After hearing a well-researched presentation from an Invermere woman on the perils and wrongs of smart meters, District of Invermere council intends to send a letter to Health Minister Michael de Jong asking for a moratorium on them until more information can be gleaned from the scientific and medical communities.

On July 4, BC Hydro rolled out a $930 million ‘Smart’ Meters” installation program, without any public consultation, stated Beverley Sinclair in a Sept. 13 address to council.

Noting that BC Hydro is installing the devices on “implied consent,” Sinclair went on to note the potential hazards people may face from smart meters.

She quoted a California doctor who says smart meters could be produce “100 times the radiation as cell phones. Hand meters have revealed very, very high spiking radiation.”

“Pulse radiation should be immediately prohibited,” she said, citing another study that predicts “epidemic cancers 10 to 15 years from now.”

Not only do smart meters pose a host of health risks, including potential impacts to pace makers and other medical instruments, but BC Hydro’s promise of lower electrical bills for wise energy users is also off the mark, Sinclair told council.

Bills have “doubled and tripled” in California and Ontario after installation of smart meters, she said.

Noting that it as advantageous for consumers to have new appliances that smart meters can read, thereby helping reduce power usage, Sinclair pointed out, “and now BC Hydro is selling new appliances.”

Concluding her presentation, Sinclair asked the district to consider echoing a City of Colwood letter to de Jong, asking for a moratorium.

Invermere Mayor Gerry Taft told Sinclair that council has received lots of information of late on smart meters and there is a resolution heading to the upcoming Union of B.C. Municipalities conference to hold back on their installation until more information is made available.

“At first glance, it sounded like a good idea,” said Coun. Spring Hawes, explaining she thought the program would teach people to become wiser energy consumers.

“But there are a lot of people concerned due to many issues” arising from them. “It’s strange to me that BC Hydro isn’t offering any options. I think they should be given an alternative” and the program should be “deferred or delayed.”

Coun. Ray Byrdon said he is noticing “lots of pros and cons and misinformation and so forth” and also believes a moratorium should be enacted.

Agreeing, Coun. Al Miller, who has recently declared he intends to run for mayor in the Nov. 19 election, said, “Until all facts are out on the table” a moratorium is the best route to follow.

The owner of Invermere Home Hardware said BC Hydro’s move to smart meters reminds him of when the use of pressure treated wood was forced on the construction industry without full understanding of it.

“I’d like to get to the bottom of the science. Is it factual?” he asked of the growing litany of public commentaries on the Internet about smart meters.

Coun. Bob Campsall, who does not intend to run for office again, said the province is lucky to have BC Hydro but “to see all this distrust happening is kind of sad, but reasonable. Until we find out some answers from an organization we can trust” a moratorium should be put into place.

Campsall pointed out that not too long ago smoking was not considered bad and before that, DDT was okay before being proven bad on many levels.

Taft told council that BC Hydro “will say there is a choice” on smart meter installation. “At your cost, put up a pole in somewhere near your home” and install the meter on it.

“The real concern for me,” he said, “is BC Hydro is playing a bit of a sneaky game. The end result is we are going to end up paying more and those who can’t afford fancy new appliances” that work in conjunction with smart meters “will end up paying more.”

Coun. Hawes made a motion for the district to send a letter to the provincial government that is similar to Colwood’s and council unanimously agreed.

The following is the City of Colwood’s letter to Minister de Jong.

“Residents of the City of Colwood have raised concern with City Council about the significant and serious health, privacy and other issues that have been identified regarding the installation of wireless smart meters in British Columbia.

The World Health Organization and International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as a  possible carcinogenic to humans. Colwood City Council is very concerned about these findings. The May 30, 2011 Press Release No. 208 is included with this letter.

At the June 27, 2011 Regular Meeting of Council, the following resolution regarding BC Hydro wireless smart meters was passed:

Whereas significant and serious health, privacy and other concerns have been identified  regarding the installation of wireless smart meters in British Columbia; and Whereas  BC Hydro is proceeding with its program to install wireless smart meters in

British Columbia although it recognizes there is active discussion and ongoing research into the possible health and environmental effects related to radio frequency signals and it is aware the World Health Organization has called for further investigation on this matter in its press release issued on May 31, 2011;

Therefore be it resolved that a moratorium be placed on the mandatory installation of wireless smart meters until the major issues and problems identified regarding wireless smart meters are independently assessed and acceptable alternatives can be made available at no added cost to the consumer.

