by Katherine | 2 Apr, 2015 | Government and Electricity Industry Positions, Latest News, Users Feedback
Site editor’s note: This past week I received this report about how a smart meter was installed due to a communications error…The electricity retailer then arranged for its removal. This may seem quite straightforward and normal customer service; however, not every company in NZ removes smart meters when they have been installed due to communications breakdowns so it is always good to receive reports about companies doing the right thing by their customers.
The installation of the smart meter came about after Mum needed to get electrical work done to replace some old and dodgy wiring, and the local electrician doing the work said she really should get a new meter, but that meter installation had to be organised by the power supplier, which in her case was Trustpower. They in turn contracted the installation to Delta.
Mum was very clear about not wanting a smart meter and showed the electrician the articles in Organic NZ and The NZ Journal of Natural Medicine, and he was very interested. He said he thought that there would be a non-smart meter available, and that he would arrange it with Trustpower. Somewhere along the line the communication didn’t work and a smart meter was installed.
She was very angry and told the electrician and Trustpower that they had gone against her request, even after they had promised (verbally) to install a non-smart meter. Nothing happened for about a month and then they rang up and came to replace it with a “Legacy” meter.
I might add that the meter is in the hall on the other side of the wall from her bedroom. Trustpower said it would only be transmitting for a very short period each day (in the middle of the night, I think).
Site editor’s note: Regarding the claim that the meter would transmit only for a short period each day, this is a common statement made by many companies. Independent in-use testing of smart meters in NZ has shown very different types of microwave radiation emission profiles from as often as once every eight seconds, to as infrequently as once every eight hours. However, not all makes and models of smart meters installed in homes and businesses in NZ have yet been tested in a real-life situation.
If you are interested in how much microwave radiation different smart meters may produce, please see these links:
https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/is-the-wel-smart-box-a-health-hazard/
https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/uncategorized/how-much-radiation-does-the-smart-meter-at-your-home-produce/
https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/uncategorized/does-the-modem-for-this-smart-meter-produce-more-radiation-than-is-legal-in-nz/
http://www.organicnz.org.nz/node/501
by Katherine | 30 Mar, 2015 | Latest News
On 27 March 2015, the Institute of Directors (IoD) released the following:
IoD calls for Smart Meters scheme to be ‘halted, altered or scrapped’ to avoid ‘unjustified, over-engineered and expensive mistake’
The Government’s rollout of Smart Meters, digital energy meters designed to provide real-time usage statistics, should be “halted, altered or scrapped” to avoid a potentially catastrophic government IT disaster, the Institute of Directors warns today.
In a major new report entitled “Not too clever: will Smart Meters be the next Government IT disaster?” the IoD brands the £11bn scheme, the largest government IT project in history, “unwanted by consumers, devoid of credibility and mind-blowingly expensive”. The business group calls on an incoming government to review the project and “consider a fresh start”.
The Smart Meter programme, which has the hugely ambitious target of installing 100 million new pieces of kit in homes and business by 2020, was initiated by Ed Miliband as energy secretary in 2008, following an EU Directive, and confirmed by the Coalition Agreement in 2010. The report’s author, Dan Lewis, Senior Infrastructure Advisor at the IoD, calls the political consensus “a conspiracy of silence among politicians in thrall to big ideas and even bigger budgets”.
Lewis continues:
“The professed aims of the Smart Meter programme are laudable, and we all recognise the benefits of reducing consumption and increasing energy awareness. But there is little credible evidence to suggest that a scheme of this size and complexity will achieve those goals.”
The IoD report highlights a number of key concerns:
- Despite the EU Directive, 11 nations have ruled out electricity smart meters and only 5 are pushing ahead with the 2020 target for gas meters. In contrast, as is so often is the case, the UK has gold-plated the Directive.
- The government refuses to publish any of the reports on the programme by the Major Projects Authority.
- The cost-benefit analysis conducted by the Department for Energy and Climate Change is so heavily redacted as to be almost unreadable.
- The Smart Meter network would be vulnerable to cyber-attack and disruption.
- Introducing time-of-day pricing to shift consumer demand will only work with price increases that are not politically realistic. Retail consumers really can’t change their energy consumption that much.
The report places the rollout of Smart Meters within the context of previous large-scale IT fiascos, including the infamous NHS National Programme for IT, the eBorders Programme and the BBC’s disastrous Digital Media Initiative. Furthermore, a recent survey shows that 80 per cent of IoD members rate the ability of government to manage large IT projects as “poor or very poor”.
