Now that we have the attention of Tim Wilson, I think it would be good if we get many others to write to Tim so that he can see that it is real issue and it is not restricted to 1 or 2 people. I would try to limit the response to 2 pages covering off what sets you off, what impact it has had on your life and what you are looking for (recognition of EHS by the Australian Government, Consideration for our human rights to health, to not be tortured, accessibility, discrimination etc.,  establishment of white zones, and remove WiFi from schools and hospitals). 

Send you comments to Tim Wilson: tim.wilson@humanrights.gov.au

Please pass on to other EHS people. It is only through numbers do we have a chance to initiate change. I would also mention that you heard the "Our Say question" on this topic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=422&v=I6WFpC--EMQ

Send you comments to:

Tim Wilson
Human Rights Commissioner

Australian Human Rights Commission

Level 3, 175 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000
GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001
T +61 2 9284 9836   M +61 418 228 465   F +61 2 9284 9794
E tim.wilson@humanrights.gov.au  W www.humanrights.gov.au

Steve Wellers response to Tim Wilson regarding Tim's comments:

Dear Tim Wilson, Human Rights Commissioner,

I have decided to take you up on your recent public “Our Say” invitation to correspond with you in regards to my question relating to what support people who are electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) can expect from you or your department. To give you some context on the issue, I currently have close to 380 people on an EHS register that I am maintaining. The majority of those on the register have been impacted by wireless smart meters but there are many others who are impacted by cell towers, NBN towers and WiFi. Many are suffering very similar debilitating symptoms, have lost their jobs and in some cases, have been forced to relocate interstate. Many are very intelligent professionals that include doctors, scientists, IT professionals, teachers, school principals, etc. Refer to this story as an example http://www.news.com.au/technology/dr-marietherese-gibson-resigns-from-tangara-school-for-girls-over-wifi-health-worries/story-e6frfrnr-1226729172333.
In my own particular case, I was recently let go by my employer after I declared my sensitivity to the office WiFi. I am now struggling to find a way of supporting my wife and two young children aged 8 and 10.  I have written my own personal EHS case study which I have attached to this email as a FYI which gives a little more background on my particular case. Many others have similar stories. Unfortunately, it doesn’t help when both industry and government representatives try to pin this issue to an underlying concern of technology. It has nothing to do with concern and is being used as a distraction. People are well aware of what is hurting them.

In regards to your response to my Our Say question I have a number of concerns and comments:

1. You indicated that you probably lack staff with technical expertise to deal with the issue I raised. Given the nature of our condition, which has been acknowledged by the WHO as being disabling for a proportion of those who suffer EHS, I don’t believe technical expertise is required. Clearly this is a human rights issue where people are suffering, I dare say unnecessarily, as a result of the widespread deployment of wireless infrastructure in and around our community and near our homes without any public say in the matter. Our freedom of movement is being restricted, there is no accommodation for those impacted which is discriminatory. For many, this is a form of torture which our Human Rights expressly forbids. Our right to health is also seriously challenged. In short, we are expected to put up and shut up. This is not acceptable and we desperately require your help in this very serious matter. Waiting for a level of proof required by skeptics will take many years and does not help those of us who are suffering today.

2. You mention pollution and asthmatics as an example of how special arrangements are not always available as a justification. However there is a significant difference between pollution (airborne particulates) and electromagnetic radiation, that is, we can choose to wear a mask, we can choose to stay indoors and close our windows. Microwaves penetrate brick, concrete, glass and wood with ease. Our homes which are supposed to be our sanctuary are not proof against this form of radiation (neighbors WiFi, cordless phones, NBN and Cell towers and government mandated smart meters). I believe that taking such a position is a copout and demonstrates that health and environment is being taken as a lower priority than protecting corporate/government interests. This kind of reckless behavior is one of the reasons why our environment is currently under enormous pressure, why global health is declining and why we are losing bio diversity as species are being wiped out every day due to industry and Government wrangling and denial.  I hope you can reconsider your thoughts on this issue.

3. It would also appear your priority when it comes to balancing the right of health with the benefits of wireless technology maybe skewed in the wrong direction. Is it okay in your mind to cause a huge amount of suffering to many 1000’s of people so that millions can enjoy wireless entertainment?  I believe you attempted to justifying your position by claiming that most people don’t appear to be affected. Notwithstanding the fact that many of the health effects attributed to exposure have a latency period of 10 or more years, are both additive (multiple frequencies that we are exposed to daily need to be considered – not individually) and the damage is likely to be accumulative over time affecting multiple organs and biological systems (much like ionizing radiation but considerably slower). Refer to the attached living document that captures over 130 recent studies that clearly demonstrates microwaves can cause biological effects with the potential for harm. Many of the symptoms associated with EHS including headaches, insomnia, nerve pain are all on the rise based on the year on year increase in the prescription of medicine to deal with them. It may also be the case where sufferers are yet to make an association between their symptoms and wireless usage. It is important to note that none of these wireless devices and associated infrastructure have been formally tested to see if they could cause long term health problems. Said emitters are singularly tested against an RF standard that is designed to protect against short term acute exposures and against shock and burns only. Australia’s RF Standard is based on 1998 ICNIRP Guidelines. ARPANSA has been claiming in response to my emails that the RF Standard “provides people of all ages and health status a high level of protection against all known health effects of RF fields“ which is at odds with ICNIRP who clearly say the guidelines on which Australia’s RF standards was developed is for short term acute exposures only (not chronic exposures) and may not protect certain vulnerable portions of the population (i.e. patients, children, sick, elderly and pregnant women). ICNIRP announced in Wollongong at a wireless workshop in November 2014 that it plans to address these shortcomings with an update to the RF guideline covering:
4. Vulnerable people
5. Chronic exposures

