The health effects of electrical pollution

Page 1

The health effects

electrical pollution

The National Foundation for Alternative Medicine

1629 K Street NW

Suite 402

Washington, D.C. 20006

202.463.4900

Page 2

One of the most potent contaminants

is radio-frequency radiation.

Radio-frequency radiation

f particular concern is the

high-frequency current

created by computers and

other electronic devices, which is often

called “dirty current.” This current is

created by numerous devices and is

conducted nearly everywhere. The

wiring in buildings then acts as

mericans are surrounded by

electrical

devices

–

c o m p u t e r s ,

VCRs and a plethora of

household gadgets and

consumer appliances.

There is also the

assumption that the

electricity (and associated

electrical phenomena) are

safely confined to the

wires carrying electricity

and to the electrical

devices themselves.

For a variety of reasons,

including the very design

the

electrical

distribution system, this

assumption is no longer

valid.

Electricity is a trusted

component

contemporary civilization.

Few notice the poles, wires,

substations and transformers that

deliver electricity. Fewer still pay any

attention to the hidden lattice of wires

in the walls of homes, offices, churches,

factories and schools.

Yet all contribute to an increasingly

dangerous electrical environment that

has largely escaped systematic

monitoring. The increased demand for

electricity, and the proliferation of

computers and other electronic devices

have markedly increased our exposure

to electrical phenomena. These

phenomena are a ubiquitous presence

in our lives, albeit invisible and

odorless.

There is the widespread (and

mistaken) assumption that our electrical

environment has been carefully studied

and monitored and, save for a few

exceptions, found to be harmless.

The truth is that the millions of

Americans live and work in

environments that subject them to a

variety of harmful electric phenomena.

The health effects of electrical pollution

antennae for the current, silently and

insidiously assaulting those who play

and work nearby.

In other words, the wires

that deliver electricity have

also become conduits for

deadly high-frequency

radiation, a form of

electrical pollution that has

largely escaped attention

the

medical

community.

The

increased

prevalence of this radio-

frequency current has

coincided with an

alarming increase in the

prevalence of ailments

such as fibromyalgia,

chronic fatigue syndrome,

attention deficit disorder,

diabetes and asthma.

Innumerable studies

have shown there is no “safe” level of

exposure to radio-frequency current,

which now routinely flows through the

wiring of homes, schools and offices.

It is a deadly “byproduct” of our

electronic age.

Pervasive and deadly

lectrical pollution is

indiscriminate. It affects

young and old, women and

men, mothers and infants, the rich and

poor, secretaries and farmers, doctors

and lawyers, factory workers and

scientists.

Until its unsuspecting victims take

action to reduce their exposure,

symptoms worsen. There is no relief,

no cure, no hope. Lives become a

numbing maelstrom of despair and a

desperate attempt to alleviate

symptoms.

The harmful biological effects of

exposure to electrical pollution have

been established in numerous studies

conducted during the past 50 years.

Several countries have established

‘I have no doubt in my

mind that at the present

time that the greatest

polluting element in the

earth's environment is the

proliferation of electro-

magnetic fields. I con-

sider that to be far greater

on a global scale than

warming... ‘

Robert O. Becker, M. D., Author

of Cross Currents and The Body

Electric:

The green area in the oscilloscope display shown above

represents ‘dirty’ power that contaminates normal (60 Hertz)

electricity.

Page 3

standards limiting exposure to EMF,

“dirty” current and other sources.

In the United States,

however, environments are

seldom monitored for

electrical pollution. The

limited standards governing

“dirty” current, for example,

are applied only in industrial

settings, and then only when

levels are high enough to

affect computers, motors and

other equipment.

Until recently, people had no

way of monitoring levels of

dirty current in the

environment. The introduction

of a relatively inexpensive

meter that could be plugged

into a conventional outlet to

monitor levels of this current

led to some startling

revelations.

Hundreds of people found

that their health problems

worsened during exposure to

dirty current, and that they

were exposed to this current in

a variety of locations. The

invention of a convenient filter

that removes radio-frequency

radiation provided noticeable

and immediate relief to

thousands of people. Some

have managed to create or find

environments where the levels

are lower. However, most have found

it impossible to find environments

where levels are uniformly safe. .

