By Roy Wood, Special to the Times Chronicle
An Osoyoos resident blames his chronic headaches on emissions from various electronic devices and has asked council to exempt him from a five-thousand-dollar charge to have his water meter installed outside rather than in his home.
Council decided to study the matter further and get back to him.
The Osoyoos water meter program is in its beginning phases, with meters being installed over the next year or so. The meters use wireless technology to communicate individual water flows over the airwaves.
Fitness and nutrition consultant Jorg Merdian told council this week that he has suffered from headaches for decades and is convinced that they are caused by emissions from digital devices.
He said he has taken measures in his home to minimize the emissions, including arranging with Fortis to have his power and gas monitored manually.
Merdian said he contacted the town and asked that his meter be installed outside – a so-called pit meter – rather than indoors and was told such an option would cost him $5,100. He described the charge as “being fined for my condition” and asked that council find a way to exempt him from the charge.
Merdian supplied council with several links to studies showing that electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) is a legitimate condition.
Several members of council, including Mayor Sue McKortoff, indicated they had not read the studies.
Such studies are plentiful, but there is no broad consensus around what causes EHS. In fact, more traditional health authorities have found no causal link between exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and the various symptoms associated with electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS).
According to the online medical watchdog Quackwatch: “The World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded that (a) although the purported symptoms are real, there is no scientific evidence of a causal link with EMF exposure and that (b) lowering internationally accepted EMF limits is unlikely to reduce the prevalence of symptoms.”
Asked whether the administration might do some research on the issue, CAO Rod Risling said it could, but that “this is a political decision” around whether council wants to grant Merdian an exception from the current process.
Councillor Johnny Cheong noted that it might be possible to install a “Faraday cage,” which would shield Merdian’s home from the EMF created by the water meter.
In the end, council passed a vaguely-worded motion, to “look at some of these options and get back to you as quickly as we can.”
