2016-08-02 Final segment – BCUC admits BC Hydro doesn’t have to certify meters to be safe.

1)    A professor who used to promote use of wireless technology has learned about the health effects and is now warning of the hazards especially for children.

“..there are many different types of damage. That’s why it’s so important to protect children and not install wireless networks and iPads in the schools. The worst scenario is when many tablets are in use at the same time and in the same room, as in schools, because they continually search to connect to the same wifi-modem. It’s like every iPad is shouting at the same time to the modem and this electromagnetic smog just gets louder and louder. That’s when it becomes particularly harmful. How would kids know if their teachers do not understand the risks?

http://www.emfacts.com/2015/12/finnish-education-professors-warning-wireless-technology-in-schools-may-lead-to-a-global-epidemic-of-brain-damages/

2)    The UK, like the USA and Canada, allows extremely high levels of microwave radiation to invade our homes, schools and workplaces, ignoring the increasingly consistent scientific evidence that it is dangerous to health of all living creatures. The incidence of EHS is increasing, too, and any of us could become the next victim.

““Anyone can develop the condition, including children. Surveys suggest 30% of people are slightly allergic to electromagnetic frequencies, usually without knowing it, 3% moderately, and under 1% severely. Numbers for long-term effects are not yet known. Nor is it known whether today’s ES sufferers are the canaries at the sharp end of the affect which could in future be detrimental to most of the population’s health.

ES is caused by being exposed to electromagnetic radiation. It has been known as an illness since the Russians used it against an American Embassy in the Cold War. The Russians now protect their population from it. This illness was then documented in industries such as radio and telecommunications when workers were irradiated, then later in cases where there had been badly installed electrical wiring and electrical appliances.

More recently the incidence of the condition has proliferated as we have been exposed to 1000 times the level of electromagnetic fields than we were 10 years ago. The wireless-way-of-life arrived and with it illness. First came mobiles and telephone masts, then wifi for computers, doorbells and baby alarms, to name but a few.””

http://www.teamaroundthechild.com/allnews/campaignnews/2371-hearing-eyesight-body-functions-memory–all-fading-am-i-disappearing-an-impassion

3)    Attached is an excellent document written by Erik Andersen about the faulty, exaggerated estimations of projected needs for power that BC Hydro has been making and using to justify major projects like Site C.

Ch.2 BC Hydro Demand Forecasting Problematic-2

For many years now, BC Hydro has been wrong and the government has been using these estimates for erroneous, overstated budgets with overstated BC Hydro profits.  Erik warns that “by borrowing and investing now”, we are being handicapped and financial resources will be tied up in antiquated technologies.  Please share with friends and family. Site C cannot be justified.

And as a follow-up, here is an interesting article “Who Killed BC Hydro?” by Rafe Mair.  As he said, we own BC Hydro. We are responsible for their debts and we pay for them through our fees and taxes. Can anyone tell me how BC Hydro owns the meters? Ownership is important – if we own them, they would have to be certified by CSA, at the very least.

Who-Killed-BC-Hydro

In closing, what must never be forgotten in any assessment of BC Hydro is that it is not only a public company owned by the people of British Columbia, their debts are owed by the people as well. It’s not that we don’t think of that much – we don’t think about it at all. We whistle past the graveyard, assuming that we will never be called upon to pay. We may not ever have to write personal checks but government services will be substantially diminished if BC Hydro turns up its toes to be ravaged by the vultures patiently watching.”

http://commonsensecanadian.ca/killed-bc-hydro/

4)    Dr. Belpomme, who has been diagnosing and treating EHS for years, has identified some tests that seem to be indicative of sensitivity. He never says that any test is definitive but, taken together, there does seem to be a pattern that is strongly suggestive. They can be found at the following link.  In some places in the USA, parents are discussing having their children tested at the end of summer after being away from Wi-Fi for the summer and then, after a period of time of exposure, having them tested again to see if there are indications of reactions.

http://oscillatorium.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/ehsbelpommepanel041716.pdf

5)    Segment #23 is the final section of the draft report with comments that I submitted. BCUC confirms that the smart meters do not need to be certified safe, unlike all other electrical equipment used in or on our homes. The government has exempted all utility-owned equipment. They also say that BC Hydro and FortisBC determine what standards, if any, the meters must meet to be found safe. To summarize, there is no tracking, no oversight, no certification, no standards. And BCUC has concluded that there is no indication that these are not safe. Neither, they agree, that there is no indication that they are safe.

Letters:

Risky Business?

RESPONSE TO “BCUC’s Staff Report on Smart Meter Fire Safety Concerns”    Segment #23

KEY:  Highlighted text is from Sharon Noble  Non-highlighted text is the draft report as written by BCUC staff.

= = =

BCUC

Observations  (continued)

The evidence reviewed indicates the safety hazard associated with watthour meters has not materially increased with the introduction of smart meters in BC as further detailed below:

7)    Are watthour meters required to be certified safe by a professional electrical engineer licensed in BC and if so, has it been done?

In BC, utility owned watthour meters are not required to be certified by a professional electrical engineer. Despite Section 21 of the BC Electrical Safety Regulation which requires electrical equipment used in BC to have a mark indicating third party safety certification or alternatively for utility equipment to be certified by an electrical engineer licenced in BC, Section 3 of the BC Electrical Safety Regulation exempts utilities and utility distribution equipment, i.e., meters from the regulation.

  • This regulation needs to be amended and updated. When written, analog meters were on homes and were deemed, through experience, to be safe. The fact that a utility owns equipment does not mean per se that the equipment is safe. Given that BC Hydro has expert electrical engineers in its employ, why has none been tasked with testing the meter and certifying its safety?
  • Given the many issues identified in this report and through comments, does BCUC agree with this exemption?

Comment: This conclusion by BCUC appears to be at the root of the issue around meter incidents. Reviewing the evidence about meter design, installation, non-certified disconnect switch, questionable test data, lack of follow-up after installation, fragmentation of incident data, the critical interface between the meter and the homeowners’ meter base, and other factors described in this report and elsewhere, there is a strong justification to demand that certification of the meters and validation of technical data be introduced as soon as possible, and an improvement in Utility practices, because it certainly appears that a lack of attention and due diligence by several responsible parties continues to occur.

8)    What certifications are required for smart meters in BC and are they adequate?

All watthour meters in Canada are required to be certified to LMB-EG-07 which covers meter accuracy. BC Hydro determines what physical and safety standards its meters meet and the certification method. FortisBC determines what physical and safety standards its meters meet and the certification method. Currently there are no requirements other than for accuracy that require third party certification of utility owned smart meters in BC.

  • Who in BC Hydro determines the physical and safety standards for these meters? What are his/their qualifications?
  • Does any third party review the standards to determine if they are adequate?  What are they? Who confirms the standards are monitored and are met?
  • Third party certification is required for accuracy because the public depends on meters measuring honestly and accurately. The public expects, and rightly so, that the meters put on homes will be safe. Why isn’t there a requirement that any electrical device, even if owned by a utility, be certified safe by an independent third party?
  • Allowing BC Hydro to both set the standards and to determine if it has met those standards is a blatant conflict of interest. And with BC Hydro’s obvious inability even to keep accurate records on incidents and to follow regulations, their ability to ensure that even their internal standards are met is dubious, at best.
  • Is BCUC satisfied with there being no oversight of the standards of smart meters?

 

 

Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters

Tolerance becomes a crime when applied to evil.     
~ Thomas Mann

 

Smart Meters, Cell Towers, Smart Phones, 5G and all things that radiate RF Radiation