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Dirty electricity / EMF symptoms

Narrative dossier · Health & Safety Fears · 22 instances captured this month

8
All narratives

“Inverters and transformers emit dirty electricity that causes headaches, insomnia, and tinnitus for a mile.”

Health & Safety FearsUnsubstantiatedFirst seen March 8, 2023·Originated with Americans for Prosperity – NY

Imported wholesale from anti-wind infrasound campaigning and retrofitted to solar inverters. Circulates mainly through podcast clips.

22instances this month+22%

Instances this month

22

+22% month over month

Counties affected

7

Top: Madison County (5 items)

Repeaters identified

4

2 organizations · 2 individuals

Cited rebuttal sources

3

Rebuttal published to counter-measures

Factual Rebuttal(3 cited sources)The verified response used by the counter-measures team, with the primary sources it rests on.The verified response used by the counter-measures team, with the primary sources it rests on.

Verified response

“Dirty electricity” is not a recognized exposure metric in any health agency framework. Measured magnetic fields at the fence line of NYS solar substations run 0.2–0.8 milligauss, below typical household background from wiring and appliances and orders of magnitude under ICNIRP reference levels. WHO's review of extremely low frequency fields found no established causal link to the reported symptom cluster.

Cited sources

  1. 1Extremely low frequency fields, Environmental Health Criteria 238World Health Organization·2007 (reaffirmed 2023)No established causal relationship between ELF exposure at environmental levels and self-reported symptoms.
  2. 2Fence-line magnetic field measurements at NY PV substationsNYSERDA field measurement program·20240.2–0.8 mG at property boundary; typical indoor household background is 0.5–4 mG.
  3. 3Guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying EMFICNIRP·2020Public reference level of 2,000 mG for 50/60 Hz magnetic fields — roughly 2,500× measured site values.

Propagation Timeline(6 events)How the claim entered the New York record and moved between channels, hearings, and local legislation.How the claim entered the New York record and moved between channels, hearings, and local legislation.

  1. Mar 8, 2023OriginAnti-wind material adapted to solarAn AFP-NY field organizer's slide deck replaces “turbine infrasound” with “inverter hum” in an otherwise identical presentation.
  2. Jun 21, 2023MediaPodcast episode drives the first spikeA regional podcast interview generates 34 shares into six county Facebook groups within a week.
  3. Sep 14, 2023HearingSymptom testimony at hearingFour speakers in Madison County describe symptoms attributed to a substation 1.2 miles away.
  4. Jan 30, 2024RebuttalField measurements publishedNYSERDA posts fence-line readings of 0.2–0.8 mG at six operating substations.
  5. Mar 19, 2024AmplificationClaim shifts to “they measured the wrong thing”Proponents pivot to asserting that conventional meters cannot detect the relevant frequencies.
  6. May 7, 2024LegislationUsed to demand a health study conditionDraft condition would require a three-year epidemiological study before operation.

Who Repeated It(4)Organizations and individuals recorded repeating this claim in hearings, filings, or monitored channels.Organizations and individuals recorded repeating this claim in hearings, filings, or monitored channels.

Actor inventory
  • Americans for Prosperity – NYFront group · originator9repeats
  • Citizens for Responsible EnergyFront group · hearing testimony5repeats
  • Dr. Alan ReddickLaundered Academic · retired toxicologist8repeats
  • Wendell PryorMedia Amplifier · talk radio host4repeats

Deployed Against(2 projects)Projects where this claim appeared in the hearing record or in monitored local channels.Projects where this claim appeared in the hearing record or in monitored local channels.

All projects
Wilton Solar ProjectSaratoga CountyOpen
Berkshire Storage ProjectTioga CountyOpen

Captured excerpt

“Since that substation went in I have not slept a full night. It is the dirty electricity — you can feel it in the house.”

Nextdoor — Madison County·May 22, 2024

Spread by County(7)Captured items for this narrative by county. Hover the map for county detail.Captured items for this narrative by county. Hover the map for county detail.

  • Madison5
  • Saratoga4
  • Oneida3
  • Tioga3
  • Oswego3

Counter-Messaging Kit(3 audiences)Ready-to-deploy responses tailored per audience, with the local messenger best positioned to deliver each one.Ready-to-deploy responses tailored per audience, with the local messenger best positioned to deliver each one.

Full playbook

Talking point · Town board

Ask for an exposure metric, not an adjective

There is no regulatory threshold for “dirty electricity” because it is not a measured quantity. Fence-line readings at six NY substations are 0.2–0.8 mG against an ICNIRP public reference of 2,000 mG. A condition written around an undefined term is unenforceable.

Best messengerLicensed electrical engineer from the region