Summary Brief

Extensive field investigations utilizing electro-magnetic field meters was conducted at the Wiesbaden facility in the period from October, 2004 to March, 2005 in response to a rapidly developing sleep disorder, hypersensitivity, mental impairment and exhaustion experienced by Ruth Matthews (Davis).

Readings encountered in virtually all parts of the facility, exorbitant at the reception desk where she worked and in all other sleeping accommodations attempted were well over the internationally accepted safety levels, rendering the facility capable of inducing allergenic reactions (which are often permanent) and inducing the sleep and metabolic disorders she experienced.

On 18-20 occasions over that period, the patient was removed from the premises and residence and housed in "0" field environments for periods from 1-14 days producing a 100% correlation between field removal and recovery of sleep function, mental function and energy levels (capacity to perform)

A conference was arranged with myself, Ruth and Dr. Lynda Walters, MD. in which the unanimous professional conclusion (Dr. Walters has also experienced these dysfunctions connected with workplace exposure and now lives and works in EMF safe environments) was that she remove herself from the fields immediately.

The patient instead attempted to fulfill a two week termination notice and collapsed three days short of that time, having to be removed to "0" fields where she remained in a state of deep exhaustion for two weeks before any signs of recovery would begin.

Her current health, now living a primitive, but field-free life, three months later is a 90% sleeping pattern recovery and 70-80% metabolic function/performance recovery.

The patient's reason for job termination was toxic environmental workplace hazards and exhaustion rendering her incapable of performance of her work.

Conditions at the Wiesbaden had been reviewed by at least one other EMF specialist prior to this case. Recommendations were ignored.

Repeated attempts to provide free education and demonstration to the owner were met with scathing reaction and discounting. The conditions remain today unabated. Procedure with the Colorado State Board of Electrical Inspectors has been initiated in hopes of remediating at least some of the violations.

EMF exposure in myriad research findings (including those enclosed) relate all of the patient's dysfunctions to those fields as known and documented causes.

Ms. Matthew's level of exposure typically produces a "threshold" phenomenon in which the hypersensitization becomes permanent. Her responses to exposures since that time indicate that this is indeed the case here. She cannot and probably will not ever be able to sustain exposure to these fields in residential or workplace environment.

EMF safe career and housing accommodations will be necessary, as has been proven in other similar cases.

A high danger of other employees succumbing once they endure a similar duration and rate of workplace exposure exists. A survey of past employees needs to be done to asses likelihood of other exposures.

The reception desk, workplace situation itself harbors an intensity of field anomalies that are quite dangerous and appear primarily responsible for this incidence.

Synopsis of EMF Hypersensitivity

(This treatise is here omitted in the interest of maintaining brevity for this procedure. Any need for this information or background will be available through this consultant in the questioning period at the benefits hearing)

Field Readings at Wiesbaden Spa and Lodgings

(note- Electro-Magnetic Field considerations are actually two phenomenon...an electrical and a magnetic one. The two fields are interactive and related, but measured separately and the effects of either field are distinct from the other...the magnetic fields generally deemed to be life-threatening under the national "Prudent Avoidance" provisional policy warning us to avoid them in light of their cause of brain-cancer and leukemia. The electrical fields are generally not deemed so life-threatening, but cause the thought impairment, immune dysfunctions, memory loss, exhaustion/stress and sleep disorders we deal with here.)

Violations of standards for both fields were documented to very non-recommendable degrees throughout the Wiesbaden. The elevated electrical fields (from double "sandwiching" sources at the workstation) are associated with Ruth's disorder through the common causality with sleep dysfunction.

Magnetic Fields:

Readings performed with a "Tri-Field" Meter in the accommodation rooms (and those adjacent in the main building) showed reading on average between 1 and 3 milligaus with a maximum of 4.6 milligauss...all falling within the "Strong Anomaly" range of the Bau-Biologie recommendations (which are the most thoroughly documented academic standards today and the basis for the German Electrical Code). Magnetic Fields in this configuration are only due to "Net Current" phenomenon in wiring, which is a violation of the National Electrical Code. Preliminary investigation to determine source found an apparent sub-panel service cable running directly under the beds in the ceiling space from the exercise room below. All the wiring in that area is exposed, another violation of NEC (and also reported). Net current is deemed illegal because of its fire risk. Under EMF standards, sleeping in that environment for any extended period confronts direct, often life-threatening risks. It appears that verbal exit surveys of clients at the spa indicates a high percentage reporting "sleeping there worse than at home"...an expected outcome from both the magnetic and electrical field anomalies and not expected in a hot springs resort facility.

