Stop Smart Meters! (uk)

The American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM) today issued a position paper on “Electromagnetic and Radiofrequency Field Effect on Human Health,” including wireless technologies and smart meters.

Today’s report on electromagnetic fields takes a strong stand that society must acknowledge the biological effects of electromagnetic fields, educate the population about the risks from wireless technologies, and develop safer technologies. The group, AAEM, is an international association of physicians and professionals that has been dedicated to expanding the knowledge of human health in relationship to the environment since 1965, They have been first to recognize many conditions, including Gulf War Syndrome, chemical sensitivity and the role of mold in the development of systemic illness.In its new report, “Electromagnetic and Radiofrequency Fields Effect on Human Health,” AAEM is calling for:

1. An immediate caution on Smart Meter installation due to potentially harmful RF exposure.
2. Accommodation for health considerations regarding EMF and RF exposure, including exposure to wireless Smart Meter technology.
3. Independent studies to further understand the health effects from EMF and RF exposure.
4. Recognition that electromagnetic hypersensitivity is a growing problem worldwide.
5. Understanding and control of this electrical environmental bombardment for the protection of society.
6. Consideration and independent research regarding the quantum effects of EMF and RF on human health.
7. Use of safer technology, including for Smart Meters, such as hard-wiring, fiber optics or other non-harmful methods of data transmission.

The new position paper from the American Academy of Environmental Medicine comes on the heels of AAEM’s letter to the California Public Utilities Commission in January 2012.

In the AAEM paper, “Electromagnetic and Radiofrequency Fields Effect on Human Health”, selected highlights of the science showing biological effects from electromagnetic fields included:

• “Multiple studies correlate RF exposure with diseases such as cancer, neurological disease, reproductive disorders, immune dysfunction, and electromagnetic hypersensitivity.
• “Many in vitro, in vivo and epidemiological studies demonstrate that significant harmful biological effects occur from non-thermal RF exposure and satisfy Hill’s criteria of causality.3
• “Genetic damage, reproductive defects, cancer, neurological degeneration and nervous system dysfunction, immune system dysfunction, cognitive effects, protein and peptide damage, kidney damage, and developmental effects have all been reported in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.
• “Genotoxic effects from RF exposure, including studies of non-thermal levels of exposure, consistently and specifically show chromosomal instability, altered gene expression, gene mutations, DNA fragmentation and DNA structural breaks.4-11
• “Genotoxic effects are documented to occur in neurons, blood lymphocytes, sperm, red blood cells, epithelial cells, hematopoietic tissue, lung cells and bone marrow. Adverse developmental effects due to non-thermal RF exposure have been shown with decreased litter size in mice from RF exposure well below safety standards.12
• “The fact that RF exposure causes neurological damage has been documented repeatedly. Increased blood-brain barrier permeability and oxidative damage, which are associated with brain cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, have been found.4,7,15-17
• “Changes associated with degenerative neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) have been reported.4,10
• “Other neurological and cognitive disorders such as headaches, dizziness, tremors, decreased memory and attention, autonomic nervous system dysfunction, decreased reaction times, sleep disturbances and visual disruption have been reported to be statistically significant in multiple epidemiological studies with RF exposure occurring non-locally.18-21
• “Nephrotoxic effects from RF exposure also have been reported.
• “RF emissions have also been shown to cause isomeric changes in amino acids that can result in nephrotoxicity as well as hepatotoxicity.25
• “Electromagnetic field (EMF) hypersensitivity has been documented in controlled and double blind studies with exposure to various EMF frequencies.
• “Although these studies clearly show causality and disprove the claim that health effects from RF exposure are uncertain, there is another mechanism that proves electromagnetic frequencies, including radiofrequencies, can negatively impact human health. Government agencies and industry set safety standards based on the narrow scope of Newtonian or “classical” physics reasoning that the effects of atoms and molecules are confined in space and time. This model supports the theory that a mechanical force acts on a physical object and thus, long-range exposure to EMF and RF cannot have an impact on health if no significant heating occurs. However, this is an incomplete model. A quantum physics model is necessary to fully understand and appreciate how and why EMF and RF fields are harmful to humans.26,27”

The AAEM position paper concludes:

“These EMF and RF quantum field effects have not been adequately studied and are not fully understood regarding human health. Because of the well documented studies showing adverse effects on health and the not fully understood quantum field effect, AAEM calls for exercising precaution with regard to EMF, RF and general frequency exposure. In an era of when all society relies on the benefits of electronics, we must find ideas and technologies that do not disturb bodily function.”

