Minister Announces a Safety Audit on Smart Meters and Health

Following a large number of complaints related to smart meters, Nicholas Kotsiras, Victoria’s Energy Minister, announced sweeping changes to the electrical billing system.  Of particular interest to Stop Smart Meters Australia was the announcement that Kotsiras plans to commission a top-to-bottom, independent safety audit to determine whether smart meters pose any health risks to the public.  This follows a recent review in which 69 per cent of the public’s concerns with smart metres were health related just like the new exercise bikes you can now equip with the best rear bicycles racks.

Link to the interview: http://www.3aw.com.au/blogs/neil-mitchell-blog/minister-signals-energy-overhaul/20140129-31m0r.html

The current Australian “Guidelines” (where the word guideline implies a lack of conclusive evidence) report that microwave EMR (electromagnetic radiation) is safe, however it appears through thorough review of ARPANSA documents that the government thus far has continued to support “thermal-only” guidelines, and routinely defends doing so,

a) by omitting or ignoring study results reporting bioeffects and adverse impacts to health and wellbeing from a very large

body of peer-reviewed, published science because it is not yet “proof” according to their definitions;

b) by defining the proof of “adverse effects” at an impossibly high a bar

(scientific proof or causal evidence) so as to freeze action;

c) by requiring a conclusive demonstration of both “adverse effect” and risk before admitting low intensity effects should be taken into account;

e) by ignoring low intensity studies that report bioeffects

and health impacts due to modulation of non-ionizing radiation;

f) by conducting scientific reviews with panels heavily burdened with industry experts and under represented by public health experts and independent scientists with relevant low intensity research experience;

g) by limiting public participation in standard setting deliberations; and other techniques that maintain the status quo.

The importance of an independent review cannot be over-emphasized, and must include review of non-ionizing EMR, whos numerous biologic effects  have been recently studied at great length and presented in the 2012 Bioinitiative report.

The Bioinitiative report concludes that Bioeffects of non-ionizing (non heating radiation) are clearly established, and occur at very low levels of exposure to electromagnetic fields and radiofrequency radiation.

The BioInitiative Report has been prepared by 29 authors from ten countries,  ten holding medical degrees (MDs/GPs), 21 PhDs, and three MsC, MA or MPHs. Among the authors are three former presidents of the Bioelectromagnetics Society (BEMS), and five full members of BEMS.  One distinguished author is the Chair of the Russian National Committee on Non-Ionizing Radiation.   Another is a Senior Advisor to the European Environmental Agency.

GIven that the government is now undertaking action to review the safety of smart meters, it would be a good time for anyone concerned to print out the bioinitiative report, found here, as well as the summary of research and send them to the Energy Minister Nicholas Kotsiras (Level 16, 121 Exhibition Street Melbourne Victoria, 3000), and the Minister for Health David Davis (GPO Box 4057, Melbourne Victoria, 3001)