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1. Are smart meters safe? Have they been tested?

Alameda Municipal Power's (AMP) smart meters, manufactured by Landis and Gyr, undergo extensive safety testing.

• A subset of Landis & Gyr meters are tested as part of the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) certification process. (UL is an independent, not-for-profit, product safety testing and certification organization.)
• Multiple independent labs have performed meter safety tests for Landis & Gyr. In addition, Landis & Gyr conducts internal safety tests on its meters.

2. What are radio frequency (RF) waves?

Smart meters use low-energy radio frequency waves to transmit information across distances. Radio frequency (RF) waves are a form of electromagnetic energy. They move through space at the speed of light and can be man-made or occur naturally. They move through space at the speed of light and can be man-made or occur naturally.

RF itself has become synonymous with wireless and high-frequency signals, describing anything from AM radio between 535 kilohertz (kHz) and 1605 kHz to computer local area networks (LANs) at 2.4 gigahertz (GHz). However, RF has traditionally defined frequencies from a few kHz to roughly 1 GHz. If one considers microwave frequencies as RF, this range extends to 300 GHz.

RF and wireless have been around for over a century with Alexander Popov and Sir Oliver Lodge laying the groundwork for Guglielmo Marconi's wireless radio developments in the early 20th century.

3. How are people exposed to RF radiation?

People can be exposed to radio frequency (RF) radiation from both natural and man-made sources. People can be exposed to RF radiation from both natural and man-made sources. Natural sources include:

• The earth itself - most radiation from the earth is infrared, but a tiny fraction is RF
• Outer space and the sun
• The sky - including lightning strikes

Man-made RF radiation is used for many different things, such as:

• All devices using Bluetooth such as wireless speakers, headphones, and security systems, Amazon Echo, Google Home
• Broadcasting radio and television signals
• Cooking food (in a microwave oven)
• Home/Public WiFi
• Laptops
• Millimeter wave scanners (a type of full body scanner used for security screening)
• Radar
• Remote control devices such as TV remotes, keyless entries for automobiles
• Smart meters
• Transmitting signals from cordless telephones, cell phones and cell phone towers, satellite phones, and 2-way radios

Most people are exposed to much lower levels of man-made RF radiation every day due to the presence of RF signals all around us. They come from radio and television broadcasts, WiFi and Bluetooth, cell phones (and cell phone towers), and other sources. RF from smart meters is just one of the many sources people are exposed to every day.

4. What is the radio frequency of Alameda Municipal Power's (AMP) smart meters?

AMP’s meters use a low-powered radio, which operates in the 902 to 928 megahertz (MHz) frequency.

5. How does the radio frequency (RF) radiation emitted by smart meters compare to other electronic devices that emit RF?

• Cell phones: 1,000 to 5,000 microwatts
• FM radio/television broadcast: 0.5 to 1 microwatts
• Microwave ovens: 50 to 200 microwatts
• Smart meters at a distance of 10 feet: 4 microwatts
• Smart meters at a distance of 3 feet: 40 microwatts
• Wireless routers at a distance of 4 feet: 0.2 to 1 microwatts

6. How often do Alameda Municipal Power's (AMP) electric smart meters release radio frequency waves?

AMP's electric smart meters, which are manufactured by Landis & Gyr, emit about 83 seconds of total transmissions per day during normal operations.

• The meters transmit data packets an average of seven times per day. There are additional maintenance and sync transmissions each day.
• 270 maintenance transmissions per day and 1,440 sync transmissions per day. Duration of each maintenance transmission is 46 milliseconds, for a total of 12.52 seconds per day.
• Each sync transmission is 48 milliseconds, for a total of 69 seconds per day.
• These additional transmissions along with the original meter-read transmission total 83 seconds per day.
• The power output and duration of signal are well within Federal Communications Commission (FCC) guidelines for emissions exposure.

Regardless of the number of transmissions, the duration and power output of AMP's smart meters are well within FCC safe exposure levels. When we tested our meters, our readings were between 1 and 6 microwatts per square centimeter when 2 feet away from the meter, compared to the FCC limit of 601 microwatts per square centimeter.

7. How do the radio frequency waves of AMP’s smart meters compare to the radio frequency waves of PG&E’s smart meters?

PG&E's electric smart meters and Alameda Municipal Power's (AMP) electric smart meters have the same level of radio frequency waves at 902 to 928 megahertz (MHz).

AMP's meters use a low-powered radio which operates in the 902 to 928 MHz frequency. The power output is less than 0.6 watts and the meter transmits for milliseconds at a time, amounting to about 83 seconds of transmissions each day. Some of PG&E's gas smart meters in our area operate on a lower frequency (450 to 470 MHz) but have a higher power output, which increases the radio frequency exposure. AMP's meters are well within the guidelines for permissible exposure levels set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for health and safety standards.

8. Is a person’s exposure to radio frequency waves impacted by how close he or she is to the meter?

Radio frequency emissions weaken significantly as the distance between you and the device increases. The casing of a smart meter, as well as wall construction materials, also decreases the level of radio frequency waves in the vicinity. Continuously standing in front of a smart meter would result in the highest exposure a person could experience, and even then the exposure would be approximately 70 times less than the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) limits.

9. Is the radio frequency level of Alameda Municipal Power's (AMP) smart meters approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)?

Yes. The FCC sets radio frequency limits and requires that all radio communicating devices be tested to ensure that they meet federal standards before they are allowed to transmit within the radio spectrum.

10. Can smart meters cause illness?

American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society, which has published information on its website related to smart meters, says the possibility of smart meters being connected to an elevated risk of cancer is very unlikely. The organization explains that smart meters have lower levels of radio frequency waves than cell phones.

It would be nearly impossible to conduct a study to prove or disprove a link between living in a house with smart meters and cancer because people have so many sources of exposure to RF and the level of exposure from this source is so small, according to a statement from the American Cancer Society, which is posted on the organization's website. Because, the amount of RF radiation you could be exposed to from a smart meter is much less than what you could be exposed to from a cell phone, it is very unlikely that living in a house with a smart meter increases risk of cancer.

World Health Organization

In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) has published the following statement on its website: Despite extensive research, to date there is no evidence to conclude that exposure to low level electromagnetic fields is harmful to human health.

Other Independent Agencies

Reports from several other independent agencies, including the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) and the California Public Utilities Commission, have also found that smart meters have lower levels of radio frequency waves than those of everyday appliances, such as cell phones (PDF).

11. Are smart meters a fire hazard?

Alameda Municipal Power's (AMP) smart meters, manufactured by Landis & Gyr, have no history of fires. They detect abnormal temperatures and/or conditions and send an alert to AMP so staff can investigate. An older generation of smart meters - that were not manufactured by Landis & Gyr - were associated with fires in the past.

There was an accident in Stockton, California, in 2015, in which a high-voltage line dropped on a distribution circuit. In some cases, the meters, and/or meter covers, were dislodged from the socket as a result of the surge. Since the surge caused the damage, the meter issues would have occurred regardless of the meter type.

AMP's Landis & Gyr smart meters undergo safety testing as part of the Underwriters Laboratory (UL) certification process. UL is an independent, not-for-profit product safety testing and certification organization, serving the public for more than a century. AMP's smart meters are in compliance with federal health and safety standards.