It’s invisible. It’s silent. It has no taste. It has no smell. It has no colour. You can’t feel it. It’s in your home. It’s in your car. It’s on the train. It’s at your desk. It’s in your children’s classroom. It’s everywhere. It’s nearly inescapable. You’re most probably bathed in it right now. It’s electromagnetic radiation.

Electromagnetic radiation – what is it?

Most of us know of some forms of radiation, e.g., ultraviolet (UV), X-rays, radioactivity, gamma rays or cosmic rays. All of these belong to the electromagnetic spectrum. Even light is a part of it. The lower end of the spectrum (‘non-ionising’ radiation) starts with visible light and infra-red, then continues with microwaves, radiowaves and so-called extra low frequencies (ELFs). Non-ionising radiation won’t cause immediate harm like radioactivity for example, but long-term effects on our health have not been disproven.

You might be thinking that a lot of this stuff occurs naturally. Yes this is true – many of these forms of radiation do occur in nature – so why make a fuss about electricity?

All electricity gives off different forms of invisible electromagnetic radiation in the low-frequency spectrum. Imagine that it’s a bit like one of those radiant heaters you might use in winter – you switch it on and the bars heat up and glow red, giving off heat. However, with electromagnetic radiation there’s no heat and no glow. Depending on the type of device, EMF may radiate a lot further than the average bar heater. It’s invisible, but if you’re exposed to too much of it, it might create imbalances in your body. Sometimes appliances need only be plugged in, not switched on, to emit an electric field.

Our mains power works with an alternating current, that’s why it’s called ‘AC’. This means in simple terms that the flow of the electricity is constantly changing direction back and forth at a rate of 50 times a second or 50 Hertz. This makes the electromagnetic radiation ‘vibrate’ in a very unnatural way. The effects this may have on our health have not been studied sufficiently to say with any certainly that it’s safe, but plenty of people are starting to realise it could be affecting them. They have become ‘electro-sensitive’. With the ever-increasing electrification of our world, electro-sensitivity has become such a widespread phenomenon that, for instance, the Swedish society for the electro-sensitive counts thousands of paying members. Yet in Australia, barely anyone has heard of it.

Still sceptical? Try this simple experiment: hold a battery operated AM radio with the dial set to the end of the bandwidth near a switched on energy saving light bulb (CFL). That annoying buzzing you’re likely to hear is electromagnetic radiation in the radiowave spectrum, which is being generated by the bulb’s electronic ballast.

It’s an electric world

In this day and age we are surrounded by electricity from the cradle to the grave. Wireless digital baby monitors that screen a baby’s movements bathe it in high frequency electromagnetic fields. It’s now a matter of course that kids have their own laptop and mobile phone. As an adult we surround ourselves with all sorts of appliances, from electric and microwave ovens to hairdryers, vacuum cleaners, cordless phones, computers, TVs, WiFi, mobile broadband – the list goes on and on. All of these appliances have the potential to expose you to electromagnetic radiation. Even the wiring in your bedroom might be robbing you of peaceful sleep.

Yes, fatigue and sleep disturbances are a major sign of exposure to electromagnetic fields. This may include you or your children waking up in the middle of the night and having trouble falling asleep again, or on waking up you just don’t feel refreshed. This is why it is important to look at the areas in your home where you spend most of your time – particularly the bedroom. You or your kids might be able to get a decent night’s sleep simply by moving the bed away from a major source of electromagnetic radiation, like a fuse box or fridge on the other side of the wall.

Unfortunately most of our work environments are no better. In fact they might be exposing us to far more EMR than in the home. Many of us work in huge tower blocks that are just riddled with electric cabling and appliances. Sources include the now ubiquitous computer, wireless internet, wiring in walls, fluorescent tubes, hidden substations, photocopiers, air conditioners, even mobile phone transmitters on the roof. In most cases the EMR passes right through walls.

Is it really that dangerous?

Dr Robert O Becker, MD, a major researcher and writer on health dangers from electromagnetic fields and twice recommended for a Nobel Prize, stated, “I have no doubt in my mind that, at the present time, the greatest polluting element in the Earth’s environment is the proliferation of electromagnetic fields. I consider that to be far greater on a global scale than warming and the increase in chemical elements in the environment.”

ARPANSA, Australia’s government body responsible for protecting the health and safety of people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionising and non-ionising radiation states on its web page, Magnetic & Electric Fields From Power Lines (August 2009) that “whether chronic exposure to weak magnetic fields is (equally) harmless remains an open question. There is no evidence that these fields cause immediate, permanent harm.” Does that mean EMR is OK? In my opinion, no. UV rays also don’t cause immediate, permanent harm, but over time, may result in skin cancer. Most studies that have been done only look at short-term effects of EMR, in particular whether it has the capacity to heat human tissue. The potential for long-term effects is largely dismissed.

