A group of B.C. residents is pursuing a class action suit against BC Hydro over its smart meters program.
The plaintiffs, led by Saltspring Island resident Nomi Davis, are concerned wireless signals from smart meters may pose health risks, and object to BC Hydro’s policy of charging a fee to opt out of getting a meter.
Smart meters emit high-frequency radio waves to transmit data to BC Hydro computers.
The claim cites a World Health Organization document which calls radiofrequency emissions from smart meters a possible human carcinogen.
BC Hydro’s website also cites the WHO to defend smart meters, saying no health risks have been confirmed, and adds that “exposure to radio frequency during a 20-year life span of a smart meter is equivalent to the exposure during a single 30-minute cell phone call.”
Citizens for Safe Technology, the group behind the claim, wants BC Hydro to remove unwanted smart meters and allow customers to opt out free of charge.
“Freedom to control the possible carcinogens emitted from one’s own home is not a luxury, it is a right,” says CST director Sharon Noble.
British Columbians who don’t want a smart meter can either keep their old meter or have a digital meter installed with the radio transmission turned off, but both options cost money.
BC Hydro allows customers to opt out because 60,000 people have refused the new meters.
CST is seeking other concerned citizens to support them. If their claim is certified as a class action suit, any B.C. resident getting smart meters installed against their wishes could join.
With files from the Canadian Press
