Tell Your EMF Story - NOW is the Time to Be Heard

Here are the details on what HHS is asking for - and you can use the same comment you create to make yourself heard at the FCC.

HHS has put out a Request For Information, or RFI. It covers exposure standards, research gaps, surveillance systems, sensitive populations, 5G and smart meters and wearables.

It invites you to describe health effects you believe may be connected to RF/EMF exposure.

The Department is requesting information across several key areas:

• Health experiences and clinical observations. HHS invites individuals and families to share experiences involving potential adverse health effects they believe may be associated with RF/EMF exposure. The Department also seeks observations from healthcare professionals, researchers, and public health practitioners that may help identify patterns warranting further study.
• Exposure standards and risk assessment. HHS seeks evidence concerning existing national and international exposure standards, guidelines, and regulatory frameworks. The Department also seeks information about whether scientific, technical, or regulatory changes could improve the assessment, disclosure, or regulation of wireless radiation exposure.
• Exposure measurement and public health surveillance. HHS is requesting information about methods for measuring individual and population-level exposure, potential improvements for assessing real-world exposure, information that should be disclosed to the public, and existing or potential surveillance systems.
• Potentially sensitive populations. The RFI asks whether exposure assessment or risk evaluation should differ for populations including children, pregnant women, older adults, people with implanted medical devices, workers with elevated occupational exposure, and people with preexisting medical conditions.
• Existing scientific evidence. HHS seeks evidence concerning potential adverse health effects associated with RF radiation exposure, including exposure below current federal limits. The Department also seeks information about cumulative exposure patterns associated with existing and emerging wireless technologies and potential environmental effects.
• Federal research priorities. HHS asks researchers and the public to identify the highest-priority gaps in RF/EMF and public health research and recommend ways federal health agencies can better coordinate research, including through the Food and Drug Administration, National Institutes of Health, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Below, I've got all the details of what's on the form, who will see it, and links:

• a link to the HHS announcement and the full request
• a link to see what others have commented
• a link that takes you directly to the comment form

Here's a guide to fillng out the form:

There's a "Commenter's Checklist" dropdown on the form that guides you as to how to make a comment effective. Here's what it asks for.

1. Start with an introduction, and name the problem and the source

   Cell phone, Wi‑Fi router, smart meter, a tower or antenna near the house, a wearable, equipment at work. You can be specific about what was emitting and where it sat, and you can list several situations if you'd like.

2. Background: give the timeline

   When the exposure started, how long and how often, and when symptoms first showed up relative to that. Please provide dates if you can.

3. Analysis: say what changes when the exposure changes

   Do you notice when it gets better or worse? Did you turn the Wi‑Fi off at night, move the bed, hard‑wire the house, leave for two weeks? And did anything shift? All the details will be analyzed, so be specific.

4. Back it up

   Meter readings, photographs and a symptom log can all be added as attachments, but remember to write about them in the comment first. You can also cite current regulations and how changing them could help. If you're citing research, say so; if it's your own experience, say that too.

5. Recommendations and conclusion

   The checklist specifically requests recommendations, and asks that you recap your situation.

6. Add your attachments

   The form takes up to 20 files, including PDFs, photos and documents. Each file can be up to 10MB.

7. Choose how you're commenting

   Individual, Organization or Anonymous. Each one opens a different set of fields to fill out.

The FCC is ALSO taking comments. So before you click SUBMIT, copy and paste your 5,000 character comment into a word or Pages document and save it as a PDF.