The following selected accounts are

just a few of hundreds of similar stories

that dedicated investigators have

encountered during the past four years.

It should be remembered that these

investigations occurred outside the

framework of institutional support that

usually funds studies of this type.

The integrity of these investigators

is beyond reproach. They conducted

these studies at considerable personal

and financial sacrifice. They were

conducted by investigators who have

desperately sought to have the scientific

and medical community thoroughly and

systematically investigate their

concerns.

Their requests have been ignored.

Instead, they have often been subjected

to scathing criticism and

ridicule.

Most of those who have

learned that their health has

been adversely affected by

electrical pollution had

previously engaged in a

lengthy, fruitless and costly

search to ascertain the source

of their ailments, and to seek

relief.

They were increasingly

debilitated by their ailments,

though they sought the best

medical advice they could

afford. They became

discouraged and desperate as

they lost the ability to

function as productive

members of society. Many

face impoverishment. They

were caught in a vortex of

despair, whose causes

seemed beyond the reach of

science. Some of these

conditions acquired labels.

Others didn’t.

There was no relief beyond

palliative care. A cure

seemed beyond hope.

All

experienced

remarkable improvements in

their conditions after

removing radio-frequency current

from their household wiring.

A public health crisis

basic precept of science

developed in the 14th century

is known as Ockham’s razor,

which can be paraphrased as accepting

the theory that results in the most

accurate predictions.

The symptoms associated with

overexposure to radio-frequency

radiation (also known as radio wave

sickness) clearly describe the

symptoms associated with many of the

supposedly inexplicable ailments that

have become more common in recent

decades.

Symptoms of exposure to radio-

frequency radiation (radio wave sickness)

Neurological: headaches, dizziness, nausea, diffi-

culty concentrating, memory loss, irritability,

depression, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, weakness,

tremors, muscle spasms, numbness, tingling, altered

reflexes, muscle and joint paint, leg/foot pain, "Flu-

like" symptoms, fever. More severe reactions can

include seizures, paralysis, psychosis and stroke.

Cardiac: palpitations, arrhythmias, pain or pressure

in the chest, low or high blood pressure, slow or fast

heart rate, shortness of breath.

Respiratory: sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia,

asthma.

Dermatological: skin rash, itching, burning, facial

flushing.

Ophthalmologic: pain or burning in the eyes,

pressure in/behind the eyes, deteriorating vision,

floaters, cataracts.

Others: digestive problems; abdominal pain;

enlarged thyroid, testicular/ovarian pain; dryness of

lips, tongue, mouth, eyes; great thirst; dehydration;

nosebleeds; internal bleeding; altered sugar metabo-

lism; immune abnormalities; redistribution of metals

within the body; hair loss; pain in the teeth; deterio-

rating fillings; impaired sense of smell; ringing in the

ears.

(excerpted from No Place To Hide by Arthur

Firstenberg, April 2001)

Dr. Martin Graham, emeritus

professor of computer science and

electrical engineering, University of

California, Berkeley, and inventor of

a filter that removes radio-frequency

radiation from household wiring.

Page 4

The relationship between exposure to

radio-frequency radiation and these

ailments clearly warrants additional

independent investigation.

Investigations of human health

concerns and electrical pollution are

now left solely to the discretion of

electrical utilities. This is unacceptable

and is unlikely to change. In Wisconsin,

for example, state health officials have

not undertaken a single investigation of

the health complaints of farm families

with concerns about electrical

pollution, even though these families

have requested such an investigation for

almost 30 years.

Any discussion of electrical

phenomena involves terms that are

unfamiliar to most people. This is true

in any detailed discussion of a scientific

topic. However, it poses a particularly

formidable obstacle to the public’s

understanding of the problem because

the issue is often framed exclusively in

technical language. This has proven to

be a formidable barrier in attempts to

draw public attention to the issue,

especially as the objectivity of many

investigators is in doubt.