This resolution was also submitted to the UBCM Resolutions Committee for discussion by its members at the 2011 UBCM Convention. Yours sincerely, David Saunders, Mayor City of Colwood.”

Dr. Ilya Sandra Perlingieri noted in an article titled ‘Radiofrequency Radiation: The Invisible Hazards of “Smart” Meters,’ a detailed roster of concerns.

Dr. Perlingieri is an educator and environmental writer. She is the author of the book, “The Uterine Crisis.”

“There is great concern because exposure to microwave and radiowave radiation from these meters is involuntary and continuous. The transmitting meters may not even comply with FCC ‘safety’ standards. These standards [are totally outdated and] were not designed to protect a diverse population from non-thermals effects of continuous exposure to microwave and radiowave radiation. Therefore, these ‘safety’ standards were not designed to protect the public from health problems under the circumstances which the meters are being used,” he wrote.

“There has been no public discussion on the known biological hazards, both to humans and our pets, with these new meters. There has been no testing of these meters for any kind of safety. However, utilities public relations “spin” includes that: they will cut power costs to consumers, thus lowering your monthly bills; help customers reduce power consumption during peak times; and the meters can be read anytime, via a planned new “grid” in the works for the entire country that will use these meters. Utility companies insist these meters are safe.”

Perlingieri explained that “smart” meters are a new type of electronic device that monitors electricity, natural gas, and water usage via radio frequency (RF or rf) in an invisible but dangerous range, between 2.4GHz [GigaHertz] and 5.8Ghz. This corresponds to the electrical signals frequency used to produce radio waves. The worldwide digital wireless communications network is based upon this. RF has both an electric and magnetic components both of which can cause damage.

“These new meters can be read any time via their continuous wireless linking to the cell-towers. They can detect all your household usage of appliances, lights, etc. This information can be shared with and/or sold to other companies, so you no longer have any privacy. It is a spying device. These meters are not secure. They also can be hacked into, so it is possible for someone to know if you are not home (by lack of power usage). There are also “collector” meters used to gather and transmit RF/microwave radiation signals from various surrounding buildings and then “retransmit RF information for somewhere between 500-5,000 homes or buildings.

“In addition, the utility company now also has the ability to control your own usage. Via these new meters, the power company can shut off your home usage, your block or community, or city usage without notifying you. What excuse will people be given, if power is shut off without any notification to customers? Do you remember the Enron debacle, and the enormous overcharging of millions of Californians?”

There is a long list of health issues that will arise, Perlingieri predicts.

“Health problems, due to constant exposure of RF radiation, already reported include: migraines, nausea, vomiting, vision impairment, ringing in the ears (tinnitus), muscle spasms and nerve pain, heart palpitations, chest pain, and sleeplessness caused by intense bursts (pulsing) of radiofrequency radiation that has recently been classified as a ‘possible carcinogen’ by the World Health Organization —in the same category as lead, engine exhaust, and DDT.

“Other physical problems relate to people who have metal in their bodies: dental metals (such as silver-mercury amalgams or gold inlays); or wear metal jewelry or metal eyeglasses (the metal intensifies the RF). People with pacemakers, prosthetic devices, and wireless insulin pumps have had medical problems due to RF interference.

“Most medical professionals and veterinarians have no training in RF/EMF health-related damage. So, often symptoms can be misdiagnosed. Some people, such as those who have MCS [multiple chemical sensitivity], are aware of these dangers. However, this is a massive experiment on all living beings without any informed consent. This is not ‘sensitivity’ but a chronic and invisible poisoning to the entire population. Susan Brinchman says “there was no public warning of the health dangers with these new meters that have an unsafe technology. This exposes everyone all the time. There is no escape from electrosmog.”

Perlingieri concludes, “This is an unsafe technology, where we all are experimental lab subjects being used for dangerous levels of invisible but constant RF/EMF exposure. There is already an enormous public health threat to all of us. It is urgent for people to become informed. We must do this peacefully and collectively. “

BC Hydro’s information on smart meters can be viewed here: http://www.bchydro.com/energy_in_bc/projects/smart_metering_infrastructure_program.html?WT.mc_id=rd_smartmeters .

Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

 

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