Dan Lewis adds:
“This scheme is far from smart. The dishonourable roll call of government IT projects that have haemorrhaged vast amounts of taxpayers’ money to no discernible effect needs no further additions. Consumers will not forgive the already unpopular energy companies for a costly programme which fails to deliver and ends up making them poorer. Without a change of direction, whoever wins the general election is at risk of overseeing a spectacular failure in the next parliament. They would be well-advised to consider a fresh start.
“Consumers do not want the meters, they have proved a costly mistake in countries where they have been rolled out, and the Government is withholding key details about their costs and benefits. This makes for a programme which is devoid of credibility, over-engineered and mind-blowingly expensive. Perhaps the only reason why the cost and ambition of this project has not become a national scandal already is because of a conspiracy of silence among politicians in thrall to big ideas and even bigger budgets.”
A key area of concern outlined in the report is that the technology behind the scheme is untested and some parts will likely be obsolete by the scheduled switch-on date of 2020. The new wireless standard, ZigBee, which is being developed for Smart Meters is complex and expensive compared to the better-known Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Each property will also get an in home display, but there is scant evidence of consumer demand. British Gas found that only 60% of customers looked at their displays even once a month a year after installation.
Recommendations
An incoming government should consider the following changes:
- Stop the smart gas meter deployment – only a handful of EU nations are planning to deploy gas smart meters by 2020. This would save billions of pounds.
- Remove the requirement for an in home display – expected to cost £800m in total, the displays will be out of date in a few years. Far better to connect smart meters to people’s phones, tablets and PCs
- Limit the rollout to homes with high energy usage – those who use more than 5,100 kWh of electricity, and 23,000 kWh of gas a year have much more to gain. This would reduce the scale of the rollout by 80%.
- Abandon attempts to stretch the rollout to tower blocks – the most technically challenging aspect of the project with the lowest potential returns. This would remove seven million homes from the scheme.
- Make the programme genuinely voluntary – offered to customers at their own expense, not subsidised by all.
- Abandon the whole programme and develop a smart phone app instead – look into developing a smart app which would convert a photo of their current mechanical meter into a meaningful number for the suppliers. This would cost tens of thousands of pounds rather than billions.
Lewis added:
“We know that an incoming government will be under intense financial pressure, having to find further cuts to public spending. This does not fit well with increasing energy bills for a project that has such unrealistic targets, such large costs and such uncertain benefits.”
Read the full report here.
Source: http://www.iod.com/influencing/press-office/press-releases/smart-meters-a-government-it-disaster-waiting-to-happen
If you are interested in the smart meter issue, please sign up for the email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz. This link also includes a search facility to allow you to search the website for topics of interest.
by Katherine | 22 Mar, 2015 | Events, Latest News, Science
Eco-West Festival 2015
EcoWest is a month-long festival of diverse events from 14 March – 12 April 2015, showcasing the people and projects caring for the West Auckland environment and connecting you with a myriad of opportunities to discover, make, regenerate and learn.
This year’s festival programme features over 40 events hosted by innovative environmental organisations, businesses, sustainability experts and creative entrepreneurs who embrace eco ideas through their work.
As part of the Eco-West Festival Paul Waddell from www.safespace.net.nz will be giving a presentation on Wednesday 25th March from 6.30 to 8.30. This will be a practical demonstration of testing for electromagnetic radiation and a discussion on how to be safer in our modern techno world. Cost is $10. Please click here to make a booking.
NB: To sign up for emails on the smart meter situiation in NZ please visit www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
by Katherine | 22 Mar, 2015 | Latest News, Users Feedback
Hi Katherine,
We have just successfully had the transmitting modem removed from our smart meter. We had our house tested by Paul Waddell [from www.safespace.net.nz – Ed] recently and he made the recommendation that we have this done.
Our provider, Mercury Energy, refused to do this and insisted that the meters were safe………….which of course we know that they’re not!
Powershop said they would do it and so did Contact Energy, and we decided on Contact. They were very helpful and we didn’t need to do anything to instigate the change over and then the removal of the modem.
A lovely contractor just came today to do the job and the charge is $125. Well worth it.
I’m happy to talk with anyone who wants advice on how to get this done. Many thanks, and keep up the great work!