It need not be this way. Electrical

pollution is analogous to water

pollution. “Clean” water enters our

households and it leaves via a separate

route after it becomes “dirty.” The same

is true of electricity, only the

contaminated current doesn’t leave via

a separate route. Instead, it has been

allowed to intermingle with clean

current – and has been allowed to enter

the environment by a variety of paths.

As with polluted water, there are

several electrical pollutants. They have

synergistic effects. Examining each in

isolation fails to accurately assess their

harmful biological effects.

While there are legitimate concerns

over what levels and types of electrical

pollution are acceptable, there is no

uncertainty over the fact that electrical

pollution is present in our environment

-and no uncertainty whatsoever that

there is no safe exposure level for radio-

frequency radiation.

The most immediate concern is to

develop methods to eliminate or

prevent exposure to harmful levels.

Also, health officials should be

encouraged to utilize the instruments

that accurately measure electrical

pollution and develop the appropriate

protocols for their use. This should not

be left to the electric utilities.

Time to begin

This is an auspicious time to begin

such an effort because investigators

with the academic credentials and

technical competence have already

created much of the foundation for this

work. Such investigations would be

prohibitively expensive if these

resources were not available.

Moreover, even if the resources were

available to fund these investigations

(which would initially require hundreds

of thousands of dollars), the objectivity

of the results would be subject to

question unless (as is now possible)

the complete independence of the

investigators could be assured.

The following general factors should

be considered when considering the

experiences of victims of electrical

pollution:

• They involve a wide variety of health

concerns. In medicine, this often

detracts from credibility as researchers

increasingly seek to link specific

disease agents or factors with specific

ailments. However, the accounts are

consistent with the pervasive assault on

the immune system characteristic of

electrical pollution, and with the

heterogeneous nature of electrical

phenomena, and the wide divergence

in routes and duration of exposure.

• Seldom is there a complete reversal

of symptoms or a “cure.” This appears

to reflect the inability to achieve an

environment free of electrical pollution.

• Electrical pollution exacerbates

many health conditions, although there

appears to be a cluster of symptoms

common to all forms of overexposure.

•There appears to be a “threshold” of

exposure, after which recovery

becomes more problematic and

sensitivity increases.

•The medical community seldom, if

ever, considers electrical pollution in

the etiology of ailments.

• “Stray voltage” research, which

involves the short-term exposure of

cows to low levels of “clean” electricity

is not germane to the human health

concerns addressed here, even though

it has often been cited as “proof” that

electrical pollution has no adverse

effects on human health.

• Many of those affected by electrical

pollution require immediate relief. The

most relevant test of whether electrical

pollution is a human health concern is

to provide an environment that is free

of all sources of electrical pollution.

The particular levels and routes of

exposure that are of most concern in

each environment can be addressed

later.

• Providing an environment that is

free of electrical pollution would be the

simplest, least expensive (and most

powerful) test of the hypotheses

concerning the relationship between

electrical pollution and the adverse

effects on human health.

The “Stetzerizer,” the Graham/Stetzer

original filter that can be plugged into

household electric receptacles to re-

move radio-frequency radiation.

Page 5

Dan Hager

Dan Hager, 50, is a large man, whose

joviality belies the health problems that

doctors said were supposed to have

killed him by now.

He’s had a variety of occupations,

including stints as a welder, machinist

and driving trucks and buses. He had

no history of serious health problems

when, eight years ago, he was nearly

crippled by aching joints and pain in

the lower back. There were times

when his feet were so sensitive he

could barely walk. He would often

inexplicably lose his balance and fall.

Numerous doctors were unable to

ascertain the cause of his health

problems, although all agreed that his

health was deteriorating. Hager

eventually was prescribed 12

medications for pain, swelling,

seizures and depression in an

increasingly futile attempt to

stay healthy enough so he could

maintain the campground he

and his wife, Marge, operated

in central Wisconsin.

Two years ago, a neighbor

recounted how her health

improved after she installed

filters to lower levels of

electrical pollution. After

studying the information she

provided, Hager realized his

symptoms mimicked those of

radio wave sickness, right

down to the pain in his teeth.

Hager decided to try it himself,

and made several filters.

“Right away, I felt more

energetic. The headaches went

away and my sleep was more

restful,” he said. He was no

longer plagued by sleep apnea

and no longer prone to losing

his balance. He subsequently

reduced the number of prescriptions to

four.

