- There are so many studies that have been done that show health effects from exposure to microwave radiation. Here are links to close to 800 studies, with abstracts re. studies showing biological effects on different parts of the body, etc. Radiofrequency radiation is radiofrequency radiation. Exposure to radiation from cell towers is no different than radiation from other wireless devices. Frequencies, strength and duration can differ and can result in different effects. This is a great resource.
Cell Tower Studies
http://www.citizensforsafetechnology.org/Cell-Tower-Studies,47,4377
Cell Phone Studies
http://www.citizensforsafetechnology.org/Cell-Phone-Studies,24,4376
- From someone very knowledgeable about CSA standards regarding doing meter exchanges without turning the power off:
“CSA C22.2 NO. 115-14 1.5 says “Meter-mounting devices, as covered by this Standard, are not intended to be used as load-making or load-breaking devices.”, meaning that electricity must be disconnected or turned off during meter exchanges. Aside from the obvious concern about the arcing and consequent pitting which occurs when contacts are made or broken under load, another concern is that one’s meter base could lose its CSA certification if it’s been used as a load-break device.”
3 ) In the US, AT&T and others are trying to do away with landlines so that they can sell cell phones. In fact, even in Canada (or so I’ve been told) new homes do not have wiring for landlines. This is crazy because landlines are more dependable, are not vulnerable to outages, or low batteries like cell phones. How can 911 be called in the cell phone malfunctions or the battery dies?
Some reasons for us to make sure we keep our landlines.
https://stopsmartmetersbc.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/KEEP-LANDLINE-TELEPHONES.pdf
- The smeter industry believes that “changing customer behaviour” is the key to success. In the UK they want to encourage people to use in home devices to keep watch on energy usage, but as has happened elsewhere, the novelty wears off. People will use electricity when they need or want it. A savings in bills of 1.5% or so is not enough to call the program a success – even if it happens. In most places, as in BC, the majority of bills increase after smeters are installed.
Opower’s behaviour-based energy efficiency programmes has already seen huge success amongst 98 utilities and 52 million households across the world.
Home energy reports have resulted in 1.5-3% savings on energy bills, thanks to these behaviour change programmes.
http://www.engerati.com/article/new-uk-ihd-policy-supporting-smarter-smart-meter-rollout
- Security is a major concern and warnings have been raised by experts in the US government for years. In the UK, big bucks are being spent to protect their grid. In BC the risk has not been acknowledged.
GCHQ, Britain’s electronic intelligence agency, has intervened to secure a new £11bn nationwide system of smart energy meters against hackers trying to crash the country’s power grids.
The agency built in additional security measures for the UK metering system after discovering glaring loopholes in meter designs in use abroad that it believed could pose a national security risk if rolled out in Britain.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/ca2d7684-ed15-11e5-bb79-2303682345c8.html#axzz43Oh2G1Ie
- Below is a stream of emails (please read from the bottom up) from and to a member trying to find out if the new and improved Fire Safety Act will prevent BC Hydro from removing smeters from the scene of fires before a fire or electrical inspector can do his job. As I’ve pointed out in earlier updates, the current Fire Safety Act does say that nothing can be removed from the scene of a fire without permission from the inspectors. Yet Hydro is doing just this. When I asked the Fire Commissioner, his initial reaction was that this can’t happen, it’s illegal. When I provided evidence, he said Hydro can do it because “it is Hydro’s equipment”. Like so many others things, the laws and regulations do not seem to apply to BC Hydro. This disregard for regulations is putting our lives and homes at risk. You will notice, the member’s question is never answered.
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Letters:
From: “Anderson, Gordon A TRAN:EX” <Gordon.A.Anderson@gov.bc.ca>
Date: March 18, 2016 12:41:15 PM PDT (CA)
To: X
Cc: “todd.stone.mla@leg.bc.ca” <todd.stone.mla@leg.bc.ca>, “Karger, Kristina TRAN:EX” <Kristina.Karger@gov.bc.ca>
Subject: RE: 254428 Fire Safety Act – Electrical Meters
Dear X
Unfortunately a one word answer would not be accurate, however to state it as simply as possible, the new Act does not specifically address electrical meters.