Site editor’s note: A follow up note from this happy customer stated how the home felt “better” after the modem’s removal.
If you d not want to be exposed to pulses of microwave radiation from a smart meter, there are two options in NZ:
1) To get the smart meter removed
(See https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/how-to-get-rid-of-a-smart-meter/ )
OR
2) To get the smart meter’s modem removed/disconnected.
Many, but not all brands of the smart meters on the NZ market have modems which can be disconnected or removed. (For more information about this please see this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/comparing-analogue-ferraris-meters-with-smart-meters-which-have-had-the-modem-removed/)
For general information on getting rid of an unwanted smart meter, please see this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/how-to-get-rid-of-a-smart-meter/
NB: To sign up for emails on the smart meter situation in NZ please visit www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
by Katherine | 16 Mar, 2015 | Government and Electricity Industry Positions, Latest News, Uncategorized, Users Feedback
Website editor’s note:
The following email was received by www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz in late February 2015:
I have been really ill, requiring hospital treatment 1 or 2 times a month since 2 weeks after having smart meter put in. I had tremors, sharp head pain, urine infections, kidney pain, heart palpitations and severe weight loss, also thyroid problems. The meter was on outside wall by my headboard. I moved out of the bedroom after being told about smart meters. My symptoms have improved remarkably, but I now have to endure Graves Disease and severe eye disease. For about 18 months I was slowly deteriorating to the point that I honestly thought I would not live. My family thought I was not going to live. How can these meters be allowed?
Regards
[Full name supplied but removed to protect privacy]
In response to an email from www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz more details followed:
Hi Katherine, sorry to take so long with my reply. I was with Genesis. I asked them to remove modem and they said that they had made a decision in November 2014 to not take any more out and that I would have to change power company if I wanted it removed. This decision was made as there were so many people wanting them removed, so I was told. The power meter is 18 inches from my head on outside wall.
This customer’s response was to change to another electricity retailer. Her new company:
“… told me to get a letter from my GP and send it to them. I got a letter and sent and the modem was removed within a few days. I live in [name of location of residence supplied].
Within a few days of moving out of the bedroom into my spare room, I noticed the pain in my head stopped. I had been so sick for about 18 months and no one could explain the reason for it.
One day I was so unwell I got in car and went to my GP. I just said to him that there IS something wrong with me and I want every blood test possible taken.The results showed I had thyroid problems. I was at [name of NZ hospital] every 2 weeks for the next year. I have had Radioactive Iodine treatment. That terrified me after what the radiation from the smart meter had done to me.
I had tremors, heart palpitations, sharp pains up the side of my head, nausea, up 4 or 5 times a night to toilet and developed Thyroid Disease [while the smart meter was installed and prior to the modem being removed – Ed] .
Smart meters are known to cause thyroid cancer*, so guess I’m lucky to have asked for tests when I did. Also recurrent urine infections with no reason for them.
Five weeks have passed [since the modem was removed] and I feel like new. All symptoms have gone completely. My eyes have been affected badly is the only problem I have now. I am also left with Graves Disease and need to now wear sunglasses, even to watch tv and inside the house until lights off and into bed. I feel very lucky. I can’t remember who first told me about smart meters and the health problems they cause. Hope this letter helps in any way.
Regards [full name supplied]
Website editor’s note: Reports of “smart” meter-related problems (whether health problems, fires, increased bills or any other problems) may be reported in confidence to www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz via our Contact Form at this link.
Information is not posted on the website unless permission is given for this to be done.
*Ed note: I am not aware of any scientific publications on smart meters and thyroid cancer; however at least one study has shown that cell phone radiation can stimulate thyroid cell division. Many smart meters in NZ use the cellular network frequency. http://thyroidworldcongress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/O022_Mizrachi.pdf
by Katherine | 7 Mar, 2015 | Latest News
This is not a smart meter related documentary; it’s about health. Specifically it focuses on how corporations (including “Big Pharma” and “Big Agriculture”) influence government policies on healthcare and also food, thereby restricting consumer choice and in some cases substantially infringing on human rights.
If you are familiar with the issues surrounding smart meter roll outs, if you view Bought you may see some parallels between how governments in countries that are installing smart meters are putting the desires of the electricity industry ahead of public health.