Magnetic field investigations in the outlying rooms not in the main facility showed a 0.5- 2.3 milligauss magnetic field level isolated to linear areas of the floor spaces, which would be explained by net current in a wiring conductor in the floor and continuous through the building. The crawl space was not available for direct investigation, but should be.

Electrical Fields:

Detailed electrical field measurements were conducted in an attempt to isolate any areas at all within the facility in which Ruth would be able to work or sleep. Two were isolated, both untenable because of residual fields and inappropriateness. The workplace/ reception desk itself produced a startling surprise...albiet, not a very pleasant one (as we will see below).

Field readings were done with an Electro-Smog Detektor ESD-2.

Electrical fields in the main lodge building itself (and even in the owner's quarters) were in a range from 12.5 to 123 volts per meter, deemed by the Bau-Biologie standards to fall within the "Strong" to "Extreme" anomaly ranges...deemed very dangerous. The readings varied with proximity to walls and floor, across a room, but were fairly consistent from room to room.

Had the floor (exercise room ceiling) wiring been encased in conduit and grounded (instead of bare...and as required of exposed wiring in commercial establishments) virtually none of those electrical fields from the wiring itself would exist. This violation is also contained in the report to the Colorado State Electrical Board.

Electrical field readings in the outlying rooms ranged very similar to the ones noted within the lodge.

Electrical field readings in the workplace itself were literally "off-the scale" in the floor area in proximity to the desk staff's feet as a result of the "octopus" extension and appliance cord maze servicing the equipment. By "off-the-scale" we mean that the fields exceeded the meter peak at 100 volts per meter and were consequently too high to measure. The Bau-Biologie standards do not even have danger ratings that high. The appliances (computer, cash register, credit card machine, telephone answering device) added to this load.

A compounding phenomenon of problematic nature and potentially destructive exposure was discovered in attempting to shield the fields. The floor "octopus" sources were being countered by an unknown but quite high field source in the wall behind the employee operating in the opposite direction, placing the employee in an "electro-sandwich". No known research addresses this possibility, but prognosis for damaging effects resulting from it are not good and suspicion regarding Ruth's "thresholding" is very high.

 

Conclusions

Ruth today, though approximately 80% recovered from the exposure/exhaustion episode remains obviously and extremely hypersensitized. Since removal she has shown numerous and repeated experiences of headache, chest/asthma constriction, finger/nerve tingling, leg aches, deflation/ exhaustion, insomnia all now clearly associated with exposure to measurable and known electro-magnetic fields.

This sensitization is commonly non-reversable and often associated with chemical allergies, which are now apparently becoming a concern.

Similar investigation are currently underway with approximately 20 cases regionally. Several hundred have been performed to varying levels of investigation and sensitization regionally in the 9 years of Smart Shelter's work. (Smart Shelter does not involve any fees for these investigations and assistance, but is a community service entity financed through benefactor contributions).

The timing, repeated symptom recurrence, disappearance on removal from the workplace, and successive deepening with repeated workplace exposures clearly indicate toxification in that environment resulting in disability to perform the required work.

It was my recommendation as well as that of Dr. Walters that she remove herself from that environment or risk an inevitable collapse (which did indeed occur) or the life threatening extensions of exposure in cancer...now clearly indicated as a risk by people of international stature such as Dr. Theo Colborn (see references list).

Recommendations

Ruth must secure an EMF-free living environment on a location also not inundated with fields. Work toward that accommodation is proceeding, but it puts her well out of the standard housing market, already problematical in an escalating real estate market.

She will most likely require career retraining in fields not necessitating such exposures. Some possibilities exist in the areas of Natural Building, but are difficult to find placement.

Her home and lifestyle equipment, such as appliances and computer need change over to DC supply systems.