Health Effects Experienced by Customers When Exposed to DTE & Consumers Energy Smart Meters and Opt-Out Meters
See our new blog for the reports and histories Michigan residents have sent to us about how smart meters have affected their health.
- Health Effects Experienced by Six Individuals When Exposed to DTE Smart Meters
- Health Effect Experienced by Three Different Individuals Exposed to Non-Transmitting (Opt-Out) Meters
All of these effects were gathered from witness testimony that was to be used in the DTE opt-out case (U-17053) to show that there are valid health reasons to allow people to opt out of smart meters. The judge refused to admit the evidence. His ruling is being appealed. For an even more extensive list of health effects reported by individuals across the country when exposed to smart meters, see our health survey. Click here to see the personal testimony of seven individuals about the effects of smart meters and the radio-off opt-out meters (non-transmitting meters) on their health and their lives. Click here to read the story of one woman and her son. And, of course, our main health page contains a plethora of information about why and how smart meters and opt-out meters affect the health of everyone.
Health Effects Experienced by Six Individuals When Exposed to DTE Smart Meters
Sensory
- Tinnitus
- An anxious feeling in the body that is not mental but physical; physical agitation; jittery
- Feeling wired
- A vibration in the body
- Pressure in the head
- Pressure in the body
- A feeling that something is shooting through the body or head--for some it is a sharp feeling, for some dull, for some “empty”
- Achiness around joints
- Nausea
- A clamping pain in arms
- Feeling like one cannot move
Physiological
- Changes in A1c levels of boy with juvenile diabetes from a 2-year stable level of 6.8 to a level of 9.5 approximately 3½ months after a smart meter was installed on his home. When the meter was taken off the home, within 1 month, his blood levels went down to 7.4. After 2 months, they were down to 7.2. We are awaiting results from his next 3-month check-up. This boy could not feel any effects from the smart meter. Meanwhile, his mother was unable to sleep in the home and experienced numerous physical problems.
- Heart palpitations
- Blood pressure skyrocketing
- Increased heart rate
- Headache
- Migraine
- Sensitivity to electrical devices and frequencies one was not previously sensitive to
- Harder to breathe
- Bronchitis and pneumonia that will not go away
- Malaise
- Pulsing and swelling of carotid artery
- Fatigue due to lack of sleep
- Clenching teeth at night
Nervous system
- Cognitive dysfunction, including inability to formulate thoughts, inability to hold on to thoughts, forgetting what one was about to say, forgetting words, memory problems
- Inability to concentrate
- Feeling of a momentary blank space, almost a loss of consciousness
- Insomnia to the point of not sleeping essentially at all
- Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep
Emotional and/or Nervous System
- Anger, possibly due to sleeplessness or possibly due directly to changes in brain function
- Suicidal feelings due to sleep deprivation
- Depression, probably due to sleep deprivation
Intensification of previously experienced sensations or conditions
- Electrical shooting pains
- Numbness in fingers and toes
Health Effect Experienced by Three Different Individuals Exposed to Non-Transmitting Digital Meters
(Specific to the Itron/Centron C1S, class CL200 meter)
DTE refuses to allow individuals who experience health problems to keep their analog meter. DTE claims that individuals who do not want a smart meter should be fine with a the meter they are “offering” as the opt-out meter: a smart meter with the radiotransmitter turned off. Yet as you can see from the list below, even with the radiotransmitter (wireless frequencies) turned off, the smart meters cause severe health problems. For more on why this is so, click here. Note that that these are the same health effects experienced by many individuals exposed to smart meters. This is why DTE’s opt-out meter is not O.K.- insomnia
- difficulty focusing
- tinnitus (ringing in ears)
- increase in blood pressure
- breathing problems
- shortness of breath
- anxious feeling in body
- heart arrhythmias
- teeth on left side of body ache
- joint pain
- chest pain
- hot flashes
- weakness on left side of body
- skin problems
- eyes hurt and become dry
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Our newsletter comes out every 1 to 4 weeks. It will keep you informed and tell you what actions you can take to fight smart meters. Note that most email programs will filter out our newsletter unless you adjust your email settings. Even though you may receive individual emails from us, when we send the newsletter out to a large group, the emails may be placed in a folder other than your inbox. This happened to us! We weren’t even getting our own newsletter.. Please make sure you look for emails from smartmetereducationnetwork@ gmail. com in your Promotions, Spam, Junk, or other folders. Please contact your email provider to learn how to adjust your settings, or search on the internet.
Terms to Know
Advanced meter: smart meter (term used by DTE to hide the fact it is a smart meter).
AMI meter and AMI program: another name for the smart meter and the smart meter program. AMI stands for advanced metering infrastructure.
Blood-brain barrier: EMFs can cause the blood-brain barrier to be breached, allowing toxins to enter the brain. Toxin entry is thought to be partially responsible for Alzheimer’s, dementia, and Parkinson’s.
Dirty electricity: spiky, pulsed electromagnetic field generated by smart meters that rides through building wiring and permeates the building’s rooms. Responsible for many of the health problems seen with smart and digital meters.
Electromagnetic fields (EMFs): consist of an electrical field and a magnetic field. Fields are created by the flow of electrical current through the wire, sunlight, etc.
Electromagnetic frequency: examples are 60 Hz electrical current of your home, RF of a cell phone. Often used interchangeably with electromagnetic field.
Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS): sensitivity to electromagnetic fields. Symptoms are complex and involve all bodily systems
Hydrogen bonds: Electrostatic bonds that help hold the DNA double helix together. Breakage of hydrogen bonds may cause changes in DNA that can lead to cancer. RF and other EMFs may disrupt the Hydrogen bonds.
Meter upgrade: the installation of an advanced (smart) meter on your home by DTE.
Microwave radiation: the type of radiation emitted by smart meters. Known to cause biological harm.
Non-transmitting meter: another name for the DTE and Consumers opt-out meters.
Opt-out meter: this is a smart meter. The only thing that is different is the radio-transmitter is turned off. It still generates dirty electricity, it still retains the two antennas, and it is only incrementally less harmful to your health. It can still record detailed information about your electrical usage.
Radio-disabled meter: another name for the DTE opt-out meter.
Radio-off meter: another name for the DTE opt-out meter.
Radiofrequency (RF): high-frequency electromagnetic waves in the range of 10 MHz to 300 Ghz. All wireless devices, including smart meters, cell phones, and Wi-Fi emit RF.
Switched mode power supply: contained in all smart meters, it creates dirty electricity.
van der Waals bonds: an extremely weak electromagnetic force that helps hold the DNA double helix together. Breakage of the van der Waals bond may cause changes in DNA that can lead to cancer. RF and other EMFs can disrupt the van der Waals bonds.