Wi-Fi allergy known as EHS has forced me to close my computer repair shop
A KIDDERMINSTER man who fixes computers and phones for a living says he has been forced to close his repair business of 20 years as technology has made him ill.
Richard Kimberley, 36, is shutting csmicros on July 22 after claiming radiation signals from wireless technology has given him a rare condition known as electro-hypersensitivity (EHS).
He says he suffers from black outs, headaches and tiredness as a result of working with phones, computers and Wi-Fi signals on a regular basis since launching his business in 1996.
He said: "Due to an over-exposure to the radiation from wireless technology, my health has declined to the point where I cannot continue with the business that I have spent my life building.
"It is a complete life changer and an absolute blow that was totally unexpected.
"I’d wake up five or six times in a night, my joints were aching, I’d have headaches during the day and my memory was awful – I felt atrocious and I had no idea why.
"I’ve had to rely on staff for the past 18 months since becoming EHS. I have persevered, battling with electro-hypersensitivity for as long as I can."
Mr Kimberley says his symptoms began in 2013 when he moved into a dual shop and house premise on Stourport Road, yet found the problem improved by removing wireless technology at home.
Since October, he has lived in a van fitted with aluminium lining to block out radiation signals.
He added: "Becoming sensitive has turned my life upside down.
"Wireless technology is everywhere and the only way I can avoid it is to camp in the van every night in places I find that are safe.
"I have satellite broadband and a landline in the van, my computer is wired and people can email me or phone my landline if they want me.
"I still have technology, but now I use it safely. It’s an extremely solitary life."
Mr Kimberley now aims to make his living as a freelance web designer - working from his van - while raising awareness for EHS by writing a blog.
A 2005 report from the World Health Organisation concluded EHS symptoms "are certainly real" but ruled it "is not a medical diagnosis, nor is it clear that it represents a single medical problem".
EHS, which has caused division in the medical world, hit headlines last year when French courts awarded £580-a-month disability payments to a woman who said she was allergic to Wi-Fi.
Later that year, a Cotswolds schoolgirl took her own life after complaining she suffered from EHS.
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