Act 129: A heartless Mandate

The smart meters mandated by PA Act 129 can and have caused serious injury and disability to Pennsylvanians. These meters can injure any Pennsylvanian, even if the effects are subtle and not noticed for some time. Between 3% and 30% of people experience the harmful effects caused by radiofrequency and microwave radiation. Early on these include difficulty sleeping/insomnia, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), chest pain and palpitations or arrhythmias, difficulty concentrating and thinking, and fatigue are some of the more common symptoms. Among these are the 0.5-1% who become more severely injured and experience profoundly disabling injuries that force some people out of their homes and can disable them so severely they can no longer work. These are the Pennsylvanians who have the most disabling illnesses caused by radiofrequency or microwave radiation used by these meters and their switch mode power supply.
 

No Exceptions There are no exceptions to the Act 129 mandate for anyone, no matter how ill or disabled the person is, even if their doctor documents that the meter is a threat to their health or life. Not one person has been helped even though these disabilities are recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act and Amendments (ADA), US Access Board, National Council on Disability and Social Security. 

Safety? The utilities and PUC assure customers the meters are safe because they meet the FCC guideline. However, in August 2021, the DC Circuit US Court of Appeals ruled in Environmental Health Trust v FCC that the FCC was unable to defend this guideline with scientific evidence. The court also ruled the FCC failed to answer questions about extended exposure, harm to infants and children, vulnerable populations and those who have already been harmed such as the Pennsylvanians who have formally requested an ADA accommodation because of their disability. 

 
Failure to accommodate disabilities Unfortunately for Pennsylvanians, the PA Public Utility Commission refuses to acknowledge the problems related to this court ruling, these disabilities, or provide accommodations under the ADA. Many of those in need of an ADA accommodation are low income, elderly women who are severely disabled. Many have doctors’ letters documenting a medical and/or disability need for an analog, non-transmitting meter. These physicians have documented that for these Pennsylvanians, smart meters cause worsening disability and in some cases can lead to death. Despite physician documentation of harm and possible fatalities, there has been no relief for any Pennsylvanian as of this writing. 

 
No EMF Safe Housing in PA  There is currently no safe housing anywhere in Pennsylvania, at any price because of this unjust mandate for wireless utility meters. There are no emergency shelters, hospitals or nursing homes for those who have these very severe, profoundly disabling disabilities. Their homes are the safest place for them if they are able to live in them and have not become homeless. 

 
Electromagnetic Sensitivity: profoundly disabling Some hospitals are now beginning to accommodate this disability; however, they are in the early stages of planning to accommodate these patients and hospitals provide medical care not housing. Very few Pennsylvanians can afford the very costly whole house remediation and products that can help protect them*. The cost of remediating a home can be in the tens of thousands of dollars and remediations can help but do not always work. If they do work the person usually choses to remain at home most of the time. This is a most profound disability where people are severely isolated, unable to participate in most things people take for granted: family events, vacations, concerts, church/worship, children's sporting events, etc. The only real solution is to reduce exposure to electromagnetic radiation and to use an older analog utility meter instead of a "smart" one. 

 
Hope The National Council on Disability's recent Framework to End Health Disparities of People with Disabilities covers this exact type of disability. Pennsylvanians for Safe Technology strongly urges the PA General Assembly, the PUC and Pennsylvania Utilities to immediately recognize and accommodate these disabilities. It is critical that they do because doctors have documented that the Pennsylvanians who need ADA accommodations are at risk of injury, disability, and death if the accommodations are not provided.