![]() ![]() That would reduce what is now the tragedy of more than 34,000 deaths a year from power plant pollution, more lives than are lost on U.S. The smart grid can cut air pollution from the electric utility sector as much as 30% by 2030. People who are more focused on human health than on environmental sustainability also have compelling reasons to support the smart grid. The smart grid can also save thousands of lives. At the same time, the smart grid brings great environmental benefits: reduced greenhouse gases, reduced burning of fossil fuels and enhanced integration of solar and wind power. Whether or not future studies find the overall RF problem to be significant, smart meters are a very small part of that problem. Kheifets helped inform our position that the limited RF exposure levels associated with smart meters should not result in reduced support for the smart grid. Leeka Kheifets, PhD, Professor in Residence at UCLA, Epidemiology, who sits on the Standing Committee on Epidemiology for the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection. One of the health experts we talked to was Dr. Since this is not a field where EDF has a great deal of expertise, we also consulted with experts outside EDF - not just experts committed (as we are) to the development of smart power grids, but also experts who are much more focused on the dangers of EMFs and RFs. So, whether or not future studies find RFs present more concrete health effects, smart meters make up a very small part of a person’s daily exposure. The commission corroborated the CCST findings, and further concluded there was no credible evidence to confirm the concern that advanced meters cause harmful EMF exposure. A more recent report from 2012 by the Public Utility Commission of Texas investigated a large body of research on the effects of low-level RFs. As with cell phones, a person’s exposure depends on the signal strength and distance: a report published by the California Council of Science and Technology (CCST) in 2010 included findings from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) that a person 10 feet from a smart meter would experience very low levels of RF exposure-250 to 1,250 times less than exposure from using a cell phone. Given smart meters also emit RFs, some have worried if cell phones may pose a health risk, smart meters might as well. We have examined the data provided by the WHO and by smart meter critics. We take seriously the concerns that have been raised, and we took a second look. They have posted their concerns on this website, which, as of, argued not just that smart meters pose an unacceptable health hazard, but also that EDF is intentionally ignoring data that demonstrates the hazard. Second, a small number of activist groups and individuals - some of them EDF members and supporters - aggressively raised the issue, criticizing EDF for buying into what they consider a dangerous technology. The agency identified cell phone use as “possibly carcinogenic,” noting that “there could be some risk, and therefore we need to keep a close watch for a link between cell phones and cancer risk.” ![]() That said, two things happened in the spring of 2011 that led EDF to reexamine the meters’ wireless technology.įirst, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO) reviewed available research on cell phones, which use radio frequencies (RF) similar to smart meters, but at much higher levels of exposure. Smart meters are key to realizing these benefits, because they allow for two-way, real-time communication that gives households and utilities the data they need to cut usage and costs. ![]()
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