READ MORE HERE:
http://electromagnetichealth.org/electromagnetic-health-blog/aaem-report/

There will come a point where the harmful effects of non-ionising, microwave radiation from wireless technologies -including Smart Meters- becomes as self-evident as the risks of cigarette smoking and alcohol abuse.  It will become profoundly well known that the negative effects of some wireless technologies on human health are lasting, devastating and irreversible.  At what point will that realisation come?  How bad does the damage have to be?

If you would like to support the production of Disconnect: The Film you can do so here www.disconnectfilm.com

via Disconnect (2012) – Official Trailer [HD] – YouTube.

This video is from a 2007 CNN report whereby researchers launched an experimental cyber attack (virtual realm) on a power generator which caused it to actually self-destruct (physical realm).  This apparently alarmed the federal government and energy industry so much that they ploughed on with a plan to increase the susceptibility of the grid to cyber attack.

The threats posed by hacking into a less secure Smart [sic] Grid are manifest and very real.  It now seems evident that the effort to bring it about represents a risk to our energy supply of gigantic proportions – for a supposed estimated gain of just £24/year per household.  Former CIA Director James Woolsey recently called the Smart Grid idea “really, really stupid”.  It also seems to be really, really dangerous.

[SSM UK comment] We seem to be experiencing a surge in stories being contributed to us which warn about the unnecessary systemic vulnerabilities that a Smart [sic] Grid presents.  Remedying this – if indeed possible – can only add to the burden on tax payers and bill payers.  The excerpts included below are from a report from the FBI’s cyber intelligence bulletin.

~ Hacks against so-called “smart meters” over the past several years may have cost just a single U.S. electric utility hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

~ The law enforcement agency said this is the first known report of criminals compromising the hi-tech meters, and that it expects this type of fraud to spread across the country as more utilities deploy smart grid technology.

~ Spot checks found that one in ten smart meters had been modified!  The company estimates the resulting losses at up to $400 million (around €300 million) per year.

~ Suitable probes are available online for around $400 and are connected to a laptop which runs software to modify the meter’s settings.

~ The software needed to carry out the hack is freely available online. The hack does not damage the smart meter hardware or require its removal.

~ The FBI warns that insiders and individuals with only a moderate level of computer knowledge are likely able to compromise meters with low-cost tools and software readily available on the Internet.

~ “The FBI assesses with medium confidence that as Smart Grid use continues to spread throughout the country, this type of fraud will also spread because of the ease of intrusion and the economic benefit to both the hacker and the electric customer,” the agency said in its bulletin.

~ “This is a well-known and common issue, one that we’ve warning people about for three years now, where some of these smart meter devices implement unencrypted memory”

~ The two researchers were slated to demo their smart meter hacking tools at the Shmoocon security conference earlier this year, but agreed to pull the presentation at the last minute at the request of several vendors and utilities that they declined to name.

Read more at FBI: Smart Meter Hacks Likely to Spread — Krebs on Security.

[SSM UK comment] We issued a video earlier featuring David Chalk, but this press release just came in and is a must read – posted here in full with the video re-embedded via BusinessWire.com and ThePowerFilm.org. Please circulate.[/]

“100% certainty of a total catastrophic failure of entire energy grid within 3 years – worse than nuclear war”

VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The vulnerability of the energy industry’s new wireless smart grid will inevitably lead to lights out for everyone, according to leading cyber expert David Chalk. In an online interview for an upcoming documentary film entitled ‘Take Back Your Power’ (www.ThePowerFilm.org), Chalk says the entire power grid will be at risk to being taken down by cyber attack, and if installations continue it’s only a matter of time.

“We’re in a state of crisis,” said Chalk. “The front door is open and there is no lock to be had. There is not a power meter or device on the grid that is protected from hacking – if not already infected – with some sort of trojan horse that can cause the grid to be shut down or completely annihilated.”

“One of the most amazing things that has happened to mankind in the last 100 years is the Internet. It’s given us possibility beyond our wildest imagination. But we also know the vulnerabilities that exist inside of it. And then we have the backbone, the power grid that powers our nations. Those two are coming together. And it’s the smart meter on your home or business that’s now allowing that connectivity.”

Chalk also issued a challenge to governments, media and technology producers to show him one piece of digital technology that is hack-proof.

“The computer companies that are involved, the manufacturers that are involved, bring forward a technology and I will show you that it’s penetrable,” said Chalk. “I’ll do it on national TV, I’ll do it anywhere. But I can guarantee you 100% that there is nothing out there today – nothing – that can’t be penetrated.”