Doctors were never able to identify

the cause of his ailments, although some

predicted he would never recover the

mobility and strength he lost and

predicted that the deterioration would

progress. One ascribed his ailments to

nerve damage. Hager concurs with

the diagnosis.

Hager believes his nerves were

damaged by the flow of current

through his body. He links the start of

his health problems to a change in the

electrical distribution system in the

area to accommodate the increased

demand for electricity. Then, too, the

campground is next to a lake in a low-

lying region, conditions that favor the

flow of electricity through the ground.

Hager has employed several methods

to reduce ground currents, but none

are completely effective.

His pain was alleviated after a doctor

treated him for injuries usually

associated with electrocution. Hager

has purchased several oscilloscopes

and tries to help neighbors understand

the risks posed by electrical pollution.

He had back surgery in 1998 and was

very slow to recover. “It took two

months to be able to walk out the front

door and go about 30 feet,” he says. He

attributes the slow healing to electrical

pollution.

His sister has been diagnosed with

rheumatoid arthritis and struggled for

almost a year while doctors tried to find

the right medications for her. Many

were ineffective and had undesirable

side effects. Dan measured the radio

frequencies in her home and installed

filters a year ago. Her mobility has

improved, there’s less swelling in her

hands and she sleeps much better. “Her

doctors “ can’t believe how well she’s

doing,” Dan says. She attributes her

improved health to the filters.

Catherine

Kleiber

Catherine Kleiber’s serious

health problems began in 1996,

six months after moving to a farm

she and her husband, Dan,

operated in southern Wisconsin.

She was 23 and until then, hadn’t

experienced any serious health

problems. Both were recent

graduates of the University of

Wisconsin-Madison.

The symptoms initially included

a sore, dry throat, fatigue, and a

low-grade fever and chills. She

was unable to concentrate.

Doctors couldn’t identify a cause.

Tests for throat infections were

negative. Three years later, she

was diagnosed with chronic

fatigue syndrome.

Catherine noticed unusual

patterns in her symptoms. They

were worse at certain times (on

Saturday night and Sundays, for

example) and during certain weather

conditions (worse when it rained, better

during droughty conditions). There

The illustration above, which shows the high frequency

current riding on the 60-cycle waveform, was mea-

sured in a classroom occupied by a teacher who re-

cently died of a brain tumor. The teacher in the ad-

joining room had recently died from leukemia. Dr.

Vitaly Reznik, professor of hygiene and epidemiol-

ogy in the Republic of Kazakhastan and an expert on

the effects of radio-frequency radiation, said the en-

ergy contained in the waveform was twice that con-

sidered safe by that nation’s standards, which are based

on ‘high-frequency components that known to cause

an array of health problems in humans,’ including

cancer and leukemia.

Relief after receiving

medical treatment

for electrocution.

Continued on page 6

Page 6

A nurse’s perspective

Char Sbraggia, the nurse for the

school district, wrote that there has

been a remarkable decline in the se-

verity and incidence of asthma

among students after filters were

installed.

Many students previously re-

quired nebulizer treatments once or

twice a day while at school, she

wrote. During the year after filters

were installed, she didn’t adminis-

ter one nebulizer treatment and “of

the 37 students with inhalers, only

three of them use the inhaler for their

exercise-induced asthma before Phy

Ed,” she wrote.

“Teachers are stating they are less

fatigued and tired,” she wrote. “The

sense of smell came back for me. I

lost it for three years and the doc-

tors said it was my allergies.”

She also reported that students

“seem to have more energy and

seem less tired.” Members of the

staff also report a reduction in their

use of allergy medications and in the

incidence of migraines.

hen

filters

were

installed

elementary school in

Wisconsin recently, staff members

quickly noticed a remarkable difference

in how they felt and an improvement in

the behavior of the students.

The guidance counselor at the school

said the migraine headaches she had

experienced six months after starting to

work at the school disappeared. She also

discontinued her allergy medication.

“I feel more motivated and refreshed

to do my job in the best manner I can.