For your second question below, I do not have the information that you are asking about. The OFC receives data summary reports from the local fire investigators. We do not receive information on the handling of evidence, including smart meters.
Gordon Anderson, MIFireE, CFO
Fire Commissioner | Emergency Management BC
Office of the Fire Commissioner
PO Box 9201 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, B.C. V8W 9J1
Ph: 250-952-5048
24 Hour OFC Reporting: 1 888 988-9488
——————-
From: X
Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2016 21:46
To: Anderson, Gordon A TRAN:EX
Cc: todd.stone.mla@leg.bc.ca
Subject: Re: 254428 Fire Safety Act – Electrical Meters
Dear Mr Gordon,
Thank you for your email. I asked you a simple question, but you have not given me a simple answer. My original question remains unanswered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’:
Can you please tell me if the new act will require inclusion of meters in fire inspections?
I would think that this question implies that if a fire clearly began in a wood stove on the other side of the house from the smart meter, it would not be necessary to include an inspection of the smart meter. If, however, the fire began in the area around the smart meter, I am asking you if the meter would remain for inspection. Since I am asking for clarification of your email, I would also like to ask if there have ever been any fires of questionable origin, fires that seemed to originate in the area of the smart meter, in which the smart meter has not been inspected but rather returned to the producer to be replaced with a new meter.
I ask this because in Saskatchewan there was enough concern about such issues that they suspended the rollout of their analog meter exchanges with smart meters; fires are an important issue to address. I have asked you two questions that can be answered with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’, so I hope you will answer them with simple one-word answers. (My questions are not “Do you still beat your wife?”-type questions so they do not need obfuscating answers.)
Thank you again for your reply, and I look forward to hearing from you,
X
———————–
On 15-Mar-16, at 12:52 PM, Anderson, Gordon A TRAN:EX wrote:
Dear X
I have been asked to respond to your inquiry regarding the new Fire Safety Act which is currently under consideration in the legislature. The new Act does not specifically address BC Hydro electrical meters. The new Act continues the previous legislative requirement for all fires to be investigated and for the data obtained to be reported to the Office of the Fire Commissioner. The fire reporting system has the means to report a wide variety of factors identified from a fire investigation, with a view to identifying the cause and origin of fires in addition to other relevant information. It is the responsibility of the fire investigator to manage any evidence that is determined to be relevant to an investigation, including the manner in which the evidence is handled and/or any testing that may be required. Where an investigator determines that an electrical meter needs analysis, the actual evaluation would normally be done by a person with the appropriate electrical training and expertise.
Electrical meters are not covered under the BC Fire code and are not part of fire inspections. Any inspection related to an electrical meter would be handled by an electrical inspector, not a fire inspector.
Thank you for your inquiry.
Sincerely,
Gordon Anderson, MIFireE, CFO
Fire Commissioner | Emergency Management BC
Office of the Fire Commissioner
PO Box 9201 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria, B.C. V8W 9J1
Ph: 250-952-5048
24 Hour OFC Reporting: 1 888 988-9488
————————-
From: X
Sent: March 2, 2016 7:34 PM
To: Stone.MLA, Todd
Subject: Fwd: Fire Safety Act
Dear Minister Stone,
I have just noticed that I sent you this email over two weeks ago, and I haven’t heard back from you. Perhaps it was lost out in cyberspace, so I’m sending it again and looking forward to a response.
Sincerely,
X
————————
From: X
Date: February 17, 2016 9:45:21 PM PST (CA)
Subject: Fire Safety Act
Dear Minister Stone,
I hope that with the passage of the new Fire Safety Act, BC Hydro meters will remain on the scene so they can be inspected as well as other factors involved in fires. BC Hydro may own the meters, but if they are faulty, no one will know of their involvement if they are removed before inspections are completed. (Does the government not want anyone to know if a meter is involved in a fire?)
Can you please tell me if the new act will require inclusion of meters in fire inspections?
Sincerely,
X
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Sharon
Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground.”
~ Wilferd A. Peterson