Chalk’s strong words come amidst increasing reports of the smart grid’s fatal insecurities, even from the governments and energy companies who are forcing their hand with the smart program. “Every endpoint [meter] is a new potential threat vector,” according to Doug Powell, manager, SMI Security, Privacy & Safety, for Canadian utility BC Hydro.

And in an interview with EnergyNow.com, former CIA Director James Woolsey was also highly critical of energy policy makers, whose plans received multi-billion dollar funding as part of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. “The so-called ‘smart grid’ that is as vulnerable as what we’ve got now is not smart at all,” said Woolsey. “It’s a really, really stupid grid.”

But there’s more. In an audit released in January, the US Inspector General Gregory Friedman was also highly critical. “Without a formal risk assessment and associated mitigation strategy, threats and weaknesses may go unidentified and expose the … systems to an unacceptable level of risk,” Friedman wrote.

Energy officials knew of these weaknesses but approved plans for the projects anyway, auditors said. “The initial weaknesses had not always been fully addressed, and did not include a number of security practices commonly recommended for federal government and industry systems.”

And security is not the only technologically-based obstacle faced by smart grid proponents. In March, alarm bells were rung following current CIA Director David Patraeus’ confirmation that governments will use wireless smart appliances to spy on citizens. “Items of interest will be located, identified, monitored, and remotely controlled through technologies such as radio-frequency identification, sensor networks, tiny embedded servers, and energy harvesters,” Patraeus said at a meeting of In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital firm. He added that this will prompt a rethink of “our notions of identity and secrecy.”

With strong criticism to the smart grid now coming from many directions, energy corporations and governments now have the challenge to explain to an increasingly unapproving public why they continue to fast-track smart grid installations.

Citizen groups and organizations throughout the US, Canada and Europe have launched legal actions to stop the installation of smart meters. They cite issues such as cost increases, health risks, privacy concerns, grid vulnerability and the lack of democratic process. In Chalk’s home province of British Columbia, Citizens for Safe Technology (www.citizensforsafetechnology.org) and the BC Coalition to Stop Smart Meters are leading a growing challenge.

Options for opting out of the smart metering program have been announced in markets including California, Maine, Vermont, Louisiana, Michigan, Connecticut, Quebec, the UK and the Netherlands. In the US, several regions including the counties of Santa Cruz and Marin are enforcing outright moratoriums.

“Unless we wake up and realize what we’re doing, there is 100% certainty of total catastrophic failure of the entire power infrastructure within 3 years,” said Chalk. “This could actually be worse than a nuclear war, because it would happen everywhere. How governments and utilities are blindly merging the power grid with the Internet, and effectively without any protection, is insanity at its finest.”

The full video interview with David Chalk can be seen on www.thepowerfilm.org. The feature film documentary ‘Take Back Your Power’, which critically examines the smart grid program, will be released online this spring.

via Hacking Expert David Chalk Joins Urgent Call to Halt Smart Grid | Business Wire.

http://stopsmartmeters.com.au/2012/03/26/sick-with-palpitations-chest-pain-insomnia-dizziness/

I managed to have smart meter installation delayed at my house, but suddenly became sick overnight with palpitations, chest pain, insomnia, dizziness, inability to concentrate and memory loss and fainting spells. AFTER becoming sick I found out that the day I became suddenly sick was the day the smart meter roll-out was completed in my area and the smart meters were remotely turned on from base.

I can no longer drive, I can’t work (I’m a doctor), I have to go and sleep at my mother in law’s place (there are no smart meters there yet).

My life is completely ruined and the energy companies and members of Victorian Parliament completely ignore me. Two doctors have confirmed my disability is entirely due to my sensitivity to smart meters’ radio transmission and I am 100% sure of that as I can always tell accurately if I am in a smart metered area or not.

We are now planning to move to South Australia to survive……

http://stopsmartmetersau.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/publichealthawarenessflyer.pdf

While we are preparing our own leaflet for people to share with their neighbours/friends/realtives/colleagues this is an excellent leaflet produced by Stop Smart Meters Australia where Smart Meter installation is in full swing.

Image: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Dr. Isaac Jamieson has issued an Addendum to his report on Smart Meters - which was commissioned by the Radiation Research Trust - detailing Smart Grids’ increased vulnerabilities to Space Weather, Manmade Electromagnetic Pulses and Cyber Attacks.  The full Addendum is available here.

We are grateful to Dr. Jamieson for his extensive work in assessing the many significant risks associated with Smart Meters and Smart Grids, and for permitting us to post the following summary for our visitors and members.  We encourage everyone to read the full addendum and to review the full list of references Dr. Jamieson has drawn upon.