For example, electricity companies see smart meters as a good way to reduce labour costs because there is less need to employ meter readers, for example. In NZ, as in many other countries, the government allows the installation of smart meters even though some smart meters on the NZ market expose people in the the nearby vicinity to intense pulses of radiofrequency radiation (RFR). This is because the RFR that smart meters produce falls below the standards that govern EMR emissions in NZ. (NZS2772.2:1999 is the standard that covers smart meters and other sources of RFR and this is designed to prevent only heating, shock and sudden death, not other potential effects.) Power companies tend to publicly discount the adverse health effects some people experience after smart meter installations (even though there is now peer reviewed research on this subject: see: www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/uncategorized/peer-reviewed-journal-publishes-article-on-smart-meter-health-effects/ ) although people in the electricity industry may acknowledge health effects from smart meters in private emails. (See: http://www.takebackyourpower.net/news/2015/02/13/utility-commissioners-private-emails-reveal-conspiracy/
Bought shows how on how the pharmaceutical industry has a lot of nasty skeletons in its closet, including fraudulent research and how a revolving door between government and the Big Pharma facilitates dysfunction – if not frank corruption. It also describes how GE food is undermining people’s health.
Bought is a documentary that will challenge your ideas if you always thought that everything was just hunky dory with every aspect of modern medicine but it is a documentary that asks important questions – and the parallels with other important issues (such as smart meters, for example) will not be missed by thoughtful viewers.
It’s available free at this link for a short time:
http://www.boughtmovie.net/free-viewing/
by Katherine | 5 Mar, 2015 | Events, Uncategorized
The smart meter situation at present in NZ is not good.
Companies in the electricity industry are putting in smart meters as fast as they can. Not surprisingly, considering the fact that the pulses of RFR that smart meters produce can be intense, some people develop new symptoms after these devices have been installed at their own home or a nearby neighbour’s home and there is now peer reviewed research on adverse health effects associated with smart meters.
In NZ, electricity companies are often reluctant to remove smart meters even when people report health issues after installations.
I have also had reports of people who do not want smart meters being bullied by their electricity retailer to try to get them to accept a smart meter. (For an example of some bullying behaviour, please see this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/government-and-electricity-industry-positions/company-tries-to-bully-chronically-ill-woman/)
There is no law or regulation that states that people in NZ have to accept a smart meter which gives some protection to consumers. However, it is legal to install smart meters (despite the health and privacy risks) and increasingly, NZ electricity retailers are using their supply contracts with consumers to try to enforce smart meter installations upon reluctant customers.
This contrasts with the situation in many parts of the USA where municipalities have acted to protect public health by banning the installation of smart meters in their local areas.
Such enlightened legislation/by-laws has yet to be passed in NZ (and has not even been drafted); however if the NZ government or local authorities were to take this step, the gains to public health could potentially be negated if the NZ government signs the so-called “Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement” (TPPA). (The TPPA is also known as the TPP.)
Unfortunately the NZ government has indicated that it plans to sign this agreement. The text of the TPPA is still secret. However, from the small amounts of information that have been leaked into the public domain, it is clear that the agreement would favour the interests of large corporations and is potentially a disaster for any country that signs it. The reason for this is that the agreement apparently would allow corporations to sue governments should a government pass a piece of legislation that could be deemed to impact adversely on corporate profits.
The TPPA is opposed in NZ by a diverse range of individuals and groups, including the Public Health Association, environmental groups and unions who are concerned about how the TPPA could adversely affect ordinary New Zealanders by putting the profits of big corporations ahead of the needs of people who live in New Zealand.
Nationwide protests against the TPPA have been organised for March 7, 2015.
You can find out more about this issue (including how to join local protests) at http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/ and here http://www.itsourfuture.org.nz/events/
by Katherine | 26 Feb, 2015 | Government and Electricity Industry Positions, Latest News
Do you (or does someone you know) have a GloBug prepay power system?
Mercury Energy is busily marketing its “GloBug” prepay power system to low income families. This year GloBug is one of the sponsors of the annual Pasifika festival in Auckland and it has least one billboard advertisement in Auckland marketing the GloBug system. (The billboard features a very pretty little girl of Maori or Polynesian ethnicity.)
(Note to overseas readers: In New Zealand, statistically, Maori and Pasifika families are more likely to be impoverished than New Zealanders of Asian or European descent.)
Mercury is probably keen to improve the public profile of the GloBug system which has been the subject of quite a lot of coverage in the mainstream media, much of which is not complimentary.
