To the editor:
In his letter of Feb. 25 [also see letter to right], Dr. Ross Andersen stated, with regard to the supposed emissions of “microwave energy” of smart meters, my defense of smart meters (my letter of Feb 11: Time to Put ‘Smart Meter Paranoia to Rest’) proved I demonstrated that ignorance is bliss.
Well, given that for 16 years I was part of an engineering team designing microwave radio systems, employed by what then was western Canada’s largest telecom R&D firm, I really had to chuckle at Andersen’s absurd claim.
Several of Andersen’s comments are flat out wrong. For example, he stated that using “extremely sophisticated measuring equipment,” he measured “extremely high levels of pulsed microwave radiation.”
This is utter nonsense.
Clearly, Andersen’s “extremely sophisticated” equipment is in dire need of calibration. A typical cellphone output is up to two to three watts. By contrast, a typical smart meter transmits less than one minute per day, at a maximum power level of a mere one watt—far less than the power output of a cell phone.
Ironically, a call to Fortis today verified that in the Kelowna area, essentially none of the smart meter transmitters installed so far are turned on. Fortis is waiting until the meter installation program is completed before enabling their transmitters.
So what, exactly, was Andersen’s “sophisticated” equipment measuring?
Signal power level depends heavily on one’s distance from the transmitter. Thus, the power level of a smart meter more than a few feet away, is thousands of times lower than that of a cellphone placed against one’s head, and the average cellphone user uses his phone far longer than just one minute per day.
Yet, contrary to Dr. Andersen’s claims, years of data collected from studies of thousands of cellphone users has so far failed to find any significant connection between cellphone use and increased cancer risk. This has been verified by scientifically respected sources including Scientific American, and even several cancer agencies.
For proof, Google “cell phone dangers myth vs fact.” With the smart meter’s lower power output and much shorter transmission time, it is absurd to claim smart meters are a greater danger than cellphones, which themselves have been proven to be no danger at all.
I suggest that Dr. Andersen might be wise to stick with his chiropractic field of expertise, and leave engineering to engineers.
Robert Wilson,
Kelowna