Overall, I feel our students and staff have

greatly benefited from these filters. I hope

that someday all school districts in

Wisconsin will be required to have their

schools tested and filters installed if the

need is there,” she wrote.

“Ever since the filters were installed in

the building I have been feeling much

better. I do not get headaches and I do

not feel tired all the time. Also, I have

more energy than before the filters,” wrote

Ruth Pfaff, the school secretary.

Lisa Gunderson, a teacher at the school

for five years, said she had experienced

numerous health problems since she

started working at the school, including

“extreme fatigue, headaches,

forgetfulness, and increased anxiety over

minor happenings.” A doctor prescribed

anxiety medication, which did not relieve

the symptoms.

“I had considerable doubts about

electrical pollution being the reason for

these symptoms but was pleasantly

surprised and extremely pleased to find

relief a short time after filters were

installed in our building. I am not

currently taking any medications and am

feeling great. My symptoms are no longer

present and I have not had any changes

in my work habits or lifestyle,” Ms

Gunderson wrote.

Shanon Rodenberg, also a teacher,

wrote that she did “not have the same

asthma symptoms” after the filters were

installed.

“The other thing I have noticed is my

memory is better,” she wrote.

Constance M. Alvin, The reading

specialist at the school for 10 years said

she had experienced “fatigue, headaches,

stress, and general feelings of malaise

throughout the school year, with the end

of the year being the most unpleasant.

These changes were pronounced enough

to prompt my husband to comment each

year that when June came around he would

get his ‘real wife’ back.”

Soon after filters were installed, she

noticed she was not as fatigued after

parent-teacher conferences in January and

March, and her concentration improved.

“I have not changed my work habits or

anything in my personal life that would

contribute to these changes I have

noticed,” she wrote

Mindoro Elementary School, N181

State Rd. 108, Melrose, WI 54642; (608)

857-3410

One teacher’s experience

November 30, 2003

My life changed one year ago.

The past 3.5 years of my life are filled

with sad memories of serious health

problems. The list of my symptoms

includes fatigue, memory loss, facial

flushing, headaches, numbness, loss of

taste and smell, eye irritation, sleep

disturbances, double vision, sinus

infections, and bronchitis.

These health conditions began when

school started and gradually went away

throughout the summer months. I

missed more school in one year than I

had in the previous 10 years of

teaching. I went from doctor to doctor

searching for answers. I had two MRI’s

of my brain, blood tests, neurological

examines and yet no answers. I went to

my optometrist, chiropractor, allergist,

general practitioner, and neurologist.

Everyone was concerned, but no one

had any answers. So my life went for

the next three years. I was finally

diagnosed with benign MS.

My students suffered. It was a 50-50

chance I would call them their correct

names. The days and weeks blended

into a time in my life I barely remember

except for the pain of being me. I was

so busy trying not to fall when I went

for a walk while I had double vision I

missed the sights of spring. For years

I would go to bed by 6 p.m. so I could

get up for school the next day. I was

always exhausted. Last year my

headaches were so severe I didn’t make

it a complete week for the first three

months of school. I was miserable. I

had decided at that point I would give

up teaching in hopes of getting my good

health back.

The only people I let into my sad little

world were my parents and brothers.

Everyone felt helpless. When I went to

bed at night I would often cry in my

pillow to hide the true fear I felt. I was

trapped in a horrible world with no hope

in sight.

One year ago everything changed.

One school’s experience

Continued on following page

Page 7

seemed no logical reasons for those

patterns until she realized that they

coincided with periods of peak

electrical demand and changes in soil

conductivity.

Catherine learned about the

relationship between her condition and

electrical pollution after reading an

article in an agricultural publication

about farmers’ attempts to deal with so-

called “stray voltage.”

She contacted the industrial

electrician who was helping farmers and

immediately turned off the power in the

house. She says there was a “definite

improvement” in her health and that of

her husband. Both immediately

experienced more restful sleep, for

example.

They also installed several types of

filters and have employed a variety of

measures to limit their exposure to

electrical pollution. All have had

beneficial health effects. It has been

impossible to completely eliminate

electrical pollution from their

environment, however. She is adversely

affected by the high-frequency bursts

of current create by strobe lights on

nearby cellular towers, for example.