For example a complaint was made to the popular consumer affairs TV show FairGo in 2010 – see http://tvnz.co.nz/fair-go/power-struggle-3736876 ) and a report by the NZ Herald’s health reporter Simon Collins about how families using prepay meters have been “shivering” from cold due to the expense of keeping the power on (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10839079)
Consumer NZ also expressed concerns about Mercury’s prepay power system in 2012. (See: http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/6595787/Pre-pay-power-plans-unfair)
There have also been reports of Mercury Energy bullying customers to accept the GloBug prepay system (see: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10744327) and NZ Herald columnist Brian Rudman also excoriated Mercury Energy after the company threatened to move him to the GloBug system after he did not pay a bill that he had no recollection of ever receiving. (See http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&objectid=10744518)
(Note to overseas readers: The NZ postal service is not that efficient; bills get lost in the mail from time to time!)
What Mercury Energy keeps very quiet is that the GloBug system relies on smart metering technology. (See; http://www.epaynz.co.nz/product-range/prepaid-electricity) This technology, which allows remote disconnection when people’s prepaid credit gets too low, has transformed low income households (which were previously considered a financial liability by the company) into a “cash cow”.
Mercury Energy’s parent company, Mighty River Power, has boasted:
“It [the GloBug prepay power system] has also turned some accounts, traditionally regarded by the industry as the worst customers, into some of Mighty River’s most-valued customers.
(See: http://www.energyawards.co.nz/finalist/2012/innovation-in-electricity-award/mighty-river-power)
So, while Mercury Energy is being paid in advance for supplying electricity, the GloBug system relies on microwave radiation producing “smart” metering technology that may put its customer’s health at risk. And many of its customers will not even realise that opting for (or being forced to accept) a GloBug system means increased exposure to potentially carcinogenic microwave radiation.
The traditional analogue (Ferraris) meters installed in NZ when electricity was considered an essential public service (and was supplied by local authorities,rather than greedy corporations) do not produce any microwave radiation. Analogue (Ferraris meters) are still on the NZ market but many electricity retailers are trying to force their customers to accept smart meters.
NB: While Mercury Energy pioneered the use of GloBug in NZ, the company is not alone in using the GloBug system for prepay electricity; Meridian is also reportedly using this system.
A friend created a new logo for Mercury Energy to reflect the company’s reported bullying of its customers to try to get them to accept “smart” metering technology.
For a photo of a type of smart meter used in conjunction with a GloBug, please see this link: https://stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/aerial-installed-inside-family-home-as-part-of-a-globug-set-up/
NB: If you are concerned about the financial, health or other risks of smart meters, please sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz Thank you.
by Katherine | 25 Feb, 2015 | Latest News
New Zealand has done it again.
In the same great tradition that has seen NZ “punching above its weight” and besting “overseas experts” a new paper from a group of researchers at the University of Auckland is being promoted as showing that there’s no connection between cell phones and brain tumours.
Somehow, this one study (which is based on statistics from the New Zealand National Cancer Registry) disproves many other international studies that definitely show a link between cell phones and brain tumours.
Never mind that the NZ researchers chose a cohort of people (those diagnosed with brain tumours between 1995 and 2010) who would have been very unlikely to have been using cell phones for long enough for an increased risk in cell-phone induced cancer to become apparent…
No, prior research and good sense be damned, the University of Auckland still boldly goes where no sensible university would dare to go and announces in its press release: “Mobile phones not causing an increase in brain tumours”.
To be fair, one of the study’s authors did state that “a study of this type cannot exclude a small risk, or one limited to a certain subtype of cancers, or a risk only arising after more than about 15 years of phone use.” [Emphasis added]
That’s honest, because his own paper admits that in 1995 only about 10% of the NZ population had a cell phone subscription and by 2000 only about 40% of New Zealanders had a cell phone subscription. By 2009, 85% of New Zealanders had a cellular phone. However, few New Zealanders who had used cell phones by 2010 (the cut off date for the study) would have been long-term cell phone users (fifteen years or more) by that time.
It is salutary to contrast the new study from the University of Auckland with a major study by Lennart Hardell and Michael Carlberg published in 2014, which showed a significant increase in glioma (a common type of brain tumour) for people who used both mobile and cordless phones.
The 2014 study (published in the journal Pathophysiology) showed that the brain tumour risk was highest after 25 years of mobile phone use and after 15-20 years of cordless phone use.
