Anti-Smart Meter Group Opposed to Worcester School Tech Upgrades

Anti-Smart Meter Group Opposed to Worcester School Tech Upgrades

      

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Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Nicholas Handy, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Anti-smart meter group – HaltMAsmartmeters – has come out in strong opposition to a national initiative that may begin to take place in the Worcester Public Schools.

After hearing that the FCC has changed the E-Rate program to better accommodate wireless internet technologies – technology that has been linked in studies to various health issues in children – and that Worcester Public Schools will be debating an increase of wireless technologies, the activist group became outraged, noting that few throughout the United States have made an effort to examine the ill effects of wireless RF technologies.

“Tom Wheeler stated, ‘No responsible business would stick with an IT plan developed in 1998.’ No responsible regulatory agency would rely on outdated health standards developed for adult men to promote Wi-Fi in schools,” said Patricia Burke of HaltMAsmartmeters. “The US, Canada, and the UK appear to be focused on economic growth rather than education, and are collaborating to maintain RF limits that cater to the military while denying evidence of harm.”

HaltMAsmartmeters has been one of the groups consistently leading the charge in the elimination of smart meters, the Worcester smart grid program, and other RF frequency systems throughout Massachusetts.

Other Countries Opposed

Burke has a wealth of sources, surveys, and studies, all of which profess the potential health dangers associated with RF frequency exposure, especially in children.

According to Burke, many schools throughout Europe have already caught on to the potential dangers of having wireless systems implemented in school systems. Switzerland, Germany, France, and Austria, are just a few of the countries that are aware of the potential dangers of Wi-Fi within schools.

“Schools in Switzerland use fiber optics,” said Burke. “The European Parliament voted in September 2008 to recommend tighter safety standards for wireless technology like Wi-Fi, especially to protect vulnerable groups like children. The German Federal Government has issued a statement advising against the use of Wi-Fi and a German Teachers Union (GEW) and the Frankfurt City Government are warning against the installation of Wi-Fi in schools. The French National Library has abandoned its planned Wi-Fi system due to reported health effects and many schools in France are removing Wi-Fi systems. The Austrian Medical Association and the City of Salzburg have both warned against the use of WiFi in schools.”

An American Perspective

While many countries throughout the world have made it a priority to examine the potential health risks of Wi-Fi in schools, the United States is a country that hasn’t been as keen on the subject.

While most are unaware of the potential dangers of radiation exposure – cancer being the most likely – there are pediatricians that have spoken out about the issue. Some pediatricians who have studied the subject have even found links between Autism and Electromagnetic Frequencies (EMF) and Radiofrequency radiation (RFR).

“EMF/RFR from Wi-Fi and cell towers can exert a disorganizing effect on the ability to learn and remember, and can also be destabilizing to immune and metabolic function,” said Martha Hebert, PhD, MD, at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital in a letter to a school district in Los Angeles. “This will make it harder for some children to learn, particularly those who are already having problems in the first place.”

http://www.golocalworcester.com/news/anti-smart-meter-group-opposed-to-worcester-school-tech-upgrades