Re: Meters process not so smart (News, Sept. 21)
Well done, Oak Bay News for covering this concern. Thank you Coun. Tara Ney for speaking out on our behalf.
Why are so many scientists calling for caution? The concerns are not just about a single smart meter, but 1.8 million of them and the Smart Grid infrastructure, much of it relying on microwave radiation (radio-frequency radiation).
Many people are pasting notes with “No Smart Meter” on their hydro meters and informing B.C. Hydro of their address, hoping to delay installation until wiser policy prevails.
We are told by Hydro that there’s no problem with the radiation from smart meters; that the World Health Organization’s caution about this being ‘possibly carcinogenic’ referred only to cell phones.
This is incorrect; the WHO report’s classification of “possibly carcinogenic” referred to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields.
Dr. Martin Blank, a cell biologist from Columbia University, calls this “the new asbestos” and stated in an Oak Bay seminar that these low, government-approved levels of radiation can cause damage to DNA, stress human cells and bring about more harmful effects.
Who is monitoring the cumulative exposure, plus radiation from cell tower antennas and Wi-Fi networks?
Who is monitoring for effects, especially on pregnant women, children, the elderly and those with compromised health?
Oak Bay council pressed B.C. Hydro for a public meeting. Would Oak Bay residents like to hear them, and the government who pushed this through without public debate, explain their position and debate with independent scientists? And give them a chance to ask questions?
Where is the evidence this initiative saves money or energy, or is safe for human health? And did B.C. Hydro consider the safe option: wired meters connecting through a wired phone system, instead of a “smart” grid using potentially harmful levels of microwave radiation?
Kerry Crofton
Oak Bay