As people spend over half of their time at home, this is where you may absorb more electromagnetic radiation than anywhere else. So for best EMF protection, make your home a low-EMF zone. Most of the EMF that people experience at home does NOT come from external sources (power lines, electrical sub-stations, cell phone towers and suchlike) but from electrical equipment and radio transmitting devices INSIDE their home. These are the kinds of harmful EMF you may experience at home:
- Low-frequency EMF comes mainly from mains electrical appliances and house wiring. Mains electricity alternates (cycles) 50 or 60 times a second, or Hertz (Hz). That sounds fast, but in electromagnetic terms, it is very slow – and that is why it is called low-frequency EMF, or very low frequency (VLF), or extremely low frequency (ELF).
- Radio frequency EMF is mainly used for radio communications. These are energy waves which alternate very rapidly, often faster than 1,000,000,000 cycles per second, or 1 Gigahertz (GHz).
EMF Protection Tip 1 – Understand about EMF Penetration
Different EMF frequencies have different penetration qualities.
- Low frequency radiation does not bounce off walls or floors – it just goes straight through. In fact, it will penetrate anything – brick, metal, concrete, and you – without any trouble. Nothing blocks low-frequency EMF.
- Radio frequency radiation is blocked by many materials. A thick brick wall will stop most of it – a metal sheet will stop it completely. So it can be shielded.
But if you just put a metal sheet between two computers that are communicating wirelessly (by radio) they will still be able to talk to each other.
Radio waves bounce off surfaces which they cannot penetrate, like walls, floors and metal sheets, so the message will still get through, unless you block every possible path.
EMF Protection Tip 2 – EMF Gets Weaker with Distance
All EMF gets weaker with increasing distance, but with low-frequency EMF it gets weaker very rapidly. This is important because it means that you can often protect yourself against low-frequency EMF by simply getting a little further away from it.
Even a few inches can make a big difference with household electrical equipment.
Radio frequency EMF also gets weaker with increasing distance, only much more slowly. That is why radio frequencies are used for communication over a distance.
Moving a little further away is sometimes not a good option with radio-frequency EMF, because you can’t get far enough away. In these circumstances it may be better to consider screening options.
EMF Protection Tip 3 – Keep 3 Feet Away from Appliances
Don’t ignore the EMF which comes from electric appliances nearby. You may not be able to do anything about the power lines down the street, but you can make sure you stand further from the stove when cooking!
Assume that all electrical appliances, power tools, computers, motors, chargers, TVs etc. radiate low-frequency EMF. Small appliances can make large EMFs. For example, most battery chargers pack a powerful punch. This includes your cellphone charger.
Large appliances, such as refrigerators, may create a small or large EMF. Ovens, stoves, electric heaters and washing machines generally produce the most.
Here’s a quick rule of thumb: expect a low-frequency EMF from a source within your house to extend 3 feet in all directions, unless you know otherwise. (Don’t forget, this radiation goes through walls too.)
So keep three feet away from electrical wiring and appliances, where possible. (It is not always possible. An electric shaver is pretty useless when you hold it two feet away from your skin!)
EMF Protection Tip 4 – Switch OFF When Not in Use
Devices that generate radio waves have a much greater range – so expect that radio-frequency EMF from a source within your house will FILL your house!
We are talking about digital phones, wireless modems and routers, wireless computers and printers. Also microwave ovens, which in my experience, always leak substantial radio-frequency EMF.
The Golden Rule here is to Switch Off When Not in Use.
Think about the electrical devices polluting your home with EMF right now. Are you actually using them right now?
Are your digital phones, wi-fi, computers and printers all chattering to each other, but doing nothing for you? Switch ’em off!
And please remember to turn everything off before you go to bed at night. That’s good housekeeping, good for your budget, good for the planet, and good for your health!
EMF Protection Tip 5 – Stay Wired
Consider using wired phones in your house! For some people this is very difficult. We don’t like to be constrained by wires. Some people like to walk around while talking on the phone! But for the sake of your health it is worth it.
How about a wired computer network instead of wireless? My office is all wired. It’s really not too bad, if you keep the wires tidy. But we may use wireless if we need to use a computer in an unusual location for a short while.
I have often been called in to do an EMF survey of a house which was close to a cell tower, or power lines, so the owners were anxious about EMF. Sure enough, I usually find plenty of EMF to warrant their concern, but most of it was coming from appliances INSIDE their house! Ironic, isn’t it?
At least the cell towers go quiet during the night! But most types of digital phone never stop transmitting. So rather manage without them.
EMF Protection Tip 6 – Get an EMF Meter
People naturally find it very hard to be concerned about something that they can’t see or feel, and doesn’t seem to be doing them any harm.
The best tip I know for reducing your EMF exposure is to get an EMF meter. When you see your meter responding to radiation in your home it suddenly becomes much more real.You can SEE the effect of switching on various appliances, or switching them off, or moving from one spot in your house to another.
Once you have a meter, you have a tool for monitoring and managing your EMF exposure. It is a pity that radio-frequency meters are relatively expensive, and not within everyone’s reach. But if you can, make a plan to get one.
And most people can afford a low-frequency EMF meter. They can be had for as little as $30, although the best ones cost more. Don’t just think of how much you are spending. Also consider that you will be making an investment in your health.
And a meter helps you apply the first four EMF Protection Tips above.
More EMF Protection Tips
Each EMF Source has its own page on this site. There you will find more information about how to protect yourself, and your loved ones. And soon there will be reviews of shielding products that really work to reduce radio-frequency EMF.
So don’t become a victim of EMF pollution. Reduce electromagnetic exposure!
And while we are talking about not becoming a victim, beware of gadgets that are claimed to reduce the harm done by electromagnetic radiation, including pendants, broaches, attachments for your cellphone and the like.
Nothing can soak up the radiation from a room either. That would be like putting something in a room and expecting it to absorb all the light and leave the room in darkness!
It sound ridiculous when you put it in those terms, but these gadgets are marketed very skilfully and convincingly, by experts in human psychology (not human biology).
Remember, anything which will genuinely benefit you must actually reduce your exposure to electromagnetic radiation. So only be convinced by test results that show a big reduction in EMF – performed and published by an independent lab.
Or if you are as sceptical as I am, take the measurements yourself.
CELL TOWERS
https://emwatch.com/cell-tower-health-risks/
- EMFs are cumulative. You can’t control the radiation coming from the cell tower, but do what you can to reduce EMF from other sources.
- Get a radio-frequency EMF meter and measure the radiation levels in different parts of your house. (Measurement with a suitable meter is the only sure way to know how much radiation you are receiving at any particular spot.)
- Consider shielding to reduce cell tower EMF – it can be shielded with special window film, metallic mesh curtaining, EMF paint, and metal foil in the roof.