Since learning about electrical

pollution, Catherine has been tireless

in her efforts to warn others of the

danger. She established a web site about

the topic (www.electricalpollution.com)

and frequently addresses agricultural

and other groups, encouraging them to

seek legislative remedies for the

problems.

“People whose health has been most

affected are most interested (in

electrical pollution) because they have

the most to gain,” she says.

Shivani Arjuna

Shivani Arjuna, 59, doesn’t think she

would be alive today if she hadn’t

learned about electrical pollution.

Two years ago, she began to

experience incidents in which her blood

pressure and heart rate would suddenly

skyrocket, accompanied by extreme

heart arrhythmias even though she had

no history of heart problems and her

blood pressure had always been low..

She was conveyed to the emergency

room of the local hospital twice; doctors

couldn’t find anything wrong. After

$18,000 in tests, including an MRI of

her brain, doctors couldn’t arrive at a

diagnosis and eventually said she was

experiencing “panic attacks.”

Her life was characterized by months

of poor sleep, She usually required two

hours to get to sleep, due to tension and

severe intestinal spasms that began as

soon as she laid down. She would

awaken every couple of hours. She

thought her problems might somehow

be related to her bed, but conditions

didn’t improve when at other locations

in her home. (All those areas later

proved to have high levels of radio-

frequency radiation.)

“I was so weak I felt as if I was made

of paper,” she says. “I was nearly an

invalid. My husband cared for me.”

Homeopathic remedies alleviated some

of the symptoms, but she obtained real

relief only after reducing radio-

frequency levels around the house.

Most homes require 20 filters. It took

37 filters to reduce levels of dirty

current in her home. Industrial

electrician Dave Stetzer said levels of

radio-frequency current in her home

were among the highest he had

measured. (Her utility said its

measurements, which were made at the

same time, revealed nothing of

concern.)

‘I was nearly

an invalid.’

Sicker when the soil is

more conductive

My school brought in Mr. Dave

Stetzer, a power quality expert. He

identified problems in our electrical

environment. Mr. Stetzer filtered our

school to eliminate the dirty electricity

riding on the line. My headaches

stopped immediately and so did the

exhaustion that was my life. My health

from that point has been wonderful.

People who know me best see me as a

new person. A person they use to know,

but hadn’t seen for years. All signs and

symptoms of benign MS are gone. The

health concerns that once consumed my

life are no longer an issue. I once again

enjoy life.

I attribute this change in my life to the

filters that surround my world. The

filters that eliminated the electrical

pollution we are all exposed to every

day, everywhere. I have found filters

to be a simple solution that changed my

life and a countless number of people I

know.

I am forever thankful to have my life

back!

Angela Olstad

Teacher/Principal

Olstad@mel-min.k12.wi.us

The state health department had

attributed the problems at the school to

mold and undertook two projects,

costing more than $100,000, to correct

the problem, with no discernible

decrease in the health problems at the

school. The cost of the filters —

$18,000 for three buildings, Olstad says.

People tend to take her account

seriously, she says, because they

remember how sick she was just a year

ago when her face always had a

purplish-red tint.

She has asked officials with the state

to investigate her concerns and to

consider taking similar action in other

schools around the state. She has not

received a reply.

Utility representatives have criticized

the school’s actions as a waste of money.

Continued from previous page

Continued from page 4

Page 8

Arjuna is now so electrically sensitive

that even the arcing in a car’s electrical

system affects her and prevents her

from driving. She is essentially

homebound as the electrical pollution

in most public places affects her

severely.

She and her husband have taken

several measures to reduce her

exposure to harmful electrical

phenomena, including the installation

of shielded phone lines and modifying

the hot water heating system, which

conducts ground current, to reduce her

exposure in the kitchen to “bearable”

levels. They have also stopped using

several electrical heating baseboards

that were broadcasting radio-frequency

radiation.

She now gives workshops on the

effects of electrical pollution and

methods to reduce exposure. She has

learned that many people are bothered

by electrical pollution, even though

they aren’t as electrically sensitive as

she is.

