Dr. Karl Maret
Dove Health Alliance, Aptos, CA
January 30, 2011

This is a commentary on the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) report, “Health Impacts of Radio Frequency from Smart Meters” published January 2011. I submit that the CCST report, written in response to health concerns expressed by Assembly Members of the California Legislature, contains inaccuracies and minimizes the biological effects and health impacts of non-thermal radiofrequency radiation, such as those produced by wireless technologies including Smart Meters.

For the record, my qualifications to make this commentary are that I hold a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, a Master of Engineering degree in Biomedical Engineering, and a Medical Doctor degree and have additionally completed a four year post-doctoral fellowship in physiology. I have been interested in the health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) for many years and given lectures about the potential health impacts of non-ionizing radiations, both in Europe and the United States. I am president of a non-profit foundation interested in energy medicine, a sub-specialty within the field of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a center within the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

My specific concerns with the report are as follows:

1. The minimization of the problem of non-thermal microwave radiation;
2. The minimization of the need for lower exposure standards;
3. The increase in radiation levels at potential local hotspots through reflection;
4. The lack of information about the impact of pulsed radiation from Smart Meters;
5. The lack of information on the health impacts of night-time radiation from Smart Meters;
6. The lack of modeling or actual measurements of the contribution from Smart Meters to the existing background microwave radiation;
7. The lack of health and environmental consideration by the CPUC when the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) was approved.

Until these issues are more fully addressed it is recommended that the current Smart Meter deployment using radiofrequency radiation (RFR) be halted pending a more unbiased reassessment of the potential health issues associated with these meters, including a reassessment of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) program approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) without any environmental impact assessment. Further, that the California public be offered the option to opt out of this program, which at present is mandatory for every dwelling.

Read his complete report with references:

Commentary on the California Council on Science and Technology Report — “Health Impacts of Radio Frequency from Smart Meters”