See: https://lennarthardellenglish.wordpress.com/2014/12/01/new-study-confirms-increased-risk-for-glioma-associated-with-use-of-mobile-phones-and-cordless-phones/
This is but one of many other studies showing a link between cell phone use and brain (and other) tumours.
Links to more studies are below:
http://oem.bmj.com/content/early/2014/05/09/oemed-2013-101754
https://lennarthardellenglish.wordpress.com/2014/10/16/decreased-survival-in-patients-with-glioblastoma-multiforme-associated-with-use-of-mobile-and-cordless-phones/
https://lennarthardellenglish.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/new-ecological-study-on-the-penetration-of-cellular-telecommunications-subscriptions-shows-a-clear-association-with-the-higher-incidence-of-brain-and-nervous-system-tumours-2/
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/167/4/457.full
It is now indisputable that radiofrequency (RF) radiation in the microwave range such is produced by cordless and mobile phones, cordless phone bases and cell phone towers has been classified by the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer as a “possible carcinogen” (type 2B).
It would be foolish to rely upon the new study from the University of Auckland as assuring the safety of mobile and cellular phones when there is good quality research that shows a risk.
For ideas on how to minimise health risks when using cell phones and other modern technology, please see this link:
http://www.naturalmedicine.net.nz/childrens-health-and-development/how-to-reduce-your-exposure-to-emr/
NB: If you are concerned about wireless devices and health you may like to sign up to the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
The University of Auckland press release may be read below:
| Mobile phones not causing increase in brain tumours |
| 25 February 2015Embargoed until 2am on 26 February 2015Mobile phones not causing increase in brain tumours
The risk of brain tumours has not changed significantly with increased mobile phone use, according to new research from the University of Auckland.In a paper just published in the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, on the trends in primary brain cancer incidence in New Zealand between 1995 and 2010, research led by cancer epidemiologist, Professor Mark Elwood, showed no general increase in brain tumours.Professor Elwood says there have been concerns about whether the use of mobile phones could lead to an increase in the frequency of brain tumours.“Several major international studies have suggested either no risk or a slightly increased risk in high users, while some others have suggested substantial risks,” he says.His team examined the frequency (yearly incidence) of brain cancers, both in total and in those sub-types highlighted in some other studies, in New Zealand from 1995 to 2010, using data from the New Zealand national cancer registry.“There has been no general increase,” says Professor Elwood. “In fact, for the wide age range 10 to 69 years, there has been a decrease of about one percent per year.”
“This adds to the evidence against there being a substantial increased risk in mobile phone users. This is consistent with most, but not all, similar studies done in other countries,” he says.Professor Elwood says these studies together suggest that previous reports of large increases in risk in mobile phone users are likely to be incorrect.“But a study of this type cannot exclude a small risk, or one limited to a certain subtype of cancers, or a risk only arising after more than about 15 years of phone use,” he says.“We have no explanation for the decrease in brain cancers in New Zealand,” says Professor Elwood. “In people aged over 70 years, there was an increase in some types of brain cancer. This has been seen in other countries and is likely to relate to improved diagnosis.”
The research team included research student, Stella Kim, research fellow Sally Ioannides and Professor Elwood who is a professor in the cancer epidemiology section of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Population Health, University of Auckland.
ENDS |
by Katherine | 22 Feb, 2015 | Latest News, Take Back Your Power
The website www.takebackyourpower.net is reporting how the family of a 74 year old South Dallas man blame the smart meter which had been recently installed at his home for the fire that led to his death. Mr James Humphrey, who had arthritis, was unable to escape from his home when it caught fire and the smoke and flames beat back neighbours who tried to rescue him.
You can read the full story (as well as some very interesting comments) at this link:
http://www.takebackyourpower.net/news/2015/02/03/smart-meter-fire-kills-74-year-old-man-dallas-tx/
The statistics kept by the NZ Fire Service do not allow smart meter related fires to be differentiated from fires that are caused by other types of meters or meter board faults. See this link for details: www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/latest-news/are-smart-meters-causing-fires-in-new-zealand/
If you are aware of a smart meter related fire in NZ, please report it to Stop Smart Meters NZ through this link: www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz/contact-us/
Any reports will be treated in confidence. Thank you.
NB: To stay up-to-date with the smart meter situation in NZ, please join the free email list at www.stopsmartmeters.org.nz
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