Once people have experienced an

uncontaminated environment, they

realize how bad they feel in

contaminated environments, she says.

Those who experience only polluted

environments have no idea how they are

affected.

The Jansky Family

The health problems of the Jansky

family became worse about a year ago.

Everyone in the family began

experiencing bouts of unexplained

illnesses, including stomach cramps

and headaches. One son was

hospitalized with severe headaches,

although doctors didn’t provide a

diagnosis. Tom, 45, was not as severely

affected as his six children and wife,

Brenda, 42, which he attributes to the

fact that he worked away from the

house. Their children are home-

schooled and remained at home all day.

The most worrisome development

was the diagnosis of diabetes in their

son, Daniel, 11. Their daughter was

diagnosed with diabetes at 10 months

of age; doctors said it was unusual for

the disease to afflict two children in the

same family in this manner.

Tom read an article about electrical

pollution. “When I read it, I thought,

‘Wow. That sounded just like us,’” said

Tom. He had measurements made in

their home and installed 20 filters

immediately after learning there were

high levels of radio-frequency current

in the home’s wiring.

“The family’s health problems pretty

much disappeared,” says Tom. Most

surprising to them was a dramatic

reduction in the insulin requirements of

their two diabetic children.

They have confirmed the relationship

between electrical pollution and insulin

levels several times. For three weeks

during the summer, they vacationed in

a remote area of Montana, which was

free of electrical pollution. The blood

sugar levels

of both children dropped and remained

“very stable,” says Tom. Brenda notes

that blood sugar levels remained stable,

regardless of the children’s level of

activity.

In April, the children’s blood sugar

levels began climbing and became

difficult to manage. When the family

visited a friend who lived more than 30

miles away, their children’s blood sugar

levels decreased markedly, (and are still

declining), which they subsequently

attributed to the fact that their friend’s

house was located in a sandy region

where the soil was less conductive.

They remained at the house for several

days to confirm their initial observation.

“I’m convinced this (electrical

pollution) is an issue,” says Tom. They

have shared their observations with

their children’s doctors, who have

attributed their experiences to

“coincidence.”

Nancy H.

Nancy H., who wants to remain

anonymous., 42, often chokes up as she

recites the health problems that have

plagued her family, a litany of grief and

sorrow that is disproportionately large

for a family of five. She is divorced with

four children.

The harrowing chronicle began more

than 15 years ago when she moved with

her family to a small town in north

central Wisconsin. At the time, she

instinctively knew something was

“wrong.”

It was a presentment that she has since

learned to trust although at the time, she

couldn’t identify what in the

environment had led to the feeling.

The health problems worsened when

she moved to a house in a rural area.

Immediately after the move, her infant

son, who had placidly slept through the

night for several months, began

doubling up in pain and screaming, for

reasons that doctors weren’t able to

ascertain.

Her children always seemed sick with

colds, fevers, congestion and slight

temperatures. Her boys were shorter

than normal, One son experienced

severe growth pains and aching legs.

Her daughter had crippling migraines.

Her two older children developed

severe ear infections One son suffered

a 50 percent hearing loss, the other

son’s loss of hearing was even more

extensive.

During one harrowing year, her sons

in first, third and fifth grade were

lethargic and suffered from severe

bowel problems characterized by food

passing through nearly undigested.

They had dark circles under their eyes,

slept excessively, with poor growth and

learning difficulties.

“The boys would be playing, and

suddenly they would get headaches and

stomach aches,” says Nancy. A team of

doctors at a major metropolitan hospital

confirmed that the children were sick,

A remarkable

improvement in their

children’s diabetes

Page 9

but could not diagnose either the

ailment or the cause. One doctor

suspected cancer.

In the search for answers, Nancy had

the water and air tested, stopped eating

homegrown vegetables in case there

was something in the soil, and

eliminated any foods (such as Alar-

treated apples) that had been

implicated in any type of ailment. She

sought medical help so frequently that

some doctors questioned whether she

was fabricating the ailments to get

attention. It was one more sickening

obstacle for a heartsick mother trying

to alleviate the suffering of her children.

Nothing helped but exactly one year

and one day after the boys became sick,

the intestinal ailments inexplicably

vanished.

