Electromagnetic Fields or ‘electromagnetic radiation’ is basically a form of energy discharged from EMF sources. What makes one type of EMF different from another is the frequency it operates at. (Think big boat making big waves vs small boat making small waves.)
Based on those differences we can organise EMFs into a so called Electromagnetic Spectrum where each frequency band will have a different effect on its environment. We talk about the basics in the article titled ‘The Beginner’s Guide to Electromagnetic Radiation’.
In this article we will give you a brief overview of the eight most common sources of EMFs in your home and what you need to know about them.
EMF sources in your home
1. Wifi
Wifi can use a number of different frequency ranges. Although we all like to be connected, we recommend that you switch your wifi off for the night.
2. Mobile Phones and Cordless Phones
Mobile phones are often carried in pockets, attached to ears or even behind bras. They emit especially strong EMF signals when hotspotting, calling, downloading or streaming. Since these devices are often worn on the body, you should also watch out for the heating effect. This applies to cordless phones too. Read the articles titled ‘Emissions from mobile phones exceed safety limits‘ and ‘What is a mobile phone SAR?‘
3. Smart devices – Smart TVs etc., switches, laptops, computers
Similar to the wifi and mobile phones, these devices also emit EMF signals. Same caution applies as with wifi and mobile phones.
4. Smart Meters
Smart Meters communicate with your energy supplier and tell you exactly how much energy you are using up. They use the same 2.4GHz signal as wifi.
5. Microwave Ovens
Despite a general claim of safety and stating that microwaved food doesn’t affect the nutrient content of food, I always question whether the fact that we might be eating food that just received a high dose of electromagnetic radiation in the higher frequency range is beneficial to us.
I always remember my dog never wanting her food for at least half an hour after it was slightly heated up in the microwave compared to when it was left to slightly warm up on a hob.
6. Electrical Wiring
It emits very low frequency range EMFs, different from your mobile phone or wifi. The EMFs it creates are sometimes referred to as ‘dirty electricity’.
7. Cars
The ’ smarter’ the car, the more electrical wiring and bluetooth technology it contains.
8. Your neighbours
That is, if you have any. They will most likely have the same sources of EMFs in their home. The most concerning aspect of this is their wifi. If living in a block of flats, anyone in your home will be exposed to a variety of wifi networks you can’t escape.
- What is electrosmog and why it is so harmful to health;
- How to mitigate EMF exposure;
- Easy and effective protective measures to promote wellbeing of every member of your family.
Are all of these EMF sources safe?
Although they the industry tends to stick to the idea that they are nothing but safe, we recommend you do your independent research and use sources such as the BioInitiative. It is also worth while to check the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It states that EMFs are possibly carcinogenic to humans and believes that some studies show a possible link between EMFs and cancer.
For example, one study from 2018 done in Switzerland evaluated the effects of low frequency EMF exposure in adult workers in an 18 year period. It was found that the workers exposed to higher levels of EMFs for a longer period of time presented with an increased risk of certain types of leukemia.
We mention more references and examples in the following articles
- ‘Are all EMFs harmful?’
- ‘How EMFs affect children’s health?‘
- ‘5G: Is the health of your family at risk?‘
What to do about the potential risks by EMF sources?
We should all aim to reduce our exposure to EMFs where possible, switch off devices that aren’t in use and look for solutions to become more resilient.
At Waveguard we are dedicated to helping you mitigate the effects of electromagnetic radiation from wireless devices in your home, office and on-the-go. If you are interested in finding out how we can help, contact us.
Sources
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935118301403
- http://www.iarc.fr/en/media-centre/pr/2011/pdfs/pr208_E.pdf
- https://www.healthline.com/health/emf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5607572/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels#targetText=The%20802.11%20standard%20provides%20several,into%20a%20multitude%20of%20channels
- What is electrosmog and why it is so harmful to health;
- How to mitigate EMF exposure;
- Easy and effective protective measures to promote wellbeing of every member of your family.
