Australia means you will not be allowed to pass through the security screening point or board your flight.

Although it is unclear at this stage what sort of technology will be used to irradiate travellers, and under what circumstances, it is obvious that we will be subject to yet another source of radiation.

This physician maintains that we do not know for sure that full-body scans are safe in instances of long-term chronic exposure.

Although alternative screening processes are not normally available in Australia, the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development’s TravelSECURE website states that an alternative is available for travellers with special needs.  However, there is one catch: you must inform the security screening officer of your circumstances before you begin the screening process and be ready to provide supporting documentation.

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New Critical Problem with ‘Smart’ Meters: The Switching-Mode Power Supply (SMPS)

Posted on April 21, 2018 by

It’s now becoming more widely known that microwave radiation is not the only type of radiation from smart meters that is causing illness.

Just when you thought you had mastered all the esoteric acronyms, and all the problems with ‘smart’ meters, here’s one more: Switching-Mode Power Supply or SMPS. This new element in the ‘smart’ meter controversy deserves immediate full official and public attention.

In our on-going investigation into why so-called ‘smart’ meters being installed against rising public opposition are causing so many people to be sick, and so many problems with other electric and electronic equipment, we have been fortunate to obtain the advice of electrical engineers.

On examination of typical meters, including ABB, GE, and Landis Gyr, they report that, in addition to its RF transmitter, each wireless digital meter also has a component called the ‘switching-mode power supply’ (SMPS) – switching power supply for short. Its function is to ‘step down’ the 240v alternating current (AC) coming in from the utility pole power lines to the 2 to 10 volts of direct current (DC) required to run the meter’s digital electronics which record the electricity usage data.

The SMPS function emits sharp spikes of millisecond bursts constantly, 24/7. The SMPS on the OWS 514 NIC model, for instance, which is the smart meter model widely installed by PG&E throughout its territory, has been measured to emit spikes of up to 50,000 hz and higher. This constant pulsing of high frequencies, in addition to the RF function, is causing not only interference with other electric and electronic equipment in many homes with smart meters installed, but also is causing havoc with biological systems in its field of exposure.

Dirty Electricity
When current flows through the wiring of a building it generates a surrounding electro-magnetic field that radiates outward all around the wires at right angles to the direction of the current’s flow and reaches out into the room.

It is well known that switching power supplies can generate spikes of so-called electromagnetic interference (EMI), or high frequency transients, which then travel along the wiring in the walls, radiating outward in the wiring’s electromagnetic field.

Such spikes are known as ‘dirty electricity’ and can be conducted to a human body that is within the range of the radiating field. This function is on all smart meters used by all utilities and is on constantly, 24/7.

One of the engineers explains it this way:
“Extensive measurements have demonstrated that all of the meters measured so far, including ABB, GE, and Landis Gyr, emit noise on the customer’s electric wiring in the form of high frequency voltage spikes, typically with an amplitude of 2 volts, but a frequency anywhere from 4,000 Hertz, up to 60,000 Hz. The actual frequency of the phenomena is influenced by the devices that are plugged into the customer’s power. Some houses are much worse than others, and this observation has been confirmed by PG&E installers that have talked to us.”

Another Fatal Flaw in ‘Smart’ Meters
It is this ‘dirty electricity’ generated by the e-meters’ switching power supplies that is a major contributor to the symptoms being reported by growing numbers of people in association with the e-meters thus far installed.

James Heddle and Mary Beth Brangan. Abridged from: SUMA – NW

 

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