[Smart Grid/Meter] Vulnerabilities to Space Weather, Manmade EMP and Cyber Attacks – Summary

Solar super storms

It is predicted by NASA and by the NOAA that the Sun may be entering a particularly energetic period (similar to that in which the most powerful solar storm ever recorded occurred), with very energetic solar storms happening every couple of months instead of years, with activity peeking around 2013-­‐ 2014. Scientists are already talking about the likelihood of solar “blackswan event” in 2012. The risks posed by space weather are known and significant, a severe event could potentially have serious impacts upon infrastructure and society. The UK National Security Strategy identifies space weather as a Tier 1 risk, the highest of identified “priority risks.” Under the worse case scenario, large areas of the Earth could be without electricity for long periods, possibly several months, with high loss of life. Countries, and areas, with “fragile” grid infrastructures are likely to be affected most -­‐ smart grid electronics may introduce additional vulnerabilities to exposed grids. The use of Smart Meters instead of analogue meters may also increase risk, as they are more likely to be damaged by solar events.

Practicality, Security, War, Terrorist or Cyber-Attack

It is recognised that if countries fail to implement suitable measures to protect themselves against electronic attack they leave themselves open to extreme danger.

Manmade EMP Events

High-­‐Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP)

The term HEMP is often used for EM signals created from a nuclear detonation interacting with the Earth’s upper atmosphere. There are already nations possessing the capability to use HEMP devices to cause catastrophic results to critical infrastructures over wide geographical areas. Smart grid components are more prone to damage from HEMP than the parts of the system they replace. HEMP may seriously damage solid-­‐state Smart Meters. The US National Security Working Group notes “… vintage type electronic systems are much more robust and tolerant to EMP effects. The bad news is that these systems are growing old and … will be replaced with modern versions that are inherently more vulnerable to EMP.”

Non-­‐Nuclear EMP (NNEMP) / Intentional Electromagnetic Interference (IEMI)

Extremely powerful portable radio transmitters (which may be mobile and coordinated) can be built to create NNEMP. Its effects are similar to solar threats and HEMP but are usually more localised. As noted by Radasky, “… the IEMI threat to Smart Meters, distributionelectronics, substation electronics, substation communications, control rooms and power generating facilities (including wind and solar facilities) is the same as for … HEMP.” This vulnerability needs to be urgently addressed. There is presently no protection for Smart Meters against EMP. Even simple EMP devices such as a coil of wire and a battery at close range can disable them.

Preventing Natural and Manmade EMP Catastrophes

Smart grids create more potential points of failure from EMP than traditional grids. Ideally, protective no cost / low cost measures should be considered early in the brief and applied before rollout. Action is required sooner rather than later and could create numerous beneficial opportunities. As noted by Arbuthnot et al., “The technology to protect critical infrastructures from natural or malicious electromagnetic threats now exists. Implementation costs are estimated at less than 0.01% of GNP.”

Cyber Security

The UK National Security Council recognises cyber-­attacks as a Tier One threat. It has already been claimed that hackers from foreign countries have reconnoitered the US electricity grid possibly seeking to discover exploitable systemic vulnerabilities such as those found in present Smart Meter systems. Smart Meters can create substantial new cyber-­vulnerabilities. As noted by Anderson & Fuloria, one of the gravest of these is that of “a ‘cyber-­nuke’ [through the Smart Meters] that would reduce … [a country’s] population to destitution. Recovery from such an attack would be painful [loss of lifemay also be high – present author’s comment].” This risk does not exist with analogue meters.

Conclusion – the design of power grids, meter systems and electrical appliances needs to be rapidly rethought to deal with the real life issues that have been raised.

Full addendum here.

The effects of non-ionising, microwave radiation emitted by Smart Meters, mobile phones, cordless DECT phones, wireless baby monitors and WiFi are widely misunderstood amongst the general public. WiredChild.org is trying to change this.

Network from Michael Rigley on Vimeo.

Extract: “The average user will have 736 pieces of personal information collected every day…accessible anytime in their service provider’s retention period.  Most individuals will have over a million pieces of information spanning the past 45 months already in their provider’s possession.  A third-party, owning nearly four years of your life… Those in the network pay to be unknowing participants in a vast study group…Your four years of information is extracted and sold without consent, contributing to the nearly $34,000 accumulated every second by the information sector.”

On the subject of the intrusive, behaviour-based profiling and targeting this data-harvesting activity drives, where services are pre-emptively limited in scope without your permission, the narrator chillingly concludes:

“The global internet becomes the personal internet – and information ceases to be information at all.”

Smart Meters and Home Area Network-sourced data would add significantly to this marketers’ panopticon.