Nancy’s health had also declined.

After suffering from severe fatigue,

weakness and inability to concentrate,

she was diagnosed with multiple

sclerosis. And although her daughter

didn’t suffer as much as the boys, her

fingernails would slough off and her

hair would fall out by the handful.

Nancy now thinks that the conductive

metal grid in the suspended ceiling of

her sons’ bedroom may explain why

they were often affected more than her

daughter.

Electrical appliances in the house

often failed. Nancy kept boxes of

telephones that had gone bad because

she somehow felt that they might be

related to what her family had

experienced. Light bulbs frequently

burned out. Other major electrical

appliances required frequent repairs.

On April 2, 2001, she installed filters

in her house. Nancy says the family’s

health improved noticeably within a

week. She began thinking clearly and

was no longer fatigued. Others

commented that she no longer stuttered

and stammered.

She uses a meter to monitor electrical

conditions and notices that her

condition worsens when levels of

electrical pollution increase.

“It’s a world of difference,” Nancy

says. Her children took longer to

improve but they, too, have more

energy. “For the first time in their lives,

I don’t have to take them to the doctor

anymore,” Nancy said.

Marcy Fry

Marcy Fry can trace the downward

trajectory in her health to the birth of

her second child 16 years ago. A

subsequent temporary diagnosis of an

underactive thyroid, which went away

without medication in a few months,

explained some of the symptoms, but

not the panic attacks, the exhaustion,

the lack of restful sleep and jolting

awake in a total panicked state at the

same time in the middle of the night.

Her condition worsened and she

could no longer work after her office

was moved to a former school whose

electrical system hadn’t been updated

to accommodate computers and other

electronic equipment.

She has been off work since June 4,

1999, when, she was finally diagnosed

with chronic fatigue syndrome,

fibromyalgia, panic disorder and

irritable bowl syndrome. She linked

these ailments to electrical pollution

when she participated in a preliminary

study of filters. During the study, the

filters would be turned on and off at

intervals. Participants in the study

weren’t told when the filters were on,

but Marcy says she knew immediately.

The study was conducted over the

holiday season, a period of peak

electrical demand. “It was a double

whammy when they turned them off,”

she says.

She’s had the filters in her house ever

since. She is still exhausted and very

thirsty most of her waking hours, but

she is no longer as badly afflicted with

irritable bowel syndrome, nor as prone

to the bouts of anger, panic and mood

swings that characterized her behavior

before she was forced to quit her job as

a recreation director.

She believes her health is still strongly

affected by electrical pollution. The

filters removed radio-frequency current

from her home’s electrical distribution

system but not from the rest of the

environment. Measurements have

shown that her home environment is in

a sea of electrical pollution, including

ground currents.

She worries about her children, who

often have trouble focusing, a condition

that she also attributes to electrical

pollution.

Kurt Gutknecht

Kurt Gutknecht, 56, is a journalist

who has written extensively about

electrical pollution.

More than four years ago, he asked

why dairy farmers in Wisconsin were

still complaining about so-called “stray

voltage” almost three decades after the

issue was first publicized.

He found more than he anticipated –

what he now calls “the nation’s largest

public health problem.” He discovered

that humans were as sick from electrical

pollution as livestock, and that the

problem wasn’t confined to rural areas.

After his articles appeared, he was

inundated with calls from farm families

who had lost their farms due to the

problem, with no hope of restitution.

He visited dozens of farms in three

states. Most families at locations where

levels were high also had severe health

problems.

‘The nation’s

largest public

health problem’

Feeling worse

when neighbors use

more electricity

Page 10

He says the problem persists in large

part because the government has ceded

oversight to utility interests. “The

utilities’ ability to control access to the

technology used to measure electrical

pollution lets them bury the issue under

a cloud of technical jargon and half-

truths,” he says.

But he says the most disturbing aspect

of the problem is the fact that the

government, with the complicity of

selected researchers, has abandoned all

pretense of independent oversight and

objectivity. “I was sickened at what

farm families experienced when they

lost their farms due to electrical

pollution. Unfortunately, anyone who

tries to get help for the problem receives

the same treatment.”