Last Updated: Feb 16, 2021
When you purchase a new phone, the instruction manual almost always includes a strange warning that extended use of your telephone could potentially cause brain tumors and other adverse health effects. Most of us brush off these warnings as overly precautious medical alerts and legal necessities that companies follow to protect themselves from liability.
As mobile phones and all other electronics begin to define our lives and fill up our homes, many people have begun to discuss the potential health risks of electromagnetic fields.
Every type of electrical device emits some electrical or magnetic charge into the surrounding environment. Electromagnetic fields, or EMFs, have existed since the invention of electricity. However, as technology has progressed and as society has embraced more electronics into their everyday lives, these EMFs' effects have been called into question.
Our bodies are filled with all different sources of electrical currents and signals. When you accidentally put your hand onto a hot stove, the nerves in your hand relay the sensation of heat and pain to your brain via electrical impulses. When a doctor performs an electrocardiogram, he or she measures the electric activity emitted by your heart.
The increasing intensity and presence of external and human-made electromagnetic fields from power lines, cellphones, TVs, Wi-Fi Routers, coffee makers, and everything in-between affect the internal electric currents within our bodies. Extended exposure to EMFs will create small circulating currents inside our bodies and heat our body tissue.
Several recent studies have found that external EMFs, which are much stronger than the limited electrical frequencies created by our bodily systems, can affect how our bodies work, specifically affecting the heart and neurological systems.
Much vested interest in industries that produce products that emit EMFs has attempted to convince the public that EMFs produce no adverse health effects. The World Health Organization recognizes that the main health risk associated with long-term exposure to low-frequency EMFs is that we really have no idea what long-term effects might occur. Since EMFs in the household and workplace environment is too low of a frequency to cause acute or visible effects, most people assume that there is no health risk.
As we mentioned above, every type of electrical device emits EMFs. Nonetheless, there are certain appliances and electronic equipment in your home that emit a higher frequency, and thus potentially dangerous, EMFs. Microwave ovens are one of the most dangerous emitters of EMFs in a home. While most governments set limits to how much radiation can be emitted by microwaves, as they age and their seals begin to loosen, high-frequency EMFs will be released into your home.
Other common household items that emit dangerously high amounts of EMFs include:
Unless you plan to become a hermit in Maine or Alaska's northern woods, there is no way to avoid exposure to EMFs completely. Reducing the intensity of long-term exposure to EMFs should be something to prioritize. Below, we offer three simple solutions to limit your household exposure to EMFs.
For most people and households, living without Wi-Fi might seem like an impossibility. The internet is undoubtedly a part of our everyday lives and brings the potential for significant benefits. However, Wi-Fi signals are one of the highest emitters of EMFs in any home. The good news is that you can still have internet in your home without Wi-Fi routers by investing in a hard-wired router. With the right setup, you can wire internet connectivity through your household ring circuit, giving internet capability to computers in several rooms.
If that option seems a bit extreme and you still want to make fair use of wireless devices inside the home, you might want to think about turning off Wi-Fi at night. If your family relies on several smart home products, you may want to familiarize yourself with the impacts of turning off wi-fi signals at night.
The old, box-style TVs and computer monitors emit much higher frequency EMFs than today’s flat-screen models. If you have not already, considering upgrading to flat screens which are also more energy-efficient.
Many of us have adopted the habit of leaving our cell phones right next to the nightstand. Think about leaving your devices away from the bedroom - this will not only benefit you by reducing your exposure to EMFs but will also benefit your personal sanity.
If you live in a shared house or in an apartment building where your neighbor or roommate is emitting high levels of EMFs, there are several different EMF shielding products, ranging from shielding paints, fabrics, textiles, and glass shields.
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.