Smart Meters: Measuring, Monitoring, and Managing Electricity - Smart Grid (R) Evolution: Electric Power Struggles - page 113

guidelines for RF exposure have been set by both national and international organizations,
but significant variation exists in these standards. In the United States both government
agencies (the Federal Communication Commission) and industry associations (including
the American National Standards Institute and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers) have been involved in establishing standards. Partially in response to a growing
movement of activists calling for a revision and tightening of existing RF standards in
countries throughout the world (Behari 2012 ) , the World Health Organization (WHO)
has begun a process to harmonize standards across countries (World Health Organization
2014 ) .
Not all smart meters emit RF; in Europe and in some Canadian jurisdictions where there
is more extensive undergrounding of wires, many smart meters rely on hardwiring or fiber
for the bidirectional communication. But in the United States and other places where there
is minimal undergrounding of electricity wires or a lack of fiber networks, smart meters
use wireless communication which is associated with RF. A more general controversy
surrounding the health impacts of EMF RF has been growing in recent years as wireless
technology, including cell phones, wi-fi, cordless phones, cellular antennas, and towers,
have become ubiquitous. A new term, “electromagnetic smog,” represents this concern
about increased exposure to low-level radiation resulting from the explosion of wireless
technologies. Connecting to the widespread societal awareness about the health impacts
of air pollution, this phrase implies substantial health risks, demonstrated in this quotation
from an report posted online by an independent researcher: “'electromagnetic smog' …
like real smog … can have serious effects on our health” (Goldsworthy 2007 ). Some
individuals now self-identify as being particularly sensitive to electromagnetic radiation,
with a broad range of symptoms including headaches, nausea, dizziness, and sleep
problems (Behari 2012 ).
Smart meter installation over the past decade has coincided with the rapid expansion
of all kinds of wireless technologies, so smart meters are just one among many new
devices that are associated with this relatively new perceived risk. A series of recently
published synthesis reports have reviewed the science on the health impacts of EMF RF,
with the majority of these reports concluding that the risks are minimal (EPRI 2010 ;
California Council on Science & Technology 2011 ; Rivaldo 2012 ); however, some remain
concernedaboutthisemergingsetofill-characterizedrisks(Behari 2012 ) .Forsmartmeters
in particular, the health risks appear lower than in the case of other technologies such
as cell phones or indoor wi-fi systems, but smart meters continue to receive significant
attention. While the benefits of cell phones and wi-fi are clear to consumers, individuals
often feel that smart meters are new technologies forced on them by the utilities and
that they do not benefit them directly. These controversies surrounding RF are similar