Radiation: Who’s Counting?


“We are exposed to radiation every day in the form of light, and the small amount absorbed from (name device) doesn’t add materially to the total,” is a stock reply to concerns about radiation emitted from modern devices such as x-ray machines, smart meters, cell phones, cell towers, wireless routers, wi-max systems (I could go on). But who’s counting this total amount?

The New York Times just published an investigative piece on new dental CT scan technology that emits much more radiation than conventional methods. According to the article:

Regulators are just now recognizing how ill equipped they are to oversee this new technology. “There is not a lot of radiation exposure data out there,” said Jerry Hensley, a state radiation protection official in California.

IBM says the transmissions of smart meters using its software are sent out 24 times per day. The illustration on the link is interesting for several reasons: one is that the thick concrete wall and visualization of the data transmissions gives the impression that none of these pulsed signals are going inside the house. Perhaps the count is accurate, but is the illustration?

Accounts of people opposed to or suffering adverse effects from smart meters appear on this Wisconsin-area blog, which has the motto:

“The age-old adage First Do No Harm should be the tempering goal of not only medicine, but government and industry, especially when they team up to deploy new technologies, set policies and serve the people.”

Some people are trying to get a total count, and assess the effects: The Forum at the Commonwealth Club of California just heard several leading experts speak on the health effects of cell phones, wireless technologies, and electromagnetic fields (the link includes videos of all presenters).