The main reason ICNIIRP has stated it is updating the guidelines is due to the massive proliferation of RF devices globally which had not been considered at the time the original guidelines were developed. Science is clear, with thousands of studies showing radio frequencies below current recommended levels can cause biological effects. Some of these effects are serious (DNA Damage, Oxidative Stress, Cellular damage, morphological changes, altered gene expression etc.) and have been known for at least 50 years from early military research. Please refer to attached presentation slides that I recently presented on at the Electromagnetic Energy Reference Group (EMERG), which is attached to ARPANSA, in May this year which covers some of this evidence and provides more specific details on what EHS is and the evidence.

4. Tim, you suggested that there is no substantiated evidence at this time to suggest that wireless is harmful. The same was said in the past about DDT, Asbestos and tobacco smoking by the Government and the Industry. It is clear that vested interests are preventing an honest appraisal of the evidence that is publically available and clearly demonstrates that chronic long term RF exposure can cause potential health problems. Many of the people I have on my register have written to Government ministers (representing the following portfolios - Health, Telecommunications and Industry), the ACMA who is supposed to regulate the deployment of wireless into the environment and ARPANSA. Not one of these aforementioned groups is willing to properly investigate the issue, instead hiding behind an aging and flawed RF Standard and buck passing from one department to another. None of these groups appear to have the courage or integrity to do a proper and thorough investigation. The ACMA is conflicted because it is both the regulator of RF emissions and makes money from selling spectrum licenses. ARPANSA also downplays or ignores the evidence that falsifies its claims and overly promotes studies that do not show effects and suggest suffers seek medical advice knowing full well that the medical profession has very little to no understanding of microwave sickness. This unethical behavior needs to change. Real people are suffering, lives and families have been disrupted, opportunities to have a fulfilling career and a healthy life have been taken away. We appear to be expendable at the expense of protecting Government and Industry from liability. If we don’t look we won’t find allowing claims to be made that there is no significant evidence of harm.

5. You mentioned that establishing a white zone would result in people becoming isolated because they would lose the ability to communicate with the wider world. You are aware of course that there are other options that are safer and a practical means of communication, which includes land line telephones and hardwired internet (Ethernet)? A white zone is not about becoming a hermit, it is about creating a safe environment for those who are not compatible with today’s wireless gadgets. It is about offering a choice where one is absent today.

When it comes to science, we are told that Microwaves don’t have sufficient energy to break even the weakest chemical bond and that the only known mechanism of harm is through heating – which our RF Standard is designed to protect against. Unfortunately, Australian physicists and phycologists who make these claims lack expertise in biological sciences. There is sufficient evidence today that falsifies this spurious claim that only heating effects need to be considered because there are close to 100 papers that show radiofrequencies (microwaves) below RF Guidelines can cause oxidative stress which results in the creation of free radicals http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.3109/15368378.2015.1043557. Free radicals act much like ionizing radiation on cellular structures and are even capable of breaking double stranded DNA. This is not a good thing and can lead to cancer, neurological, immunological and cardiovascular problems. There is no consensus amongst international scientists about RF safety despite likeminded organizations perpetuating that there is, a false claim, backed up by the compelling fact that over 190 international scientists from 38 countries recently have written a letter to the UN and head of the WHO on RF and safety guidelines http://www.ibtimes.com/international-scientists-warn-against-em-radiation-emitted-electronic-gadgets-1920862.

Microwaves are absorbed deeply in the body and impact all organs when full body exposed. They cause endocrine (hormonal) changes and changes to neurotransmitter levels. Such changes are linked to neurological problems and could be used to explain the recent rapid rise in dementia, autism, depression and other neurological diseases that are now beginning to plague western nations http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3186583/Rise-patients-40s-suffering-dementia-Researchers-warn-silent-epidemic-early-onset-disease.html. Microwaves can impact our immune system causing immune system dysfunction leading to increases in allergies, which we are seeing today.

It would be very much appreciated if you could kindly investigate this issue with an open mind, perhaps even have a telephone conversation with me to advise me what options I have on this matter. Doing nothing is not a solution.

Yours sincerely,

Steve Weller