California Activists Want Smart Meters Banned, Claim They're Bad for Health

[pickel]

California Activists Want Smart Meters Banned, Claim They're Bad for Health | PBS NewsHour | July 20, 2012 | PBS

NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels reports on some California activists who'd like to see the devices banned.

Chuckie, what's up ???????

[Epidemic]

What a retarded claim.

90+% of the popuation has a cell phone, People are not exactly worried about RF radiation. Especially intermittent radiation from a smart meter located on the outside of your house.

I don't know the specifics of this meters output power but proximity to you and your family probably relegates the amount of energy to the level of background noise.

[Chuckiechan]

California has nearly as many lawyers as illegal aliens. That being said, it's a cottage industry to take a company to court to get an out of court settlement because it so expensive for the company when all is said and done.

Don't forget, judges are lawyers too, and have no incentive not to hear a case that puts food on the table of their brethren.

If you read the transcript... you get the idea of what business in California are up against every day.

[no1_vern]

There IS scientific evidence that wireless sources(if powerful enough/close enough) can cause physical and mental problems.

OOC:How much extra does it cost to install the wireless as opposed to using the wired version?

BEsides, I like the idea of a hacker having the power to shutdown an entire neighborhood and/or town to extort money from the big power companies. Yes, any wireless device can(and IMO will) be hacked.

[Chuckiechan]

The way it was before is some guy walked door to door and wrote down the meter reading. Sometimes they were in back yards with dogs, pot gardens, nude sunbathers, etc.

Now you don't. In fact me water meter is read by some dude in a pickup truck who drives by and activates the signal.

We are so "bathed" in electronic emissions, I don't see what a little more will do to us. You can opt for the old style meters for an additional monthly charge.

[Epidemic]

There IS scientific evidence that wireless sources(if powerful enough/close enough) can cause physical and mental problems.

Actually I have not seen such a study. Well not one that happens at consumer power levels. The only study to date I have read were studies that showed insects would change behavior at a given level. The 1mw per centimeter squared is what the EU and most cell phone companies allow to be pressed up to your head, a box on the side of the house will be many orders of magnitude weaker. To date the only effect I know of is one of thermal increase. I still am of the opinion that a cell phone call probably heats cells less than intense thought

OOC:How much extra does it cost to install the wireless as opposed to using the wired version?

BEsides, I like the idea of a hacker having the power to shutdown an entire neighborhood and/or town to extort money from the big power companies. Yes, any wireless device can(and IMO will) be hacked.

hacking might be a reasonable concern

[Taxmancometh]

When will California finally just break off and fall into the ocean already.