The Powerwatch Handbook (Philips, A&J 2006) states that excessive EMR has been associated with fatigue, depression, headaches and migraines, aches and pains, tinnitus, dementia, cancer, fertility issues, DNA damage, behavioural problems in children and more.

The stories that mobile phones might cause brain tumours just won’t go away. Children, whose brains are still developing, are particularly at risk. According to The Medical News (2008) “New research from Sweden is certain to alarm many as it has found that young people today are five times more likely to get brain cancer if they are mobile phones users. (…) Children are especially vulnerable to radiation from mobile and cordless phones, Wi-Fi and other devices, because their brains and nervous systems are still developing.”

Do we really have to put up with it?

In our day and age it is nearly impossible to switch off appliances altogether, even at night. Fridges, digital alarms, TVs on standby all contribute to electrosmog. During the day microwaves, computers, mobile phones, transmission lines, etc., are likely to increase exposure.

What can we do?

If you consider yourself to be health conscious, you may be taking herbal or other natural products to alleviate stress, fatigue, memory loss, insomnia, combat ageing, etc. However, what if it’s the mains electricity in your home or workplace that’s causing imbalances in your body by constantly bombarding your cells with agitating electromagnetic fields? That well-intended herbal sleeping pill winds up merely treating the symptom, not the cause.

Nobody is saying you should give up your lifestyle and live in a cave, but there are a few simple guidelines you can follow, such as keeping safe distances from appliances, that will help to minimise your exposure to potentially harmful electromagnetic radiation.

Some do’s & don’ts regarding electromagnetic radiation

• Where practical, switch off electric appliances at the wall. Do not leave appliances on standby – you will not only reduce your exposure to electrical fields, but save on electricity costs!
• Keep electrical appliances well away from sleeping areas, e.g., place a digital clock on a dresser or table with at least 1-2m distance, not on the bedside table right next to your head.
• If you must keep a mobile phone in the bedroom while sleeping, keep it as far away from your bed as possible.
• Keep a safe distance from microwaves when in use – at least 3 metres. Have microwaves, especially older models, checked for potentially damaging leakage. (An EMR consultant can do this for you.)
• Reduce your exposure to mobile phone radiation: minimise your use; don’t hold the phone to your ear – put it on speaker. Consider buying a low emission phone. Wherever possible, send text messages rather than talking. (SMSs use much less power.) Children under 16 should only use mobile phones in emergencies. Consider using a ‘Safe-T-Fone’ headphone. Other headphones may actually transmit EMFs along the wiring right into your ear.
• Minimise use of bluetooth, wi-fi and other wireless devices. (This does not apply to TV remotes and the like – they usually use harmless infra-red radiation.)
• Avoid using cordless phones – they continually emit high levels of radiation, even into neighbouring premises, and that’s with the phone just sitting in the docking station.
• Steer clear of wireless baby monitors. They may be bathing your baby in constant microwave radiation.
• Avoid installing dimmer switches – they often emit high frequency radiation.
• Turn off electric blankets at the wall before going to bed.
• Keep a minimum distance of 2 meters from TV sets.
• Keep a minimum distance of 1.5 meters from CFLs (compact fluorescent lamps or energy saving light bulbs).
• Don’t keep laptops on your lap – they may affect the reproductive system.
• Consider installing a ‘demand switch’, which disconnects mains power at the fuse box when appliances are not in use. This is of particular value at night when our bodies are regenerating. An EMF consultant can provide more details.
• Apply the ‘precautionary principle’ – if there is no conclusive evidence, assume a worst case scenario and eliminate or minimise exposure where possible.
• Use your common sense. Peering into the microwave while it’s cooking your food, talking on the mobile for hours or kids sitting right in front of the TV may not be the best things to do.

Steven Goldate is an EMF consultant based in Melbourne.

References

ARPANSA (13 August 2009), Magnetic & Electric Fields From Power Lines, (Online), Available: http://www.arpansa.gov.au/radiationprotection/factsheets/is_emf.cfm, (18 April 2010)

Council on Wireless Technology Impacts 14 May 2000), An Interview with Robert O. Becker, M. D., (Online), Available: http://wirelessimpacts.org/science/becker.html, (19 May 2010)

Philips, A & J, The Powerwatch Handbook, Piatkus Books, London, 2006

The Medical News (22 September 2008), Research shows mobile phones raise children’s risk of brain cancer by five times, (Online), Available:  http://www.news-medical.net/news/2008/09/22/41599.aspx, (15 April 2010)

More information is available at http://www.electricradiation.com

http://www.environomics.com.au

NSW

Building Wisdom, gwen@flybynight.com.au