That which must not be mentioned: Final ESV smart meter report sidesteps the health effects issue altogether!
August 6, 2012 in -Mailing List, Smart Meters by EMFacts
On May 17th 2012, Energy Safe Victoria (ESV), released a draft report on the safety of smart meters. Titled Safety of Advanced Metering Infrastructure in Victoria, the report was written in response to increasing public concerns over a number of issues with the compulsory roll-out of smart meters. Although the draft report stated that the emphasis was on safety, the issue of possible health effects received little mention, simply concluding that the emissions were “well below the safe levels set by ARPANSA. In response to the draft report, many submissions were sent in to ESV, with a number expressing concern over possible health hazards from RF exposure. I also sent in a submission that addressed the health effects controversy and recommended a research effort to clarify the issue.
A short time after sending in my submission I received an email from ESV thanking me for my submission and promising to have all submissions, including mine, available on the ESV website.
I am now somewhat surprised to read in the final ESV smart meter report that there is no mention whatsoever of the issue of possible health impacts of smart meters. Not only that but there is also no mention whatsoever of the public submissions that were sent in. UPDATE, August 8: The submissions are now on the ESV website http://www.esv.vic.gov.au/
I was at least expecting a considered response to the health effects issue, if nothing more than a well written spin from a hired independent expert claiming that there were no health effects from smart meter RF exposure other than needless worry. – But we didn’t even get that! Just a dismissive statement that such issues were beyond “the scope of this report” and ‘handballing’ the issue on the the irrelevant ARPANSA standards which only are for acute exposure situations.
I was at least expecting a considered response to the health effects issue, if nothing more than a well written spin from a hired independent expert claiming that there were no health effects from smart meter RF exposure other than needless worry. – But we didn’t even get that! Just a dismissive statement that such issues were beyond “the scope of this report” and ‘handballing’ the issue on the the irrelevant ARPANSA standards which only are for acute exposure situations.
The folk at ESV have obviously decided that that this is one issue in the way-too-hard-basket and is better left ignored. It is their Pandora’s Box of unintended consequences. Shades of Lord Voldemort, “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named”.
Perhaps ESV hopes that all those people reporting insomnia, tinnitus, headaches,etc. after a smart meter was installed on their home (especially when close to the bedroom) will simply vanish or move to a less smart state?
The ESV Final Report’s failure to even address the health effects controversy speaks volumes in itself and I hope they are called to task for this glaring omission.
Will all the public submissions be posted on the ESV website as they promised? IF NOT WHY NOT! I will be very surprised if they do considering their dismissive final report which, at any stretch of the imagination, is an insult to the many concerned Victorians who bothered to send in their concerns to ESV.
Don Maisch PhD
http://www.emfacts.com/2012/08/that-which-must-not-be-mentioned-final-esv-smart-meter-report-ignores-the-health-effects-issue-althogether/
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